The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-04-15
The Landry Crpvasse.
Inc Works Damaged by Wednesday
Nights storm and the Effort to Close
the Break Ahandnned

the Break Abandoned.
: After struggle of twenty seven DAYS
the effort to close the erevasse at th
Julien Landry place in this parish La
been abandoned until further declin
OF the river allows II to be resumed un
der more favorable conditions.
| lie securing Of the sandy battnre b,
the Current of the river produced a deptl
OF water running through the hreal
varying from 20 to "a feet. The driving
Of piles by hand became impracticablt
and steam pile-driver was used to en-
circle the opening with double row Of
heavy wharf timbers driven into the
earth from IS to 20 feet, the rows being
10 feet apart and the piles in either row
= feet distant from each other. Between
these heavy piles, smaller ones were
driven by land pile drivers, and cribs
were thus formed i'll % feet of water and
! successfully filled with sacks of dirt.
Under the intelligent and skillful
direction Of Col. L. A. Bringier, assisted
| by Messrs. Kenner, Brent, Gibson and
| other planters from the vicinity, the
work was being pushed steadily forward
with every prospect Of all early and
successful termination, but during the
heavy storm which occurred Wednesday
night, several Of the heavy piles in the
main channel Of the crevasse gave way
and we're snapped off like pipe stems
OF course if timbers like these, driven by
steam power and protected by heavy
bracing, can not stand the pressure Of
the current, the contest seems useless
and the suspension Of the work is the
part of prudence and wisdom.
In the beginning the prospect Of clos
ing the breach was excellent, but when
the old levee outside the broken leyee
gave way, forming a second crevasse, as
it were, the difficulties greatly increased
and the force of the current soon secured
out a channel Of such depth that it was
impossible to throw crib work across it.
The sandy nature of the soil gave the
river easy work and rendered the hold
ing of the piles and timbers driven into
the ground matter of great unccr-
tainty.
Although the efforts to close this
crevasse have fui'ed of their ultimate
purpose, they have accomplished the
good result Of preventing the break from
widening and made the volume of water
discharged inconsidefable in comparison
to what it would otherwise have been.
Don't fail to examine the new stock at
Gondran's Blue Store, before purchasing
elsewhere.
FIRST WARD scHooL.-Mr. Willis +.
A. Gaines, teacher Of the public school
located at the Adlard Landry place il
the first ward, sends us a copy of his re-
port for the month of March, from which,
we take the following: Number of pupils
enrolled 59-male 81, female q; average
AZ. The number Of pupils in
the various classes is thus given: alpha
bet and primer "a, first reader 10, second
reader i, third reader II, speller 25, pen
manship %, mental arithmetic 25, writ
ten arithmetic and geography II each.
Mr.. Gaines is q competent and expert
enced teacher, whose labors have always
given satisfaction to those interested in
the progress of his school. We should
be glad to have the other teachers of
this parish follow his example by fur
uishing the CHIEF copies Of their month
ly reports for publication, together with
such comments or suggestions from time
to time as may be deemed Of interest or
likely to benefit the important work Of
public education.
SINKING OF THE Tug ANNIE.-Last |
Saturday the steam tug Annie, belonging
TO the ITnion Oil Comnanv of New |