The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-06-30
ENGINEERS REPORT.

| NEW ORLEANS, June Goth, 1906
Atchafalaya Bay Ship Channel
Co., Morgan City, La.
| Gentlemen:-In compliance with
your request, | beg to state that
have made an examination of the
Atchafalaya River, Atchafalaya
Bay and the Point Au Fer Shell
Reef with a view of engineering a
deep water outlet from Morgan
City to the Gulf, and have arrived
at the following conclusions in re-
gard to the carrying out of the en-
terprise.
The Atchafalaya river is red in
color, but contrary to appearances
does not contain any Gilt in sus-
pension, the color coming from
some coloring matter in solution.
This like of silt together with the
nature of the sub-strata of clay
explains the peculiar formation
of this river bed with its perpen.
dicular sides and deep channel
which projects into the Atchafa-
laya Bay oyer three miles from
shore line without forming sand
banks or delta. This tendency of
the river to maintain a deep, mar
row and permanent channel, and
the fact that it does not deposit
silt, is OF the greatest Importance
in this projected work.
Upon careful examination of
the conditions it seems self-evi-
dent that this deep channel would
have continued to the Gulf, were
it not for the "Point Au Fer"
Reef, which is composed of shells
on top of an exceedingly hard
strata of clay forming an effectual
dam and forcing the water of the
Atchafalaya River to spread out
over the Bay and divide among
the small channels formed be-
tween mud banks.
Upon examination OF the Gov
eminent Chart it will be seen that
on the east side of the Bay there
is no outlet and on the west side
there are only two channels Zone
in the "Morgan Cut" and the other
in the "Narrows'D with a very
shoal clay bank in between form
ing practically q levee on the
west side. Between the two sides
there are six to seven feet OF water
with several feet of soft mud ex-
tending almost to the reef near
the White Shell Keys.
Upon examination Of the reef at
this point it was found that there
are several tortuous but deep
channels, through which the water
from the inner Bay runs with
great velocity to the Gulf. It is
my opinion that if channel some
200 feet in width by 40 to IS feet
in depth were to be cpt there, that
the waters from the river would
seek this outlet of their own ac-
cord and soon a channel all the
way from the present mouth to
the reef and as deep down as the
hard clay underlying the soft
mud. This soft mud is of
varying depths, but from meas
urements taken l do not think |
that there is any doubt about the
obtaining of a 10 foot channel on
an average without the necessity
of dredging.
This same conclusion also ap-
plies to the channel that will be
formed beyond the reef and into
the Gulf by the natural securing
of the water. In other words, the
flow of this water should cut the
same class of channel at the new
mouth on the outside of the reef
as it has as its present mouth, and
in time will doubtless extend some
three miles into the Gulf.
Another point which becomes
very evident is the permanence of
the channel when once formed.
This is seen in the case of the old
Morgan steamship passage which
instead of filling up has been grad
tally widened and deepened, |.
The salient point is TO open the
'eef and let the river do all it will,
Ind then to dredge the remainder
moving that the dredged channel
n the clay will remain permanent
y open and deepen rather than s
i'll up. {
am confident that INSIDE the t
}ay) there will be no other work I
necessary; on the outside it may a
Re necessary to form a jetty on
ne side to protect the channel c
gainst the Gulf currents, but r
1ould not advise doing so until t
he necessity is demonstrated.
In Dlanninp this enternriae ri