St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1906-12-29
.PUJO WORKING
ON COURTABLEAU.
Seventh District Congressman CrystalIzing
Plans for Opening Stream.
HOW OTHER APPROPRIATIONS NT.
The Removal Of the Drift Will Prove Of Vast
Benefit 10 Entire Parish, BY Fur
nIshIng Water Competition.

Inc Removal 0I tme UFiH Wiil FFuVe vi FdSi
Benefit to Entire Parish, BY Fur.
nIshlng Water Competition.
Congressman Puio IS working with
might and main to carry out the pro-
mise made to the people Of st. Lam.
dry parish, when he told them that
he would secure Federal aid in the
opening up Of the Bayou Courtableau
to navigation.
The Washington Cd. O. eorrespon-
dent Of the Picayune is authority for
! the statement that Mr.. Pujo has con-
ferred with officials of the War De
partment and has been busy examl1l-
ing records with a view of introduc-
| ing several bills for the Improvement
of the waterways Of his district. He
| is particularly interested in securing
relief for the citizens of st. Landry
parish, growing out of the fact that
Bayou Courtableau can not now be
navigated because Of the accumulation
of drift at it's mouth says the cor
respondent.
Mr.. Pujo was at Washington, La,
some weeks ago, and, together with
Mayor Muller and several other Wash
ington citizens, made a trip to the
drift, and was surprised at the navi-
gability Of the stream in every res
pect except where drift obstrueed it,
and that is only at one point-at its
mouth.
The stream, Mr.. Pujo said at the
time, should properly be called q
river, as it has an average width Of
f15O to $50 feet, and mean depth
/ of from ls to 20 feet from Washing
ton to the Atchafalaya River.
An investigation Of the records
Ishow that $58,700 had been appro-
Epriated, as follows: In 1880, $500;
1881, $500; 1884, $4,000; 1886,
5000; 1883, 5000; 1890, $4,000
| 1894, $1,000; 1896, $500; 1899,
| $4,000.
| It will be necessary to first obtain
la survey and estimate Of the work
and Mr.. Pujo thinks that the report
of the engineers will justify the ap,
|. preparation Of sufficient sum o.
money to restore this stream to it
usefulness to the people.
= 4
It is well known that the appro
priations made in the past were neVel
utilized to any effect, the approprl
ations, it is claimed, being 50 Ia
short that the contractors Woult
spend it in a hap-hazard manner, Jus
to exhaust it, with no effort to ac
: complish the end sought make tn
stream nayigable.
The Clarion has shown in past issue
how the opening Of the Courtablea'
would be of advantage to Opelousa
as well as to the town Of Washington
: how it would result in benefits +
: the entire parish BY having waite
: competition to the railroads.
Mr.. Pujo has also introduced bill
: appropriating $500 for the remove
Of the bar at the mouth Of Johnso
Bayou; S., 900 for rectifcation Of th
channel Of Red River, opposite Boyc'
La; $4,000 for the maintenance
improvements in Mermentau Rive
: Grand Lake, Lower Mud Lake an
i AF
r Bayou Nezpique, and $4,000 for Y
e maintenance and Improvement Of Il
Ie mouth and passes Of Calcasieu Rive
The $50, 600 authorized TO be use
4 for the rectifeation Of the cham
s at Alexandria has not yet been e
q pended.
There are over 400 aremen
a strike on the Southern Pacific ~
@ 80 =. .... 4 6 .es4 Az, 1,s-aI