The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1884-07-19


| Be 1t further reso1ped. That for the purpose
of pushing the work forward rapidly, and in
view of the fact that the. parish does netcolleet
her taxes until the end of the year and is not
| at present able to pay cash for all Ievee work,
| such proprietors as are willing can advance
their parish taxes and have them deposited to
the credit of leyee funds in the wards SO paying
! The suhioined report wus submitted:
| PAR1suoF ASCENSION, July le, 1881.
To the Poles Jury of Ascension:
/ The undersigned, who were appointed In &C
| cofdance with resolutions adopted at your last
alton the subject of the New BIver road, to in
qulre as to the best saeans to be used to keep it
IN good order at all times SO to affora to the
inhabitants Of the New River section easy ac-
| cess 10 the mississippi river and to the parish
seat, and to report thereon at the next meet
| ing of the Police jury" beg leave to make this
| their report:
We have made a thorough examination of
| the road from the Mississippi river to Roach
| bridge and found Its condition to be bad. The
situation OF the road at the present time is such
! that 1t has no drainage at all. A ditch bank on
| either side of the road along its entire length
confines the rain water and prevents it from
running off, III consequence of which the road
| during about eight months of the year IS i'm
passa5le and utterly unfit for travel, while it IS
season. The ditch banks above mentioned are
several feet from the sides of the road and were
| thrown up IN making the bitches on the lower
| bICte VI HS.lOltoo oill S1ub Ol VNOuilt
Houmas. There are no bitches on either side
| of the road proper to carry off the water from
! it. The New River settlement contains, as is
we'll known, large number OF Inhabitants
/ whose only means of access to the Mississippi
| river and to the Courthouse is by way of this
road and its condition, as we have seen, during
the greater part OF the year, is such that it is
| with difficulty, even when practicable at all
the crops in the settlement can be transported
to the river for shipment to market. We find
it absolutely necessary that something should
he,done to remedy the evil.
1 We are of the opinion that the road csn be
| put In thorough order by digging Il ditch on
each side Of it, about three and half feet wide
by two and half feet deep, along its entire
length as far as john Hacks house. about two
miles from the river; by. blowing the sides OF
the road. elevating it in the centre and properly
rounding it off with the earth FROM the bitches
and the sides. The above remarks apply to the
lane proper, or that portion of the road be
! tween the side fences of Waterloo and Mount
HouIaas plantations. From John Hacks house
to Roach's bridge. a Assistance of a mile and 9
half, the road requires but little work to be put
in good condition. except at the points where
1t runs across two : couiees, " one of which is
at the end of Mt. Houmas canal and the other
known as the Wheat coul6e." The road at
these points should be raised sufficiently BY
means of large bitches and by hauling dirt 4
would be necessary to leave a bridge space
across the centre of each coulae of from ten to
| twenty feet.
From careful observations we have made an
approximate estimate Of the work required to
place the road In thorough condition, which we
| have fixed at aboutsix hundred dollars for the
| lane proper and two hundred dollars for the
| road beyond John Hacks house.
| After being put in good condition. constant
| care and attention would be required to keep
| the road in perfect order. an Investigation
4 of the subject has convinced your COM
! mlttee that the only practical way to put and
keep this road Ii good order would be by
adopting the turnpike system with reference to
1t. This plan cotnment.s itself to us moro es-
pecially as it would enable us to accomplish SO
desirable al object without any expense to the
parish.
| turnpike has been discussed among the people
| OF the New River settlement, and We are relia-
| bly, Informed that very large majority of them
warmly approve and favor the plan.
| We therefore recommend that this road be
established as tuTnpik Ike; that the rate of tolls
to be charged be fixed anu shat the obligations
| Of the road keeper be fally specified and de
tailed. We further reeonmend that the Presi-
dent of your honorable body be aatharized to
advertise during thirty days the lease or sale of
the exclusive right OF collecting tolls on said
road, upon such conditions as you will fix and
which should be mentioned in the advertise
| ment. S. -sJ0sE.9H GONZALES,
Chairman;
Il. D. pERCy.
Mr.. HioprGan offered the following resolu-
tons, which ware duly seconded and adopted:
Resolced, That the report Of the Committee
on the New River load lie and the same is
| hereby approved ana tsGDIGatt, fltt LlG StatI
| road, as soon as the contemplated improve
anents to il are com pleted shall be known and
designated as tho New River Turnpike
RESOLVED, That Iii order to carry into effect
| the recommendations of the committee, COM
mittee of three members of tits body be ap-
! pointed by the chair to pfepare specifications
| as to the nature and amount of TIE work to be
| done on said road by the person to whom may
| be awarded the contract. and as to the manner
| and nature OF the work to maintain SAID road
permanently III good repair and todrau up and
fix schedule of toll charges on said road. That
| said COMMITTEES be and. they are hereby author
| lied to adopt said specifications as to the work
on the road the time for which the road shall
| be leased and the rate of charges to be collected
| by the lessee of the road and generally to adopt
such regulations as may be deezned necessary
for the proper police of said road and for the
accommodation OF the public.
Be it rescued, That as soon as the said CON-
lnittee shah have adopted the measures neces.
sary to be carried out Tor the establishment of
said road as Il turnpike. the President OF the
| Police Jury be and he is hereby authorized to
| advertise during thirty days the sale o. the
| elusive right Of collecting tolls OF, said road
| during ten years upon such terms and condi-
tons as will have been fixed by tho said COM
| mIttee
Resolved, That the person to whom may be
adindicated the franchise of said road shall, il,
addition to the exclusive right of collecting
tolls on said road have the exclusive use and
enjoyment of the batture lot in front of said
New River road at the expiration of the present
lease thereof now held by c. z. Blouin.
!
The President appointed as the committee
| provided for in the foregoing resolutions
| Messrs. Gonzales, Percy and Klopuan.
| Tho following communication was read and
| laid over for future action:
POM BARROW, July is, 1884.
To the Hon. President ard members of the
| Police Jury of the parish of Ascension:
| Be it resolved, gentlemen, I will render my
services for the parish in criminal cases for a
salary at the rate of $50 per month as Justice of
the Peace and Constable second ward parish of
proved by the Parish Attorney.
Signed, CHAS: J. BUSH, ]. 2.
Signed, JOHN K LAWRENCE,
mark Constable.
The following resolution was presented by
Mr.. Gonzales. and On his motion. seconded by
Mr.. Klopman, was adopted
RESOLVED, That the road from st. Amant' s
store IN the seventh ward of the parish of As
cension through by Duck Roost, Joseph Mar
TINS Mrs. +. Bourgeois. thence to the Tenn
piets, intersecting the Galvez road at William
Roberas'' be made public. and the people living
said road and vicinity be subject to road tiu-
ties on said road said road not to cost the par
ISL anything.
The Police Jury adjourned to meet again on
Wednesday after next, the soth INST. at the Gus
tonary hour.