Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-03-16
NEW ORLEANS.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE MONITOR

gulf country impresses the visitor
from northern New England as being
flattened out, ironed down, shaved
off. Accustomed to the narrow val
leys, where cultivated fields hang on
to side hills and creep to the summit
of the Green mountains familiar
with a landscape that is diversified
by the eternal hills; the far-reaching
savannahs of the South are very mo-
notonous, very wearying to the eye,
and quite apt to lead one to feel that
g tain't much of country nohow.
Approaching New Orleans by Ell
ther line of railway, nothing is seen
of the great rice, sugar and orange
plantations Of Louisiana. They lie
chiefly along the rivers, and unless
these are visited, one may we'll Won
der what has stimulated city to
growth of 100000 inhabitants on the
banks of such a treacherous river.
| hope visitors to the Exposition will
find time to 60 to the river planta-
tions on one of the many excursions
daily advertised. Unfortunately, nei-
ther cane nor rice is in condition to
be favorably seen, but the system of
| e. 1,ato
New Orleans is like all of the sur
rounding country, level; the streets
stretch out in all directions from the
river. for miles, with never a hill to
stay their progress. The slope
what little there is is from, not to-
ward the river. Water runs away
from the river, not into it, as we are
accustomed to seeing well behaved
streams do. Make an excavation a
foot deep anywhere, leave it few
hours, and it will fill with water. For
this reason there are no cellars under
meath the houses, no sewers under
ground, no cisterns where people of
the north put cisterns, and people
who die are ''buried'' above ground.
The streets are bordered by open
sewers which are neither SO beautiful
nor so delightful to the olfactory
nerves as the fiower-decked borders
which one sees in parks. Sometimes
these necessary evils are clean, but
there are occasions when they make
one wonder what prevents yellow fe-
yer or cholera from immediate out
break and absolute possession veri-
ly it must be healthful climate or
desolation would reign supreme, for
the blessed rain only sends the filth
ont to the swamps, and the flushing
does no more. There the accumulat-
ed mass foments, throws off its gas
es to mingle with the malaria of the
, bogs, and in that form returns to
town on the breezes which the lake
sends out to the river. Like thief
who, banshed from the city limits.
puts on disguise and returns, this en-
emy is soon rollicking about in such
; shape no one can evade him. Or
the way be gathers the poison from
) the cemeteries and comes laden with
: DEATH But IN some way the mission
fails, for the city is healthful; the
, death rate, low.
River water is used for many pur
poses, but the dependence for drink.
, ing and cooking is upon the cisterns
They are like immense sap tubs SCI
4 upon framework, the cistern anC
frame alike painted green, and Otter
decorated with some of the lattice
work one sees about verandahs. III
every yard is one OF more of these
and as they have no protection from
: the summers sun, ice is an absolute
r necessity. In seasons of protracteG
drought the water is in no wise sug.
gestive of the cool and sparkling
springs it rests one even to think
about.
. Canal street divides the town. Il
is very broad, with a strip of GROUND
down its center which is always GOV.
r cred with grass, and in summer is
shaded by numerous trees, and dowr
its entire length are electric lights
Street car tracks are the chief mo-
nopolizers of this portion of the
street, which is better than having
! them in the roadways. The side
walks are broad and much of the way
5 are protected from the sun and rair
by the galleries which extend from
the buildings, these often being TWEEN.
ty feet wide. At Madrigras times
! these galleries have tiers of seats anC
are one solid mass of restless humani
ty. When the upper front of the
buildings is aglow with many-coloreC
lights in artistic forms, the scene is
like nothing else in America.
Above Canal street is the Ameri
can portion of the town below, the
French or foreign; and in this con,
nection .sabove" and "below'' near
only the right OF left side. Looking
from the river, right is below, left
above. l have been told by people
very familiar with European cities
that the foreign side of New Orleans
. is very much more like the Older
+, towns of that country than like any
thing in America. 1t surely has nc
counterpart on this continent. There
are narrow streets in old St. Angus
: tine, Florida, there are quaint ole
, houses, but there, the Spanish ideas
: prevail in the architecture. In ST
Louis there used to be little part ol
the town maintaining the French ides
g in its appearance that has given way