The Bossier banner., 1894-05-03
Levee Board Proceedings.
Boss1ER CITY. LA. }
FRIDAY. APRIL 27. 1894.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1t. 1OJ4.
The Board of Commissioners of
the Bessier Levee District met pur-
suant to call of President
Present: W. H. Hodges. President;
Messrs. P. B. Cash, w. T. Colquitt,
Fl. J. Lenoir, A J. Moss, T. G. Pick
EFT, T. W. W. Stinson and Mr.. E.,
H. Randolph, Attorney.
The Board of State Engineers was
represented by Capt. f. NJ. Kerr.
The minutes of last meeting were
read and approved.
Capt. F. M. Kerr presented the
following report which was read:
New ORLEANS, La, APRIL 26, 1894.
To Hon. w. II. Hodges, President
Board of Commissioners, Bossier
Levee District, Bossier City, La: Sir
Since the last meeting of your Board
January II. 1894, much affecting the
interest of the District has occurred.
The line requested by your Board
to be located and staked around
Colquitt's Point was promptly sur
veyed and detailed results delivered
to Mr. Walter Colquitt, member of
your Board. No attempt, however,
was made to construct any work on
the line, until the week preceding
the recent high water wave in Red
River, which eliminated at Shreve-
port on April 2. Then. with the pros
pect of impending overflow and dis
aster to the district, parties in inter
est directed their energies to building
temporary barrier, extending from
Colquitt's to billiards.. No part of
The line surveyed was utilized, but
nevertheless line of work was erect
cd, which, with the remnants of the
old embankments, effected connec-
lion between the lines of public lev
ces above and below. While the work
executed is not upon a permanent
location, nor built to the grade and
section required for levees on Red
River, it is nevertheless a creditable
piece of work, and an evidence of
energy and public spirit on the part
of those engaged in it that has rarely
if ever been, in the same space of time,
equalled in other communities, and
there is no doubt but that stage of
the river higher by several feet than
that which prevailed would have been
restrained by it. Not less than one
hundred and fifty teams were engag-
ed on the work, and the number of
cubic yards of earthwork handled
must have approximated $4,000;
begun on Monday morning, March
26th and completed on Saturday at
noon OF the same week.
The only work which has been in
progress in the District since your
last meeting has been under the State
contracts, namely at Hurricane Bluff
to Willow Chute, and at Bossier City.
The first of these, 1926 feet long,
containing 102, 1888 cubic yards, and
costing the State Sc, 500, with bonus
of $4,000 from your District, is about
half finished, and the second, 1862
feet long, containing 42,434 cubic
yards, costing the State 81, ,222 58, is
awaiting final settlement.
The food in Red River which re-
Gently gave so much concern to the
people of your District passed down
without injury, except in the vicinity
OF the Pruitt Crevasse, where, howev-
er, the damage was locally severe
This crevasse occurred on March 30
and was the result of there being no
openings in the old levee to permit
the gradual filling of the basin
between the new and the old levees,
as the river rose.
AS soon as the water had receded
sufficiently to permit survey, the
Board of State Engineers caused it
to be made. Recognizing the import
ance of at once securing the restora-
tion of the line, in the event of anoth-
or early rise in the river, it was rec
commended that the State strain it's
resources to supply the funds neees-
sary to do so. Accordingly the work
was promptly advertised, and propos-
ais to construct it were received up
to II o'clock, noon, last Tuesday, re-
sulting in the awarding of the con-
tract to S. L. James, Lessee of the
State Penitentiary. The contract re-
quires that work be begun on May
and completed on May 81, and with
anything like favorable conditions in
the river and in the weather, there is
little doubt but that the contract will
be promptly and faithfully carried
out.
The District has nothing but en-,
couragement to feel from its expert
ences so far with Red River and its
levee system. This system, incom
plete as it is, would have withstood 6
much greater height of water thar
that which prevailed, had anything
like the proper organization fol-
guarding, caring for and preserving
it existed. The only actual flaw which
developed itself was due to the alb
e Il.