The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1904-03-25
Rice Crop Free From Salt
Water Invasion.
OPINION OF CONSERVATIVE MEr
Expressions From Local Business
Men After an Investigator
of Mermentau Locks.

-
this section of the big belt, the JouN-
MAI. publishes below the opinions OF 3
several of Welsh's business men VINO
spent two DAYS last week at the Mer- 9
meutau locks and dam investigating d
every phase of their mechanism, IL
will be observed that each OF tnem
takes issue with the report that became q
current and in fact was Publlsheu 10 =
the effect that the locks were failure
and in their present condition woulo 1
not exclude salt water from the rice
fields. z
T.. E. Robinson: The experience OF
canal men and all others Interested IN
the growing of rice on landS Griouua
nv to the Mermentau river during bie
| season of 1902, prompted an lnVesui
cation to devise ways and means OF
| preventing a recurrence of the 1nva-
| sion of salt water that season. En-
| gineers were set to work and tnelr III,
| yesti cations showed that the lakes anu
rivers added up water area ailllosO,
if not quite, to the entlre acrease VI
rice now in cultivation watereo rom
the Mermentau and all its tributaries.
The experience of all canal men Tor
the past five or six years shows that
sufficient rain fell during each season
to properly irrigate all lands now IN
Guilty alton, but the shortage OF !9oa1
B as we'll as during other seasons was
, caused from the fact that the Mer-
mentau river running i'll southerly
direction and there being no nlen
banks or trees to protect water lroni
/ the winds, was subject to the eftect OF
e the winds. strong vino rom ohs
north lasting two or three days woulu
drive water out into the gull, ana
e when the wind changed a flood OF salt
: water was driven back. At my plant
@ on Bayou Chene 1 have known the
:, water to fall eighteen inches In twenty
y strong north wind. Now, having
q plenty of fresh water and sufficient
l. area in which to store it, the plan was
naturally devised OF damlng the
70 mouth of the Mermentau river, pre-
- venting first the loss OF our 1reSn "1
r., y. ter, and second the lnno" OF sait .;ae
"a ter in case OF storms or hlgh biu eS
~ When this plan was proposed IN l9o-
7 was not in favor of the propo sltlon'
IL believing plants on the lower bayot
Ill would receive all of the benefit while
1t the plants on Bayou Chene would ge
" no practical benefits. Inc actual eA
re perience, however, proved the reVefs Sc
I'll as was evidenced by the fact that th'
IL water has never been as low at an.
be pumping plant on Bayou Chene' slhc
ne the temporary dam was hrst construct
he ed as it had been repeatedly pfeVlou
L
whatever in saying that with a perma
ice nent dam across the mouth OF III
he Mermentau river there Will neve
he again be shortage of fresh water 10
by the irrigation of every acre OF ian
ro- tributary to that stream. ms 10
900 Strono statement, but / believe it to
al a fact and puts at rest Whatever u!
certainty there might have been l
reference to the actual value or OF
IRRIGATED lands. Now as to the pre-
an: emit conditions of the dam. Inc
&; have been so many conhlctlnS rePof
that before making VlSi6 10 see {.
on tnal conditions, one could neaf OF
oil lieve ANYTHING he chose. a perm
nent dam is now almost complete
,oo The gates are in and vessels can pa
in and out with perfect ease anu
OIL fresh water above the dam is preVei
ger ed from being blown OUT by n Iot
aa, winds into the gulf. There is llt
Ga salt water in the lower part OF I
ieiu river, but there is a great amount
that fresh water above and in the LAX
FOR which, with one or two fairly go
ally rains, will absolutely make a certain
IS of this year 9 crop: 10 resume -
lace sentence, the dam is a success and
&c to now so nearly completed as to ASST
sleu the crop this year.
J OF DR.. Jno. H. Cooper: AS to my. ,oop
ion of the Mermentau locks l Will s
before my visit last week L thou
80 very little Of the scheme. In Gne 4
elSn Mace I did not suppose the wa
II py could be raised where the dam is
.l tne Gated to a sufficient height to be of 1
InaV benefit without inundating the VIII
lP1r country thereabout. And then
JUG lieved it would be very dlthcul'
pasff not an impossible undertaking to c
ay 81 struct a dam at that place that wo
J lelu control the water OF so large RI
per and at the same time the tide from
II 81 Gulf of Mexico. In answer to my
wei, objection, if any one will take a
uShei down the river and observe the Elk
Gu DIS of the water surface then add to
~ the numerous small inland lakes
bavous which will also be effected
the lock, it seems to me he must r.
from ilv agree with the promoters OF
ner- scheme that eighteen inches OF
Il AL over this surface will be sutficien
irrigate all the land tributary. +
1ealth observation while on the ground
lption lieve the water can be raised at
All four feet above ordinary high
y, at without any danger of inund ating
~ country round about. AS to the
'UR. bility of the dam, L am thorou
satisfied it will stand any ordl
lg the strain and the manner OF its cons
lmmeo ton is such that any eXtraorol