The Donaldsonville chief., 1922-08-12
TRY TO SAVE THEIR HOMES
People of Faubourg la Pipe Make
Appeal to Government

/
Appeal to Government. =
The property owners of Faubour|
la Pipe who will be seriously affect
ed by the new levee which it is pro
posed to build in that section, me
at the courthouse last week to con
slider the situation. Bids for tn,
construction of the new levee were
to be opened in New Orleans las
Tuesday, August 8. A levee bull
on the line staked out would take
part of the land of some anC
practically all of the land of Others
! and necessiFssh the moving of sew.
eral residenAfs further back and
probably the elimination of others
altogether.
After careful discussion of the
situation it was decided to file for
NAL protest with the federal gov
eminent against PLACING the levee on
the line staked out and an appeal
to abandon the project which would
mean contiscation of their prol erty.
The protest and appeal was
brought to New Orleans by John
B. Martin last Friday and filed with
Major R. T. Coiner, supervising engi-
neer of the Mississippi River Com
mission. 1t reads as follows:
To the Honorable Major R. T. Conner. Su
River Commission for the state of
Louisiana, including the Lafourche
levee district, New Orleans, La.
The petition and protest of Alcee Dugas
ney Chauvin. Mrs. Edgar Templet. Mrs
Octavie Jambois Attal A. Sarradet, Mrs
Felix Rraud. u. L.Rodrigue. Prosper Ro-
drigue, L. X. Sims mad the LeBoeuf Plant
ing Company, who are all property owners
and residents of the parish of Ascension,
and in the Lafourche Basin Lee District
and Mrs. J. c. Braud also, one of the
said property owners who is resident of
the city of New Orleans, all who have a
common interest in the objects and pur-
poses Of this protest. respectively show:
First-That the protestants are owners
OF residential properties in the Lafourche
Basin Levee District, in the parish of As
cension and particularly fronting and ad-
joining that portion of the said Mississippi
river levee known the Sims levee sit
uated Immediately below the town of Dom
aldsonville, La.
Second-That the said properties aver
aging about one hundred feet in width by
depth ranging from two to FIVE acres,
with residential buildings thereon and in
nearly every case comprising the homes
and sole real estate holdings of said pro-
testants.
Third-That during the month of July
of this year. there survey instituted
by surveyors under authority of the United
States government, such authority being
vested in them through the Mississippi
River Commission, Major r. T. Coiner,
supervisor, the said survey being drawn
through our respective properties for the
purpose of placing permanent levee on
said lines.
Fourth-That levee constructed on said
i,ra, IL
injury to the said properties and owners
theerof.
Fifth-That the lines of survey at the
upper and lower ends of the proposed levee
are much further from the river than is
necessary; that sufficient material for the
purpose of constructing said levee can be
obtained with much less space than that
surveyed out as there is caving bank
at this place.
Sixth-That the proposed line has abrupt
bends at the upper and lower ends which
are not necessary, being contrary to logi-
cal levee construction and would also rem
highway along such levee dangerous to
pedestrians.
Seventh-That the said Mississippi River
Commission is advertising for bids for the
construction of levee along said lines
which bids are subject to acceptance with
in a few days, that there has been no
right of way obtained, granted or in any
way provided for. for the construction of
this proposed levee.
Eighth-That the protestants have a
constitutional right to demand that they be
paid for property used destroyed for
levee purposes provided for by Section
6 of Article Is of the constitution of 1921
of the state of Louisiana and protestants
reserve all rights given them in said
constitution.
Wherefore protestants pray that this
protest be maintained; that the u. S. Gov
ernment abandon and refrain from the con-
struction of the said levee; that they with
draw all advertisements for bids for the
construction of same, and refer the entire
project to the Lafourche Basin Levee
Board, and the matter be held in allegiance
until protetants herein have been given
their constitutional rights, protestants
further pray for general relief.
The protest had the desired effect.
The government has abandoned the
idea of constructing the levee, thus
leaving the matter entirely in the
hands of the Lafourche Levee Board.
This week, a resurvey was made byI
T. M. McCarroll, member of the
state board of engineers, and it isl
understood that the new line was
placed about thirty feet nearer the
river, thus saving that much land to
the property owners affected. In ad
dition to the land taken for the new
levee the Louisiana Highway Com
mission requires fifty feet for the
public road. When the land neces-
sary for the levee and road have been
taken there will be about 14O feet
depth left to the property owners at
the lower end of the faubourg.
It is said that the owners of the
Peytavin plantation situated immedi
tely in the rear of the tracts of land
have been asked to sell
strips equal to those taken for levee
but the price asked, which
is said to be $3.50 AN acre, is con-
sidered prohibitive, and the outcome