Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1858-02-27

came exhausted, the works were ne
elected, and in 1929 they went to ruin,
when a moderate outlay of labor and
expense might have saved them.
1t was the intention of the Plaquemine
Navigation Company to protect the
banks Of the canal by driving piling,
but nothing was done until 1888. In
the meantime, the island in the mouth
of the Bayou, formed by cutting the
canal, washed away, and the works
across the mouth had been badly injured,
and required extending 50 as to remedy
the loss of the island.
was again employed by the Board
of Public Works to take charge Of this
business, in the absence of that great
man, Col. G.. Crozet, then engineer of
Louisiana, and during the sickness of
his assistant, Mr.. Walsh, who shortly
after, died of cholera. | proceeded to
erect more extensive works than those
of 1928, and succeeded in giving good
navigation during the winter and spring
IF lS34.-But like all other works Of the
kind erected, or that may be erected on
a foundation composed of such materials
as the banks of the Mississippi, we soon
lost all the good expected from them
owing to the changes produced by the
mighty workings of the Mississippi on
the fraiI foundation on which we erected
our structure.
| had occasion to have cut all Of the
stumps and logs when the bayou was
dry, that were calculated to injure the
navigation of the stream when the water
was high, and noticed that there were
not then, as now, deep holes in its
bottom.
The drift wood has passed freely into
this bayou since the year 1884, and that
which has passed through it has so filled
| Grand River as to turn it's stream half
up the river, and the lower mouth of this
river is now shallow and only flew feet
wide, where fromerly it was two or three
hundred yards in width and thirty feet
deep. This causes the waters from
Plaquemine to stop and turn those enter
ing by the A~tchafaIaya westward, rails
ing them to an unnatural height.
The RATS that for SO long a time OBJ
strueted the Atchafalaya were not re-
moved until about the year 1910, and in
the meantime the Attakapas had no out
let but through Plaquemine, as our sea
navigation has never found much favor,
and has been ~resorted to only from nee
essity. So all was done that could be
done with our means until the General
Government gave certain amounts for
the purpose OF Intervals improvements,
which, aided by the State appropriations,
have been uniformly used to the great
injury Of the State, by keeping Plaque
mine open. On this account all of our
interior bayous have been kept OBJ
structed by RATS, and left year after year
unmoved, producing islands, and almost
perfect distractions to the great natural
drains OF a vast interior regions OF the
finest lands in Louisiana.
Were it not for the %Plaquemine navi-
cation, the State would cooperate with
the General Government in keeping open
a good navigation by way of the Atcha-
falaya to the Mississippi, at low water,
which would greatly promote the interior
interests of the State. The stopping OF
Plaquemine would add protection and
security to the city of New Orleans, the
Opelousas railroad. and the Southwest
generally, at the same time that no
interest would be injured.-by an IN
crease in the bulk, weight and velocity
of the waters of the Mississippi, all on
fined to their natural element, the shallow
places and bars would be d%eepened. and
o room made for the waters to pass
through the channel to the Gulf. This
is Just as certain as that a large and
heavy tree or log, when drawn through
the mud or water, will make a deeper
furrow than a light one. So conine all
of the Mississippi waters to their present
channel, and its abrasive power will be
greater than when depleted by such an
outlet as P%laquemine.
l am certain that if the Legislature
order Plaquemine to be closed up, no
interest can or will suffer but if not
done. l believe that, as sure as the sun
continues to rise and set, so sure will
Plaquemine, in process Of time become
the main channel through which the
Mississippi will find its outlet to the
Gulf, leave New Orleans an inland and a
ruined city, destroy the Southwest, and
do an incalculable amount Of injury to
the State and the nation. From Pla-
quemine to the Gulf direct it is but fifty
miles, with a fall of nearly one foot to
the mile from P%laquemine to the Balize,
by way Of New Orleans, the distance is
over two hundred and fifty miles, with
a fall of about three and a half inches to
the mile.
must say that every man of sense
that has observed as long and carefully
as / have the workings Of Bayou Plaque
mine and the Mississippi, must know