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In 1942, construction of the Wax Lake
Outlet was completed at the upriver end of the project area. This outlet
extends from Six Mile Lake, through the Bayou Teche natural levee, and
into Atchafalaya Bay; it is approximately 15.7 mi (25.3 km) long. It is
designed to reduce flooding along the natural levees of Bayou Teche and
Bayou Boeuf. The East and West Calumet Floodgates subsequently were
constructed along Bayou Teche on either side of the outlet; they were
completed in 1950. These floodgates permit navigation of the bayou, and
regulate the bayou’s flow (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1989). The East
Calumet Floodgate has terminated most of the downstream flow into Lower
Bayou Teche, which encourages siltation within the bayou.
Major
dredging of the Lower Bayou Teche channel has occurred twice: in 1941,
and again in 1964. The 1964 dredging extended upriver from the downriver
end of Luckland Plantation. At that time, the channel was enlarged to 8
x 80 ft (2.4 x 24 m), with 1 on 2 side slopes. Over 245,622 cubic yards
of dredged materials were removed from the bayou at that time, and
placed along the adjacent banklines (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1964,
1965).
Two additional channel improvement constructions have
been conducted along Lower Bayou Teche since 1964. In 1965, numerous
snags resulting from Hurricane Hilda were removed from the Teche.
Finally, in 1969, limited dredging was conducted near Rizzo Bridge, the
only extant bridge within the project area. This dredging may have
impacted three brick barges depicted on Howell’s 1870 plan of the bayou
(Figure 11) (Goodwin, Poplin et al. 1988).
Several references provided information used in
creating a shipwreck data base for the Bayou Teche portion of the
project area. These sources included historic maps (Figures 11 and 14),
the New Orleans District shipwreck data base (Pearson et al. 1989), and
a list of wrecks obtained from Mr. Mike Davis of the Morgan City Traffic
Control Group, U.S. Coast Guard.
A total of 14 wrecks have been
reported in the project area (Table 2). However, two of these are
questionable; Dredge #4 and the paddleboat Southern Lady reportedly sank
in the Teche, but longitudinal data place these wrecks east of the
bayou’s mouth. Data on five other wrecks suggest that they may have been
lost within the project area.
An error factor of approximately
400 ft was introduced by the map projection used by Howell (1870) to
record cultural features in his expanded view of feature locations along
Bayou Teche (Figures 11 and 12). For example, the Flycatcher is drawn as
though 400 ft wide, when its actual width measured 13.5 ft. Similarly,
the Howell map depicts a schooner full of brick that, according to the
map, measures 20 ft wide and 1800 ft long.
Historical data were obtained for most of the registered vessels thought to have sunk in the Teche. The exceptions are the schooners CSS Alligator and John Bowles; the two wrecks appearing on the Coast Guard wreck list, Dredge #4 and the paddleboat Southern Lady] and, a Confederate "torpedo machine" and the muddigger CSS Turtle. The CSS Alligator, John Bowles, the Confederate torpedo machine, and the muddigger CSS Turtle all were Confederate vessels which probably were renamed after being pressed into service (Saltus 1984). The following data are provided on the vessels reportedly lost within the project area.
The Anna E. was a sidewheel steamboat built in New Albany, Indiana, in 1864. The steamboat measured 114.8 ft long and 22.2 ft wide. It weighed 64.2 tons and drew 3.4 ft. of water. The Anna E. had a round stern, a plain head (bow), and a cabin on deck; she had no masts. The Anna E. was lost in Bayou Teche on November 15, 1871.
The Arkla was a stern wheel steamboat built in Franklin, Louisiana, in 1904. It measured 95.0 ft long and 20.0 ft wide, and it weighed 60 tons. The Arkla was used for towing; the steamboat burned near Patterson, Louisiana on June 16, 1934.
The Flycatcher was a screw propeller driven steamer built in Manchester, Pennsylvania, in 1860. It weighed 37 49/95 tons, and it measured 74 ft long and 13.5 ft wide. It had one deck, no masts, a pink stern, a plain head (bow), and a cabin on deck. The steamer was intentionally sunk and used as an obstruction during the Bayou Teche Campaign (1863).
The Grand was a side wheel steamboat built in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1905. Its weighed 124 tons, and it was 136.3 ft long and 32.3 ft wide. This passenger vessel was lost by fire in Bayou Teche on May 17, 1921.
The J. A. Cotton was a sidewheel steamboat built in Jeffersonville, Indiana, in 1861. It weighted 549 9/95 tons, and it was 229 ft long, 36 ft wide, and 7 ft deep. It had one deck, a transom stern, a plain head (bow), and a cabin on deck. She also was sunk and utilized to obstruct the Teche during the Bayou Teche Campaign.
The J. B. Chauvin was a 112 ton side wheel steamboat built in 1916. It burned in Bayou Teche on November 8, 1916.
The Mary Brown was a schooner built in Buffalo, New York, in 1861. It weighed 223.73 tons, and it measured 118.5 ft long, 26.7 ft wide, and 10.3 ft deep. It had one deck, two masts, a square stern, and a billethead. According to Captain Trinidad, this vessel was lost in Bayou Teche between SRM 3 and Bethel’s bridge, downstream from the Flycatcher. The 10.3 ft depth suggests that this vessel was a coastal schooner.
The Mary F. Golden was a side wheel steamboat built in Millwood, West Virginia, in 1896. It weighted 37 tons, and it was 41.5 ft long, 13.8 ft wide, and 4.6 ft deep. The vessel was in the freight service. It burned when the kitchen stove caught fire at the mouth of Bayou Teche in 1908.
The Warren Bell was a side wheel steamboat built
in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1865. It weighed 242.23 tons, and it was 144
ft long, 25 ft wide, and 5.4 ft deep. It had a plain head (bow) and a
cabin on deck. In 1868, Captain E. B. Trinidad, of the Warren Bell,
prepared a sketch map depicting some of the obstructions in the Teche.
In February 1870, the Warren Bell sank after it hit a snag in the Teche.
Extracted 24 Jun 2020 by Norma Hass from "Historical and Archeological Investigations of Fort Bisland and Lower Bayou Teche, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana" by Defense Technical Information Center, published 02 Jun 1991, pages 45-105.
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