The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1918-09-14
A PREDICTION COME TRUE.
A Writer in St. Louis Paper Fore.
casted Closing Of the Bayou.

! y I J y
Through the courtesy of Jacob
Blum, Of this city, the Chief is en-
abled to reproduce an article which
will no doubt prove Of interest to its
readers.
The article consists of letter
which appeared in the Waterways
Journal, weekly newspaper publish
ed at St. Louis, Mo-, in its issue of
March ID, 1896.
The letter is as follows:
"Donaldsonville, La, March IL, 1896.
:'The inhabitants of Donaldsonville
are wild over. the railroad. Many
think it will be the making of the
ancient city. It has been a long
time growing and it is not half finish
ed yet. / am confident the railroad
will put the finishing touches on it.
"Our merchants think that Don
jacksonville will be great sugar mar
ket. No doubt it will, but it will be
only a mart for the New Orleans
merchants to dispose of their goods.
Bayou Lafourche and Mississippi
river coast sugar will pass through
to the Crescent City in the night
time while the people of the quiet
city Of Donaldsonville are soundly
sleeping.
Speaking of the Mississippi and
Lafourche railroad, Donaldsonville is
supported almost entirely by steam
boats and flatboats plying ,on the
Mississippi and Lafourche rivers.
Freight that comes by the first NAM
ed stream to this place is handled by
| our merchants as it is en- route down
the Bayou Lafourche. The proposed
railroad viii tap the T. & P. railroad
at the back of town. It's route down
the bayou takes in all towns close to
the sugar houses. Traffic will all be
direct with New Orleans. Travel that
now touches here, and freight that
is handled in Donaldsonville at pres
ent, will fly from it to parts unknown
like chaff before the wind as soon as
the railroad commences operations.
The Bayou Lafourche will then be
NEGLECTED and the mouth of it will
eventually fill up like the Old River
at Raccourci Cutoff, and then from
the gulf up will be a bay navigable
as far as tidewater for oyster and
fishing boats. The levees that now
protect both sides Of Bayou La.
fourche will not be kept up, and
only the levee on the river front viii
be Joined across what was once the
mouth of the bayou. The first loco
motive that comes rolling into town
4 will ring the death-knell Of the
beautiful Bayou Lafourche anc
steamboating. DAD"
| The Mississippi and Lafourche
railroad referred to in the com
Imunication was small concern bull
by a stock company of which Mr.
Edwards was the promoter. Owing
to the inability Of the company tx
secure the necessary right of-way tx
enter Donaldsonville, the concern es
tablished a terminal at Lauderdal'
in st. James parish. This PROVED
livery inconvenient and unsatisfac
tory, however, and the little railroad
was soon forced to cease operations
The T.. & P. Railway Company sub
sequently acquired the right-of-wa.
of the smaller company and built AM
. established what is now known as it
Thibodaux branch.
i The fact that Bayou Lafourch
was not only allowed to fill up, bu
!, was actually closed up in 1908, unde
!, authority of congress and the Louis
J Llama legislature, s Tvs that the writ
q er Of the letter had n clear insight 9
.tconditions as they existed here, an
Z viewed the future with prophetic eye