The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-01-10
MORGAN OPTIMISTIC.
Capable Sixth District Congressman
Says Bayou Lafourche Locks viii
Surely be Bult-Expects Quick
Action on important Project.

A despatch from Washington to the
New Orleans Times-D Democrat, under
date of the 9Th inst, reads as fol-
lows
Representative Morgan has pre-
pared a bill for the construction of
locks across Bayou Lafourche at it's
junction with the Mississippi river.
In speaking of the project Mr.. Nor
gan said:
g In 1900 the Atchafalaya and La
fourche Basin LeVee Boards unani-
mously agreed the Ieyees along Ba-
you Lafourche were insecure. thereby
endangering the lives and property
of the inhabitants behind them, claim
ing that the levee fund for the main
tenance of an efficient system of
levees along the bayou in question
was inadequate and insufficient.
GO find, after an investigation and
survey, that both the engineers of
the federal government and of the
state recognized and conceded the
necessity Of closing Bayou Lafourche
by locks at it's junction with the
Mississippi.
" New, pending the construction
of the locks, the Officials of the gen.
eral government sanctioned and au-
thorized the construction of a tenn
porary dam. However, before the
Secretary of War authorized the levea
boards to construct that dam, they
were constrained to enter into an
agreement with the federal govern
ment with good and sufficient secur-
ity, not only for the removal of the
temporary dam, but furthermore they
obligated themselves to construct
locks at or before the expiration of
two years and six months, which
time was extended by congress in
1904, for three years, and further ex-
tended in 1907 until Jan. 1, 1910.
Upon the faith of the stipula-
tions recited, Bayou Lafourche, a
navigable stream, running through
one of the most fertile sections of the
globe, WAS rendered hopelessly OBJ
solete instead of being utilized as
great artery of commerce, such as
nature intends should be- In addition
to being positive menace to the
health Of the people living along it,
am reliably informed that during the
recent grinding season the manufac-
turers of sugar in the Lafourche
country were unable to market their
product by reason of the inability of
the railroads to supply an adequate
number of cars with which to move
the crops, and this inability on the
part of the railroads proved to be of
incaleulable injury to those engaged
in this great industry.
I now have the matter up with
the War Department, upon whose au-
thority the temporary dam was CON
structed, and before the close of 1914
hope to see the Bayou Lafourche
locks completed and in operation "
A letter to The Chief from Henry
Nores, formerly of this city, but who
for the past several years has made
his home in California, conveys the
sad news of the death Of Mrs. John
Comstock, an erstwhIle resident of
Ascension parish, who passed away
On Dec. II at her home in Willow
brook, Cal, Of congestion Of the
lungs, dAISi Oil l14uSSS VI Olllg tWo
hours. Deceased was born on the
old Ascension plantation, four miles
above Donaldsonville, and had attain
ed the advanced age of seventy-five
years. Three children and eight
grandchildren are left to mourn her
loss. She had a large number of
friends and acquaintance throughout
this vicinity who will be sincerely
grieVed to learn Of her demise.