The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1910-10-15
THE BOUT1E CANAL,

just about the time that things wer,
assuming promising shape FOR definite
action IN arranging for the cutting o
the Boutte Teche Canal, an unexpect
ed halt WAS called III all proceedings
and the promoters Of that project find
themselves without plan
On Wednesday Mr.. H. A. Genung
the chef engineer OF the Friaco rail
road. with headquarters at Dtelousaa
arrived here Upon the invitation ol
Mr.. Welch to look into the matters oi
route and survey. That afternoon. in
company with Messra T. + Mllard
and q. {. Laughlin he went out To
Belle Place and vicinity to get familiar
with the lay nf the land
i On Thursday forenoon there was a
conference of interested citizens. at
which conference Mr.. Euzehe Gonscu
lin was present. He advocated a new
location for the canal from that sur
veyed by Y. y. Guilfoux In 1906, as
serting that lower levels and a shorter
cut could be obtained This new
route would start the canal from the
Teche on the Hutton plantation. In
Difference to Mr.. Gonsouln's views
Mr.. Genung returned that afternoon
TO Mr.. Gonsoulin's place to look
into the merits ot the new route. He
found the GuilfOux survey to be the
more promising in both direction
| and levels After the departure of
the surveyor on his return trip to town
the committee was notified by Mr..
Gonsoulin that his proposition Of 1906
had been recalled and that he would
at M n net ,f .c.rLt r.
way for the proposed canal He would
sell the right OF way, but he could not
fix price in advance of the definite
locating Of the canal and the deter
mining Of how much land would he oc
cupied by il.
This announcement abruptly termi
mated proceeding. IL was severe
shock to the hopes of those who advO-
Gated such a waterway.
AT the time Of this interruption the
work had been organized to the extent
Of making Judge l.. O. Hacker general
chairman. by his appointment Mr..
Lazard King was made treasurer
He had raised funds sufficient by pri
vate subscriptions to defrav the coet
Of n second survey, which was intend
ed to locate the capal definitely and
determine all conditions of cost Of cut
ting.
Chairman Hacker had also appoint
ed committee on survey, composed
OF Hon. +. l.. Broussard, Jules Drey-
fus and Il. r. Millard.
The following paragraphs were pub
Iished in the Iberian on December lst,
1906, and shows a little of the early
history of this movement:
On Tuesday morning, Nov. 81,
1906, Congressman X. +. Broussard,
accompanied by Maj F. M. Kerr,
Chief of the State Board Of Engi-
neers, went out to Fausse Pointe |
Lake to look the situation over and |
select, if possible, the most feasible
route for the proposed canal be-
tween Bayou Teche and the great |
waters to the East. Mr.. Brous-
sard was acting in this matter un-
der the authority of the resolution
recently adopted by the Police
Jury.
Accompanying the above gentle
men were Messrs. p. X. Burke, X.
$. Mcmahon, II. H. Shaded, J. w.
Eckart and V. Paul Guilfoux. They
spent the day on this mission
gathering all the information pos
sible by careful study of mani
fest conditions.
On Wednesday forenoon, Nov. %,
1906, a public meeting was held at
the City Hall under the auspices of
the Board OF Trade, when Mai.
Kerr gave his views about the pro-
posed canal. He approved of the
location of the canal, cutting from
Bayou Teche to Bayou Boutte, al
distance of about Az miles. This
would make the waterway from
the Teche to the Lake about 5
miles.
Among the advantages that he
saw that would accrue by such a
water route would be the shorten
ing of the distance to the Plaque
nine Locks by some 80 miles
drainage of the section traversed
by the canal; and the publication
Df the Teche by turning into it
arge volume of Lake water. He
would not attempt any estimate of
he cost OF such a work in the alb
,ence of surveyors levels. He
thought the canal should be 100
'eet wide at the bottom, carrying
l 6 foot depth of water. The right
If way for such canal should be
100 or 500 feet wide along it's en-
ire length. A general discussion
ollowed, showing the general in
crest of our businese people in the
project.
Congressman Bro~ssard stated
or Mr.. Euzebe GOnsoulin, who was {
present in the hall, that the canal
would run for 1O4 acres across Mr..
land, when it would 7
trike the School Lands and then
he lake that the right of way re-
by Maj Kerr, meant 6
225 acres OF Mr.. Con
oulin's land; that Mr.. Gonsoulin
lad offered to donate the right
Il way when a smaller canal was
that he would now stand
" that offer and was willing to
rant the right of way upon the ,
that the extra land need
d should be equitably appraised
nd he paid for ~
Mr.. v. p. GuilfOux was instruct I
d to make the preliminary sur
'ey, to get the distance and the
evels. These are to be forward
ID to Maj Kerr, when he will make ]
N estimate of ths probable cost q
shon.,f;s = our store, \