New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-28
To Bayou Geuia by kail.

aOSCpIAo6 SAo AnVAt0SAO0 - ~
Dodge, Eco. superintendent OF the Louis.
lana division of the New Orleans, Mobile
and Texas railroad, your reporter took
passage On Sunday morning last on train
which was the first to cross Bayou La
fourche at Donaldsonviile, and made the
trip as far as rails are laid on the new road,
now twelve miles beyond Donaldsonville,
to Bayou Goula.
It is known that work on this important
railroad, which is destined to bind us more
closely to our sister State, Texas, and form
a vein through which business and trade
Life will more directly flow, was commenced
in May. 1870. It was completed to Donald
sonville on the seventeenth Of May, In the
following year, and trains commenced run
ming in September. The Lafourche bridge,
with the Bayou Goula section Of the road,
has been completed for eighteen months,
but owing to clouds Of litigation and fnaa-
cial embarrassment, right Of way over the
bridge was denied the road by contractors.
The policy of closing this portion OF the
road, and shutting out from the planters
the advantages derived from its use, need
not now be discussed. The obstacles in the
way of free transit are now. happily re-
moved, and hereafter trains viii regularly
ply between this city and the rich lands at
Bayou GOula.
This road has been thoroughly construct
ed, and all along over swan ps and bayous
and fertile farm lands, gives evidence OF
faithful work and skillful engineering, due
in great measure to the ability and tire
less energy of Mr.. Dodge. The great desire
now is for the road to be completed its
entire length.
This is perhaps the most religious road
ever constructed, where every station Is
named for some saint, and ride over its
rails affords a pleasant Sunday excursion,
particularly at this season OF the year,
when thousands of fields are waving green
with promising crops Of corn, cane and rice.
Experienced planters consider the prospects
for rice crop unusually fine, and cane and
corn is in aourishing con dition. Planters
in the section through which this road
runs have suffered but little from the
effects of the crevasse, and the fields
and growing crops all along the
route bear evidence of having been
well tended. The White League insanity
has not yet prevailed here to the extent Of
driving cheap, skilled and honest labor
from the fields, nor is the intelligent
planter of the river parishes, seeing the
prospect of renewal of Old-time prosperity,
likely to allow the amic able relations exist
ing between colored labor and capital, to
be disturbed, no matter how clamorOus for
his ruin his Democratic frien ds may become.
The bridge at Bayou Lafourche is fine
structure, and on its broad back trains can
pass and repass over one of the most re-
markable streams to be found in the world.
The Lafourche is at times q mere creek.
grovelling in mud, and again it is mad
stream, rushing bank high. 1t is . stream
also not particular as to its course. Accord
ing to the depth of water in the river, or
the lakes in the rear, the Latourche runs
either way in the same channel, changing
direction as easily as Fusion politician.
The benefits Of the railroad are every
where acknowledged. With only seventy
miles accomplished, it is yet a proportionate
blessing to the planter, causing competition
with boats on the river, and consequent re.
duction OF fares and freight tariffs. AS an
instance of this, take the fare to Donaldson
vile, which is So 50 from New Orleans by
rail. To compete, the boats are obliged to
carry passengers at the same rate, adding
perhaps fifty cents for meal or extra ac-
commodations. The fare by boat to Bayou
Goula, from New Orleans, only twelve miles
beyond Donaldsonville, is S.. This double
increase because the boats have enjoyed
monopoly, to the exclusion of the railroad.
The extension of the route over the New
Orleans, Mobile and Texas railroad Sunday
was but step in the march of progress and
railroad enterprise, but it was Texasward
and one taken in the right direction. 1t
should be written down that the first pas
senger train arriving at Bayou Goula was
under the immediate charge of Mr.. Thomas
Storms, conductor. Superintendent Dodge
also made the round trip and contributed
much to the pleasure and interest of the
occasion.