The Opelousas courier., 1894-08-18
Locks on Bayou Boeuf.

we publish the following letter
which we clip from the Theoda Inde
e pendent f0rthe benefit of those inter
There is "a plain unmistakable obiee,
lesson here that ought to be made
known to all interested parties, and es.
pecIally to the citizens of Avoyelles ana
st. Landry parishes who live on Bayou
Bout, and are in danger Of not having
water enough this fall to supply thei,
necessities.
since a writer rte 10 your paper; some time
probability. of Bayou Beuf becoming a
dry bayou in the future, unless the wa
ter that has been diverted from it's
channel to Bayou Lamourie is caused
to go down the BHuf, where it belongs
and is needed"
Another writer in the Louisiana Dem
ocrat SAID; The time is not far off
when it will be a dry bayou if some
thing is not done to PREV INT it,
During the last sugar making season
when the Weems and Meeker refineries
were in full operation the managers Of
the Barbreck refinery had to make an
obstruction across Bayou Bmuf in or
der to obtain sufficient water.
The capacity of both the Weems and
Meeker %refineries is being increased.
n the larger the plant the more sugar
will be made. therefore more water will
be needed.
The water needed to run a refinery,
and must be had, is never returned to
Bayou Bout on account of a stringent
law prohibiting its return to the chan
mel from whence it was taken. When
the retineries here are working to their
full capacity they draw 1900, 600 gallons
of water per day from Bayou Bnuf,
which, after it has been used in a ref.
merry, is carried to Red river swamp
through large bitches.
The Lecompte Single mill company
has built a dam across Bayou Bout that
harms no n either above or below it,
and is the object lesson spoken of that
ought to be studied. The extreme
length of the dam is 40 feet and high
enough to raise the water four feet.
The center of. the dam has a sixteen
foot opening that a be removed, which
would let the water pass during low
water, the same as If there were no
dam or it can be closed to eight feet as
is sometimes done to suit the conven-
fence of the mill men In moving cypress
logs. Not long since when the opening
was closed at eight feet, and had been
for several days the depth of water on
the plank it was flowing over was six
inches.
By getting the velocity Of the water
aud size OF stream it will be easy to es-
innate the number of gallons of water
Bayou BGuf daily affords.
Owners of the Barbreck refinery, and
all persons living on the bayou below
Barbreck plantation are directly inter
ested in having a sufficient quantity of
water to supply their needs.
With a certainty of the sugar r%efiner-
les here using SO per cent more water
the coming sugar making season than
they did the past, with Il knowledge
that there was water enough for the re-
~fineries to take off the sugar crop, with
but little to spare, last year, 1T is time
for the planters living Oh lower Bayou
B9uf to realize the facts as they are,
water famine, that will take place this
fall il something is not done to prevent
it. The police jury Of Rapides parish
has appropriated $500 for the repair of
the lock in Bayou Lamourie. Ii the
lock were repaired Bayou Beuf would
get four times the amount of water it
now has.
Police jury after police juries have
appropriated the same amount $500, but.
for lack of corporation of the parishes
of AvOyelles aud st. Landry nothing
has been done to the lock. When the
police jnrIes of the parishes that are
most directly interested in the water
supply Of Bayou BGuf take some meas
nre to ascertain a correct knowledge Of
the condition of the two bayous, B9nf
and LamOurie, then they will appro-
pirate $500 or more if it should be me-
cessary, to retain some Of the upper
and principal portion of Bayou B9uf
water in its own channel, and thus pre-
it from going dry.
In a future letter 1 will tell of the |
cost of the dam, Of it's height, how far
above the dam it affects the water with
a three foot rise. the probable effect of
locks on Bayou Beuf in lessening the
cost of transporting sugar can to ref
neries. III. f. LONG.
The yearly salary Of Ida Lewis, the
famous keeper of Lime Rock Light
Il