New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-26
The Ievee Convention.

A few delegates to this body met yester-
day in parlor p, St. Charles Hotel. The
animus of the meeting was to the effect
that the people could not pay the three
mills tax, and, even if, the Lsvee Company
could succeed in raising or collecting the
amount of the tax, it would still be i'm.
possible to keep up proper system of
levee. The aid of the general government
was therefore to be invoked, and accord
ingly the following resolution, with pre-
amble, was introduced by General r. l..
Gibson:
In view of the vast magnitude of the in
terest involved and the utter inability OF
the people of this State to raise the means
to repair and keep up the levees on the
Mississippi of the height and base now
necessary for protection, be it
Resolred That the chairman of this COM
mittee appoint committee of nine gentle
men to confer from time to time with the
Levee Company and the commission re-
Gently appointed by the government, and
to present the whole matter uf the levees to
the federal government, with the view of
securing national aid for this national
work; that the chairman OF the CON
ventiOn be added to the committee:
that we do invite the people of the adjoin.
ing States Of Mississippi and Arkansas, who,
like ourselves, suffer from overflow, to meet
in convention and appoint similar COM
mittee, to act with our committee; THAT
cOpy of these resolutions be sent by our
chairman to the Governors of Mississippi
and Arkansas; that this convention now
adjourn to the third Monday in October,
unless sooner called together by the chair
man.
The resolution was adopted, and Mr.. F. S.
Goode, the chairman of the cOnven tion, ap.
pointed the follow gentlemen to serve on
the committee: r. L. Gibson, j. w. Mont.
gomery, w. B. Spencer, F. L. Claiborne, E.
j. Gay, Louis Bush, Bradish johnson, C. A.
Whitney and Efingham Lawrence.
Free and able discussion concerning the
cost of repairing the levees: the progress of
work on the crevasses, and similar matters,
was INDUCED in.
The following letter was read, as also the
appended telegram:
ENG1sKER OFFICE
Louisiana Levee Com pany, july rs, 1874 s
General R. L. Gibson:
DEAR SIR-Your note reached me only
this moment.
In answer beg leave to say that the
Hickey levee has been commenced and that
from 700 to 1000 running feet have been
completed.
The Morganza levee has been con tracted
for; the contractor is now building bis
camps and will be at work in few days;
he has informed me he will be at W Ork in
five days.
The Bass levee, Carroll parish, has also
been contracted for. The contract re-
quires the work to be begun by the first
Of August.
Contracts are being made for several
smaller levees above and below the city,
which only await the return of the State
levee commissioners to be signed, and the
work commenced.
The commission of the State engineers
are now engaged in general recOnnois-
sance and survey of all the levees from the
Arkansas line down. Their purpose is to
designate and locate all the new levees that
will be required to be built for the coming
year. presume it will require from two to
three millions of cubic yards of new leyees
to make all the alluvial lands safe from
overflow, the number of caves in the banks
of the river having much increased since
the fall Of the waters.
Iregret not to have received your letter
of inquiry sooner, az l then might have
given you information more in detail.
Respectfully yours, ETC.,
y. F. KENNER.
p ST. inclose telegram received since
writing the above from the commission of
State engineers:
Telegram
To D. F. Kenner, No. % Carondelet street,
Finished stalking out Hickey levee yes
terdy. Point Manoir and LObdells will use
up to-day. At Morganza tomorrow:
G. w. r. BAYLEY.
The idea conveyed in General Gibson's
resolution covering the whole ground, and
fully expressing the sentiments of the con-
vention, there was nothing left but to
adjourn, which the conven ton accordingly
did.