Lower coast gazette., 1909-05-29
SATURDAY MAY %, 1909.
What Rights Have The People Ana Wha' '"0
Steamships?

Steamships? to
The Lower Coast, from it's peculiar penlnsulaf 1ofla''o'' WV" "
the river running through the peninsula ana giving a.. " 1Iaaos v"
coast line; if we may use that term, OF TWO hunoleo n'1'' p" y
bur parish in such a position that it becomes necessary or Us VIA
ask the Question with which we head this article. When the river IN
is we'll within its banks, the great steamships passing VI anu o0"" y
the river do no particular harm to the levees' even "heh 'e SHIPS m' a
are running at full speed. During the high water season 'e snu- u
alton is very materially changed and the great steamships passing Il
up and down throw such masses of water against te leVe1nen'' u
along the public leyees that they are frequently .looseheo aho sone r
times destroyed in that way, and in the event OF any oreaA III VIC e
Ievees anv repair work becomes extremely dlfhcult II not lhlposor I
bic, from the same cause. During recent years When W. aVe n"o p
extremely high water the various steamship INES nave t. - d
ouested to slow down in their passage up and down the fVef' III Q
order that the public levees and public safety may not oe I'M
neriued There has been no particular difficulty IN inducing the|
lines to do this, they having consented quite graceluAy W 1e .po
cautions requested, the request being made by the governor, Vi
the various levee boards. At the same time, the steamships ie'
port that it is quite a hardship on them to be delayed IN heir pas
sages up and down the river several hours, the great Value ol nen
cargoes and the enormous expense attached 10 SUCH nne" 9
steamships making every hours delay a matter OF serious hhan-
cia] consideration, Valuing a vessel and its cargo at a million oot
lars. and many of them exceed that, the interest on the money III
vested would exceed $40 per hour.
The steamship people have certainly some rights in the matter
and vet there would seem to be some limit to them. They are
bn;ldinq larger and more powerful vessels than hitherto used anu
these nroduce far greater physical effects upon the river ana the
river banks than hitherto, while our means OF resisting damage Ny
overflow or damage to other property, continue 10 oe w Vic
same.
. A very naCural inquiry WIFI US Wouiu w 90 "
we shall be compelled to enlarge our levees ana TO proceeo ll
woree xpensively with our levee work than ever before, because OF
the increasing size of power OF the steamships, or "heulel 'e
steamships themselves should be required to adapt themselves 10
our existing conditions. The inquiry is now reaching a more acute
form than usual from the fact that along the river from NE" VI.
leans to Port Eads there are now employed in the ordinary work Oh
the parish for transportation Of passengers or trelghts' prooaoy
over a hundred small gasoline boats. The passage OF a large steah'-
ship at once timperials the existance OF these boats ana every enor'
has to be made to prevent them from being sunk by passing
steamers. It'll
We understand that the Mississippi River Commission, when
makes one or two trips from New Orleans to the jettes every
wear, is now unwilling to go below the city on any ordinary up
river steamboat, believing them to be insufhcienhy strong TO re-
sist the exposure to lower coast storms and damage from passing
steamships. The accident that recently happened to the stern
wheeled towboat Eagle, is just such a one as might happen 10 any
of the old fashioned river boats, should a supporting hogcnalr
break as the result Of the waves from a passing steamship or IRON
n other cause. Any way, the Mississippi River COMMISSION
seems to have certain degree of prejudice displayed in its visits Il
the river below the city. On the other hand, in the great canal
of the country, whether we speak of the Erie or any other canal
in the United States, or of the Suez Canal, the speed OF all BOAT
is controlled by the rules of the canal and high speeds are prohibit
ed and all this is done for the protection OF the canal ITSELF
We who reside on the Lower Coast are tempted to think tina
perhaps we have no rights at all. Our levees will be injured, tn
revetments demolished, our small boats sunk by steamers and b
steamship waves and our river is polluted with the garbage dump
ed into it from the city of New Orleans, the river at the same tim
ha;rc tho source of the drinking water for thousands of people 0
the Lower Coast, and we are naturally led to inquire as to Jus
what limits might exist to these invasions of our rights. W
bring these matters out now for the discussion of our people an
believe that our private rights are seriously infringed upon by tn
prevailing methods Of high speed for large ships and by the dunn
ing of the garbage of the city of New Orleans into the river, pc
uting our water supply. If we make a decided effort we can pc
haps secure satisfactory state legislation and possibly COMPRESSION
Legislation that will control the matter if existing laws be found
be incompetent. We submit the case to our readers and all tho
interested.
Serious Forgetfulness.
2 In our last issue we referred to President Roosevelts COZ
mendable action in the direction of enforcing the laws OF the cou
try and regretted to note that Q. S. Attorney General Wlckersha1
of the present administration, seems somewhat disposed, to aba
the active pursuit of criminals in high life, inaugurated with me
or less serious intent under President Roosevelt's administrahe