The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1883-06-30
Visit 10 Our NeighbOr'ing Texas

Friday, the 22ud, was n terribly
warm day, but an attache of this paper
resolved to visit our neighbOring city
Orange-that evening After stand
ing around the depot in Lake Charles
for an hour, sGeltering in the hot sun
and witnessing a fight between two
drunken men in neIgbburiug saloon,
the freight train got off, about half
past three. The caboose WAS real nice
inside, the seats soft, the breeze fine,
and the passengers gentlemauly. One
! thing was noticeable, however. the
| spiders appeared to have undisputed
possession of the upper portion of the
car and the webs they wOve while we
watched them we're beautiful. We soon
grew tired Of the spiders, however, and
began to wonder if Orange would look
well by lamp-light, but at O'Clock the
train slowed uD about half mile from
the depot, and, wishing to look at the
place, we decided to walk into 1.-THE
city" rather than pay half a dollar for
ride. A rain had just fallen and tue
streets were muddy but we reached the
principal street after a while. We
noticed a number of beautiful frame
houses and cottages, newly painted,
aud some of them newly built, and an
air of neatness and general prosperity
was apparent. Noticing a sign on one
corner, ~. s. Custom House." we
stepped across the street and spoke to
a venerable looking citizen and asked
if the building was a custom house,
and ii so, what use was there for a
hnn1n iy,I ntl i'm,
pertinent questions. The venerable
citizen smiled and said the place was
a saloon. Going on down or up I'VE
don't know which, the street. an in
quiry was made as to the location of
the Tribune office. 1t was pointed
out, but office hours were over, and
we had not the pleasure of meeting
those gentlemen who do the brain
work, or the mechanical work either,
Of the Tribune. Determined to talk
to some one we stopped the most good
natured looking man in sight and went
to work on him. He proved to he Mr..
W. II. Bolin, a merchant Of the place
and also proprietor of the / X i saloon.
Mr.. PeyetO's new steamer, the Emily
p was inspected and from Mr.. BOlin
we learned that the beautiful little
stern wheel steamer was built in Or.
ange, under the supervision of Capt
l. II. Belts, and cost $4,000. She was
built to run between Orange and Mr..
PeYetO's seaside hotel on the Gulf
beach. 80 miles from Orange. Mr..
Bolin says the new hotel also cost
$4,000. From this, one would infer
that Mr.. p. WAS gentleman Of wealth,
which is doubtless the fact. is Or
ange dull MI. Bolin?" queried the
newspaper man. His reply WAS that
just at present Orange was dull but the
first rise in the river things would
liven up. He said the town was steadily
improving, had population of about
2J09 souls, and the health of the place
was excellent. Under the direction of
Mr.. d. we went to the Curry House"
for something more substantial than
wind, thinking the place a regular
hotel. We were treated well and had
a splendid supper, aud Mr.. Curry we
found to be nice gentleman and his
wife an excellent lady, but Mr.. Curry
only keeps a house for convenience Of
travellers and would not do that, if there
were better hotel accommodations il
the place.
Altogether, we like Orange very
much, and regret that we were com
PEELED to returu that night on the train
10 Lake Charles, but We will see more
Of Orange some day, We hope.