The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1919-01-31


Bay Ship Channel. This data formed
! part of the claims presented by
the Chamber of Commerce Commit
tee which was sent to Washington
for the purpose of having the Ship
ping Board renew the contracts
which had been awarded the Union
Bridge & Construction Co. for ships
TO be built at this point. The Com
mittee was composed of Messrs. E.
E. Ditch, president of the Chamber
Of Commerce, Herbert Gotten and
NJ. P. Palmer, who ably presented
arguments in favor of the continue
ton of the contracts. The report
was compiled by Mr.. Warren B.
Reed, consulting engineer of Nor
gan City, and clearly sets forth all
facts concerning this valuable ship
channel, which in itself is an argu-
ment in favor of the local yard.
The report follows:
Morgan lily, La,
January 9th. 1919.
To The President & Members,
Chamber of Commerce of
Morgan City & Berwick, La.
In compliance with your request
for information on the Atchafalaya
Bay Ship Channel, particularly in
referance to its present condition,
The prospect for its maintenance,
and the feasibility of taking out
ships that are now being construct
ed or may be constructed in the fu-
ture at the Shipyard at Morgan
City, I beg to submit the following:
The present Atchafalaya Ship
Channel was first constructed as a
Channel IA #. deep and 100 #. wide,
and was opened to Commerce in
October 1907. This IA #. Channel
was financed by private subscrip-
ton and by tax voted by the people
of the Parish of St. Mary, and was
built primarily to demonstrate to the
United States Government three
things:
LIST. That the Ship Channel was
feasible that it could be constructed
at small expense, that the route was
the proper one and that the annual
maintenance was small.
End. That there was a large Com
merce clamoring for this outlet to
the sea and that there was a deter
mined citizenship that proposed to
have the Ship Channel and also to
maintain it.
3rd. That the IA #. Channel was
not adequate for the volume or type
- Commerce which it developed and
that 20 #. Channel not less than
200 #. in width was absolutely es-
sential.
This II #. Channel demonstrated
all of these points conclusively and
developed so large an amount of tom
mage, and the showing was so COM
plete that the local office of United
States Engineers as we'll as the
Board of Engineers for Rivers &,
Harbors, at Washington, the River
& Harbor Committee OF Congress
and also the Commerce committee of
the Senate, all passed favorably up
on it and endorsed the plan to deep
en- the Channel to 20 #. with 200 #
bottom width. Congress according
ly appropriated $530,0OO0O for that
purpose and the Atchafalaya Bay
Ship Channel Co., constructed the
wider and deeper Channel an
opened it for Commerce in October
1911. Beside constructing this Chan
mel this Company also contracted
with the Government to maintain the
Channel according to specifications
for period of three years. The
Channel was finally turned over tc
the Government after the three
years maintenance in October 1914
Congress further made appropria'
ton through the Lighthouse Depart
ment of the Government, for tn,
marking and lighting of the Channel
There is a lighthouse on the reef
and four beacon lights with outsid'
buoys are maintained. This actio,
of the Government further confirm
ed the success and the necessity q
the Ship Channel.
The principal Commerce that va
! developed, used large schooner