New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-06
Removing Distinctions in Bayou Teche.

Removing Distractions in Bayou Teche
The Planters Banner of the thirty-frs
ultimo says:
We called this morning on Captain
Daniel w. kingsbury, commanding thu
wrecking fat Bayou Teche. 1t will be re
membered that Congress- passed an act APP
propriating the sum of $4,000 for the pur
pose of removing the distractions in the
| BAYOU Teche.
Major w c. Howell, United States Mill
| tary Engineer for the Department of the
| Gulf, was charged with the expenditure oil
this amount, and with the duty of carrying
into effect the object designed by the act
The wrecking fat Bayou Teche was con.
structed specially for this work and in her
construction there has been kept in view
first, economy, second, the capacity neces-
sary to the successful conduct of the I'M
| dertaking. She is simply a small, plainly
constructed craft, adapted solely to the
enterprise in which she is engaged
In command of her Major Howell has
placed Captain Kingsbury, and he has I'M
dertaken the labor assigned him in the line
Of duty. He has, however so discharged
the duties devolving upon him, has evinced
so conscientious regard for the interest
which this work is designed to foster, that
we are compelled to look beyond his official
compliance and express due respect for the
manner in which he has evinced that the
faithful and not the nominal discharge of
his duties has actuated him in the serious
and important task in which he is engaged
The Bayou Teche reached Brashear City
on the eleventh day of February, and on
the fifteenth of that month began the work
of removing from the bayou Muggar's
raft" This raft consisted OF one hundred
and ninety-four logs, many of them of
diameter exceeding three feet. On the
twenty-fourth the wreck of the Cotton was
commenced, but owing to the bad weather
and the failure of the department to duly
forward the necessary powder, she remained
inactive for nearly three weeks, but in the
ensuing three weeks removed this obstruc-
ton. The shafts of the Cotton weighed about
ten tons, and as this weight was greater
than the Bayou Teche could raise, it was
necessary to adopt some other expedient.
A torpedo was inserted beneath the shaft,
and a cavity produced by its explosion into
which the entire shaft sunk, below the bed
OF the ruin. About 1902 pounds of powder
were expended i'll removing the cotton. On
the seventeenth of April the work of re-
moving the wreck of the Diana was COM
menced, and successfully concluded within
a few days after which the wrecks OF the
Minerva and Rob Roy were disposed of in
the month of May. as also was that of the
Ell Hart Below the Hart was a snag
which has SUNK tWO steamers, and which
CAPTAIN kingsbury removed. This snae
had a diameter of three feet. a length Of
thirty feet, was embedded in the mud to the
depth of twenty-fiv feet, and came within
five feet of the surface. 1t was one of the
most dangerous Instructions III the bayou.
On the twenty-ninth OF May the wreck
of the Andrews, Immediately opposite New
Iberia, was attacked; it is so deeply i'm
hedded in the mud that it is necessary to
bring it up in detached portions from the
wreck. Above lie the wrecks of the Guide
and Frank Keeling, 1t is captain Kings
burys intention to proceed as far as st.
Martinsville, and his wish to proceed be-
You'd that point TO the head of navigation,
which he will do, unless otherwise ordered.
His wish in this respect should certainly be
gratifed; he should be permitted to com
plete the work so admirably commenced by
him, and we can well appreciate the profess
sional pride which leads him to entertain
this wish.
His crew consists of ten men, and are