New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-01-12
Naw Orleans Daily Greste1t,
tfor the Crescent
The Enylrons of New Orleans,
NUMBER FOUR.

BASIN III the lmmedlate vicinity Of the depot of
the Great Northern Railroad to Lake Ponchar-
train, and which, in former years, used to be the
favorte resort Of fashionable fast gentry was
first broken through the almost impenetrable
cypress swamp about the years 1880 and '32,
after the completion Of that then hercuIean under
taking, the digging of the new canal. If we re-
collect Alright the idea of starting an outlet from tile
upper part of the city, for the lower part already
then possessed the old Carondelet canal, }
TO the lake, was first taken up by a company of
enterprising individuals, at the head of whom
then stood the late Beverly Chew, ExCocctor of
the Customs under the previous administrations of
Presidents Monroe and Adams, the late Senator
Burthe, Samuel Jarvis Peters, Mr.. Hodge, and
s several others, to whom it appeared that the sec
soeation of that city district would be vastly ad
syatltaged by opening this communication with the
over lake population, and also the commerce
and navigation towards Bay st. Louis, Mobile
and Pensacola.
ss 1t was then determined, for this purpose to
Y form a banking company, the New Canal Bank
ing Association, which being incorporated by the
State Legislature, soon undertook the task afore-
mentioned
Let our readers, who at the present day contem-
plate the open plains and level fields from the
high borders Of the canal figure to themselves the
tHeu dSptCbi VI INC uIcHiJ snaitps anu CJpTESh
wastes. In every direction the horizon was
lined with an interminable morass, and the
only strip of dry land to be found was at the
intersection Of the canal with the Metairic Ridge
where now are to be seen, the cemeteries on the
one hand, and the hotels belonging to the race.
grounds on the other.
Upon this same piece of ground, the race course,
General Lallemand, in 1916 or II, had erected q
sugar mill and out houses for q sugar plantation,
but which, we suppose, was afterwards aban-
doned the lands not being sufficiently extensive to
carry on, to advantage, a sugar estate. I
The fact is that the extent of land fit for culti-
walton both the Meairie bayon well as that of
the Gentilly, is not large enough for any such an
undertaking as asugar plantation, inasmuch as the
arabic soil Immediately recedes into the heavy
cypress swamp for the distance of some twenty or
twenty-five arpents Hence, no other than small
gardening farms have ever been thriving in that
neighborhood, and the roads in winter and spring
being almost impossible for common vehicles,
communication with the city marts has at all times
been more or less interrupted, and thus been a
great inpedimcnt to the advancement of that sec
tion. This obstacle has no doubt been somewhat
diminished since the making Of the shell roads
along the canal, and also through Common street
and some other avenues. STILL the small farmers
Id
communication with their best customers those in
our city, by the impossible state of their thorough
fare in the rainy of the year, when partclI-
larry branch Of their industry that of furnish
ang the frewood from their extensive cypress
forests, Is of the utmost importance to them. In
the summer season, or dry weather, it is pleasant
walk for pedestrians, OF an excellent drive for our
buggy amateurs, to make tour along this route,
and to come cut somewhere above New Carrollt0n.
All along this rural section the passerby is
pleased with the appearance of neat cottages,
thriving country farms and even some very ele-
giant looking country residences. We have even
noticed in this retired or secluded spot public
school and rollicking urchins returning home
from their toiling scholastic hours.
Such walks on foot, in the heat Of summer sea
son, are somewhat fatiguing no doubt, but there
are always stations under some shady tree, either
in the adjoining woods or over in the margin Of
the public road, for pedestrians to restand retresl
themselves In our preregrinations we have Otter
refected that it is omission on the part of oul
land owners not to have taken more care of tbs
humber class of society, and not to have fol
flowed the city's example, which has planted al
faround the public thoroughfares the splendid row!
/ of shade trees which add such an ornament to ou
/. immediate vicinity. That this omission may il
{ future be supplied, we hope to see realized will
: the now resuming prosperity Of our Southern
Emporium.
Besides the new canal intersectng the Metairi
Ridge there is also a railroad, little higher up
leading to the lake, which part of the way goe
upon an extensive tressel work through one of tn
deepest cypress swamps. This same cypres
@ waste was traversed by the first Northern railroad
under the administration of the late eX-Rccordc
Caldwell. The road then called the Nashville raj
road, was subsequently abandoned, it being judge
too hazardous in the trembling praries skrtin
the margin Of Lake Pontchartrain, and almoS
continually exposed to be submerged by the lea!
swelling in the lake.
At that time, when the excursion trains (ple;
sure ones) would stop at the renowned place d.
nominated Bath, in honor of some fashionab
= summer retreat in the old country, England, til
astonished tourist would be shown two phantast
~ Seay erected Chinese kiosks in the midst of emo
= ,uoms cypress tree trunks, and be told that the o
ainairy residents of this famous place, of which a
ths walls of Banks Arcade, the great speculatir
"S exchange place, were then p1acarded with the
splendid plan Of, were-an enormous alligato
with an equally splendid land turtle, both OF whi(
were exhibited to the wondering pleasure seekit
trayeleri
"A great mauy people from the North, as well
from Europe, VIII stay IN tlle Guy ol NEW VI "a
- for years without ever having the curiosity
visiting some plantation to see the products of t
country-say the sugar cane, cotton stalk, rice
tobacco plant. Now, it is true, have even knoH
some old native people that had never been mu
. out of their old qoartier-nay, even that had n
been to the 60 faubourg American" " above Car
street But since the establishment of railroa
and city cars this thing has become obsolete.
STILL there are no doubt many that never ha
visited rice field, or witnessed the grinding
sugar cane and yet these things are worth seen
Now since the late war, it has been an easy III
N ter to see the cotton stals for in the inmedii
neighborhood of the city, at tho entrance of bt
the Metairie road, before coming to the City Pa
N and again Gentilly road, q little across
: Pontchartran road, cotton has been cultivated
fields these last two years, though with very
different success. . 3= r'.. .l-
Tho Sea Island seed, from which wonders W.
Eexpected have turned out quite contrary, "
bols Of the most dimiuutye size. In fact the fat
ers assert that they would have done better
have stuck to their way of cutivating Ind
corn pumpkins and peas and that they wo