The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1882-01-21

ter to the GovernO of the State, asking
him to have the bre .h closed as sO0n as
the tall in the riv reached hero.
l received the following communications
from him ::
Executive Depa ment, State Of La.
New Orleans, December 9th. 1881
7. GrisamOre, Esq, President Police Ju'
nv. Thibodaux.
Sir: Your letter of November %, with
tho If Messrs. Windei, Billiu and Blake,
duly re. "ived by Governor s. d. NcEnery
and refered to tine State BOardof Engineers
for information. BY the Governors direc-
ton the re .t of the Board is herewith en-
closed to YOU.
Very truly yours.
Private Secretary.
State of Louisiana,
Office Board of State Engineers,
New Orleans, December LIST, 1882
To His Excellency, s.. ID. McEnery, Clover
nor of Louisiana. |
Sir: The letters of different citizens, and
the President of the Police Jury Of the Par !
ish OF Laiourehe with regard to the White
Crevasse on Bayou LatOurche about ten
miles below Lockport referred this day by |
your Excellency to the Board Of State En-
2ineers With request to report respecting
the subject matter has been received. and
the following facts with regard to this Gre
vase, and other levees on the Wes. bank
of Bayou Lafourche are respectfully sub
mitted for your information.
In the report Of the Board State Engi-
| nCers March 2Sth, 1881, to the Levee COM
missiOnors Of the 4th. 1evee District, o pre-
limiuary estimate of q. 900 cubic yards of
Earthwork was mentioned for the coDstruc-
ton of levees on Bayou Laf0urche West
| would he required to enclose this crevasse.
"A 5 mill t~ax-extent permitted by law-was
necessary to be expended in accordance
with the estimate and recommendations
submitted by the Boaro State Engineers.
''TLe Lcvee Commissioners Of this District
failed to agree upon the tax that ought to
have been levied. Votes were taken on
four propositions, ranging from two ito five
mills the river parishes favoring o nigh
tax, and the inter ra lower one, notably
the Commissioner from LafOurche and
Terrebonne. This was the only levee dis
triet that did not cowply with a tax to the
full extent Of the law.
The consequences were that the Board
State Engineers had to curtail the estimate
submitted to the Lcvee Commissioners of
this District, and the levees ON Bayou La
fonrche West bank were left ont, or their
construction postponed until their could be
found funds to do the work with that is
until 'ieyees OF prime Importance to the
State at large" in that district were con-
tracted for and under construction.
The Board state Engineers concluded on
the Sth. OF October 1881, to advertise the
construction of the Lafourche Crossing Le-
wee which in their opinion, and that Of tho
President Of the Police Jury of that Parrish
was considered the most dangerous levee
on the West bank of Bayou Lafourche be.
ing further up stream, within three miles of
~ThlbOdauxvillc.
The contract was awarded as you are
aware Of OH the Goth. day Of October 1881
to Jas. p. Griffin, and it was then under
stood and specified that the terms of said
building of any other levecs that NAV be
required by the Board of State Engineers
in the Parishes OF Assumption or Lafourcbe
on the same bank of Bayou Lafourchc,"
consequently if any work was required to
he done on this crevasse, it would be under
the terms Of said contract. There being a
small balance, unexpeuded to the credit of
taut works on the Mississippi river wnic!
might be constructed, it was decided but
lately to DO this work on the L.afOurche, be.
ing of much smaller quantity and o. less i'm
%portance to the State or district.
On the gath OF November the water in
the lower LafOurcL.e was bankfNl, and Ovcr
the natural surface at Whites crevassc.
Should the water fill, the contractor Mr..
Griffin will be required under terms If his
contract to build q levee around said Gre
vase.
Very Respectfully,
BOARD STATE ENGINEERS.
per Sidney F. Lewis Asst. State Engineer.
The Board of State Engineers state that
ian estimate of q. 900 cubic yards of Earth
was required for the construction of Leyees
on BAYOU LafOurcle sc.
The Board did not inform tho Governor
however that II very considerable mart of
those $4,000 enbic yards, was to DO placed on
xevee street in the Town of Thibodaux, de
stroying the street for over one SQUARE.
street was to close, had been repaired by
the municipal authorities for less thar fifty
dollars.
A great deal is said about thu failure of
the Commissioner for the Fourth Levee
District to assess rs large d tax as the En-
,, reason that "the Levees on the West side of
I4af0urcEe were left Oot. or their construc.
tiop postponed until funds could be found
to do the work with; that is until levees Of
prime Importance to the State at large in
that District were contracted for, and nm.
der construction" which simply means
tn at the tax payer on Bayou Lasourche r.
to be considered rs Il newer Of wood am
drawer of water for the planter on the Mis-.
sissippi river who neglects to keen his avn
levee IN GOOD condition.
In the conversation between the presi
dent Of the Police Jury and the State Enpi.
neer, the former did state that sthe Cros..
ing Levee was considered the most danye,
ro0s Levee on the West Bank of the Ravr,,
!, Lafourche, bnt he did not say that its 70.
, paratiOn should De made 70 tlo
closing o: the White Crevasse. Leyees that
need repair are one thing: breaches cousej
by crevasses are another; the second muaf
be renewed.
The report goes on to say There heinv n
small balance unexpended to the credit nj
this District, not sufficient tS cover imnor.
tant works "n the Mississippi river. which
might he constructed, it was decided. INT
/, lately, to do this work on Bayou Lafourche
being o smaller quantity and IF lesa imnov
lance to the State or district.
!, The candor of the Board of Stata Emo;
, neers is admirable. ~
|, Amy crumbs that may be left over afte,
the river Parishes are served NAV he
thrown to the people of Lafourche II
The tax payers IN the West side Of La,
iourche pay into thu, Treasury very nearly
, S4yOt.0O per year as Levee tax.
|, 1t is pleasant to think that thew are emit.
! tied to what little may be left after others
> arc supplied.
The contract for closing the White crc
vase could have been given to the neonje
! in it's vicinity as easily in August as e was
in December. Had that been done the
works would have settled and become soi.
l ia before the water rose, n be ina condi.
> tim to resist the pressure uf the water.
The newspapers of the day Contains very
distressful accounts Of the spread and rov,
ages OF small pox. This terrible Malady