The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-09-01
TONES BAYOU.

The amount of ignorance shown IL !
the discussion of the question OF
Tones Bayou opened or closed, and
the interests likely to be benefited or
injured by one or the other step,
strikes US as singular when enana- |
ting from the sources that it does.
Our first article covers fully the
direction of Tones Bayou, and dc.
monstratcd beyond cavil or contra
diction, that the route through Tones,
pierre and WinSry l'ayous, was ma
lures path for the waters now flowing
through Red River If the persons
no are talking of Tones Bayou, and
the effect the washing out Of it's $780,
O0O dam has upon the navigation OF
Red River, will but philosophiz" for
a moment, they will he convinced Of
their error. Tones Bayou opened or
closed, has not one particle OF intln
cncc on the water in Red River below
the mouth of WinSey, because more
water passes Grand Ecorc than flows
down Tones Bayou and Red River
combined at the bead of the former,
and Tones Bayou closed tonight,
would not put 2 inches more of water
on the Cousllatta bar to. morrow.
What has caused the difficulty of
navigation III Red River oflate yea's?
is question easily answered. Twcn'
ty five years ago the Falls at Ale>an-
dria were regarded as the ohstruc-
tons, and if they were removed, navl-
cation would be greatly improved.
It WIS done, and what was the re-
suit The first year afterwards navl-
CATION was entirely susprnd" for near
" five months: and the reason was
very plain. The Falls acted as 4
dam for the waters above, and a
reservoir for the channel below bv
which it could be supplied; when they
we've removed it was like Kicking the
bottom out of bucket.
\ few year ago Shreveport had the
Red River raft removed, and ri ght
here the ignoramuses should look for
the cause of lost navigation in GER
tain seasons in Red River. The re.
moval of this raft emptied the Sum-
mer rcSorroirs, the chain of lakes from
below Fulton to near Shreveport,
and since the raft has been cut out,
! low water navigation has been more
M&ruN than erey bctoye!
First the Falls and then the Raft
vas removed, both of them natural
reservoirs, and then we have men
wondering at the result produced. A
hole is broken in the bottom of a
bucket and we are surprised it docs
not supply water. But all these re.
movals of distractions have benefited
| the greatest number. OverAows were
frequent down here, and more so
above the Raft, because they were
annual; since the Raft and Falls have
been removed, overilnws are rare,
and thousands Of acres Of lands have
been reclaimed, made tillahle, and
now WELD cotton and corn in large
quantities.
Tones Bayon has nothing to do
with the case at all, and the wash or
the dam whereby the water is carried
from Red River through that route,
only effects about 60 miles of River
navigation. If the $4,000 be cxpcnd
ed in deepening short lake, which
has now three feet water in it, the
route through the marrow Winsey,
Bayou Pierre and Tones Bayou, will
Igive cir feet low uatcr navigation the
whole season, while the wide Red
River will not be effected two inches
BY the rebuilding of the dam.
Our New Orleans Merchants had
better build up, however, the New
Orleans Pacific Railroad, ds that is
their best means of holding the trade
of Northwest Louisiana, and regain
ing the lost Texas trade. Red River
and Tones Bayou will do them but
little good in comparison.
The planters, farmers and lane
owners want Tones Bayou opened
the Shreveport merchants and Ret
River steamboatmcn want it closed
in whose interest will the State gov
eminent serve
The Corn Crop.