The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1896-10-15
$39,645 IS
Report Of State Engineers.


Report Of State Engineers.
New ORLEANS, La, Oct. lst, 1896.
To the Honorable President and Members
Board of Commissioners Bossier Levee Dis
trict, Bossier City, La. Dear Sirs:-
The Board of State Engineers
would respectfully present for your
consideration at this time, resume
of operations in the District since
August 18th, 1892, the date at which
your Board was organized, under the
provisions of Act No. SO, of the ses-
sion of the General Assembly of
1892, approved July 9th, 1892.
With the exception of the Pandora
and Sunny Point levees, built just
after the high water of 1890, no Or
ganized effort had previously been
made by the local authorities to build
levees in the Parish in anything like
a comprehensive and systematic man
ner. Such levee building as had, at
various points been imperatively de-
manded for the protection of the dis
trict, previous to 1890, had been un-
dertaken and executed, in more or
less spasmodic way, either by the
property owners Immediately affect
ed by high water, or by the State of
Louisiana, with such small means as
were from time to time available.
The result of these efforts, how
ever, had up to this time (1S90)
amounted to little more than the
erection of short stretches of tenta-
tive barriers to the overfows which,
from time to time, visited Red River,
and these lines of levee, insufficient
in grade and section, succumbed in
many places to the high water OF
1890, subjecting the parish to losses
which were at the time considered
disastrous and ruinous to it's best in
terests, immediate and future, and
caused many of the leading citizens
of the parish to conclude that some
systematic and organized effort must
be locally made. to enable them tc
cope with similar emergencies in the
| future.
A decided step in this direction
followed Immediately, and the Police
Jury of Bossier ordered an election
to authorize the assessment and col
lection of a ten-mill ad valorem ia,
to close the Pandora crevasse, it be
ing generally believed at the time
that the crevasse of 1890, at thai
point, had inflicted the creates
amount of injury to the interests O
the parish at large.
Tho amount collected from this ia,
was promptly applied to the con
situation of new levee at Pandora
amounting to S6,504 cubic yards
costing Sl2,110.56. After providing
for the Pandora levee, it was fount
possible by the Police Jury to d.
somewhat more levee work out of thi
fund than that required at Pandora
and this balance was applied to th
construction of new levee at Sum,
Point, amounting to 1899 cubi
yards, costing $2,390.62.
This action of the Police Jury Q
Bossier parish was, at the time, ger
orally recognized as commendabl
and wise in every particular. 1t wa
understood that the Police Jury c
Bossier would continue to annual
assess and collect this parish tax, an
apply the proceeds to the better
ment of the levees of the parish a
long as needed. Unfortunately, thi
provision was allowed by the Polio
Jury to fail in 1891.
After short respite from the lei
sons and forcible impressions taugf
by the experiences of the overflow {
1890, the high water of 1892, th
most serious of record that ever VII
tied Red River, followed, and a gres
number of the other weak and il
sufficient levees in the parish wei
preached and washed away, conver
ing the parish into an Inland sea, an
SO devastating numerous places
the parish, that numbers of its il
, habitants were on the point of aba
doning it. Public anxiety and sent
| ment was thus again aroused and
, was generally felt and recognize
that measures must be adopted, an
! ! means must be provided, to more i
> | tollino,,tI, and affactiualx coma mil