﻿i66 
  Gkological, 
  Survey 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  [Sect. 
  

  

  route 
  was 
  destined 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  main 
  steamboat 
  passage 
  for 
  the 
  

   next 
  thirty 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  raft 
  of 
  1838, 
  which 
  had 
  its 
  origin 
  near 
  Sterling 
  bayou 
  was 
  

   partially 
  if 
  not 
  altogether 
  removed 
  by 
  Capt. 
  Thomas 
  Williamson 
  

   in 
  1841-2-3. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  1843 
  a 
  new 
  raft 
  formed 
  at 
  Carolina 
  bluffs, 
  

   midway 
  between 
  Peach 
  Orchard 
  and 
  Cow-hide 
  bayous, 
  and 
  at 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Fuller 
  survey 
  in 
  1854 
  had 
  prolonged 
  itself 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  of 
  13 
  miles 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  2 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Dooley's 
  

   bayou. 
  Fuller 
  in 
  1856 
  removed 
  the 
  portion 
  above 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  

   Dooley's 
  bayou 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  year 
  undertook 
  the 
  improve- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  Dooley's 
  bayou 
  ; 
  hoping 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  steamboat 
  route 
  

   around 
  the 
  raft 
  through 
  Dooley's 
  bayou, 
  Cheftel's 
  lake, 
  Stumpy 
  

   bayou. 
  Big 
  Willow 
  pass, 
  Sodo 
  lake 
  and 
  Twelve 
  Mile 
  bayou. 
  

  

  The 
  large 
  accumulations 
  of 
  drift 
  in 
  1856-7 
  filled 
  the 
  bend 
  below 
  

   Elmer's 
  bayou. 
  To 
  avoid 
  this, 
  Fuller 
  cut 
  two 
  canals 
  into 
  Dutch 
  

   John's 
  lake, 
  which 
  are 
  known 
  as 
  Fuller's 
  Inlet 
  and 
  Outlet. 
  The 
  

   early 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  raft 
  above 
  the 
  Inlet 
  very 
  soon 
  effectually 
  

   stopped 
  this 
  route. 
  Capt. 
  C. 
  M. 
  Hervey 
  says, 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  Lieut. 
  

   Woodruff 
  in 
  1872, 
  that 
  no 
  steamboat 
  ever 
  succeeded 
  in 
  passing 
  

   through 
  the 
  Dooley's 
  bayou 
  route. 
  

  

  In 
  1859 
  the 
  raft 
  reached 
  and 
  blocked 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Red 
  

   bayou 
  ; 
  thus 
  closing 
  the 
  only 
  practiceable 
  route 
  between 
  upper 
  

   and 
  lower 
  Red 
  river. 
  The 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  canals, 
  Hervey's 
  

   canal, 
  was 
  then 
  cut. 
  When 
  this 
  was 
  closed 
  other 
  canals 
  were 
  

   cut 
  higher 
  up 
  the 
  river, 
  affording 
  very 
  dangerous 
  temporary 
  

   routes 
  around 
  the 
  raft. 
  

  

  Final 
  Removal 
  of 
  the 
  Raft 
  

   Woodruff's 
  work. 
  — 
  On 
  December 
  i, 
  1872* 
  Lieut. 
  E. 
  A. 
  

   Woodruff, 
  U. 
  S. 
  A., 
  commenced 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  raft 
  which 
  

   originated 
  at 
  Carolina 
  Bluffs 
  in 
  1843. 
  The 
  work 
  was 
  made 
  much 
  

   easier 
  than 
  early 
  work 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  nitro-glycerin 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   work 
  progressed 
  so 
  much 
  more 
  rapidly 
  that 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  

   raft, 
  which 
  was 
  about 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  above 
  O'Roukes' 
  

   slough, 
  was 
  reached 
  in 
  November 
  1873.! 
  

  

  *43d 
  Cong, 
  1st 
  Sess., 
  House 
  Ex. 
  Doc, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  part 
  2, 
  p. 
  64, 
  1874 
  ; 
  also 
  

   All. 
  Rept. 
  Chief 
  of 
  Eng., 
  for 
  1874. 
  

  

  t 
  43d 
  Cong. 
  2d 
  Sess., 
  House 
  Ex. 
  Doc, 
  vol. 
  3, 
  p. 
  702, 
  1874. 
  

  

  