The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1856-02-28
Miarfllanfnus Rmhing,
. 50 From the New Orleans Crescent, E
dsU 0fisaas--the. eoshO-
e- -.a pelitan. lI1chaAas..-


We have several times, within the past
week, devoted portion Of our leisure TO the
sights and scenes OF the Cosmopolitan Ex,
change, or Worlds Market, of our city.
Other cities and other countries may boast
their Worlds Fairs and Exhibitions which
are gotten up in most instances at n
great expense, merely for the empty name
OF the greatness attaching to them; but here
at home We have an unherlded Exhibition,
which tho it be different in It's nature, is still
by far a greater thing to see aud to consider
than anything that human capital or pom.
posity has ever yet achieved in any other
part of the world. Our readers here win Of
course understand MS rs alluding to ..the levce"
but as the word fails to convey 10 the dis.
tant reader any sort of an idea of its real
meaning, we prefer substituting for it some
thing more appropriate and comprehensive
Our leyee as q Cosmopolitan Exchange or n
Worlds Market, in the fullest sense OF either
term.
1t is difficult, in fact impossible at any
time to depict properly this distinguishing
feature of our city. Just now we may say
that it is still more so; for there has never
been, since the foundation Of the city, such n
glut Of commerce in its lap as at the. present
time. Our purpose, therefore, is only to
sketch our Great Exchange in loose, ramb-
ling way, for the edifcation Of those of our
readers who seldom or never visit the city.
Our Great Exchange is belt of land
about six miles ir length, and of a breadth
| varying from a hundred yards to quarter
OF amile H. Is serpentine, justlike a letter
| 8, the widest part being in the middle the
nFs,o &c ~, N IL a. q
is the broad face of the city--a seemingly
endless range Of brick warehouses, their win
dows staring upon the river like So many
unwinking eyes. aud their line of business
proclaimed in stunning signs, readable, a
mile off. The rear side Of the S is the
mighty and muddy Father of Waters, wlIir-
| ling and gurging 11eneath chain of water
craft so dense rs to exclude him from all
| sight of the shore, and the shore from all
sight Of him. The upper and lower semi
circles of the s biistle with the masts of
ships and other sail vessels, from every
country Of the civilized world aud some from
countries that are uncivilized, being moored
in tiers from two to six dcepi Across each
tier Of vessels a plank highway is erected for
the use of al U, with branch planks leading
down to the,dcck of each vessel.
The middle, or thick part of the s. bris
ties with the chimneys of steamboats, the
gueenlike leyiathans and clippers ofthe Miss
iissippi and Oh o, wedged in tightly with the
smaller craft Of the tributary streams, and
the little runty things that labor through our
Southern ba5ous--their bows setting straight
into shore, and forming gigantic saw Of
more than sixty teeth, and more than mile
10 length. AT the upper end of the saw is
a clump Of steamships, with an indentation,
or basin, jammed tight with up-country fat.
boats at thslower end, another clump oi
steamships. and a Sclupp Of Gulf schoon.
esa,s with the chinks filed mp By oyster
smacks from Barrataria aud elsewhere
i There are four gaps at regular intervals IN
the s, for Ike different lines Of ferry.boat.
that connect with the settlements on the
right bank ; and In several places there are
nuisance wharyes or platforms, mon which
the filth Of the city is carted during the nigh
and early in the morning, and emptied intt
old scoSs which, when full, are towed ou
into the river and emptied BY means oftrap'
Now for the 8 itself, d The Hing Of Il
;! Throughout its whole length, cotton is th,