The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1905-03-11
A
ALLEGED Unnecessary delay in the com
pletion ofthe contract with Chas.
Clarke and Go. for dredging AMI En-
larging bed Of Bayou Plaquemine

\. This contract was entered in
to by Maj James Il. Quinn, Corps
OF Engineers, on July IL, APPROX
ed September Is. 1899, work to be
completed June 30. 1901. The
total estimated amount of cxcava-
ton included in the contract was
l,o21, 800 cubic yards, measured in
place, the contract price benz
]" ?S cents per cubic yard. Ac
tual operations under this contracf
were commenced on October -
1899, and carried on continuous
until September, 1900, the amount
of excavation in this period beng
about 900 cubic yards. Nnrr
atoms were discontinued i'm Sep
tembcr, 1900, as permission had
been granted the contractors to
withdraw their plant to Galveston
to float the L. $. Drcdgc 'Com
stock" which had been blown
ashore during the storm of Sep
TENDER Sth.
=
AIRY, 1901, and carried on until
June 1901, when the work was
stopped for the purpose of cnab-
ling the contractors to get a plant
that would do the required work
more satisfactorily. \ large sum
Of money was expended on this
plant, which, however, proved to
be a failure, on account of many
unforeseen difficulties of operation
viii eli were not able to be over
come. Dredging was afterwards
carried on from December, 1901
to May. 1902.
6 On April 20, 1901, a project
was approx, Il for dredging a chan
mel through Flat Lake and Bay
Natchez, enlargcmcnts of Grand
River. to open a navignbIo chan
mel to Morgan City. Proposals
were invited. to bc opened June
q, 1901, but no bids were received.
Efforts were made for some time
to obtain satisfactory proposal
for this work, and finally, on
March 10, 1909, Mcssrs. Clarke
& Co, III response to a request
from this Office, submitted a prop.
ositiOn to do the work, which was
accepted It was understood that
as soon as the Grand River dredg
ing was completed the contractors
would be enabled to bring through
the new channel into Bayou PA
quemine q plant capable of com
pleting the Plaquemine work; in
view Of this, the time limit on
their contract was extended for a
Reasonable period.
Z. Upon completion of the
Grand River work, the contrac
tors were notified to resume oper
atoms under their contract fol
dredging Bayou Plaquemine, ano
this office has continually and per
sistrntly endeavOred to get tn,
contractors to place a plant OF
the work that would be capable
of making satisfactory progress
In May, 1904, a plant was brought
to Bayou Plaquemlne and dredg
ling resumed. This plant did moi
give satisfaction, however, and {
special dredge for rehandling the
material at the dumping grount
was constructed at Galveston an(
lowed to Plaquemine in November
1904. This dredge, after opera
ting about "a hours, was burned
to the deck, The dredge ha
since been repaired and is again a
work 1t has not yet been deter
mined whether the new plant vii
meet with the success expected
by the contractors.
| 8 There are unusual and espet
tally difficult conditions to be me
with on this work. 1t is provides
lin the contract that the excavate'
; materia! shall be deposited i
Dardcnne's Bend Of Bayou Fla
auemlne. This locality is at on
end of the wotk, and the mater
ial excavated from the other lock
end will have to be transporte
about five mile to the dumpln
F ground. It is necessary, nnde
present conditions, to reb andle tn
material at Dardenne's Benz