The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1882-09-02

WHIT BRAINs, EsiEHGY AxpirrUcK HAVE
AccoMRLlsHED IL souR pARIsH.
SrLrHua MINE, In, w. r.. r., 1

readers OF your valuable paper to know
something of the individual enterprise
OF some Of. onr citizens, your correspon-
dent proposes to give you atfew words
innregard,to wilaflie saw going in a
quiet way, aifew. days past, while on a
professional trip saround abont" My
reason for trespassing npon your ever
indiilgent spacc, to speak OF an indivil-
nal enterprise, is because I view the
subject as being decidedly one brinfnl
and running over with happy interest.
Leaving Lake Charles about 8 o'clock
p. No. in a wagon, in company with Fl.
q. Gill, ESQ, NE were happy in the
Thought of a pleasant drive; bat, after
travelling about twenty miles over a
roadirendered espressiyely interesting
byits ''nps and downs, - and tbeiolt-
ing over pine knots and roots, which
settled our beer and sandwiches beyond
the reach Of satisfaction, I'VE were con
WINGED that our drive was anything but
pleasant. However. perseverance and
fortitnde brought us 10 a rliault, about
10 O'Clock at night, at the headquarters
of the 1IarSh Bayon Tap Narrow Gauge
railroad. And glad were we too, for
our team had made slow time Cor the
past hour, and gave strong evidence, as
it proceeded, that the good will with
which it started ont, was fast3fatling
away, and but for our timely arrival
would have compelled ms to remain on
the road for the night.
After putting up our faithful team,
and cracking several humorous jokes
with. the efficient aud genial Mr.. Cor
don, whom we found at his post, as the
officer in. charge of the mercantile de-
partment Of the railroad, we made haste
for Mr.. Gilllsresidence, afew hundred
yards distant, to hunt up something to
send in search of our beer and sand
witches. Ineed not say that we found
that something, nor that we sent that
something on the search. After sa-
tiaiing ,onr hunger, and burning a pipe
ful of Durham, we were fnlly prepared
toturn inforthe night. Ycur correspon-
dents last thought before being fem-
braced the farms of Morpheus WAS,
nooone could properly appreciate such
a trip unless first having tried it.
The whole Of thefollowing day your
correspondent, busily engaged himself
in running lines and levels for an ex-
tension of the track OF the railroad
In order to make theobieet in writing
this communication more explicit, alit-
tie history of this railroad is apTopos. as
explaining what your correspondent
saw going on in qnietway. Also a
statement of facts in eonneetionrwith
your all1absorbinP log business. The
difficulty of proeHring sufiieieney Of
logs for the numerous saw mills in the
vicinity of yonr town, oceasioned BY
the fact that pretty much all the avail
able timber, near enough to thaastreams
to make tia proftablesbusiness TO. haul
to the streams with teams, bad been
cut, made it clear to thinking men that
other and more rapid means had to be
resorted to and put in operation, TO
meet the emergency. The millsmust
be kept going. There was tlle.peeessayy
timber, now which was the .bestway TO
get it to, the mills, was the question dis
cussed last year. While some were talk
ing of canals, some of dams on the
creeks in order to float from points
higher mp, othersof tramroads, operated
by mule power, aud some few Of mar
row gauge railroads, the price Of timber
continued to raise until it had almost
reached q price, beyond which it WAS,
possible for the mil p,en to bny it and
cut it proftably.
At the same time it appeared as
though no one was willing to make q.
venture by putting into Rsaetiee either
one Of the plans suggested, except FIJI
10. Gill and A. J. Perkins 1.-THE latter
gentlepan,s enterprise i willreserye for
Eafuture artiele) ssho decided nponI
adopting marrow gauge railroads.
9lr. Gill did not hesitate long about
the matter. Tlae contrary, be at once
with his indomitalle energy, set him-
self to the undertaking Of building a
railroad, chow chimerieal it might be
considered by others be did poi stop to,
consider, nota tramspad This WAS last
fall. And doing, whatfew men ayould
do, in enbalking 10 q new enterprise,
converted all of his available effects
llinfp cash, abandoned a lucrative mer-
camille business in yonr town, and
plunged into The railroad business in
dead earnest. And let us see with what
results.
Starting IRON 2 point on the main
Caleasien river, about fifteen miles
sboye yenr town, to bnild his road,
from which every facility offers for raft
ing downltp the mills heh ascompletea
two ana pnesbalf miles ef road, which
enables hipging timber 81 the finest
quality to the river.
The road IS equipped with one loco
motive and all the necessary rolling