The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-06-15

TO CLOSE HYnEL|A SOON.

Members of Lafourche Board Inspect
] Crevasse and Find Water Fall.
ing RapidIy-Obstructi OF
Breach by Means Of Willow Mats
Contemplated.
The Lafourche Levee Board last
Sunday sat in judgment on the Hy-
melia crevasse, found the water there
fallen considerably and the current
through the break correspondingly
slackened, and decided to take
soundings, and, if it is then thought
the end will justify the means, pro-
eeed in obstructing the opening pre-
liminary to the actual closing. A
gasoline boat from New Orleans car
rled some of the members of the
| board to the upper end of the Gre
vase Sunday morning, and there
| they We're met by the members of
the board from above Hymelia.
On the torn embankment, close to
the brink, the board held a special
meeting, delibeEated at length on the
| present state Of affairs at the Gre
vase, and reached the conclusion
| set out.
The taking of soundings in the
breach will be done at once, and if
decided upon, the obstructing of the
flow will follow Immediately How
this will be accomplished is not set
tied.
The Hymelia crevasse is now 1900
feet wide, or nearly a mile across,
but the caving Of the 1evee ends has
practically stopped By actual mea-
surement, the water at that point
has fallen five feet one inch since
die day the embankment gave way,
and save where secured out here and
there by the swift current, the bat
ture is showing some distance out
from the levee. At no place in the
breach are the mud Jumps yet stick
ing out, but the broken water indi-
Gates that it is very shallow in
places.
The water is going through SO
slowly now that a skiff made the
passage in safety day or two ago,
and the taking of soundings will not
prove difficult or dangerous, it is be-
| lieved.
The gasoline boat that left Nef2
| Orleans about S o'clock Sunday morfa
ling carried as passengers Commits
sioners R. Perez of Plaauemines and
/ William Humphries Of Jefferson, su-
lperl lnfeHdent Burgess of the Grand
Isle and 81 For 4
James Wilkinson of =Plaquemine par
ish, and Mr.. Paolini, a planter at
Jesuits' Bend. On the way up a stop
was made at ANA to take aboard
Commissioner Thomas J. Sellers a
st. Charles parish.
The upper end of the crevasse was
reached about 2:30 o'clock, and there
the party was met by President Vic
tor Maurin of Ascension parish, Com
missioner Songy of St. John parish,
| and Assistant State Engineer Joseph
Monget. Owing to the fall in the
| river, those aboard the boat had to
cross to the levee in a skiff. Less
than two weeks ago big government
steamers were lying alongside of this
levee.
/ While crossing in front of the Gre
vase the gasoline boat, piloted by a
fisherman from the neighborhood
struck a sand-bank, and, swinging
broadside to the current going
through the break, came near capsiz-
ing, in which event those aboard
would have been in a perilous situa-
ton.
/ It is believed there are a number
of deep channels in the crevasse, es,
pecially at the upper and lower ends,
but the most of the water going
/ through now seems shallow and mucf
arrested by the dense willow growth
on the batture, which extends out
about 500 feet. 1t is proposed to
cut off the heads of these willows
and let them float into the shadows
OF the break to form a mat which
! will do much to obstruct the open
| ing.
Commissioners Humphries and
Perez stated that the back water
is still rising, but that they look
for fall within the next ten days,
! by which time it is expected little
water will be going through the Gre
vase. Superintendent Burgess OF
the Grand Isle and Fort Jackson
Railroad reported that the overflow
is up to the crossties along the
tracks of his line, where it crosses
the swamp behind Gretna, but said
that he was very much encouraged
/ by his visit to Hymelia, and beliey-
ed the river would now fall fast
enough to prevent the creyasse put
ting tie Grand Isle and Fort Jack
son out of business.
Child Born with One Head and Three
| Bodies.
A child with one head and three
| bodies was born in New York. sew
era1 days ago. One of them was a
well developed girl, and to her was
attached by means Of tubes near the