Louisiana capitolian., 1880-06-22
Baton Rouge as a Seaport.

Baton Rouge as a Seaport.
The idea that Baton Rouge might at
no very distant day become formida-
BILE rival to New Orleans us a seaport
will doubtless excite the mirth of our
contemporaries of the Crescent City.
For the fun of the thing, however, we'll
draw a picture of the Highland Metrop-
oils of the future:
In the first place, an ocean steamer
can reach our town in nine or ten hours
after passing New Orleans, and find no
impcdiment in the way of sandbars Or
any thing else at any stage of water.
She can get as near the bank ut Baton
Rouge as at New Orleans.
There is nothing to prevent grain ele-
vators and cotton congresses from being
erected here, and on the most solid
ground imaginable.
Then the enormous wharfages exacted
at New Orleans can be reduced to a
mere fraction at this place.
1t must be borne in mind, too, that
every bale of cotton that is carried to
New Orleans via the Mississippi river,
has to pass Baton Rouge before it is
landed at the former place, where it is
re-shipped.
The fact is, that Baton Rouge, with
it's wonderfully healthful site, is situated
at the foot of the cotton belt.
Mobile, with an air line railway trav-
ersing the pine land region, thus avoid
ing the marshes of the Rigolets, could
strike the Mississippi river at Baton
Rouge, just 1870 miles above New Or
leans, and there receive the freights
borne by the Western barges and steam
ers, and connect also with the system of
railways of Western Louisiana leading to
Texas and the Red River valley.
Now we come to the splendid natural
advantages of Baton Rouge over New
Orleans: While the latter city finds it i'm
possible to establish sure and perma-
nent system of drainage, which, if it is
ever effected at all, can only be done at
the cost of millions of dollars; Baton
Rouge built on an undulating plateau
that stands full twenty feet above
high water mark, needs nothing but
bitches to run off the water as fast as it
falls, while neither the Transportation
water of the Mississippi nor the overAows
of Lake POntchartran can ever affect
her.
From Capitol Hill to SCOTS Bluff,
above Baton Rouge, there is a stretch
of highland seven miles i'll length. With
a narrow strip of lowland at its feet,
scarcely ever under water, where ware
houses, cotton presses and elevators
could bU constructed with case and
made permanently safe from every con-
tingency. Capitalists could purchase
the grounds at nominal price almost,
at present. Consequently, the charges
on shipping would amount to little or
nothing. The men employed at tho
work could reside on high, healthy
ground, in as pretty location as can
be found anywhere. The same coal
bargcs that 90 to New Orleans could
stop here to supply the vessels.
1t is upon the stubborn facts that We
have just stated, that we start what our
New Orleans ncighbors will term good
joke. We arc ready to listen at their
pcals of laughter.
The joke will become something truly
serious, whenever large capitalists take
a cool survey Of the matter, when they
will find that large balance of dollars
and cents, which they now pay out in
the way Of charges to keep up q city
that requires sush immense sums of
money annually to make it habitablc,
would be saved by loading and rnload-
ing their bargcs, ships, steamers and
steam ships at the foot of the Highland
Metropolis of the future, where no money
is needed for leyees, canals, dykes, etc.
III order to give our New Orleans con-
temporaries q subject for discussion we
Just send them tbs nut to crack for a
pastme.