New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1905-06-10

| Juno q 900 300 u0t
| March 3 1901 10000
Total. 81 go ooo
Not only are charges Of gener
al delay made. but specific in
stances are cited June .. lN9H.
contract was awarded for enlarg
ing the bay about Plaquemine
and work was begun under the
contract in 1900 and was to have
been completed by June, 1901.
The time was extended twelve
months and at the expiration of
twelve months completion of the
work was waived for a reasona-
BILE period by authority of the
chief engineer. 1t is contended
| that at the present time the work
is not more than half done
Hon. K. i. Broussard cites an
other instance of delay which he
summed up briefly as follows
Contract was entered into No
vember Il, approved December
30, 1899 with the Otis Elevator
Company, of New York, for con
structing operating machinery
and power house for the lock, the
work to be completed within six
months after notice shall have
been given to begin Notice had
not been given and no work had
been done under the contract up
to June the 80, 1904 Commence
ment of this work was contln
gent upon the progress made up
on the construction of the lock
gates" F." This contract, made IN
1899 and to be completed within
six months after notice, remained
untouched in 1904 In a letter
to Secretary Taft under date of
January Is, 1905, Congressman
Broussard gave other instances
of delay in carrying out the work
on the Plaquemlne locks and con
Meeting waters, showing that
while appropriations had been
made covering approximately
the estimated cost of the entire
work delay after delay had oc-
Cured so that the project begun
in 1885 remains incomplete at
the end of twenty years, when it
is said the entire work should
have been completed in two or
three years.
A meeting of those interested
in deep water at the mouth Of
the Atchafalaya river was held
at Franklin, La, April 4. there
being present large number of
cypress lumber manufacturers,
planters and representatives Of
other commercial interests Of
that section. The object of this
meeting was to perfect perma
nent organization to keep the
matter before congress until IA
vorable action had been taken.
A part of the channel was that
formerly used by the Morgan
Steamship Company which
maintained Il fifteen or eighteen
feet depth of water from the
Gulf to Morgan City. When its
service was discontinued the
channel filled up and at the pres
ent time is probably not to ex-
ceed ten feet deep. It's claimed
that channel twenty to twenty
five feet deep can be maintained
at small cost by dredging about
six miles through the sand III
the mouth of the Atchafalaya
river
Those interested in this great
section are becoming tired of the
dilatory practices that have hin
dered the carrying out of the
work and have taken up the mat.
ter in a way that promises re
suits. A large percentage of
manufacturers and planters in
the district under consideration
have given the project approval
and support.
In addition to the establish
ment of a waterway from Plaque
mine to the Gulf the government
should take in hand and perpet-
uate the work being carried ON
by individual enterprise In
many instances the cypress peo-
pie. in order to avoid Il rounda
bout route. have constructed
canals to facilitate their logging
operations. Some of these ca
nails. only a few miles in length.
shorten the old route by half d
lnr,se fntxr,a I,+ laaf apl f 4I5,