New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-25
LAWS oFTHEsrATE OF LOUISIANA
PUBLISHED BY AUrHoRlTY.l
No. IO3.
NJ a MN

COmnEuY, GUU TO ueuno tpelr uutieS,
privileges. powers and responsibilities.
SECTION /. Be it enacted by the Senate
and House of Representatives of the State
of Louisiana in General Assembly convened,
That Frederick Marie, Alexander Lerette,
s. Minor. Frank Verret, J. Breete, A.
Minuet, James II. Beden, Francis Stern
burg; Oscar Crosier, Jules Gadry. Edmund
Bartlett, and their associates and their sue.
cessors are hereby created and formed INTO
q body polite and corporate, in deed and in
law, by the name and title Of The Lafourche
and Terrebonne Draining and Land I'M
provement Company, and by that name
shall have succession for and during the
period of twenty five years, from and after
lhe date of the passage of this act, and the
said company shall be able TO sue and be
sued, provided that ali citations to be served
upon the President of the company; shall
have common zeal. and enact such by. laws
as the Board of Directors may deem proper
for the government of the company. not in
consistent with the constitution and laws OF
this State, or the constitution and laws OF
the United States; appoint their oincecs and
agents. and fix the compensation and terms
OF office, and do such acts as are necessary
for carrying into effect the provisions OF this
act, and the domicii OF the company snail
be at Eouma, parish of Terrebonne, State Of
Louisiana.
Ii
said company shall have power, and are
hereby authorized to clear, cut and dredge
the Bayou Terrebonne, Little Gallon, Bayou
Blake and Bayou Bleu, and keep them III
good navigable condition as far as practica-
bic, and they shall have power to make and
control all necessary tenements on the banks
of said bayous that they may deem proper;
shall have and use the banks Of said bay
Tor fifty feet on each side for the protection
of the interests of the company, and It shall
not be lawful for any person or persons,
corporation or corporations, to hlnoer, oo-
struct. impede, or in any manner interfere
with the company incorporated under TINS
act, in the prosecution and completion Of the
cleaning out and making naviGable the said
and Bayou . Gu, or in any manner Obstruct
or impede the navigation of said bayous:
any person or persons, corporation or corpo-
rstions, violating the provisions of this Sec
tan. shall forfeit and pay to said company
five times the amount OF damages sustained
by the said company, and costs OF suit, TO
be recovered before any court OF competent
jurisdiction.
SEC. 8. Belt further enacted, etc, That the
capital stock of this company shall be five
hundred thousand dollars, which may be
increased at any time, at the will OF the d.
rectors, to any amount not exceeding one
million of dollars. Said capital stock shall
be divided into shares of five dollars each,
and shall be transferable upon the com
pany's books in such. q manner as its bylaws
may dlrec.. The affairs of this company
shall be managed by Board OF Directors,
majority Of whom shall constitute quorum
for the transaction Of business. The per-
sons named in the first section OF this act
shall form the Board of Directors from the
passage of this act until the expiration OF
one year thereafter, and until their success
ors shall be duly elected. Within thirty
days prior to the expiration of said service
IS directors, notice of not less than ten days
shall be given to the stockholders by pubic
advertisement in the newspaper at the COM
pany'S dOmicil. to meet at such time and
place as the existing directors may desig
nate, tor the purp1s- OF electlng persons to
form Board of Directors TO take the place
of those whose term of service is about to
expire. Said election shall be By ballot, and
each stockholder shall be entitled 10 one
vote. A plurality of votes cast for canGi-
date shall decide the election. and as soon as
one hundred thousand dollars OF the capital
stock is subscribed, the company shall be
empowered to proceed to avssl themselves
OF the privileges of this act.
Sec. 1. Be it further enacted, ETC, That
the Board of Directors shall have power to
levy tax of not exceeding one ID per cent
on the taxable property OF the parishes Of
1tTroOOQDc anu lI4lOuTCUs VI Tue CDE iJDl
ton Thibodeaux; provided that it first be
submitted to vote of the people OF said par
ishes or incorporated town, and for the
amount of taxes SO collected by the State
Tax Collector, and returned by said collec.
Tor to the Board of Directors, the Board o.
Directors shall pay over to the treasurer OF
said parishes or incorporated town stock
Of the company equal to the amount OF the
tax collected.
SEC 3. Be it further enacted, etc, That
SO soon as the company herein incorporated
shall have made navigable for purpose Of
commerce the Bayou Terrebonne from a
poin. at or near Bayou Lafourche, IN the
town of TDibodeauX, and extending toward
the Gulf of Mexico from said town 6 dis
tance OF twenty miles. and when SAID COM
pany shall have made the Bayou Black,
Little Gallon and Bayou Bleu navigable for
purposes Of commerce, then the said COM
pany shall have the exclusive right to place
within said bayous such boats and water
Graf. as they may deem proper and neces.
sary, and shall have the sole and exclusive
right to regulate the navigation. to collect
toll on all water craft not owned and gov
erned by the company entering said bayous,
and to charge and collect freight on all pro-
duce either descending or ascending said
bayous on the company's boats, which tolls
or freight shall not be in excess OF rates
usually charged in such cases; provided, said
company shall have ali the rights OF this act
in and after the commencement OF aforesaid
work.
SEC. 6. Be it further enacted, etc, That
it shall be [thel duty of the company IN
draining the Bayou Terrebonne, between
the towns of Thibojeaux and Houma, to
throw or deposit all the earth taken from
the bayou on the side used mostly to travel
on, and to smoothe and grade the same in
such manner as will make a good road on
the margin of said bayou of at least fifty feet
wide, including side bitches, and OF a sufil-
Gent night to be at all times above ordinary
high water, and to keep open and free from
distractions all necessary drains or bitches
crossing said road, and construct good and
substantial bridges over them; and the COM
papy is furthermore empowered to cover
said road with shells, which shall be at least
six inches thick and twelve feet wide, or OF
sufficient width to allow the free passage OF
carriages; and when the said shell road
shall have been completed from ThibodeauX
TO Terrebonne station. the company shall
have the right to establish one toll gate be-
tween said points, and to collect toll from
all persons in either direction, whether III
carriages or On foot, said toll not TO exceed
In any case the amounts now charged for
crossing the bridge at the town OF Thlbo-
deauX.
SEC. 7. Be it further enacted, etc, That
when the company shall have in the same
manner completed shell road from Terre
bonnie Station to the town of Houma, they
shall have the right to establish one toll gate
between the points named, and collect toll
from passers by in the manner provided IN
the preceding section.
Sec. 8. Be it further enacted, ETC., That
il shall be the duty of the company to allow
Tor the Tree use OF the public the space OF