New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-25
Our own State-Lake Charles and VII
rfuity.

cinity.
We copy from the Vermilionville Cotton
Boil an interesting article full of informa-
ton about affairs in one section of this
State:
Our neiehbors in the adjoining parish of
Cacasieu, who for years have been COM
paratively isolated from the world, are
much pleased by the prominence given their
section by the discovery of the sulphur
mine, and the prospect of the early compile
ton of the New Orleans, Mobile and Texas
railroad through the heart of their parish,
near the town of Lake Charles
But few of lis, who have for years, or
perhaps a lifetime, resided 80 near thac
| prosperous section have correct iuea "
| the magnitude of the business done IN Ihe
| lumber region surrounding the lake ana
| town of Lake Charles and Calcasieu RIVER
| and lake.
In that Immediate vicinity there are six
! teen steam saw mills, owned as 1olIo"s'
! One on the river by Captain Daniel COOS,
| an indomitable citizen of German oirtn;
| one by Mr.. Reed, also on the TlVer, a5 r wei n
| as one each by Messrs. III. Is jones, IL: Z.
| Gill and w. w Smart, and near place
known "a Bagdad Mr.. w. b Norris has
| tuo Inst below town Mr.. Il. u. Dees and
| Cantain George Lock each have one, and
| in town Mr.. Jacob Ryan has two saw mills
| and Mr. IL. G. Drew one. In the immediate
vicinity of the town of st. Charles Messrs.
| William Vincent, Moss Brothers and y. M.
| Wells each own a mill, and on the other
! aide of the lake, fronting the town, Mr.. e.
| A. Perkins has one.
The immense quantity of lumber daily
| turned out by these mills is mostly shipped
| by scheoners direct to Galveston, passing
out through the Gulf. and a tugboat. the
Philadelphia, has lately been built at Lake
Charles. which will find profitable employ
| ment.
In addition to the tug there are FIVE pro
pellers constantly employed in the LUMBER
| trade. two of which are owned by Mr. A. A.
| q, Perkins, and one each by Messrs. Daniel
| Coos. e. A. Perkins and James Sanders.
Even a sidewheel steamboat has recently
| been built there By Mr.. James Sanders, to
| steam about through the lakes, rivers and
| bays of Calcasieu and Cameron parishes,
| and NAV vet become one of the pleasures
yearly looked forward to by the citizens OF
| New Orleans, when the railroad Is com
| pleted that far.
OF course. such a vast number of water
crafts require several shipyards to build
| and keen thera in repair. In town there are
| three, owned respectively by Messrs,
| Thomas Hansen, Daniel Coos and w. Ii.
| Norris: ON the west side of the town, one,
| owned by an Italian, named Frank, and at
| Mr.. Perkins saw mill another, owned by
Mrs. Keyough.
employment to a large number OF persons,
MANY of whom are regarded as transient
| residents, so that the actual population OF
| the parish of Calcasieu is much larger than
the census shows.
Blessed with good navigation and great
| depth of water the lumber trade OF that
region will annually increase; There are
| now about fifteen scbooners making regular
| trims between there and Galveston, and
lumber is cheaper than any place we know
of in Louisiana-$l3 per 1909 feet for yell
low pine, and $25 for cypress.
| Lake Charles is q body of water, in shape
| nearly round. about three miles in diameter,
and of considerable depth. From there to
the southern limit of the parish 1t Is about
| fifteen miles in a direct line, but by Calca-
| sieu l1ver it is twenty-siX miles. Ibis stream
meanders through valley about one mile
| and a half wide, which is subject to over
flow. but is surrounded by banks nearly
| twenty feet high, the margin OF rolling
| prairie which never overflow5. The most
| shallow place in the river is where the rail-
road will cross. and there it has depth OF
| twenty -eight feet. ~,
The upper end of Lake Calcasieu Is the
| boundary line between the parishes OF Gal
casieu and Cameron, the latter parish hav-
|
the former. Lake Calcasieu is sixteen miles
long and twelve miles wide, and has an
average depth of ten feet of water. At its
upper end the lands are high, never over
flow, and they are occupied by few
| farmers.
The only impedimenrs to navigation IN
that section are two sand bars-one at the
| lower end of Lake Calcasieu, six miles from
the Gulf, and the other at the entrance OF
Cacasieu river into the Gulf where there
is depth OF not more than five or six fe ct
of water. These distractions, however,
will soon be partially, if not wholly re-
moved, for a government dredge-5oat is
about to com ence the work; and when
| it's work is completed, the lumber trade OF
Calcasieu will be greatly increased.
With such an extensive lumber business,
and the great sulphur mine in operation,
ONLY twelve miles distant, the town of Lake
| Charles is destined to become all important
place, although the soil Of the surrounding
country does not compare in fertility With
that Of Attakapas and the Opelousas coun-
| try.