The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1910-12-31
THE BAYOU TECHE.

y
cred with green carpet
Of prairie grass tn" Year round,
the Trche was u deep bayou Ten
aud twelve feet depths were com
mon to points even above this city,
II received but Il small percentage
oi The drainage of the country. due
10 10 peculiar formation 81 IT.
banks which are highest only n
few Yards from the waters edge
and gradually fall ~ on" goes
back from the stream 10 III" lower
lands Of ID" pralrlrs. These banks
were sIasa covered and washed
but little ~ the rain Hoods.
Tho pillow and cultivation chang
cd all "i tins FIRST, the ridge II
arif WAS enclosed hy the old picu
f,nr" and HE grass gave way t"
growing crops Drainage. even
upon lh ridges OF the bayou 4
banks, Wns necessary, ana all
these drains were led To til" la
YOU Then began the wash Of the
tirId+ and the filling Of til"
streams bed
After all the ridge lands were
brought INTO cultivation the back
lands were reclaimed hy deepen
ing the bitches across III" ridge
and extending them to the needs
.t the farmer, 50 that ~ later
yeats he tiIllug process has been
mncl, accelerated To-day the sue
iron drcdge - engaged IL return
ing % the land some of this sil',
and hcr services are needed from
he mouth IF the Tcchc to its head.
II ~ ouly IN recent years the
last decade or so-that better and
NOR. natural drainage has been
sought for The back lands "f the
west bank 10y penetrating the sea
marsh with canals. This will anne
l,la'c conditions for the Trche to
4 considerable extent.
The evolution of the sugar
house I" the present day refinery
has brought additional compiled
tions to the waters Of the bayou
The modern refinery Of large capa-
city must rs" immense quantities
OF water to nrct the necessities Ot
the several departments When
thus water ~ returned to the bayou
It IL not always polluted, but il il
dead y 1t has, in its use. been
carried 10 such n high tempera
tnre that AL forms Of life in it
have been destroyed The waters
IF the Tcche ave of;ener s'agn.nt
~ this seaaon Of the year than
otherwise. And tho 'rcchr in such
a small body Of water that il liz
Int \ short while before q very
pant Of the vnter Of
he bayou in rendered "drad y
rhe slight stream and down
stream movement of the water IN
&c the tidal action
only Increases the area of affecta.
l'n hy the dead water. The
spare between two ,cfinrries may
hold many fish AZ the beginning Of
he season, and there they live nm.
u these two bodies of dead ware,
ire brought together. when the
fish are sm"thered. Their decay.
ing bodies canse a greater part Of
the pollution of tho stream
Yesterday there was a meeting
at Oprlonsas, the purpose of which
was 10 seek q lctterment ~ tie
conditions Of both the Techc and
The Cpu.tahIcnu While the Join
'ng Of The two streams nv locks
and dams may u" heartily endors
I'd for the benefits Of navigation.
there still fingers a serious doubt
hat the proposed system will en-
Iirely do away with the ills Of to.
lay, fo' the reason that the Court
like the Trclle, il fed On
|irely by the rains IN dry sea
sons, like this, the COurtableau
could not supply the water neces
sary to repeatedly flush the Trcle
without destroy its navigation.
The escape Of water through the
locks by the uses Of commerce will
help q bit. bn' It In to he appre
hended that such u volume will
not materially improve or save the
Teche from present foul condn ion.
IT the Government engineers
'on'd see their way to the opening
! chaDnel between the Teche aid
'ayOu Portage in Fausse Pointp
md the IntercOastal at or above
Ieancfettc, that section Of the
|eche between the two canals
you'd be rendered immune to
present conditions. The old Char
nton canal project and the pres.
mt Hanson canal would take care
Il other sections The tidal action
rom the bays, acCentmated by the
influence Of the great lakes to the
asst OF liz as n basin or rpcepticlp,
you'd give III a condition very
'mIlar To those which obtain III
he lower Atchafalaya.
With such system of flushing
be Teche the refnetles could 20
u their sweet way, even vpntur-
e 10 dispose Of their washinea /,