New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-11-14
BAYOU TONK.

M look at the intestinal convolutions
Pad river, with the chain of bayous
cut.offs which mark its tortuous
n,se will convince the observer that,
sever uncertain may have been the
Nh of the stream in the past, it may
hans. if left alone, continue its .erratic
..er to the detnment alike Of agricul-
:. and commerce. Some hundred miles
lass below Shreveport is Bayou Tone.
ia connected with the river by two arms
Lieb in fact inclose an island. The lower
southern arm was closed during the
|, to obstruct the approach of war ves-
1, and this obstruction has effectually
Nod this outlet. The current from Red
tsr having been thus thrown into the
her or upper arm of the bayou, has
avn large portion of the water from
river. An obstruction Of earth and
.ber thrown across the arm has proved
Ssnficient to arrest this flow, the water
broken through or under the dam, and
water diverted from the river is drawn
rough the bayou, Spanish Lake and
her Iagoons, and finally re-enters Red
Eer many miles below the point of de-
I,ture We do not know that our
bamboat friends are called on to know
h the anastonosis Of an artery is where
circulation, obstructed in its natural
&annel, nature SO prepares and en-
pes o vein as that the blood
conveyed around the obstruction and
enters the arterial circulation beyond
Red river has, then, its anastomosis,
unless something is done to prevent
will enlarge Tones bayou, and spread a
ne body of water over the swamps and
10 the lagoons, to the infinite injury of
nayigable channel. To give our COM
rcial readers some idea of the effect Of
diversion of current, it can be stated
h while the water on the bar below
mes bayou does not exceed two feet, the
annel above the bayou affords six feet
to Shreveport.
i is plain, therefore, that it will be
Hcult to draw from the upper Red the
cs of cotton to which New Orleans is
titled, unless the navigation be so re-
ned as to give a continuous depth of
least six feet up to Shreveport. The
amboat officers give an alarming state
nt Of consignments thus blockaded at
reyeport, which our merchants are
ating with the impatienoe natural to
season and the circumstances. With
ominous threats which our political
ipodes of the Shreveport Times has
ds to constitute that important city
metropolis of a new State, to be erect
+ from parts of Louisiana and Texas,
the tendency of st. Louis to draw
her maelstrom of market all the cir
bacent commerce, our merchants had
tsr look after Tones bayou at an i'm
iiate date. 1t will take given mum
Of sand bags to build dam across
seductive bayou. This obstruction
cost $1,000, and the steamboat interest
Fllng to put up large part of the
psy. The president OF the Alexandria
Foad is one of our largest merchants.
also knows that this Red river naviga-
will be important for the delivery of
rails and other material of construc-
ofthe railroad. From the practical and
iOic character of Mr.. Wheelock he
no doubt aid as far as consistent with
rosecution Of his own road in the
page Of Bayou Tone, and the COM
oy restitution Of the water which it
uloining from navigation. Our mer-
smust also come promptly to the
ue and prevent the secession of
report, who may elope into Texas
sArge amount of our cotton.
|. ov, this money is needed like the
hdential relief prayed for by the man
the cholic-"now, directly" Let our
chants then assemble at the Mer-
Us Exchange or Chamber of Com
y and provide for the exigency. 1t
been thought that our city belongs to
class which "never misses the water
he we'll runs dry" and really this
sabout to be realized in the diversion
4 I'd liver into Bayou Tone.