The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-10-15
ALABAMA RAMBLES.

surroundings, and loving care; but as the
direction was homeward, it made our hearts
rejoice. 10 not this figure of what mans
life is here belowf Although God gives us
friendship, love, comfort, and delights, still
this Earth is not our home; aud we should
ever think of the better land with longing and
with joy. And truly the stream of life finds q
fitting type in the Alabama river, with it's high
and low stages its sand-bars and many wind
iugs; it's bleak desolate spots, and its bright
emmy places it's sublime, gigantic bluffs, and
it's low wilowy shores. All this variety of
scenery was spread ont before US as we came
slowly down the Alabama. on board the
steamer Mary, the first cool days of October.
Talk as you will of the pictured rocks of Lake
Superior, the glories of the Hudson, and the
wild beauties of the upper Mississippi, the
coast line of this Indian AIMED river presents
pictures of grandeur, beauty and glory, hardly
to be surpassed by any other American stream.
Hatcber's Bluff our place of landing, rears
upa front of adversely stratifed limestone,
nearly two hundred feet high, perpendicular
to the waters edge, and extending lite sublime
brow in level strength for more than three
hundred feet. As some Of cur party roamed
about it's foot, they seemed to those who stood
above, like animated pebbles which had sud
denly taken life, and when the steamer lay
near shore to take us on board, it looked only
like pretty. ingenious toy, which some Lilli-
putians were managing with wonderful skill
and alacrity.
One of the highest biuffs on the Alabama is
known as Whites Bluff, and as we took cotton
at the landing, we were able to admire its tall
proportions and note it's picturesque ap-
pearapoe. This bluff is three hundred feet
high, and SO steep that steps are built along it's
front for the accommodation of people; but as
they number several hundreds, the ascent is
not undertaken for the sake of any pleasure.
The shoot" for the cotton bales was one IN
broken inclined plane from summit to base, at
an angle of scarcely thirty degrees. When
the first bale announced ready for de-
scent By voice that came from the heights
above, bat whose owner was invisible to US
below, we almost held our breath with sus-
pense and fear, 30 steep and perilous was the
slide However it started, slowly at first,
but, of course, gaining in velocity at every
second, until with o tremendous thud it struck
the barrier at the base of the Shoot and
burst every tie-iron ties we meAn-that
bound it's snowy fakes together. This was
not the result expected, but before an improved
method of ootton-sliding could be decided upon
in our captsin's mind, another nicely packed
bale commenced its downward career. All
stood in silent speculation as to it's behavior,
the darkies getting at q safe distance from the
burs' ing bands of iron, when it too struck the
base with demolishing velocity, opening it's
| metallic coils as easily as it's predecessor, and
changing compact bale of 500 pounds into a
torn, loOsa macs of iTrepressibie cotton.
| And strange to say before plans were adopt
| ed and new orders given, third bale in
! splendid order, set ont npon its doomed journey
| In the meantime, however, several active
climbers comm encedsthe task of getting up
stairs :" while commands, both loud and
! ergetic, ascen ded TO heIunseen heights above.
/ The third bale came, struck with due philcso-
| phic momentum, and Instantly shivered itself
| to pieces; the ties cracking apart though
| they had been made of SO much paper. This
| ended the fun, however, for 1t was then dec-
I 6ed to divide the "shoot" into two, and by
| N cans of shorter slides bring the bales safely
| to their destination. This was done most eff
| fectuslly, and what remained of king cotton
on Whites Bluff was brought down with that
respect and caution which are born of phil
osophy and experience.
A second method of loading cotton was wit.
messed at Goswel1 Landing, where a broken
ard irregular coast line enabled the deck hands
I" to tumble" the bales along its precipitous
surface. This tumbliRg, as it is called, is quite
exciting to those engaged in the labor, and
amusing to those who are looking on. Two
negroes, with cotton hooks, grapple bale and
| whirl it over the cliff, tumblng it along the
descent, but never once relaxing their hold
Consequently, their efforts are unusually ener-
getic, for should q bale escape from the con-
trolling hooks, it would not stop its course
until landed in the river; and as it tumbles it's
whole length along, the two grapplers spring
about, throw themselves forward, cling on as
if for life, roll over with it, and finally bring it
safe and sound into direct line with the boats
plank, where it goes on board as quietly and
subuissively as if there had been no previous
struggle between itself and it's dusky attend
ants.
The ne plus ultra of cotton loading, however