The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-04-17
Mr.. .CAMPBELL'SLETTER
FROM THE SUNNY SOUTHLAND.
The cline Of the unsaOIIa and the Palm-Th,
nsJaty Of the "EAtbsr Of waierA"-Ths Ia.
land SsA-Sunrl.sOa the ri,sIssIppI E!vsr.
"A Trip TO the Capital Of the Sugar State.

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Core pondGnce Of the Intelli5enceE
New ORLEANS, April 10-Aiter rusticat
ing three weeks over on the coast. though
would run over here and see how tn,
city .wasgettinG along under the irfluence
Of high water and apprehended crevassei
in tbegreat Mississippi river. New orleanI
has two retarHng influences just now Il
contend with; viz-an epidemic of small
pox and high water. The consequence II
that business Is rather flat. | notice tha
the hive Of Northern people who have
been alternating here during the winter
has greatly thinned out, some scattering
along the coast to the various watering
places, and others putting out for higher
attitudes. Poor New Orleans has much lc
contend with, and as the horse jockeys
would say is badly handicapped in tue race
with cities for growth and Importance. She
went backwards in population from 1866
to 1870, and did not 90 greatly forward from
1870 10 1880. She has had yellow fever
bjrh water, and political jObberry and
tbievery, State and municipal, 10 contend
with, and as between the fever and politics
1t is rtally'hard 10 tell which has damaged
her more. Her credit is bad at home and
abroad, and her script, with which she
PAYS even her school teachers, is at a sorry
discount for city possessed Of so much
private wealth. She is afflicted with high
taxation and IN empty treasury, and the
problem is where does all the money 60
seeing that her sauitory condition Is SO
very defective as 70 become charge upon
the private purses Of her people.
THE CRESCENT CITY.
There are nominally 2lG,0O0 people in
New Orleans, but a vast number Of them
belong to the undesirable class, and are
really OF no more value to her than the dead
heads out in the cemeteries. The real live
element Is very small indeed as compared
with Northern and Western cities. For
the most part, three OF her people rolled
into one would not make one Chicago man.
II this were not the case we would not see
city here two hundred years old stuck in
the mud every time it rains. Chicago, only
one generation old, raised herself bodily
three feet twenty years ago, but here is
New Orleans, with its six generations OF
Ureoles, looking at the water IN the CUTTERS
through q magnifying glass to see in which
direction it moves. Is it strange that nearly
everybody who eau raise money enough
holds a ticket OF leave with view to get.
tingo Of the swamp once ayeaI?
As I said, came over from the country
to see what the mighty river that makes its
great crescent here was doing and was
likely TO do, forit ia now up to the danger
line, and every body is holding his
breath in expectation oil seeing the bottom
suddenly drop out, as it were, by reason OF
some great break in the levees at point,
or series OF points, where, not the city, but
the country on which the city so greatly
depends, will be wiped out for year.
was sitting up on the cabin deck OF the
Corona" talking 10 our townHnan, Camp.
bell Sweeney, upon the situation OF affairs,
and watching the water Creering up over
the leyee 10 such an extent that the steam.
er's had to build platforms out l50 feet,
when Ttook Il notion that would yet on a
boat and 20 up as far as Baton Rouge and
see how the situation looked along that
portion Of the upper coast: So walked
over to where the Fred A. Blanks was Just
drawing in her plsnks aud bought ticket
for the capital, which Is $50 miles above
New Orleans.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE.
l found'I was on the right boat for con.
versation, aud information, for Captain
Holmes, who looks like twin brother oI
your Postmaster, invited me up to his quar-
tiers or, the Texas aud bade me make my.
self at home in the pilot house. Together
we reconnotered the levees between Canal
street and the upper limits OF the city around
and above Carrolton RS the swift moving
stream glides along In channel OF l5O lee'
In depth, and against current OF six mtIes
pcr hour. Everywhere the water was flush
with the top OF the embankments, and. IL
many places fresh planks, sand bags anC
earth had been added. 1remarked to thu
Captain that, though had been raised {
Baptist and was not at all prtjudiced agains
wafer, yet this was decidedly too much Of {
good thing, and at the same price ! thought
would prefer the bluffs Of the Ohio. "0h
said he, this is smoothing when you get uSet
to it, It Is only when creyasse OF 15(
feet, like Bonnet Care, bursts through
these levees and Niagara Falls is repro.
duced. that an old steamboat man feels hit
blood somewhat stirred" This led US L
discuss tho outlet system and the jet
ties and the whole river business
until it was time to 30 10 sup
per. After supper l spent an hour oil
two in the pilot house talking with the
man at the wheel, and by the way there
were two OF them at it most cf the time
and occasionally they whirled the handles
and tramped them In very lively manner
to prevent the resistless Currentfrom getting
shear on then:. The night was murky
and there was much peering out to the
larboard and starboard shores to get the
range OF the Government lights and any
familiar locality along the shores. The
Blanks is a staunch Bteamer-one that can
carry six thousand bales OF cotton-and
she can make, when run dead ahead, 10
miles an hour up stream,. but shc did mol
make Il that night, and II was after 10
o'clock next day when we entered Baton
Rouge. .-.....l
SUNRISE on TILE MISSISSIPPI.
I got up early in the morning, having
had a good nights sleep on broad and
very spriugy lower berth, in state room
Of which l was the only occupant, and be
gan my daylight observations OF the coast
As IT was the evening before, 80 here il
was water-htgh water-everywhere. We
were riding along on the top OF q great
river that was three-quartsrs o. q mile
depth, and that was yellow and muddy
with the washipgs and the floods OF 5000
miles Of tributary streams, and that was
from six.to ten feet higher than the plan
tations along which we were passing tso
that our pilot house was higher than the
tops OF some oithe houses and thRt was
feeling its way between artificial embank
ments, searching as It were for u spot tc
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