The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-18
The Meeting at the Chamber
of Commerce.
The Proposition to Widen the
Bonnet Care Crevasse
Defeated.
Arguments Pro and Con.

aDle representation OF our mercantile ana
planting interests.
Upon the motion of Mr.. Pricthard Mr.
Cranwell was called to the chair and stated
the object of the meeting to be the consider
alton of the further widening of the Bonnet
Care crevasse, to avert general overflow.
He pictured very wildly the danger that
threatened and the ruin that was staring
the planters in the face, and expressed the
belief that the widening of the Bonnet
Carrie crevasse would, in a great measure
afford he relief desired The only danger
to be apprehended was the overflow of few
plantations, the damage to the jackson Rail
road, and submerging the rear of the
city by back water from the Lake. He ar
gued that these were comparatively small
evils to those which would attend general
overflow, which he regarded as certain, in
the event of the levee at Bonnet Care not
being cut as proposed.
Mr.. Turnbull, Administrator OF Com
merce, arose, and on the part of the city pro-
tectei against the proposed action on ac-
count of the immense distress and pecunia-
ry loss that would be entailed upon the city.
He could not consent that certain and ter
rible calamity should be wrought to avoid a
possible danger.
General Cyrus Bussey then called upon
Mr.. f. A. Burke, of the Jackson Railroad, to
tracks and traffic of the company which he
represented.
| Mr.. Burke, responding, remarked that he
did not propose to argue that the interests
of the railroad should be held in higher
consideration than the general good, but
would glance at the inevitable results
which would attend the widening of the
Bonnet Care crevasse, not alone as regard
ed the road, but as affecting the trade, COM
merce, and people Of New Orleans. He
sail:
| Every citizen Of this city recolleots the
suffering and restitution caused by the water
from the Bonnet Care crevasse being pre-
cipitated into Lake Ponchartrain in 1871.
This water was backed up by northeasterly
winds, until the rear of the city, below the
New Basin, was inundated. Only by the
heroic exertiOns Of the Howard Association
ard our publIc-spirited citizens were thou
sands of the poor residents Of these localities
rescued from starvation, and not then with
out loss of time from their labor for bread
and the loss Of their personal effects; and
now it is deliberately proposed to let loose
upon the rear Of this city volume of water
five times greater than that of 1871. Are
the levee defenses of the rear portions of the
city prepared for such an extraordinary flow
| n re NJ bo birI
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Wards prepared to
be again washed ont of house and home
Such disaster may be confined to sec
tions of the city occupied by the laboring
classes, but who is to say that the same
easterly winds that caused the overflow of
One-fourth OF the city in 1871 will not mum
date the commercial streets and inaugurate
an era of general distress.
Among the dangers to be apprehended
from such an overflow we must consider the
sanitary effect upon our city. With an i'm
poyerished city treasury, it would be im-
possible for the Administrator of Improve
ments to remove the debris and vegetation
deposited upon the streets The miasmatic
results would be almost certain to extend a
general epidemic in case the yellow fever
should pay us it's periodical visit. Pursu-
ing this subject l have inquired of the
effect of this proposition upon our commerce
anu UHe JhCKSOn railroad.
| Col E. d. Frost, the General Manager, en-
phatically declares that the effect will be
! ruinous. He calls attention to the fact that
! almost the entire track from kenner to Pom
chatoula has been freshly filled with earth.
The company have expended five hundred
thousand dollars in filling the trembling
prairie and the crib work across the swamps.
The practical work of this vast BODY of
water, rushing against the road, would be
to destroy this new-made work, and at many
points would sweep away the track entirely.
The Colonel informs me that the immediate
effect would be to cover the track and wash
ont the filling between Manchac and Pom
chatoula, thus etfectually stopping all pas
senger and freight transit by this route.
Beyond the question of the probable loss
to the railroad company Of this costly mud
bed, grave question arises as to when it
would be rebuilt. Mr.. McComb has already
advanced about six millions and half of
dollars to repair and perfect this line from
New Orleans to Cairo. Who is to guarantee
that he will be able or willing to make the
investment to restore the road at Oncee Let
our cotton factors and merchants who are
dependent upon the sections tapped by this
road, calculate the effect upon the trade
and commerce Of this city. if no trains were
run over this line for twelve-month. They
would then find that the cotton and trade of
this vast section had sought other cities,
and the loss of the railroad company would
sink into insigni6cance compared to the
losses inflicted upon our commerce by this
vital blow.
Mr.. Cranwell combatted Mr. Burke's ideas.
He said that the consequences of the pro.
posed measure would not be nearly 80 disas-
trous as stated by that gentleman; that he
had overdrawn the picture of distress, and
overestimated the damage to the road; that
the work would be done, of course, under
the direction and supervision of competent
engineers, and the water would be so con-
trolled that there would be no great damage
to the jackson Railroad, and that even if
the gentleman was correct in his estimate,
the interest of private corporation should
not be permitted to stand in the way when