The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1884-08-09
Written for the Esho.l
FERRIES.
BY PnILos.

TeEas Siftiags often indulges 10
Wanting the natural advantages" of
Austin, San Antonio and other Texas
"seaports" of name and renown. Its
pet hobby, its pride, its glory, how
ever, is the bar of Galveston's harbor.
Now all this we have tolerated with
our characteristic magnanimity. But
there are limits.
Indeed, we feel called upon most
imperatigely to speak boldly in our
own cause BY our sense of duty as
citizen; by our pride in our own
State--this parish particularly--we
are impelled to fling our banner Of
natural advantages, SO to speak, to
the circumambient breeze. So here
il goes FERRlEs
Behold it. Feast your fascinated
gaze upon the glowing characters,
while we expatiate npon the benefits,
the romance, the delights, the con
yenience, ETC., ETC., Of our local insti-
tion--the ferry.
Since the days when the grim son
Of Erebus and Nox transferred pas
sengers from this sphere across the
TartareaB rivers to doubtful fate in
Pluto's subterranean realms, ferries
have been an institution not to be
looked upon with contempt by any
except animals Of the winged and
web-footed species.
Old Charon's ferry is the first of
which We have any authentic record.
By-the-by, it must have been a first
class monopoly; we certainly have
never heard Of any other party get
ting up competition in that region.
Since we possess no recent date Of
the veteran boatman as she thrusts on
bis barge with pole and tends the
sails" we are disposed to infer that
be may have made his pile and re-
tired from business. Or, who knows
but he--haVing taken ont naturaliza-
tion papers--has reinyested his capi-
tai (say bought up q few railroads)
and no longer "his yestlnents hang
from his shoulders in q knot, with
filth o'ergrown." And he may, dis
guised in plug hat, have set himself
up iacog. for an aristocratic Wall
street nabob and railroad magnate,
This is an age Of progress and that
brings us Onward to our ferries.
The distinctive features of the Tar
tarean ferry, as contrasted with our
own, are several. Cbaron's barge was
made Of sewn hides. That answered
very we'll for spooks, of course; but
Virgil tells US that when the Darda
nian hero went on his excursion to
the Internal regions il ''grosned un-
der his weight, and being leakY took
IN much water Our fats and skiffs
can beat that. Again, il was obliga-
tory on the part Of the passengers Of
that old raw hide tub TO be reduced
to ghosts. Even that was not enough.
They had 10 attend their own funer-
ais IN Dropria persona as the interest
ing object Of the ceremony. No
funeral, no ferry.
We take no little pride in assuring
the public that onr ferries are extreme
ly lenient as regards these tritiing
formalities. In fact, they cheerfully
absolve us Of snch duties as partieipa
ting in our own obsequics with The
view Of Qualifying as passengers.
Really now, when we deliberately,
calmly reflect upon the Inconvenience
Of not getting out Of town and back
again on business excursions, OF rice
persa, except when sfour bones are
quietly lodged in a final abode weI
appreciate most profoundly the ex-
treme indulgence Of our ferries 10
permitting Us to retian said bones for
practical purposes. We are touched,
moved 10 tears, we are, BIZ such ex-
cessive magnanimity. That poor Old
Shylock would never have hemoaned
the loss Of his boarded wealth could
be have realized (as we do IN our
present situation) how lucky be was
to retain So much is bis bones.
Other distinctive features Of the
original iaatitutionits patrons cross
"a but once, and then they went 70
stay and the fare was small brass
coin, Cannot some 81 our numismat-
lists send specimens 70 the coming
Exposition which, considering il
was moro likely to he permanent
investment in bla1ing TaFtaFns, than
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