The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-03-30
m,rnlng Star and Catholic Messenger.
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SEW ORLEANS. SUNDAY. MARCH 3d. 1874
LETTER FROM PELICAN.


PLAQuEMINE, March II, 1873.
Editor Morning Star:
III Although the Celtic tongue may soon Ii
but in the memory "of those who love Il
&& past" good old Mother Church will care f
the Apostle Of Ireland, and remind us each III
Il of March of his glorious conquest in takir
the faith to "Tara's hall" and planting it 70
ever in its green growing shmrocks.
M Here away we have little that is good to tel
though, generally speaking, we are at wor
y trying to make ont our "starvilihood" as bes
we may. We feel the "usurpation," and fea
will feel it more seriously ere the year draw
10 close. Unfortunately its effects will no
! die with the year. Capital is gone and goin
from us business is dull, and promises to b
4 more soon. For all this we have but ON
thing good to note, and that is the prospect
up to the present, of q good crop year. Gu
fplsnters who have been able to arrange t,
carry on their plantations are hopeful of a bet
Il ter crop than We have had for the last two
ears, but how some of them are going to work
= through the year is the serious question. Very
few of them have money enough to go to July
while many others must fail to realize present
& prospects unless things take change for the
= better.
81 The political muddle" has not effected the
#planting interest alone, but the railroad pro-
a ject from your city to Houston, Texas, and
from which we hoped so much, has come nearly
to standstill. The work on this road, as you
know, brought it from just below Carrollton to
Donaldsonville last year; the bridge over the
Lafonrche was being built, and most of the
grading was complete to Grand river (twenty-
one miles further), when matters took fresh
start, late last fall. A force of nearly n thou
sand men was put to work, and for five six
weeks an immense amount of work was done,
which completed the bridge at Dopaldsonville
and the track up to Bayou Goula, in this par
Ssh, and we were to have the cars rolling along
that far in short order. but the bridge-builders
declared that "six thousand dollars worth of
grease" was necessary to turn the bridge, and
as it was not supplied, we are waiting the cars
yet.
From the town of Bayou Goula, in this par
'ish, rather two miles so below it, this
New Orleans, Mobile and Texas Railroad, as it
lis now called, leaves the Mississippi and sets
put in q northwest direction, on its way to
Texas. Four or five miles bring it to the wood |
D ands-the dense forests of timber through !
(which it passes-the Atchafalaya swamps, in |
fact, where stands grove upon grove of the |
finest cypress timber the world holds. Twelve
miles from this place, down the bayou Plaque
mine, and just below the junction of that
stream with Grand river (the continuation of
the Atchafaaya), the railroad crosses the lat
Der stream and continues along its south bank
for some twent y-seven or eight miles, where it
Burns a little south of west and goes on the
same tangent to the Sabine, through a rich and
Of lv HI
rolling prairie. From Bayou Goula, westward,
The work has been continued, but as the pay
has not been very regular, the force at work
has been much dimini shed in fact, the whole
force, including this large number of the con-
removed last week, but orders to go on,
Is money matters would soon be 1ight.r
We hope this report is true, for we wish to see
he work go Cd. The road is ready for the
rack some four miles beyond Grand river, both
grading and bridging, and most of the grading
s done some eighteen miles further, to Bayou s
"a Rampe, which is the finest stream of any {
ize that breaks away from the Atchafalaya
hrough the ridge on it's southern bank, into =
he chain of lakes leading to Berwick's Bay. =
he work this portion of the line is very t
eavy, crossing, as it does, heavy forest, cut ?
p with network of bayeus, there being 8
ONE twenty-five or more between the La q
.ampe and the Grand river bridge, some of . ;.
hem being considerable streams, Manageable a
'r steamboats, at all seasons of the year-a v
avon, at least, to the mile. a
The river is now full, and we fear will rise
onsiderably yet, there is much snow to =
'me from tho Great West The rise in the O.
yer has filed our Bayou Plaquemine pretty g
ell below the dixie, and our people enjoy fine s.
shing, catching quantities of trout, bass and B.
her fine fish nearly every day. Your CORE d
'ondent has not been out to try his luck yet ~ ~
OF so with the young Pelicans, however
hey were out to-day, and returned with evil h
snce of being able to fish for themselves .c
The weather is spring-like and threatens Ii
in. The equinox is near at hand, and we a. a.
ay suppose, "look out for storm" >wbiIe 1 ',
main, PELICAN. ~
EPIsToLARY BREvITY.-The following, said IL
be from the commercial column of a West at