The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1858-10-16

Inc Gfeatest commence Is repnSed IN tlE3
n ability md Judgment, and all know Inn, 8DNl
6 q trnst could not be placed il more comSytenl
y hands. OF cdeFse The entire amount ~uecsssar,
9 % complete aSSAsst laye to be subscribed be
G fore the GompISy VIII undertake. the enter
0 prise So soon as the agent returns with the re
Q quired amount, nothing further will remain te
be done but to operations.
j The following is The !.
: SURVEYORS REPORT.
: j. v. Durable, ESQ,
i President b. n, q. z. and O. r. n. Co.
SIR: Having completed the survey for the
$ extension Of your Road from the Grosse-Iete
. to the Atchafalaya. in accordance with my
!. general instructions. viz to run an air line as
nearly as practicable in the direction of Alex
J andria, | have the honor to report briefly as
las follows:
I have Ind a Sectional Map prepared, drawn
upon n large scale, showing the exact positions
Of the lines as tracked upon the ground, with
the names Of the landed proprietors, position
OF buildings, and everything essential for a
final and d%etermiDate location of the road.
Also a profile Of the route surveyed, and the
kinds and quantities of work computed for
each mile. Theslengih of the line surveyed, is
just twenty-sixs miles from the present terminus
OF the Road to the Atchafalaya. at u point be-
tween the mouth Of Cow-head and Muscle
Bayous, which are but two hundred yards
apart where they empty into the Atchafalaya.
The State Road now in course of construction
from Morganza to Opelousas, strikes the
Atchata'aya at the same point. | ain well
satisfied both from observation and information
obtained that i deem reliable, that no better
line OF approach 10 the Atchafalaya can be
obtained than by the present survey. Wien
The curves are put IN. the line will De reduced
to twenty-five and n half miles. The length Of
a straight line between the terminal points la
twenty three 92-l00 miles, or one and 5s-lOO1
miles shorter than by the survey as corrected
for curvature. A glance at Tie map accom-
panying my report will explain far better the
position of the lines, run, than any mere
verbal description. The line is made IN of
live tangents or straight lines. and the total
amount Of curvature is 100 : 81. The first
tangent rms back fron the Crosse Iyete on The
line dividing Mrs Dickinsou's aud DR.. Camp
bells lands, to the back line of the lots, being
a distance OF $1,000 miles thence /. projected
a straight line to the most westerly bend of
Balyau Ford gche, ~ the plantation of Il. III
Dunbar, Esq. This line occupies tile middlei
ground between the Grosselre,e and Marin
gonin Bayou passing back Of tle improved
lands Of Mrs. Dickinson, and through he im-i
proved lands Of Mr.. Irwin and Mrs Woolfork,
aud crossing the MarIngouin on the plantation
of the MeSsrs. Rober&son-thence running on
al an average distance of from one,balf toll
three fonrths of a mile back from the Marin.
goniD, 1t passes about one-half mile back of
tse sugar mill of David Barrow, ESQ, and
Crosses the State Road about two miles west
iot Liyonia running on thence for the further
distance Of about two miles, it strikes an ex-
%tensive swamp hic,s. terminates this line. r
was forced to Offset to the right or east one
half mile, to avoid this obstruction. Length
Of the line or second tangent ia just thirteen
miles. From this point | ran a line to the
bend OF The Fordoche alluded to. Length Of
this third tangent, two 3l-l00 miles.
The. next line extends up the Fordoche, to a
point one-half mile beyond the drainiug-ma.
chine Of the Messrs. Allen, passing two INN.
dred yards to The right Of The d~raining-macbine
and on the back line of the cultivated grounds
length OF line four 28-l00 miles. From this
point ran a straight line TO the Atchafalaya.
just back Of the cleared lands of Mr..
Downing and through the Ballyhuck plantation
belonging to Mr.. VIM. T.. Moore. Just after
the Ballyhuck Bayou. we encounter
the swamp or overfowed lands of the Atcba.
The length. Of tyerHnwed land Is two
and one-fohrth miles, the deepest overflow on
he line is seven feet. taking the food mark of
1898, and that but for three hundred wards ]
Inc overflow. for The balance Of the line is from !
three to five feet deep. The line across thr, :
swamp occupies nearly the same ground as tie
horganza and Opelonsas State Road, the !
ength OF this last tangent is for Sl-I0 90 miles
have estimated for Two thousand feet pilp d
'ridglng across the swamp, which will certain. e
y aiiofd snilclent water way during times of 7
iond the remainder of the so-called sardsop ia !
succession OF cane-ridges. afforJing a GOOD
md abundant material for the formation of the o
'mbankment. The entire amount Of embark. "
nent acr"ss the ovcflowed ground is bnt 4Oo0o :
ards. could not obtain a cross section of the h
A'chata'aya. owing TO the high water, but nb.
aimed the width OF the riscr by iriaaeulauon C
ghich | made but 600 feet. A bridge here :
sonld be required to be about 700 feet long l.
,robao'y this is as good II point for bridging P
ne river as any that can be obtained the
'anks are within u foot or two of high wafer W
nark and apparently as permanent as at any y"
ther point that can be found. Moreover. the G
sallroad line approaches the river at right HI
hsles 70 u, or nearly SO. The river at 'Simms. :
orr Judge to be at least one-third wider than Y
t this point. !
Taken as a whole, | regard the line from tho "a
'rossS 'ete to the .Atchafalaya, TO be as we'll ii
as / can be, occupying as good ground at
as. as Gan be found. A change only is .,
aeded to avoid the swamp alluded 10. and 4
hieh is shown upon the map. Directness At
owever, is sacrificed in The first tangent from re
he Grosse-Tete-here the line runs out NJ In
,out right angles to the true course. and tho TO
lad is heightened thereby fully one and a half nv nv
lies. Station stakes were driven al every two
indred feet upon The line surveyed, and levels in
at them, the same base line, or plane of
ference being taken as upon the finished ii. 'a
sion of the road. The whole ascent r,om
e Grosse.Te,e to the Atcbaiaiaya is tpnrleen =
llo0 feet. The ruling or maximum gradient L
is bnt five IS 100 feet per mile, Tie a.
hight of embankmeut is one s-l0 feat n. =.
excavation is so iriiling in amount that Nv
we left il out entirely in the calcnlntio,s r
ut seven and three flurths mics of The eulire Il
IS through pen ground. the remainder nf
e line is through woods. aud nearly every
OF it through All impenelrable cane.hraka \
I'M twenty-five to thirty feet in hight, thu ~
occupying generally the back of the pIan. y