as has been demonstrated by the Italians. They are now making 40 barrels of rice to the acre where formerly they made 15, 18 and 20. Now, I claim we can do just as much and a little more. MR. OLSEN-Have any other of you gentlemen anything to ask Mr. Bradford? MR. ROBERTS-How about water for navigation and the hydroelectric end of which you spoke? MR. BRADFORD-The only expense would be the location of locks in the Calcasieu and Mermentau. There would be from 24 to 28 feet of water within the canal. The hydroelectric feature will be the escapement of the surplus waters from this reservoir into Bayou Cocodrie, with a head of 44 feet, directly from the reservoir into the Cocodrie, or a head of 34 feet from the canal into the bayou, either way, depending upon the stage of water in the canal or within the reservoir. Now, there will be a drop of 20 feet at this point where the main canal will come down. There will be no waste of water at all at this point. When the water will have reached this point, we will have the additional water from the Middle Calcasieu, with the final discharge into the Mermentau above Jennings of say 40 feet, and a corresponding head of 40 feet in the Calcasieu above Lake Charles; so while it would not pay to dig a canal for navigation purposes or for hydroelectric purposes alone, we get the navigation feature for lagniappe simply by placing the head gates at the upper end and the locks at the lower end, and we get the hydroelectric power also for lagniappe by taking care of the excess waters in those watersheds at these points, this 20-foot drop, here, and at the Mermentau here, and at the Calcasieu there (indicating on the map). MR. HUTSON-What will be the capacity of the main canal in cubic feet per second? MR. BRADFORD-The completed canal would be over 10,700 cubic feet per second. That is simply the canal coming from Red River, you see. Now, we would have these augmented acrefeet in these reservoirs, in the Upper Calcasieu, in the Cocodrie and in the Middle Calcasieu, so that we would have available not only 10,700 cubic feet per second, but nearly 2,000,000 acre-feet capacity in these reservoirs. MR. HUTSON-On the financial end, how long do you figure it would take for the canal to pay for itself? You spoke of it as very attractive from a financial standpoint. MR. BRADFORD-Well, by doing this immediate work here, controlling the Cocodrie, Upper Calcasieu and Middle Calcasieu, with a canal just large enough to develop 271,000 acres of rice land, that portion of it could be made completely payable or refundable in three years' time at four dollars a sack for rice. Now, with this revenue on this completed portion of the canal with which to extend the system, making the main canal of full capacity up to this point (indicating), we will then have the full water capacity of all of these watersheds; then up into Red River, when we would have the entire use of Red River water, plus several million acres more watershed above, so that within ten years' time, at a liberal calculation, everything ought to be paid for, without any further bond issue. It would have paid for itself within ten years time. MR. HUTSON-I think the fact of your having customers for your water right off and being able to develop it gradually is the most attractive feature. MR. BRADFORD-That is what Doctor Corthell said; it would be the most unique proposition he had ever looked into at all. MR. HUTSON-Most of the Government's irrigation projects would have been financial failures if it had been anybody but the Government. Even now, there is only about 50 per cen' of the land they have prepared to irrigate that is under cultivation, I understand. MR. BRADFORD-Here is the Louisiana Irrigation and Milling Company. They could irrigate tomorrow nearly one hundred thousand acres of land, with the laterals already constructed, provided they had pumping capacity and sufficient water. We go through enormous prairies here, Mamou and Calcasieu, where the people are ready to put in rice tomorrow if they had the water. With the hydroelectric feature, we will do the same as we did with the canal companies. We approach the town of Lake Charles, for instance, or Eunice, and say: "Here you are operating a 125 H. P. plant." Fixing their zone of influence, we would give them the power within that zone. Outside of that territory we would make special rates for the industries that might spring up. So that no one concern would ever go out of business. We would deliver power right at the doors of the municipality, and they could distribute it at a flat rate. But the water being worth more for agricultural development in rice than for power, of course, it would be to our interest to push the agricultural feature of it more strongly than the power feature of it. But even if we find that the price of rice gets so low that we would make more money by using this water for electric power, we can do it. We can bring the power into this city, or all over Southern Louisiana, at a much cheaper rate, by half, than that at which it can be generated on the spot with steam or oil. But that enters such a realm of figures and computation as to be so confusing that I did not touch on it at all. I know this, that we can develop 50,000-horsepower at these different stations, whether for the manufacture of cardboard or paper or pulp or rice mills or anything else. I think we would have power sufficient to take care of the manufacture of évery bale of cotton raised in the State of Louisiana. We are raising 500,000 bales, and it is sent where? Most of it to Europe or to the New England States. Regular Meeting of the Board of Direction, October 8, 1917. The meeting was called to order with President Dusenbury in the chair and Messrs. Olsen, Young, Riess and Robert present. Upon motion duly seconded, the applications of M. A. Beranger and L. A. Christy were ordered to the ballot. The following bills were ordered approved: D. Van Nostrand Co., Hole Dist. of Gas". 66 $7.50 Tulane University Press, Printing and Postage... 4.75 Fabacher's New Rathskeller, Refreshments, Sept. meeting. 9.60 6.50 60.00 Upon motion duly seconded, it was agreed to exchange publications with Facultas de Ciancias Fisicas, Matematicas y Astronomicas-La Plata, Republica Argentina. Mr. paid up his arrears and his resignation was accepted and the fact that he was dropped from the rolls for non-payment to be erased therefrom. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned. JAMES M. ROBERT, Secretary. Regular Meeting of the Society, October 8, 1917. The meeting was called to order with President Dusenbury in the chair and twenty-five members and guests present. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. A letter from our guest at the last Annual Meeting, Professor L. P. Breckenridge, was read to the meeting. The technical exercises of the evening consisted of a very interesting paper by Mr. Welman Bradford, of Alexandria, entitled, "Louisiana Waters and Their Industrial Possibilities." The paper brought out quite a great deal of valuable and interesting discussion by the members. At the conclusion of the exercises, Mr. Bradford was tendered a rising vote of thanks. There being no further business to come before the meeting, the same was adjourned with the usual collation. JAMES M. ROBERT, Secretary. Regular Meeting of the Board of Direction, November 12, 1917. The meeting was called to order with President Dusenbury in the chair and the following members present: Messrs. Klorer, Manley, Olsen, Riess, Young and Robert. The resignation of James Geary was accepted, to take effect January 1, 1918. |