Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-12-04
OLD TINES on THE RIVER.
"Reminiscences of a Trip i'm
1888.
New Orleans Forty Years Ago.

KGtI0 1U1SCcACcS Va 6'P Af
1888.
New Orleans Forty Years Ago.
A Boat Race ON the Mississippi,
etc, etc.
To the Editors Of the Union and American:
In NV last communication, we had ar
rived at our destination, IN good healln
and yery much elated at the prospect OF
enioving ourselves for q week or more iu
the Crescent city, at that time boastlng OF
a population of hundred thousand IN
habitants. but 30 mixed up with various
nationalities that one could, without any
great stock of imagination, suppose him
self in some foreign port, and the only
difficulty would be to decide what one,
whether Spanish, French or Portuguese,
and particularly if your stand point was
taken near or on the levee. we mad ar
rived at the most suspicious season OF the
year for seeing all that was worth seeing
in New Orleans. The leyee for more IMAM
a mile was one mass of human beings,
aggregated from all parts of the world.
II nresented a scene that have never
Witnessed in any seaport in the United
States. The products of the South-cot-
ton. sugar, molasses and rice-there on
the levee, and that that was ia process Oh
deposit and removal seemed sufficient TO
supply the world.
business in every branch seemed pros.
porous. Thos, were the happy days OF
the republic. The speck of abolitionism
had not assumed the dimensions OF a
cloud. There was no Radical rule re-
stricting the liberties of the people then
az now. but all were happy and prosper
Gus. The parks and gardens al tnat
season (ApriD had assumed their gayesI
attire. The fragrance of the orange
groves and masses of bloom in every Oh
rection kept you advised OF the change Ia
climate so suddenly made. NotWlth
standing this pleasing prospect cur stay
in the CITY was doomed to be shortened by
the announcement that ihe Asiat!c cholera
had made its appearance, and was rapidly
Spreading over the city, but we received
some consolation, temporary as IL was, III
in the assertion that the disease attacked
only those belonging to lower classes and
those subject to exposure and sdacteu 70
irregular modes of life. This was us
first appearance in the United States, ana
you can only imagine the c0nsterns'i'n
that prevsiled. We, however, con-
cluded as we did not claim to
belong to either of the classes above men
toned, and that thereby t SUBJECT 10
the iume diate influence of the cholera,
we would remain aud go through the
programme we had devised for sight
seeing, etc. My first Object was to dis.
pose of my commodity q, 600 bushels OF
sacked CORN to the best advantage. The
article being scarce IN the market, soon
found a purchaser at remuneFallVe
price. The captain of vessel, just ready
to sail, purchased the whole, and to save
time and expense in the delivery, the yes
sci was drawn up alongside OF the steamer
Pacific and the corn removed to her.
The first thing on our programme was
a visit to the Catholic cemeteries, located
in the midst of the city, which are truly
the cities OF the dead The aqueous con-
dition of the earth prohibiting decent
sepulture beneath it, therefore all resi-
dents of responsibility are entombed above
ground. The monuments and tombs are
arranged regularly on either side OF neatly
paved avenues, crossing each other at in
tervais Many of these receptacles were
indicative of tie wealth of the occupants,
while others of more humble type oc-
cupied adjacent grounds, reminding
the visitor of the cities of the
living, where the towering marble pal
ace of the wealthy banker, or the
successful merchant, overlooked the
humble cottage of the daily laborer; but
one characteristic prevailed throughout,
and that was an evident lsudsble rivalry
among the living, in the neatness and care
manifested in the adOrnrents around
these structures of the dead. Flowers
aud shrlbbery indigenous to the Sunny
South prevailed everywhere, and where
they were not planted il the earth, vases
of every description were arranged for
their almost daily reception. Along the
entire length of one of those cemeteries
is a massive brick wall about ten feet
high and eight feet thick, in which there
are apartments opening on the side next
to The cemetery, just large enough TO ad-
NIT one coffin, in which hundreds OF
strangers who die there are deposited,
and remain a certain length of time,
when if lot called for by their friends,
are removed, (as we are told, and their
bones consumed by fire, so as 10 give
| room for others.
Toe mex, thing in our programme was
g visit to the famous battle-ground of the
6th of January, 1915. Though eighteen
wears had elapsed since the conflict that
gave our arms a worldwide prestige,
there were still to be seen evidences of
toe preparations made for it. The bitches
and earthworks of the English we were
| shown, and the tree under which Gen.
Packenham died. Many relics, picked up
and preserved, were kept for sale by per-
sons in the immediate neighborhood Of
the battle-ground. We retired in good or
der win tie reflection that Andrew jack
son was a great general, and that King
| Cotton was his chief of staff on that
memorable occasion.
Our next point was Lake POntchartrain.
| There being a space of seven miles of mud
and water composing an almost impenet-
able swamp belwG& the city and the lake;
and a considerable trade having sprung up
from the outer border Of tue lake and the
city, better and more expeditions mode
of transportation than the one then en-
ployed, to wit: up Bayou St John into a
BASIN dug out in the suburbs of the city,
| became imperative, and TO supply that de-
fiCiency q railroad lat that early day an
anamoly) was built from the city to the
lake, and neither OF our company never
having seen one wa directed our attention
hi her. We visited the lake On the rail
road and returned without accident to our
hotel, rejecting that we had witnessed q
mode of Transportation never dreamed OF
in our philosophy. The narrow track
AMI i'll Constructed car are in strange con-
trast with those of the present day.
The famous Shell Road was then in its
| incipiency. The shells were being carted
out for its construction while we were
there.
could describe-many objects of in
terest or narra'e incidents occurring
those thai are more vivid to my mind than
many that have tra0spired on subsequent
visits; and notwithstanding they night
amuse or interest your readers, | must
remember my obligations for space in
your paper l will relate one, however,
that occurred on the eve of our departure
from New Orleans, with our friend Dr.
McGavock. He being an unmarried man,
conceived the idea that he would procure
a pet of some description to carry home
with him. Poodle, live crab, young ALI
gator, horntd frog, were relatively sug-
gested, but none ssemld to strike his
fancy. At length parrot was proposed
The doctor at once concluded to buy q
parrot. He was informed that there were
plenty of educated onss in the city. He
asked me to accompany him in search of
one. l consented We were directed to