The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1880-05-19
THE MOUTH OF The RIVER.

a mOSG eAtidoiNtho'y f
announced, and a favorable re-
port made accordingly, by Major
.enyard, United States Civil! Ens''
oeer. to close the mouth of the river
and create a new mouth at the Mis-
sissippi end of Bayou P!aquemines,
closed, thus forcing a new chan
mel through the Atchafalaya river:
the lakes and the Bayou Plaque
mines. Considering this an unlrieo
experiment, whose success is honey
combcd in doubts, the President OF
tie New Orleans and Red River
Transportation Company, the Presi.
dent Of the New Orleans and Ouach-
tia Transportation Company and the
Manager Of the New Orleans and
Opelous Packet Company, have pc
tilioned Congress earnestly, and we
think but too justly, against any
such experimental and risky attempt
and plan.
In furtherance of this opposition
as above stated, these Corporations
have submitted to Congress a pro
posal to maintain a permanent chan
mel through OLD River and the Mouth
of Red River, and in this they are
endorsed by the New Orleans Cotton
Exchange, the Chamber of Com
merce and by most of the leading
merchants Of New Orleans. Agains
this untried experiment we enter Ell
humble but emphatic protest, AIT
4%2eannot find filter words in doing 81
than giving in full that of the partle
mentioned above:
ave cannot too strongly protes
against the Plaquemine plan as recon-
mended by the engineers. We nov
have boats running of greater length
and of nearly double the width of hi
proposed locks, and the tendency o
r all of our rivers is to increase the sl2
of boats to meet the requirements I
, increasing population and bushes
The nroposed route would be diff
cult and dangerous. There are no p
lots who know it, and it might tax
;. years for them to learn. A portion
! it would be through lagoons an
u swamps in low water, and a sweepiu
overflow, with no place to land in ca
of fire, or other disaster, in high waite
We frequently send out from six
-, nine boats at the same day and hou
1t may not be many years before I'll
u number will be doubled. These boa
would all arrive at the proposed loci
Mt about the same hour, there posslb
# TO find incoming steamers and outg
ing fleets of coal and hatboats ahei
of them, and as the locks would a
j., commodate but one boat at a time, Il
delays would be vexatious and expe
sive. Should a boat burn in the loo
we would have a total suspension
'e navigation till the wreck was reno
D. ed. The locks would certainly som
s. times have to be closed for repairs a
cleaning out, causing other suspensio
of navigation.
The amount we offer to keep @
~ river open for is less, we believe, til
O. it would cost to keep the Plaquemi
route, when opened, flee from obstrt
y tions and shoaling, and of operati
IT. and keeping the locks in repair
1t would certainly be much less tn
the interest on the cost of that rou
eff In conclusion, we again state Il
we do not seek the contract with a
Vi purpose or hope of making a profit
81 of the work itself;.we W and cont
.lh twenty-six steamboats,, all of VIII
navigate Old River, we carry the U
ted States Mails on each of our lines
the Red, Ouachita and Atchafa:aya,
annually transport many thousands
m. passengers, and at least n hund
:; million dollars worth of property,
it is because we would keep this Y
2, traffic going continuously all the IT
and do away with the heretofore an
al Interruptions, sometimes tor mon
at a time, that we offer to undert
:, tho work.