Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1858-10-02
Surveyors Report.
T, nuRALpE, Esq,
na.E1 i

- - "rA+c" E1SStt
President. BszaR.,5 G. r.. + @, r. z. ca.
Sir Having completed the survey for the
extension ofyonr Road from, the. Crosse Tete
to the Atchafalaya, in accordance with my
general Instructions, viz: o#tun an air line
as IeaEly as practicable in the direction of
Alexandra, ! have the honor to report briefly
as foil fsWs J. :- =~,' ,.. 49,
I have had a Sectional Map prepared,
df1WnI Upon q large scale, showing the exact
Positions of the lines as traced upon the
ground, with the names Of the landed pro-
p~rletofs; position Of buildings. and every
thlfsg Essential for a final aud determinate
location of the Road. Also i profile Of the
route surveyed, and the kinds and quantities
Of WORN computed for each mile, The length
o1sthe! line surveyed, is just twenty-six miles
from the present terminus Of the Road to the
AtchsMEaya. at u point between tine mouths
Of Co head and Muscle bavous, which. are
buttwq hundred yards apart where they empty
into the AtchsiaIaya. The State Road now
in coaEse ofconstrnction from Morgafiza to
OpeIotsas, strikes the AtchafaIafa at the
same boins. / am we'll satisfied both from
obserr ation and information obtained that |
deem F~eIiables thai no better line Of approach
10 Tho HAtchatalaya can be obtained than by
the present survey. When the. curves are
put in4the line will be reduced to tWentY-iYs
and a halt miles. The length. of a straight.
line between the terminal points is twenty
three e2-loo miles, or one and 56-10D miles
shorteF* than by the survey as corrected for
Curvature. 4 glance at the mar accompany
Ing my Report will explain far better the
position Of the lines run, than any more YER
bal description. The line is made up OF five
taugeHts or straight lines, and the, total
amount Of curvature. is 169o34' The first
tang4n runs back from The Crosse Tete on
the ne dividing Mrs, Dickinsonsa and D7.
CamtbelFs lands, to the back line OF the lots,
being ]. distance of one 59-lo0 miles thence:
] proletted a straight line to the most Wester-
!y bt]E nR Of Bayou Fordoche, on the plantation
Of f !. Dunbar, Esq, This line occupies the
middle ground between the Crosse Tete and
Marjagoain Bayous. passing back Of the I'M
proved lands of Mrs. Dickinson, and through
the improved lands Of NJ .Irwinand@Mrs.
zWooERefk, and crossing The Maringouino on the
planaasion Of the Messrs. Observation-Disclosures
running on at an average distance ofirom
onA--bHM to ~three-fourtIs OF q mile back from,
the Marlngouin, it passes about one-haIf mile
back apf the0sugar-mIiE of David Barrow,
Esq. 4nd crosses the State Road abotit two
naileF West Of Livonia; running on thence
AVE ~ III ttsi AlstdiiCF VI dpoAt tWD i!litsS, N
stT!kes an extensive swamp, which terlnintes
this tiFe. I was forced to ~o11setto the right or
East oaue-ha'f mile, to avoid this nl1stftction.
Length, of5hdhe line or second tangent is Just
thirtesn mites. From this point I ran a line
to tttae BEND Of the Fordoche alluded to -
I.engtk Of this third tangent, two 3l-l00
naiIes.E The next line extends up the For
to a point one-halt mile beyond the
drairihg -machine of the M essrs. Allen, pass
ina @lvio hundred yards to the right Of the
draiIIt g-machine. and on the back line Of the
cuitiFkted ands-tength of line four 2S-f0O
rnileFl From this point I ran a straight line
tojtaeIi Atchatalaya, passing just back of the
lands OF Mr.. Downing and through
the BIZ llyhnek plantation belonging to Mr..
Mn, Moore II ust after crossing the Rally-
AI Bayou, we encounter The. swamp or
oHslApWsd lands Of the Atchafaiaya; the
iengEh Of pVerfoWed land Is two and one
arth miles, the deepestoverioW 0 n the line
is se3vfe1, feet, taking the aead mark of 1858,
and that hut for three hundred yards. the
overflow for the balances oIthe the is from
.~EFsexlto ave feet deep. The liae=across the
sH.a tap occupies nearly the IA nae ground as
the Morganza aid Opelousas State Roaa., the
length 81 this last tangent Is fonE 8I-iO 0 miles.
II haHve estimated for tMo4thoasand feHs pile,
hsHigsllfg across the swamp, which will Ger
Ia7ord sufficient water way during tirnek.l
az ipp3aii the remainder 81 the so-calied suauao
is : |kaQlcceessionof eane-IIaage aHordsing 4 COED
ana abundant material. tor the ffb5rrrndtlon II
The shbanknens, The entire amount OF
oank I aaaent across the overtlcWeA#gro t,nd u
but 10000 yards. could natobtain across
Of the Atehafalaya, owiag to The
high water, but. obtained the width q. the
Tiver by triansutat4oa, which ] made but
500 feet. A bridge here WoaIll@ oa rsnnired
70 be5about 700 feet long-probabIy is Is as
socaSa point for bridging the rivt.1T a anv
I'll be obtained the banks arg within
4 high water marx and annar.
at yother point that
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