New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-02-23

this letter. and trust that you may End it convenient
and agreeable to your feelings TO comply with this
request.
am. very respectfully,
81. MARYs' PARrsH, Feb S, 1885,
Hon. j. W. Waiksr-Sir: Your favor Of the 10th
alt is at hand, and hasten, agreeably to your re-
quest to hy before yoo my views relative to the clos
IL is now over thirty years since acted as surer-
intendent and Treasurer Of the Plaquemine Eaviga-
ton Company formed by the parishes Of ST. Martin
and St Landry. There was an effort made at great
cost IN the year 1877 by contract to 30 close up the
mouth Of the Paquemne as to admit the water and
give TO the West navigation to Or near the mouth Of
PIaqnemne, point At which It was contemplated to
erect works TO stop the drift and then 10 transport
their supplies TO and from the Mississippi and by
these means communicate with New Orleans
At the rst rise q the river, after these works had
been commenced they had not the required strength
to resist the pressure Of the drift and were swept
away The company, however, resolved to pyosecute
the work again. and in the year 1928 they employed
me and commenced operations They intended 10
construct such works as would prevent the drift
wood from entering PlaquemiDe. This drift had
formed large RATS in that bayou and also in Grand
river, Bayou Sorrel, and Pidgeon, and also all the
bayous south and west into which the waters OF the
| Plaquemine flowed.
| This work was begun as soon as the season would
permit, and prosecuted with all the energy and
means could bring to bear on it. and completed q
breakwater OF piles against which the drift lodged
in the mouth OF the Bayou, and was prevented from
entering. also cut canal from Bayou Plaonemine.
descending the river that it came out to the cur
rent OF the Mississippi at an acute angle with it.
This caused the water to be drawn up rather than
with the current in entering Plaquemne throue the
canal This arrangement prevented the drift from
passing into paquemine that year and the next, at
which time the resources of the company became
exhausted, and in the year 1873 the works went to
rnin from neglect or for want Of additional labor
| them.
IL was the intention Of the PIaquenine NAVIGATION
Company to drive png to protect the banks Of the
canal from washing but nothing was done until the
year 1888. In the meantime, the island at the en-
trance OF the Piaqnemine, formed by the cutting Of
the canal had washed away, and the works across
the main bayou bad been injured, and required ex-
tending 50 as to remedy the loss OF the island.
was again employed by the Board of Public
Works to take charge of the business in the absence
of that great man, Col c. Crozet. the Engineer Of
louisiana during the sickness Of his assistant Mr.
Walsh, who afterwards died Of cholera
| l proceeded TO erect additional works to those
made in 1928 so as to give good navigation during
the winter and spring Of 1884. But Ike all other
works ever erected, or that may ever be made on
! foundation composed Of such materials as those OF
the banks Of the Mississippi, we soon lost all the
benefits expected from them, owing to the changes
produced BY the mighty workings OF the Mississippi
on the foundation upon which our structure was
erected.
had occasion to have cut in 1927 all the stumns
and logs from the bayou when it was dry that in
any way impeded the navigation of the bayou when
high. There were no deep holes then as there now
are III tDe DeQ OF Lne bayou.
The drift wood has annually passed freely through
this bayou since 1884, and has SO filed Grand
river as to turn its stream half up the river and
cause i to fill up the lower mouth that it is now
only few feet wide, where formerly its width was
two three hundred yards and its depth thirty
feet thus causing the waters from the Plaquene to
stop and turn those entering by the Atchalalaya M
ward, raising them TO an unnatural height. The
RATS that for long time obstruced the Atchafalaya
were not removed until about the year l640, and in
the meantime the Attakapas trade had outlet but
through Plaqnemine, as our sea navigation never
found much favor and has been resored to only from
necessity. So all was done that could be done with
our means, until the General Government gave GER
tain amounts for internal improvements which were
aided by appropriation from the State but these
have been uniformly used to the great injury of the
State, by keeping the Plaquemne open, by which all
our interior bay0us have been kept obstructed BY
RATS, and left year after year nnmoved, forming
islands and almost perfect distractions to the great
natural drains of vast interior region of the finest
lands in Louisiana.
Were it not for the navigation of Plaquemine they
would cooperate with the General Government in
keeping open good navigation from the mouth Of
the Red river to the Mississippi at low water which
would promote the interior interest Of this portion OF
the State. 1t would add protection and security to
the southwest, and ipure no interest This just
certain as large and heavy tree when drawn through
mud and water will make more impression on the
ground and leave deeper furrow, than a small and
light one. So, confne all the waters of the Misss-
sipp to its main channel, and its abrasive power will
outlet as Plaquemne.
am certain that if the Legislature will close Pla-
quemne, interest will suffer and that II it is not
done as the rises and SETS in process Of
time, and that at distant period the Mississippi will
take its nearest outlet to the Gulf New Orleans will
be inland and ruined city, the southwestern par
ishes will be utterly destroyed and immense and
rrepaable injury inflicted the State and the nation.
l feel confident that every man of sense that has
carefully observed, as have the workings of Bayou
Plaquemne and the Mississippi river the last thirty
years, must know that my views this subject are
, correct.
Why should the Mississippi not pass this way to
the Gulf? Did not the Almighty make the banks OF
that river at Plaquemne while forming them through
out its in Louisiana and Mississippi Has not
the river passed from its former bed through such
cuts from one point to another? And why not down
such great and short descent to the Gulf as that
J which Plaquemine presents? The mouth of Plaque
mine is now large and will, from known laws grow
rapidly larger, unless closed up. Let the experiment
be tried II does not answer it can be thrown open
again but il not closed and the Mississippi turns
by that channel into the Gulf it will be too late ever
to be closed up
remain, very respectfully. your Obedent servant
JOSHUA BAKER.
TIE CoLoRADo EXPLORING PARTY.-We learn
from Washington that the War Department has re