The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1910-06-18
CONG. BROUSSARD


ton ni 500 0on fo, the improve,nen u
81 the mouth of the AtchafaIa, (,
give il a channel twenty feet IN deptl
and 20 feet IN width, AMI The accreta,-
Of war is authorized TO contract will
the Atchaialaya Bay Ship Channe
Company for The construction nf tn,
three Yeats. There ia also an apr,u
prlation Of &I0.oOo 10 detray the ex
rensce Of inspection and superintend
ence hy the War Department
The legislation is the result o
Nea's of arduoua WORK Many years
! ago. by AZ order of Congress, survey
WAS effected, but on account of its cost
IN adverse report was made on the
| It"Jrct. second survey WAS made
with the same reault In 1919, through,
my etln',. n third survey was made 70,
twelve lect ol waite, and POO feet in
width. Because of its cost, whicl, was
estimated hv the engineers TO be ~,
wv, ,|Woe, IN adverse report again fol.
lowed. In April 1900, the people in
terested IN the improvement called a
meeting to consider the adyisahllity
II making further Efforts in the direc-
ton ol securing twelve feet OF water
ut tho mouth of the Atchaialaya The
result nt this meeting was the organ
izatton of the Atchafalaya Bay snip
Channel Company, with y. A Pharr.
oi Morgan CITY aa president 1t being
represented that the engineers eaii
mate was entirely too high, n suhserip-
tion was taken and liberal cont,ibu
tons were made by X. II. bowman,
L. u. Williams and other large ship
rers, thereby raising Sl5o,0oo With
this money channel twelve feet deep
was dug. committee of Louisiana
ans came to Washington anI through
Congressman Ransdell and myself Sc
cured hearing before the rivers and
harhors committee, and that commit
tee passed a special resolution, which
WAS the first of it's kind, ordering the
Board Of Review for Rivers and Har-
bots to make report on the survey
of 1900, Before that board appeared
Senator Foster, Congressman Brous
sard and Ransdell and Messrs. Down
man, Pharr, Reed, Cotton aud Guey-
dan.
''The board reported on Sept. 3,
1908, stating that the work done by
the AtchataIaya Ship Channel Com
pany was effective, but in view of the
fact that the engineers report which
they had been ordered to review con
templated a l2-foot channel that
depth having already been secured
they could make no recomme datiohs.
In the last rivera and harbors bill pro
vision was made on a bill introduced
by me for survey for the channel to
obtain twenty feet of water. On this
survey, Colonel Beach, district engin-
er at New Orleans, made favorable
report which subsequently was ap-
proved by the Board of Review for
Rivers and Harbors, by the chief of
engineers and by the secretary Of war
The report. however, did not reach |
the House until after the present bill
had been completed, and there was no
afforded to include IT.
'The estimated cost Of the work for |
a 2O-foot channel was $3.50, 900 and the |
cost of maintenance $4,000 a year.
The Atchaialaya Bay Ship Channel
Company offered to take the contract |
to do this work for 100000 and to
the channel for three years
at $4,000 year. As soon as the re
port became official and was made |
public, | caused the drafting Of an
to the rivers and harbors
bill providing for the acceptance Of
the proposition Of the Atchafalaya
Bay Ship Channel Company. This
amendment was introduced in the
Senate by Senator Foster.
"At the time of the hearing before
the commerce committee of the Zen
ate, Senator Foster. on account OF i'll
ness in his family, was called home,
and Representative Ransdell and ]
presented the matter to the Senate
committee Senator Foster, upon his
return to Washington. joined in our
efforts to- have the provision included
by way Of amendment The commit
tee reported the amendment which
the House conferees accepted and the
House approved to-day. Therefore the
20 loot ch ,nnel, as well as its mainte
nance for the next three years, is fully
provided for.
This legislation is the first of IT'S
kind and reflects credit upon the gen
t'emen who engineered IT, and II
points out the benefit TO accrue where
a community, alert to its interests and
alive to the necessity Of a situation.
takes charge Of matters in business
way. The acceptance by Congress OF
this project gives Louisiana another
great port at minimum cost. fact
which never could have been accom-
plished had any other course been
pursued
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