The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1915-11-27
TILE BAYOU LOCK HEARING.

If anything was needed to make
plainer and indisputable the PROPOSE
| lion that the dam at the head OF
BAYOU Lafourche should be removed
at the earliest practicable time ara
yenlaced by a lock, we feel that the
pap was filed and the requisite rem
nant of evidence furnished at the
public hearing conducted II TIE Don
! aIdsonville courthouse last Tuesday
6v Major Edward H. Schulz of tie
! United States engineer corps. IN re-
snect both to the character and num-
! Der of witnesses and advocates, as
well as the quality of the evidence
presented by them, the showing made
| was extremely gratifying TO all VINO
| feel an interest in the promotion ana
early accomplishment OF the ooJect
/ in view-the rehabilitation OF or
erstwhile beautiful bayou and It's re-
storation as navigable waterway
| traversing one of the most popuious
and fertile sections Of this country.
In its issue Of Thursday, under the
canton 1.-The Lafourche Lock, the
New Orleans -Picayune, which
NAV be fairly classed as the leading
morning newspaper of the southern
states. presented such an admirable
summing up of the results OF the
hearing and the general status OF the
lock question that The Chief is glad
to quote the article in full and to ac-
cord it unqualified Endorsement and
commentator:
"The hearing at Donaldsonville
Tuesday before Major Schulz, United
States engineer in charge OF the
work on the Lafourche lock, was m
teresting and some new facts were
presented as to the damage done that
section from the closure to naylga-
ton of the bayou which has been
used from the earliest days OF the
French settlement in Louisiana and
which has always been treated by
both the state and federal govern
ments as an important waterway OF
this section, and which was for many
years the only route to market. The
| investigation was ordered by a senate
committee to determine the feasible
ity of the project, the cost OF its CON
struction, what part of this cost
should be borne by the federal gov
eminent and what part by the state
| through the two levee boards, the La
fourche and Atchafalaya, which
damned up the stream years ago for
the purpose of saving themselves the
cost of levee construction along its
banks and preventing possible losses
from crevasses and overfioWs. 1t was
provided at that time that the lock
would be erected to take the place OF
the dam at an early and specified
date, and that the bayou would thus
| be restored to use. The engineers
report will be forwarded to the United
States department of war when com
pleted, and it is expected that con-
gress will act on it at an early day.
| much of the evidence submitted
at the Donaldsonville hearing had
previously been heard; indeed, there
is very little difference of opinion orr
dispute as to the facts. 1t is frankly
admitted that Lafourche is and has
always been a navigable stream; that
it ought to be opened to navigation;
that the promise was made to SO open
it at an early day; that the people |
along the stream, nearly one hum
bred thousand in number, have suf-
fered from having the bayou closed
that the railroad rates have advanced
because of lack of water competition
that the people have been deprived of
all water supply for domestic and
crop purposes, the cultivation of rice
being rendered impossible at the low
er end of the bayou, because the
water used in that cultivation and
formerly obtained from the bayou is
brackish, and that the closure of the /
bayou has greatly added to public in
convenience, since the dam construc-
ton has left the bayou stagnant and
disagreeable body of water.
"All these charges, which have
been presented before in the various
hearings on this subject, are not dis
.puted and never have been; nor was
there any difference of opinion as to |
the feasibility of the proposed LOCKS.
Major Kerr of the Louisiana State
Board of Engineers saw no Difficult
ties in their construction; nor have
any ever been presented or suggest
ed. The entire question has been one
of financing the proposed lock oy the
two Louisiana levee boards. Although |
the federal government is willing to
help in the work and the boards di-
vide the expense assigned to the |
state, they have had SO many levees
to build lately and SO much other
work to do that they have pleaded
.ack of funds for undertaking the
construction of the locks. This has
gone on from year to year, and peo-
pie of the Lafourche have grown dis
satisfied as they have right to be
over these constant delays. The case
has been reopened and is again to be
presented to congress through the war
department and Investigations of the
federal engineers.
There will be general hope that
congress will recognize the obliga-
tions of the national government, and
will order the reopening of the La
fourche to navigation at the earliest
possible day"
TENDERS RESIGNATION.