Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1857-07-11
From the Franklin CLal Journal.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT.
locks and Dams Across Praquemtne.

Mr.. EprToR-Dear Sir: In former CONS
municatious | alluded to tie project of making
a canal of Bayou Plaquemine. This work, if
done, would reclaim all the land from overs
flow which a levee across the bayou would ac-
complish, and would be free of the objection
of interrupting navigation. The cost would
be small compared with the benefits that would
be received in return for the investment.
In order to deepen Bayou Plaquemine so as
to give q channel sixty feet wide and four feet
deep at low water, to the Mississippi river, ex-
| cavations would have to DE made amounting
10 100000 square yards, which at the usual
| price Of twenty cents per yard, would cost
! $4,000. Two good substantial locks and
dams across the bayou would cost $40, 900,
making a total of S2O4O9O as the cost of ma
king a canal of Bayou Plaquemine, but we
will suppose it will cost in round numbers
$25o,OO0.
The State could not use that amount of mo-
ney in any other work which would return
one-terh of the benefit which would accrue
from this work to the citizens of louisiana
This would be free from the objection often
urged against works OF Improvement because
their benefits are confined 10 small portions Of
the State tonr.ffhs of the people of Louisi-
ana would be benefited by this work. 1t
would lessen the cost of transportation of
freight to and from Attakapas alone, at least
$4,000 per annum, or twenty per cent upon
the cost of the work.
Other portions of the State will be benefit
ted in as great a proportion as the Attakapas
parishes. Red River is destined at an early
day to lose its connection with the Mississip-
p; the deposites of sand and mud will in a
few years close the present mouth Of Old Ri
yer, between Red River and the Mississippi,
thereby cutting off boats passing between the
Red River country and New Orleans, except
by way of the Atcbafalaya and Bayou Plaque
mine. Already the inhabitants of the valley
of Red River wish to have the Atchafalaya |
leveed across at its upper mouth to prevent
the closing up Of Old River. This has been
strenuously opposed BY the citizens of Alta
kapas and the coast parishes, but for very DIFF
ferent reasons: the citizens living on the coast
fear the augmentation Of water which would
be inevitable by turning the whole floods of
Red River into the Mississippi, while the Ats
takapas parishes are anxious to preserve a com
municatlon with the Mississippi for boats. I
All the conflicting interests would karmo>
nize, and each section of the State have that
which it really needs, by deepening Bayou
PlaqueTnine and building locks aud dams a.
cross it so as to make slack water navigation
for first class Red River boats at all seasons
of the year. BY doing this and clearing ont
the snags. in the AtchafaIaya. the inhabitants
Of the Red River and Ouachita parishes would
have a certain means of communicating with
the city Of New Orleans.
The Atchafalaya would receive and convey
all the water from Red River iato the Gulf
This it could do without overlooking even the
lowest swanps in the AtchafaIaya valley, after
Bayou Plaquemine is closed by locks and
dams fromfthe free passage Of water, except |
the amounts actually required for purposes of
navigation. Thus the coast parishes would be
entirely relieved from all apprehension from
damage from overflow of Red River, while the
south western potion of the State would res
ceive the double benefit Of an improved route
for navigation. and have a million of acres of |
land reclaimed from annual overflow.
In a few years we would have 100000 ad. |
ditional acres of fertile land in cultivation, |
yielding crops annually worth SlO,0OO,000, |
and furnishing means Of subsistence and ems
pI0yment to many thousands of persons, who
are the trne wealth of tie State. Another
great benefit, which cannot be estimated by
dollars and cents, would be the changing of a
large district of country from poisonous
swamps, which now distil pestiiential malaria
into fertile and healthy fields. /
The benefits which would be derived from |
the work are so numerous and of such great
value, that it is surprising that it has not been
done before this time, when we consider the
small cost. The present time is favorable for
the accomplishment of the work, as we could
now make this really important work pithout
costing the taG payers Of The STATE one dollar !
There ii now in the State Treasury, belong
ing to the second swamp land district, over
100000 of the swamp land fund, to be devo-
ted to works for retaining overlooked land;
this sum has not yet been appropriated for any
work. Nearly every other portion OF the dis
trict has already had a portion Of the swamp
land fund expended for their benefit, except
the portion of the district which this WORK
would so greatly improve. This would be a
legitimate and constitutional use Of the swamp
land fund, as there is not in the district or in
the State another work which would reclaim
SO much land with SO little money; and by
Withdrawing the swamp land from market in
the district where it wonld be benefited and
reclaimed by the work, until after its compile
tioE, and then restore it to market by Offering
it for sale at auction to the highest bidder, the
increased priceit would bring would be more
lhon four times the, cost of the whole work.
The parish Of st. Martin alone has paid into
the treasury for swamp land, nearly 100000,
without receiving back one cent in any work to
reclaim her inundated lands. 1t is but an act
Of Justice to her citizens that this work should
be built with the swamp land fund belonging
TO the district, now in and to come into the
treasury This swamp land was given to the