The Donaldsonville chief., 1920-08-21
BIG CAVES ON RIVEE
Mccall and Smoke Bend Scene
Serious Leyee Disasters.

a distance distancs ebout It four s nj above
Donaldson last TuesAy after
noon. kseing or sloughing took
place at o'clock andbwas very sud
den. Almost in the twinkle of an
eye, three-fourth Of the massive levee
between 200 and 800 feet long,
settled, sank and disappeared beneath
the water. A short while later, an
other section of the levee, nearly 100
feet long, as the upper end of the
cave, where the large warehouse was
located, also collapsed, and went un-
der carrying the building, which was,
almost completely submerged.
The disaster occurred almost di-
rectly in front of the magnificent Nc
Call mansion. The levee at this point
Jas an exceptionally mammoth one,
With base of over 100 feet and
top Is feet or more, and faced by
batture about so feet in width,
which however was low and sloping,
it was considered one of the strongest
and best pieces of dixie along the ri
yer, and its utter collapse is puzzle
to everybody. The batture, as well
as the river side of the embankment,
was carried away by the slough and
there remains only about one-fourth
of the former levee, extending from
the base at the road to the edge of
the crest where it takes perpendicu
lar drop of 35 feet Or more to the wa
ter below. It looks as if the bottom
suddenly gave way and the levee and
batture collapsed and disappeared.
The theory advanced by some of
the citizens ~ the neighborhood is
that the dixie in that particular place,
although constructed twenty years or
more ago, was built on a vein Of
quick sand; that the batture at that
| point being rather narrow, the recent
| high water penetrated and thorough
| ty saturated the quicksand bottom,
that as long as the water in the river
remained high, its pressure against
the levee acted as support, but
when it began to fall the drop was
so rapid that the sand, then almost
in liquid form, did not have time to
harden and become consistent, was
undermined and yielded under the
heavy weight of the levee and bat
ture.
Be that as it may, the cave is an
Exceedingly serious one. Weather
| it will be confined to its present
| limits or extend further above or
below, is matter Of conjecture; but
Il . very ugly crack has appeared in
4 1.-THE levee short distance above, at
4 the point where the elevated tram
way from the~sugarhouse crosses the
road, and fears are entertained for
1.-THE safety of the dixie at this place.
That a new 1evee will have to be
built around the cave is foregone
conclusion How long the new
levee will be and how far it, will en-
. croach on the adjacent land Us q
question for the engineers to de-
,, eide. The beautiful Mccall resi-.
: Idence, in front of which the slough
occurred, is situated about 500 fee
from the public road and th>
grounds in front Of the residence
: with their innumerable and varie
8 gated shade trees are among tht
most beautiful in the state, and i
must be source of sincere regre
\, to all that part at least if not all o
- of these maeAifcent grounds will b.
taken up by the new levee which
must be built.
- The Smoke Bend cave, while no
~ apparently as serious as the one a
- Mccall, is considered to be Of sue
II character as will necessitate tn
le e construction of another levee. At
~ point Immediately above the coal tir
'e pie, where the first curve occurs
III the road, one-half of the levee on th
river side, length of about 40 fee
Il settled or sank about six feet; th
> other, or roadside half, remainln
'h perfectly intact. This cave took plat
~ few weeks ago, and did not attra'
9 very much attention, and it is said
" hnve remained stationary ever sine
~ It is not as dangerous as that at nj
&Cdil, DuL LfiG EOElSSIlsAS VI oP4Ia&cA
Il that the construction of new lev
SO at that place is imperative. This W
lie mean further encroachment on t!
'e property Of the residents of that
cinity. These people have been ca
w. ed upon to give much Of their la1
"o for the levees which have been bu
ms there from time to time in the pa
II and as a result the original depth
Y their estates has been GRy redr
dhA ed, to say nothing of Expense
ew. " :,hich they were put "A moving tn
>. Buildings back ou1fof the way ea
TIM. The PROSPECTS are that sol
CO. of Nsm Boon be called up
:us ''a to sufs hore of their lands -; a
W. to incu Expense Of moving tn
an resident md other buildings f
mo ther bad 49, 10 make way for a n
the l1axaa ~
oh The caves in question are sltua
I'm" within the Atchafalaya Levee Boz
on District, and upon that body will
acn volve the duty and responsihili1&
eez, well as the expense, of repair
the disaster, unless aid can be 81
De- from the federal government.
rof. ---------
J. Ca..v,,ony iss 1iy;por M, tn her w.