Lower coast gazette., 1913-06-07

klorer, Assistant State Engineer and
Member of the Board Of State Engi.
neers, has been designated as advis.
DRY engineer to your Board, In all mat.
tiers Of further detail.
Respectfully,
'THE BOARD OF STATE
ENGINEERS,
per (Signed) Frank M. Kerr.
Chief State Engineer"
And WHEREAS, The report of r.
S. Daniels to the Board of State En-.
gineers is as follows:
New Orleans, La, January 20, 1918.
Board Of State Engineers,
Hon. Frank M. Kerr,
Chief State Engineer.
New Orleans, La.
Gentlemen:
Pursuant to your letter Of December
Sth, 1912, employing me at the ex.
pense OF the Board Of Commissioners
tor the Venice Drainage District, Of
Plaquem1nes Parish, La, to do Ger.
tain work for you in connection with
the said District, beg to say that |
have made a complete survey of the
land in said District and have run
lines and levels for the purpose Of as.
pertaining the feasibility of draining
and reclaiming all of said land. and 7
submit to you herewith a complete
map OF said District with notes, etc.
l find that all the land embraced
within the Venice Drainage District is
OF such character that it must be
leveed and pumped in order to be
drained and reclaimed; that the drain.
age and reclamation of said entire
area Is feasible; that the cost of drain.
Ing and retaining said land. includ.
ing the installation of the necessary
pumping plant is estimated at the sum
OF Forty-six Thousand, Nine Hundred
and -Four Dollars and Forty-eight
Gents ($46, 904.4S), or the sum of Thir.
ty.one Dollars and Ninety-two Cents
($ol.92) per acre upon the 1859. 56
acres within said Venice Drainage Dis.
trlct to be drained and taxed. In con
nectlon with this the following is here.
with submitted for your consfdera.
ton:
The land embraced in the District is
located on the right descending bank
OF the Mississippi River, commencing
at the lower boundary Of Fort Jack.
ION Reservation, about &C rifles below
New Orleans, and extending down the
river about Sh miles, or to the jump
at the head Of Spanish Pass; and is
more particularly described as being
l n I. q and %, S. R., 80 E., and T. ri,
5. T., 81 B., S. E. District Of Louisi.
ana, west OF river, and is bounded on
the upper side by the. Fort Jackson
Military Reservation, in front by the
Mississippi River, below by the jump.
and in the rear by marsh lands owned
by the various owners of land included
within the district. ;.
from the Fort boundary to the
Jump, a distance of approximately 8
miles, the front lands are planted to
citrus fruit trees, and is populated,
there being about $50 families. or 600
people, living within the limits of the
District.
However, these lands are low and
subject to overflow during high tides,
or flood periods in the Mississippi, and
with the exception Of a very narrow
strip close to the river, cannot be sue.
cesstully cultivated without artificial
drainage, and the various property.
holders are therefore DESTROYS of a
back levee which will not only pro.
tect their front land, but enable them
to plant a considerably larger area,
thus enhancing the value of the lands
within the District, increasing Parish
and State revenues, and contributing
largely to the upbuilding of the Coast
country in general.
There are 8 merchandise stores. 9
schools and 2 Post Offices (Boothyille
and Venice also within the limits OF
the District.
The lands and property in the Dis.
trlct land to the Forty.Arpent line
In the rear) are assessed at SIS. 10000
The soil is river sand ana silt ada,
cent to the river, and in the real is a
silt and clay deposit with about IL
inches of humus on top.
1t is proposed to construct a back
levee from the lower end of the Gov
eminent Levee at the mouth of Span.
ish Pass, extending in a northwesterly
direction, approximately parallel to the
Mississippi River, and Z to s arpent,
In the rear thereof, to the upper end
thence along the lower line of the For
Jackson Reservation to the intersec
ton with the Mississippi River Levee
This levee will be 8 feet above sea
level and 6 feet above the level of the
marsh land, these elevations being as
certained from water gauges recently
placed by the United States Engineer
Corps.
The levee will have a crown Of {
feet, with side slopes of 3 horizonta
to l vertical.
A reservoir or storage canal will BIZ
located on the inside or in front o.
the levee, the earth from which viii
furnish material for construction O;
the back levee.
The storage canal will have a capa
city of ZIG inches of rainfall for thu
entire area.
At intervals Of / arpent the proper
ty-holders will dig lateral drains lead
ing from the Mississippi River bacl
to the storage canal. A number o
these have already been dug for a dis
lance of from l to 4 arpents for drain
age for the front lands, and will be ex
tended by the owners at their individ
uai expense to the storage canal
These laterals, when completed, vii
have a capacity o. V.Y1 inches of rain
fall for the entire area.
The pumping plant will be installe,
in the rear about midway between tn,
upper and lower boundaries as indicat
ed on the ACCOMMODATING man and Will