The Bossier banner., 1909-10-07
THE LEVEE BOARD.
Official Proceedings Of the Meeting Held
September 24th.

The Board of Commissioners of the
Bossier Levee District met in regular
session this day, Friday, September "a,
1909, at the Office of the board, in Shreve-
port, with the following named members
present: Messrs. H. N. Carlton (Pres-
ident), J. G. McDade, J. T. McDade,
A. Curtis, S. w. Vance and T. w. w.
Stinson. Absent: J. F. Foster.
Mr.. Gervais Lombard, Assistant State
Engineer, was present and invited to sit
with the board.
The minutes of the last meeting were
read and approved.
Mr.. Lombard made the following re-
port as to the condition of the levees of
the district:
To Board of Commissioners, Bosser Levee Dis
trict, Shreveport La
Gentlemen: | have the honor to re-
port that on the 18th instant inspected
the levees in your district and found the
conditions to be as follows:
. Commencing at the upper end, where
the system leaves the hills at old Benton,
l found the new levee, which was con-
structed there last season, grown up in
weeds, thick enough in many places to
entirely kill out the grass. The levee
was in good condition otherwise, but
unless the weeds are kept down and the
grass given chance to cover the levee,
this and all the rest of your new levees
in similar condition will be bound to
suffer serious loss from rain wash.
l had already reported to you, last
season, when there was more work to be
done than there was money with which
to pay for it., the fact that when the
State completed the Stinson levee it was
necessary to curtail its length at the
lower end, for the time being. Fortu-
nately there has been no further caving
since its completion, but the extension
of this levee down stream to the Willow
Chute dyke is necessary in order to be
entirely safe from the rapidly caving
banks in this particular bend of the
river.
There were a few weeds on the new
levees at Gold Point and Riverside,
which were thick enough in places to
require clearing.
The fact that there has not been suf-
ficient water in Red River since July,
1908, to cause caving to any extent
leaves conditions practically as they
were when last reported to you, save
that at nearly all the places where new
levees were then necessary, new levees
have been constructed or temporary
work done to tide over the season.
Where no fences were constructed to
afford pasturage on the new levees,
weeds have grown up simultaneously
with the grass. The weeds seem to be
especially thick and vigorous this
season.
The Cash Point, Arnold and Pat Cash
levees need clearing. At the Pat Cash
place l notice that changes have again
taken place which may effect the upper
end of the new levee there. The situa-
ton is safe for the present, though it
will bear watching.
The rapid changes at the billiard
place, which gave promise of becoming
serious during the high river of 1908,
have adjusted themselves and there is no
danger there for the present.
l found that two small private levees |
have been constructed around the saw
mills on the batture at the upper end Of
Bossier City, both Of which join the
main line OF the 1evee and hold the river
away from the levee, providing condi-
tions similar to those which brought
about the Connell OF. Dixie crevasse in
Caddo Parish and scores of others else
where. These private leyees must be
made independent of the district system,
or cut down so as to allow the river to
get against the levee gradually; other
wise, the private levees will more than
likely kreak at high stage of the river
and permit the water to rush suddenly
against an unsoaked part of the system.
Another evil practice is provided by one
of the mills making log pond immedi-
ately at the river toe of the levee, which
will keep the levee wet all the year
around and be serious menace to its
safety. A platform of larger dimensions
than usual was also being constructed
over the levee and called the attention
of the manager to the fact that this was
against the law and he promised to re-
duce the size of the platform.
Gazing had reached to within 1875 or
100 feet af the Belcher levee, just below
the Cotton Belt bridge, but does not
seem to be rapid, and as the land is very
high there it would be an easy matter to
fight water there, if necessary.
Weeds had already taken the new
Chalk Level levee, built by the Govern
ment last season.
The same can be said of the SunfloWer
levee, which found to be impossible for
weeds, and being badly rain washed.
This levee is in the most serious condi-
ton of any of the new levees and should
be cleared, beyond all doubt. A change
of the regimen of the river appears to be
iminent at the lower end of the Sun
flower levee, near Lacy Bayou, which
may affect the system in the near future.
The situation here bears watching.
The Curtis levee also needs clearing of
weeds.
No further caving has taken place at
the upper end of the Childers place,
where there still remains about 25O feet
of fore shore.
The Grape levee also needs clearing
and notice that there has been cOnsid-
cradle cracking of the ievee, due to the
sun, for which there should be no con-
cern, as these cracks always close as the
water rises against the levee. No further
settlement Of the dykes across Wasson
or Moon Lake has taken place, and the
Dortch Bend levee seems to be in good
condition. There were good many
weeds on the Dortch levee.
1t gives me pleasure to announce there
has been no further change in conditions
about Gold Dust. If you will remember,
it was impossible, owing to the financial
condition of the district, to do more than
construct temporary run around at
Gold Dust last season, and l stated to
members of the board and citizens of the
parish at that time that, should no
emergency of great Importance arise