The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-10-06
LAFouReHE LOCKS.
Only One Bid Standardization Deferred
Pending Report from State
Board Of Enginaers ----

| Only One Bid Standardization Deferred
Pending Report from State
Board of Engineers.
The executive committee of the joint
ore anization of the Lafourche Basin
and Atchafalaya levee boards met in
the Office of the state board of engi-
neers, at New Orleans, last Monday
afternoon, for the purpose of opening
bids for the construction of locks at
the head Of Bayou Lafourche. Chair
man j. S. Brady presided and Secre-
tary W. ]. McCune was present to
fulfill the duties of his position. But
one proposal was submitted, that
of the Foundation Company, and
after being opened and read it was re-
ferred to the state board of engineers,
who will figure out what it means in
dollars and cents. The Penn Bridge
Company bid on the gates and inter
stills with all attachments, which con
stitute item No. Ii of the specifca-
tions. but this item was not included
in the bid of the Foundation Com
pany, SO that there was practically
but one bid for the entire work.
The following general information
concerning Bayou Lafourche and the
present condition of that stream is
taken from an article which appeared
in recent issue of the New Orleans
Times-Democrat, and will doubtless
prove Of much interest to consider
able number Of our readers:
1.-THE Bayou Lafourche improve
ment project, authorized by legislative
acts of 1900 and 1902, involve the
closure Of l;iyou Lafourche by a dixie
at Donaldsouville; the dredging Of the
bayou so as to maintain in it a depth
of water of six feet, this water at all
times to be absolutely fresh; and
finally the replacing Of the dixie by a
lock, 50 as to admit navigation into
the bayou from the Mississippi river
at Donaldsonyille. The dixie was COM
pleted prior to April 20, 1904.
1.-THE question of maintaining fresh
water at all times in Bayou Lafourche
has proved most vexatious. The summer
and fall Of 1904 having been exceed
ingly dry seasons, very little fresh
water was supplied to the bayou by
the Lake Boeuf Canal, which had been
cut by the levee board to connect Lake
Beuf with Bayou Lafourche, and by
theLake Fields Company and Harvey's
Canal. Realizing that the condition
of affairs might result in the appear
ance Of salt water in Bayou Lafourche,
the levee board fastened to put in
battery of five 18-inch siphons over
the dixie at Donaldsonville, so that
water might be siphoned into the bayou
when the stage of the Mississippi river
permitted the siphons to operate. Ia
addition to this the levee board con-
structed floating pumping plant with
capacity of $4,000, 900 gallons per
twentyfour hours, which was to be at
tached to the siphons at Donaldson
vile and operated when the Missis-
sippi river was below siphoning stage.
"During the summer Of 1905 a num-
Der OF canals were opened by private
parties for the purpose of supplying
additional fresh water to the bayou.
Owing to the increased number of fresh
water feeders and TO the rainy fall of
1905, the water in Bayou Lafourche
during the grinding season Of 1905-06
was absolutely fresh.
Bayou Lafourche is now connected
by water with the Mississippi river,
one route being Harang's Canal, Lake
Salvador, Company Canal and through
the Company Canal locks, situated
about opposite Audubon Park, into
the Mississippi river; and the other
route being Barrow's Canal, Lake Sal
vador and Harvey's Canal. The Har-
vey Canal locks opening into the
Mississippi have not yet been com
pleted, but will be opened this coming
season, giving two all-water routes
from Bayou Lafourche into the Mis-
river.
"Besides this, barge lines ply up
and down the bayou, transferring
their freight across the Donaldson
vile dixie by a mechanical transfer to
the Mississippi river steamboats,.
"By building this dixie the levee
board has saved the enormous sums
which it used to spend annually on
the Bayou Lafourche levees; it is at
liberty to expend this money on its
main line of levees on the Mississippi |
river, making 1t strong beyond the
possibility of a break, and therefore
protecting its territory from overflow. |
"The cutting off of Bayou Lafourche |
from the Mississippi river has also |
resulted in doing away with a large |
quantity of water which seeps through |
the ground into the fields bordering |
this stream. As result the drainage |
Of the lands adjoining the bayou has |
been vastly improved and large quan-
titles of land have been reclaimed"
Cane Leaders Selling BrlskIy.