The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-03-23
Two Days in the Teohe Country.
TRIP TO La PETIT ANsE.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SALT MINES.
The 9ubernatorial, Commercial, Non-Politcal,
Thorough Jovial Excursion.
SCENES AND INCIDENTs-FULL ACCOUNT
OF TIE COUNTRY, ETC., ETC.

Saturday morning, on board ferrybost Porter
Herewith ia list Of the chief movers in the ex-
pedion: Gov. b. G. Warmoth and Mr.. Rarny,
his private secretary Col. John F. Dean, ssd-de-
camp to the governor ex-Gov. Baker, Judge
| whitaker, COL Carter, Of Houston Gen. Price,
| Capt. seger, president Opelousaa Railroad Gen.
| Brown, Messrs. z. Rigney. ]. Van NortwicS, +.
! s. Darlington, W. ]. Averill A. d. Gried J1o. v.
| Aver, of Chicago, and several other prominent
merchants and citizens of New Orleans. Capt.
| Tupper (of firm Of Price, Hine & Tupper,) presi-
-dsna of the Attakapas Mail Transportation Com
| pany, and Capt. Seger, OF the Upvivusas Dali
| road. have charge of the excursion. So for the
l personnel of the excursion, now ita objecs.
This ,rip, as take It, has been undertaken to OBJ
tain correct knowledge Of the country through
which the route leads. This done, to deduce from
data thus collected, the best method of develop
ing the internal resources Of the district, and to-
take immediate action thereupon in the matter Of
| drainage, railroads, etc. Another object IN view
is doubtless the improvement of the navigation Of
| the Teche, by removing the distractions now In
i that str cam. These distractions besides the or
1 binary sawyers and snags. consist OF the sunken
Confederate gunboats. So It will be seen that the
objects Of the excursion praisevcrthy and that
If properly followed up will be productive OF great
| good to our State.
Your correspondent while accompanying this
party of inspection would propose TO act some
| what as an independent scout; and whila chron-
icling the doings and sayings Of the party sfore-
said, will also give such items. coming under his
own observation. ss he may jot down. So, while
unfolding the projects that may be developed by
these brains. representing power, intellect and
capital, he will try to give some account OF the
country as it now stands, together with any little
details of its recent history. Deeming any &C.
| count however imperfect OF this land, so famous
In song and story--the Acadia Of the poet, tue
blooming paradise Of the South. the battle
| arounds Of the late war, now. alas only too like
sn Eden given to weeds-aeceptsbs to your read
To return to our ferry. Quite large crowd Of
passengers we're with us, larger proportion oil
them being Houston merchants, which brought up
right forcibly the main project of our trip, To- wit
| the completion of a railroad through TO Houston
| ard beyond. Arrived at the depot 10 Algiers, we
| we're ushered into fine first class car, set apart
for u.s. SO settled, at eight on the mnute. the iron
| borse. with an angry snort, moved his ribs Of
steel and on his whslling, pondrous feet rolled us
''RS Fbe DAY was fair and bright The fields and
trees were wearing their new spring suits OF green
| The sweet south wind disported gaily with Us as
we made our twenty miles an hegr. SO we go.
Rack attack. rack a tack, rack.stack. with q
, on and on through the LOUISIANA lowlands:
See those little cabins on Inc s ,ashs ".o,aS ana
, left with their little P-.enes anEBaruens aspuao
bought and settled there, going TO work as they
should. That's Free Town, mue and half from
Algiers now. Nov we are going through Gresns; ;ns
opposite, is the big grain elevator. See all the
ships, and the rows Of stores. Z Bat We turn our
back on your smokey old city and gaze of to the
| left on the fields and woods Alas, the woods are
there grand old forests. but the fields don't bear
; | the marks of culture that they ought. Here's
| Harveys Canal; see his totoering mansion. Right
above there in that bend was the great crevasse,
Bells crevasse, you recollect o,.leyees, levees,
; | when will You be attended to properly by those
appointed, The waters leak in because the funds
T | leak out may be. Now we are At the Mlllaudon
| plantation, originally IL 600 acres in extent.
