Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-04-24

lower end, whore care destroyed About
so feet of the work II September; 1906;
the reyetment was extended up stream
go feet, and 1850 feet of connecting
mattresses placed between sections and
y; bringing the mattress work up to or
above the 10 foot stage on the Nieksburg
gauge. The present length of revetment
in kempe Bend Is l0,S1 feet.
Giles Bend-Extensiye repairs were
made to the revetmeat, principally at the
spurs II and 10, and between sections Is
and 80, the revetment was extended 222O
feet, and now covers 20,32S feet OF bank
m two detached pieces-upper Sl92 feet,
and lower -, 1856 feet.
Natchez Front-This work was COM
menced in August, 1907, and during the
season total of $3.50 feet of bank WAS
protected below low water with mattresses
300 feet wide, and with rock pavement
above the low water, where upeer bank
protection was considered necessary.
In addition to these revetments, the
following important points should be
lookep after by the government; Panther
Forest, Nancluse and Grand Lake in, Ar
kansas, Hard Times and Marenso Bend
in Louisiana. At all of these points men
most acute, at this time. Continued
caving at the upper end of the dixie,
across Whiskey Chute has maintained
for the last several seasons, and the cav
ing is sufficient to breach the controlling
line of leyee in about two years. There
is an insecure foundation upon which to
construct dixie across the chute, and
the alternative of going around the lake
would he disastrous to private interests
and would meet with the vigorous oppo-
sition of the citizens OF Arkansas.
| The exact amount and character OF re
vetment required at these points are mat
tiers for the United States engineers to
determine.
In the reports of the Board OF State
Engineers for the past several years, nu-
merous remarks have been made about
tire BOugere levee. X has been agreed
within the past four years, that IN con-
sideration of the United States govern
ment undertaking the construction OF a
line of le,ee seven miles in lengths aver
aging 20 feet in height, and involving an
expenditure sggregating about s4S0,OOO,
necessary TO close the Bougere Gap, the
state and the district would care for all
that line of existing levee between Nicks-
burg and the mouth of Red river. Both
of these agreements have been carried
out, the state and district have built all
new levees and done all repair work
necessary between Vicksburg and the
mouth of Red river, and the United
States government has let and construct
ed all but 2.5 miles of the levee required
to close Bongere Gap. Had this propo-
sition been submitted to any one OF these
Il authorities as whole proposition-that
is taking care of existing levee line from
Ithe mouth of Red river, and the con-
struction OF the necessary line to elcse
Bougere, it would have been too large a
proposition to have been undertaken by
any one of these authorities. There re-
mains only about 400, 900 cubic yards t.
be placed in position to complete the
Bougere levee, and when this will have
been completed, the levee authorities viii
, have extended their line more than 81
miles, and protected the valuable country
between it and Black river, in Catahoulai
; Concordia and Tensas parishes.
The writer recently made trip down
: the Ouachita river, from Monroe to the
mouth, and found that with the lands
lying along the Mississippi river practi'
cally overfiowed by the present stage OF
water, the people on Black river have
from to 10 feet of bank still out, ano
/ their back lands free of water. Upon {
close investigation among the citizens o
that country, it was ascertained that tht
! closure of Bougere has affected the coun
try, by giving say feet less OF water
: than was formerly the case at the SAINT
I stage of water in the Mississippi river
! on Black river due west of Bougere.
The citizens of Iberville, Point Coupee
: st. Martin, iberia, st. Landry, Avoyelles
Catalonia, Concordia and Tensas par
t ishes are looking forward to the tim'
: when the locks at Bayou Plaquemin'
e shall be opened, Bougere closed and thu
Red at Atchafalaya rivers divorced from
: the Mississippi. In fact there are man.
t other parishes that will be directly or in
directly affected by this closure, and ;
majority of those who run steamboats, il
l the Red, Ouachita, and Little rivers
Y either from the port of New Orleans O
Natchez, look with favor upon the tim
when the food waters of the Mississippi
t river shall be excluded from backing III
! these tributaries or going down the AT
G chafalaya river. The value to the stat
i of louisiana of such condition woul,
: deserted and grown Up with trees woul'
e be re opened, 'land values would rise an'
q industries would spring up, which tn
boatmen appreciate will be of more valu
t to the them than the mere fact of navi
e eating from Old river to Barbre's Land
$ ing, as is now the case.
:. The temporary closure so far this yea
y of Bougere has been brought about b
!. the connection of the United States leve
{, within the Texas < Pacific railroad EN-
d bankment, and the construction by tina
e company of an earthen embankmen
e across 4,000-foot trestle, with crown |
!, feet wide, and slopes of to /. This EN-
It hankment is holding out so far the foo
:, waters of the Mississippi river, which al
e to-day at more than bankful stage.
/ In conclusion, desire to state that tn
:, close attention and intelligent supervisio
Is given to the levees of your district b
Q your president, during the past few year
II has resulted in marked improvement
II their condition, and the value of his Sc
If vices, both in advice and cooperation
g cannot be computed.
Very respectfully,
e BOARD OF STATE ENGINEERS,
el Per NJ. p ROBERTSON,
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