The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1909-03-30
Proposed Route.

New Iberia Enterprise:
Here is a new route suggested by a
correspondent from Abbeville, for the
intercoastal canal:
when the canal is completed to
Grand Lake, a section OF the country
not very fertile or productive in agrl-
culture, but rich in fish and game, VIII
be opened that has heretofore been
lost to the outside world.
This canal will raverse a section
of sea marsh from the mouth OF
Schooner Bayou through White Lake,
Alligator Lake and Grand Lake into
the Mermentau river that is cut up
by deep, sluggish bayous and small
lakes hat TEEN with fish, and those
waters are alive with ducks and reese
during the winter season. Navigation
on the canal will offer access to these
bayous and lakes and a market outlet
for thousands of tons OF fish to be
taken in the territory. This is in ad-
dition to the inland water route for
small crafts from Texas Coast points
when the canal shall have been com
pleted west from the Mermentau
river.
1.-The canal from the mouth of
Schooner Bayou east across Vermil-
ion Bay to the mouth of Bayou Por-
tage, the now located route, is not OF
so much value and little Importance
to any section along the coast. This
route lays across an open bay and
away from any settlement or shipping,
and the route is not safe Oh feasible
for small crafts. The course takes
shipping over sixty miles of outside
water route and at many places from
ten to fifteen miles from land on a
| dangerous coast. Interested parties
along the entire route have realized
that the Vermilion Bay route is not
feasible.
Instead of crossing Vermilion Bay
to Portage Bayou the course OF he
canal should be DETECTED at the mouth
of Schooner Bayou north of the mouth
of Hog Bayou, half a mile away;
dredge out Hog Bayou to Little White
Lake, and from Little White Lake to
Vermilion River about O~ne-fourth OF a
mile distant; up Vermilion river to
a point north of Lafayette, and across
the country to the Teche at BreauX
Bridge.
"'This would give an inland water
route for small crafts from Galveston
to New Orleans without interruption
at any season of the year.. Besides,
this route would serve thousands of
people and move many hundreds OF
thousands of tons of freight that
would be passed entirely by with the
course across Vermilion Bay. When
the Teche is reached at Breaux Bridge
the crafts could select either the IIou'
ma or the Plaquemine route to New
Orleans, while Abbeville, Youngsyille
Maurice, Lafayette, Breaux Bridge
St. Martinville, New Iberia, Olivier
Jeanerette and Baldwin would be ser
we'd if the course was up the VerIil
ION river, but Gully Franki.,: would be
served by the route across the bay.
"'There has been a government sur
vey made Of the Vermilion river from
Lafayette to the mouth of the rive.
looking to an average six-foot channe
me entire route and across the bal
at the mouth of the river. The route
of the inland canal, as proposed above
would not touch the mouth of the riv
er, but would make a short cutoff
therebysaving five miles in the dis
lance from the mouth of Schooner Ba
you to Abbeville.
This would offer clean SHINING
to- a large area of rich agricultural
country and would be much the cheap
er to maintain after once completed
There is a move to deepen the waters
of the Vermilion river and a similar
move is agitated to deepen the waters
of the Teche. 1t is suggested that the
two streams be connected by the In
land coast and have an all-the-way
inland water route to New Orlean.
that would vastly benefit this entire
section Of the country"