There's the canal that was to havs conveyed his
, | produce to market. No need for 1t now. The
fields that yielded harvests no abundant are as
fertile as ever, it is true. but the workers have
disappeared with freedom.
. | Jefferson Station; nine miles mSre gone. ON
| again More fields and bottom lands stretching
| away to the right and left on dad level, the
| water from the recent rains yet standing 10 the
ridges and hollows Woful need flor drainage.
. | Not much sign Of the farmers hand hereabouts
? | either. SO we reach ST. Charles Station; six
miles more done. The panorama repeats itself
, | till we reach Bayou des Alemsnds fourteen
| miles away. At Boutte Ststioh, midway between
1 ST. Charles and Bayou des Aemends. we get 9
= | glimpse of regular old cane brake. Here. We
are told, DIR. Smith. formerly denuss on Ospal I
street, is engaged In perfectiag hs plan OF making
| gas piping out Of the cane reeds. The doctor 8
met6cd of hardening the canes Is simple and. he
thinks. perfect. BY it he says the cane may De
| hardened TO resist pressure of 800 lbs. TO the
square inch. We Cross Bayou des Allemands,
which ia q somewhat sluggish but rather clear
| stream, on D wooden tresse bridge, some Zz5
: yards long. After leaving the: psyou. we come
| eight miles long. and extending over q tract OF
| country about forty miles square. IL was curious
to see The patches of woods away In the distance
They seemed Ike dark, ciin bound islands 10 tne
/ merely sea. Here the thought OF drainage again
| obuuoed itself. or course, no cultivation along
| here 10 fact none 10 speak OF till having passed
| Raceispd Station, we reach Lafourche- Crossing.
| twenty miles OF
Here are ine plantations, seemingly well cult
| vated. All along here TO beyond Ferrebonne Cros-
sing, TO Chscahoula. good crops were made iast
/ wear and preparations have been made for big
crop this year. The lands rich. " not richer,
than any In the State. On 27 acres at Terrebonne
| ninety hogsheads sugar were r9ised last season.
Tigreville crossing, on Bayou Bl4ck. fifteen miles
from Brashear. isnot dong 80 sei; the land here
is rather poor-ihe farms small and not well TILED
or otherwise cared for. Bayou Beuh seven
miles from Brashesr, since US completion oi
grand levee. Is looking up considerably. The
country here is high land, and fy the erection OF
the levee already mentioned Is made secure
against The inrosds Of back Water Breathe .
while here and of for Brasheir Z. Here we go
rack a. tack, rsck.a-tack-the came as whea we
started four hours ago. Untirei, fresh IS when
he started our old mechanical steed pulls Us
throush-beariDg Us on by hs4iot and wit6ering
breath. The same wbirr and rhump ana Dump
the came rattle and clatter and, screen announce
our entry into Brashear that Ssignsed our exit
from Algiers. As we enter brashear we catch
glimpses on the right and left Of the remains oi
fortifcstions made during the late war. There to
the left Is q star fort, and over on the right the
line Of connecting breastworka extending TO the
woods about 500 yards distant
:. This fort and its connecting chain OF redoubts
and works was built by the fedsrals In 1868. That
zt | roint of woods to the right was used by General
n Dick Taylor in his flank movement at the time be
y bsgged The boys in blue who defended the work
70 | of stellar shape. The monuments OF war are
q | passing away, however, ss years pass on. Tne
Ia moat so Mr. Bell the conductor informed Us, is
!. now an excellent trouting pool.
Brashear City
y we need not describe. Every one knows the little
Is port of transit too well. Here we met snpsrin-
D. | tendent r. II. Karr. clever gentleman. Then
| aboard the Warren Belle. Only twenty minutes
delay TO take 10 freight, thep no for the reche.