The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1880-06-12
The State Levee Board
Again.

Persons who read the SENTI-
MEL OF May % 1880 will remem
Der something labout the cores.
pondence between the President
Of the Police Jury and Que of the
members of the State Leyee
Board.
Imminent danger of crevasses
was noticed in several places be-
tween the Acadia Plantation aud
the Lafonrche Crossing.
MI. Lewis notified the presi>
dent of the Police jury of the
threatened danger. That office,
appointedsMr. Rosemond Leblanc
as temporary Road Inspector t(
have the holes closed and the
danger removed, with instruc
tons to report first to the Eng
neer, then vainly attempting 10
close the Cancienne crevasse
That gentleman pointed out to
MI. Leblanc the necessary work
When completed Mr.. Lewis al
proved the bill for lumber.
When the bills amounting tC
S1O5.15 were presented to the LIE
wee Board for payment, the to'
lowing reply was had.
STATE OF LOUISIANA. }
Office Board of State Engineers. ;
New Orleans, La. May Is, 1890.
To Mr.. s. IT. Grisamore, President Police
Jury. Parish of Latourche.
l would respectfully call your attention
to section 10 Act No. 33 session 1880.
1t is impossible with funds allotted fol
levee purposes for the Boar of State Engi
neors to do any repairing Of old levees.
The repairing of. old levees is o matter
entirely with the police jury.
1t was certainly my duty TO call your a
%tentiOn to the dangerous crayfish holes il
the Levee near the Crossing but it is Ger
tainlv unexpected from Your body to cal
upon Board State Engineers to pay you,
lumber and labor for closing the same.
Yours Truly.
(Signed) SIDNEY F. LEWIS.
Asst. Stare Engineer"
1t was q very clever thing t.
call the attention of the Police
Jury to section 10 Act No. 80 ses
sion of 1880.
Why.did not this accommodate.
ing engineer also call the atten.
ton Of the Police Jury to section
u Of Act No. 50 session of 1880
Where the following is laid
down
"Resolved. That whenever. there max
be danger of a crecosse ina public leree. OF
when one may already exlst requiring
prompt assistance on the nart Of the State
authoritiessfo for the prevention or. closing the
same. it shall be lawful for the G~overnorto
direct the Chief State Engineer to proceed
with said work by the purchase of mate
rial and the employment of labor without
the formality and DELAY of contracting for
the same in the usual manner prescribed
for the awarding of contracts. and for the
payment Of the .expenses TINS incurred
The Auditor of Public Accounts shall
draw his warrants upon the Treasurer &C.
Does it not seem a little strange
that this Engineer, when in the
kindness o: an obliging heart. he
was giving the laws to the Police
Jury, overlooked the mandates
of the above section No. Is?
Here We see a State Engineer
finding a crayfsh hole, ready to
burst into a crevasse, who gives
directions to have it closed un.
der provisions of this section Is,
and then when asked to have ma.
terial and lumber that prevented
a crevasse, paid, comes out frank
" and says that his duty was sim
ply to point out craytish hole
The section that requires such
a serious burden upon the tolls
of the State Board OF Engineers,
as to point out crayfish holes
should also be pointed out to the
members Of the Police Jury.
Some Of the memoers of the
Police Jury have read the bill
through all its sections which is
probably more than ten members
in the Legislature who passed it,
or the members of the State
Board ever did, and fail to find
any section imposing such an
onerous burden upon the State
Engineers.