The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1859-01-26

TIE RED RIVER FALLs-We find in the las
Alexandria American the following remarks il
relation to the abortiye attempt made by the
State of Louisiana to improve the navigation
over the rapids, two miles above that place
As the people of this section of the State arc
interested in the attempted work to a far greater
extent that those in the vicinity Of Alexandria
they would also like to be fully posted on the
subject. The American says;
In an article some few weeks since, we tool
occasion to lay before our readers the way mon
ey had been squandered upon the falls of Red
River, without benefit to navigation. In thai
article we were very severe upon Mr.. Malletort
the contractor, for his course in relation thereto
We were under the impression, at the time
that he managed the cutting of the falls to sui
himself, but we have learned that the commits.
sioners had the whole management Of it, and
that he contracted to do the work as laid off by
them, and that they (the commissioners are
to blame for this wholesale pundering of the
state treasury. Mr.. Mallefort, like every Other
man, has The right to make contract, and il
he is lucky enough to get the best of it, he is
certainly justified in doing 50. We cxonerate
him from all blame in the proceedings The
commissioners laid off the crooked channel in
the first place and he blowed it out under their
direction. We hope the Legislature will look
into this matter, and compel the commissioners
to show what has become of the $55, 900
which has been appropriated for the purpose Of
cutting channel through the falls at AIexan-
dra We are very certain that Mr.. Mallefort
has not got it, Is the balance in the state trea-
sury, or is it in the hands of the commission
ers, or private individuals? There is a loose
ness about the expenditures on our public works
which should be remedied, and we think the
sooneritis done the better. In penning this ar
licle we wish to do Mr.. MalIefort justice, and
let the blame rest where it properly belongs
with the commissioners, who had aboutas much
knowledge of how a channe! should be cut as
a five year old boy. Our opinion is, that if the
had gone to work and, instead
of cutting out another channel through the low
er falls filled up the spaces in the falls by throw
inc up a wing DAM and let all the water pass
through the old channel on the opposite side of
the river, navigation might have been improv-
ed; butinstead of doing this, they cut a new
channel, and the water pours through nearly
half dozen places in the lower falls. By throw
ing up wing on the lower falls, so that the
water could pass through bat one channel, the
water above could have been raised some two
or three feet, which we think would have help
ed the upper falls; butinstead of this they have
cut the falls up, and navigation is now worse in
low water than it has ever been known. We
think something should be done by the legisa
ture in regard to this matter, and if money is
appropriated, it should be placed in the hands
Of those who know how to spend it, andfor the
for which it was designed.
The foregoing remarks are worthy ofconsid
grafton. The money expended on the works
at the falls has been worse than thrown away
The channel blasted through the rocks is too
crooked, narrow and shallow 10 be Of any ben.
fit to steamboats,. Let the necessary improve
nents be made as speedily as possible. and let
be work be placed in the hands of competent,
PRACTICAL and energetic engineers-men who
now what is required and how to dc the work.
The public works heretofore attempted by Lou
siana have invariably failed to accomplish the
God contemplated, owing to the ignorance and
inability of the persons selected by the execu-
i've to superintend the job, and SO long as such
ontinues to be the case we can look for moth
ng better than failures