The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1914-02-21
ALARMING LOW WATER


the year til the middle of Febru.
airy this whole section of country
was without rain enough to create
flow in the bitches and canals
La consequence of thiS condition
the entire watershed of the Jeche
valley was unusually dry. Adued
to this northerly winds prevailed
good part of the time, intiuenc
ing low tides and stages of water
in the rivers and bays south of Us
Quite naturally, during this peri
cd, the water in the Teche reach
ed one of it's lowest readings and
remained there for many days.
Without former low-water read.
ings before them for this section
of the Teche, and knowing that A
very good stage of water was be-
ing held in the upper bayou by
the Keystone Locks, with no wa
ter running over the spiIlway,
many of our citizens became
alarmed, apparently appreheDdiDg
that the Tecbe would 90 dry at
this point The locks were blam-
ed for the existing condition TO
them it appeared that the locks
were holding in the upper
stretches of the stream the waters
which should aud would have
maintained a higher level IN this
vicinity. Accordingly signatures
were being sought to petition
addre ssed to the War Depart.
ment, praying that the lock gates
be opened, thereby releasing the
waters stored above the dam.
Whether this petition was ever
forwarded to the one addressed
we know not-but it is hoped that
it was not.
However, information of what
was going on here reached ST.
Marttnville aud letters were sent
to Washington at once advising
the Department head that the
people Of the upper Teche were
delighted with the perfect work
ing Of the locks, that a good stage
of water was being maintained in
the upper bayou, rendering it
serviceable to the people of the
upper valley, and asking that this
great commercial advantage,
sought and attained in the build.
ing Of the locks themselves, be
conserved unimpaired.
Let us supposed that the lock
gates had been thrown open in de-.
ference TO such q petition as was
contemplated here, what would
have oeen the result? Is it
not clear that the water stOred
above the locks would have run
out in few hours and, without a
new supply of water from rains,
that the Teche would have
promptly returned to its former
low levels Is 1t not clear that the
locks were built at great cost for
just such work as they performed
the maintaining Of navigation in
the upper section of the bayou
during the low water periodss II
the Teche were running brim full
all the time the locks would have
ANS wered no purpose, and the Ma
tieDal funds invested in them
would have been sqoandered in
deed.
Some Of our people were on the
wrong trail, that is all. What
should have been petitiOned for in
this instance Is the giving of the
six foot channel in the lower
reche up to the locks by dredg
ing az promised 1t is quite
clear, that the upper section Of
the bayou now affords easy navi
CATION for vesaels of deeper draft
than can reach it In periods of
low water in the lower section of
the stream. This condition was
not calculated to last long when
the locks were constructed, and
we should prove a bit inslstant IN
our petitions to the heads of the
department for an early compile
tioD of the undertaking along the
hines as first contemplated and
projected.