Gazette and sentinel., 1860-02-04
Bayou ~Plaquemine.

1t is somewhat strange that nothing defs
unite, reliable and certain, can be concurred in
or understood among the many scientific and
learned men of which our State can assuredly
boast of possessing, relative to the effects that
would result from the closing of this Ugly and
destructive stream, the name Of which is the
caption above. No one would or could desire
that this stream should be closed, for the ben.
eft of one section of the State by mourning
disaster upon that of another. But will lis
aster, danger or exposure to the inhabitants
below result from the closing Of the Bayou?
Intelligent gentlemen answer in the affirma
tive-equally intelligent and &,hful gentle.
man answer in the ncgatiycl Thus The mat
ter stands-in sLitu quo as it were-nohody
knowing what to propose, what to advise, or.
how to act, to put a stop to the destruction
which it IS at this moment producing, and still
more ru!nous consequences which each Wear
threatens while it remains open, its mouth
widening, its bed sinking in great holes,-to
say nothing of its injurious effects to our
wealthy and iiOuriSh.ng town. The Lecisla-
ture seems to be in as great quandary upon this
matter, as those Interested immediately below
the mouth or..residing on the bank Of this i'll.
lated stream. Navigation in the direction Of
Attakapas is suspended in consequent of the
great quantity Of drift collected in Bayou Scr.
rel and Grand River-the water is backing up
and rising, threatening to erAow the banks
OF the Bayou Plaquemine, and running plan
tations that produce from 1000 to 1900 hhds.
Of sugar annually. Whether there has been
any attempt to remove this raft since our las,
We know not; but We have been assured by
those who seem to understand the matter, that
exertions will have to be made pretty soon or
they will be unsvailing. At the present mo-
ment, what is most required, is the prevention
OF any more drift entering the Bayou. Can
this be donel Let the Legislature appoint a
committee to wait upon the Engineer or Com
missioner Of Public Works Of the District
visit the scene Of the raft, the mouth, and the
entire bayou--and concoct som scheme or in.
vention to remove and stop the drift, and az
rest the evils which its uno6structed entrance
now so glarinsly thr,at MS. There is no in.
terest in the State which calls .ou4er for active
and energetic action than this, and We trust
that our Representa- YES viii urge the Legis-
lature to act at once in this matter.
The editor Of the Point Coupee Democrat
thus refers to the If cts which may be es-
pected TO result from closing the bayou, uhich.
while We are upon this subject, We give to our
readers, neither pretending to endorse or re.
flute the principle which seems SO clear to his
own mind--only saying that We would bss
pleased if such MAS the universal opinion or
all who make any pretence to the under
standing.of hydraulics:
That the principles which we advan-
ced in our last, on the subject Of closing
Bayou Plaquemine, if not new, are the
true ones, governing the formation OF
the bed of the Mississippi, will be, we
think, obvious even in an experimental
point of view. Let alarge c~istcrn. full
of water, have a large hole made neal
its bottom, through which its contents
will rush with force. Can it be doubt
on such a soil as ours, that at first
the water will spread over a large sur
face, until it shall soon have made a
channel, which will go on gradually
deepening, until the wafer is exhausted.
But prepare, previously 10 letting out
the water, a space between two minia-
ture ~levees, for its reception, aud the
level of the surface is Immediately at
tackled by the current, and a channel
below that level, which will be
more or less deep in proportion to the |
rapldlty OF the current. We see this ex-
emplificd during every heavy shower,
where the rain water, confined for a time
to a small space, at length bursts its
barriers, and forms tiny rivers, govern
ed III their formation by precisely the
same law as the mighty Mississippi. 1t
been too much the custom to regard
this river as governed by laws either
beyond the grasp of human intellect, or
entirely from those which preside over
minor streams. But when we reflect
the smallest bird-shot is moulded
into its spherical shape by the same
principle as that which gives rotundity
this earth we live on, we will begin
believe that the question of magni-
tude does not enter into a philosophical
view OF the subject at all; and that if
we can understand the formation of a
.rlvulet, we may, without presumption,
assert that We know somethinr of tho
nature of the mightiest streams, and of