Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1922-01-13
To the Citizens Of The Fifth Louis
lana Levee District:

To the Citizens Of The Fifth Louis
lana Levee District:
AS the upper rivers are rising, and
the time of year is approaching in
which we ordinarily have high stages
Of water in the Mississippi, it oc-
CURED to me that probably a dis
cussion of conditions along ouI
.evee line might be of interes. and
of value to the people of the 9Th
La. Levee District. Viewing con-
ditions as a whole, it is my opinion
we are in better shape than ever be.
fore to withstand an excessive high
water. There has been more work
done, and at more vulnerable points,
than any year in the last eight or
ten years. In fact, the Levee Board
has endeavored to make, as far as
its limited resources would permit,
highwater fight before it happened,
by touching up and strengthening
weak or small levees while the work
could be made permanent value. !
In East Carroll there has beer
place in enlargement work, includ-
ing contract at Hollybrook, which
should be completed by February
18th, 1,l40,000 Gu. yds.; Of this
S35, 900 Gu. yds. has been placed by
U. S. Government, $1,000 by Dis
trict, and 100000 by the state. TIE
work by District was search ditch
and false BERN on outside Of levee
at Salem and Hollybrook. The work
by state was Wilton to Goodrich
enlargement which brings this levee
up to commission grade and section.
The Government work in East Car
roll, done by the two machines, B z
and B II, deserves special mention,
for they have placed 1856, 900 Gu. yds.
at a cost Of 19hc, which includes
all overhead, office and six months
lay up expenses. Major O'Conner,
of Vicksburg Office, in charge Of
this work, is to be congratulated on
the showing made by these two ma
chimes. The B IL during q whole
month, including all overhead ex-
penses, moved dirt at a cost Of only
71ac, and the B 2 at cost Of only
12c per Gu. yd. Major O'Conner is
interested in his work, and has made
a record, with these two machines,
surprising all other machines in the
3rd u. s. District both in quantity
of dirt placed in levee, and at a
cost far below anything yet accom-
plished by levee building machines.
A six months run, including expense
of six month lay up, at total
cost Of 1910 per Gu. yd. is indeed
record to be proud of. The most
urgent work in East Carroll is the
enlargement of Haggaman to Holly
brook levees. This is the weakest link
in the chain, for the reason that it is
a levee of the smallest section in
this end of District. The enlargement
has been in Major O'Conner's pro-
ject for the last two years, only
lack of funds prevented his putting
this work under contract.
In Madison Parish the work ac-
complished was 1.359,000 Gu. yds.
of which 1,050,000 Gu. yds. was
placed by Government at Millikin
Bend, Bedford and Diamond Island.
$4,000 was placed by state at Mil
likin Bend and Harris Field Levee,
$4,000 Gu. yds. was completed by
5th La. Levee District. This work
has placed levees in Madison parish
in a very satisfactory condition.
In Tensas parish $4,000 Gu. yds.
have been added to the levees, Of
which 347,000 was built by Govern
ment at Cottage Home and Arcola,
both contracts being completed, and
100000 yds. was built by District in
Somerset enlargement. The work at
Somerset is to cure a leaky levee,
and is a before highwater fight. in
addition to above, the levee from
Hard Times to Botany Bay is under
contract by the Government, and q
Government machine is enlar2ing
from Cottage Home new levee to
Kemp Bend. The danger spots in
Tensas is Kemp, which always needs
watching, and Claggett levee which
leaked badly during 1920 water. I'm
less something unforeseen happens, we
are confident Tensas levees can pass
by any ordinary flood waters that
NAV visit this District during 1922.
In Concordia parish $4,000 Gu.
yds. Of enlargement has been made
by the Government at Delhi. In ad-
dition to this, the Government has
900, 900 yds. under contract at
vaucluse and Pittsfeld, funds for
which have already been provided,
and which should be completed in
1922. The District has repaired four
sloughs at Bourgere, which brings
this levee up to satisfactory con-
dition. In repairing these sloughs Mr.
Schoenberger Of State Board Of En-
gineers, conceived the novel Plan Of
dynamiting the sloughs before filing
in. He bored a number Of holes
+hrorch <ho slides into the slick