St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-07
THE CRESCENT CITY.
Scenes at the Home of the Big Show
and Amusements for Visitors.
The Hotels and the French Market-Appear-
ance of the Streets.
New Orleans Cor. Philadelphia Times.

OF ample size, where planters congregate.
The City hotel is less ostentatious, but it is
equally frequented by the experienced tray
eler The third is the Hotel Royal,a relic
the earlier days of the state, the building
itself having been the State house, and the
present dining-room a rotunda filed with
frescoes of eminent men. No matter where
he stops the traveller will wish that he had
stopped somewhere else. Damp. sheets are
luxuries and everywhere two inevitable little
cups of black coffee, served without milk,
await you, and though it may not be relished
at first it in time becomes necessity and
dinner is not complete without it. If he
goes to the French market he will find still
more disagreeable and even positively dirty
things offered ON the table. The fact is the
Southern people do not know how to cook,
and whether in New Orleans pronounced
Neolanes) or in Arkan sas everything is fried
to death and unpalatable, while leeks and
onions too often serve to make up the vile
compounds that are put upon the table.
THE APPEARANCE OF THE CITY.
Having pacifed that great tyrant, his
stomach, the traveller, on looking abroad,
discovers to his disappointment that the city
Is one wide, unvarying expanse of absolute
t1atness, uIrelieved by any natural elevation
and with no outlying hills or higher country
to which escape might be possible when
weary of the sameness which everywhere sur
rounds him. There is on every side the
same depressing monotone Gus uniformity of
surface and the dissatisfaction is not dimin-
lshed by observing that this dead level is, in
fact but partially reclaimed morass, still
saturated with water, which stands and stag
mates everywhere in the depressions observ-
able on the commons or other unoccupied
ground, The river is higher than the aver
| age height of the streets and the water can
be had anywhere by digging about three
| feet The sewers are all above ground, mere
open cutters between the curbstoues or curb
planks and the roadway. All the filth of the
city flows into them, and they in turn are
supposed to flow into series of small canals
which run parallel with the river and which
terminate near wider canals or basins, as
they are called, intersecting them and con-
| Meeting with Lake Pontchartrain. The over
plus OF water i'll the canals is pumped out,
rather into, the basin, by large wheels driven
by machinery and is supposed to flow off,
with all its accumulated filth, into Lake
Pontchartrain. Yet for all this there is Il
great subsistence of filth which is not carried
cutters on many of the streets, and on many
of the finest residence streets at that, do not
flow at all for days and weeks together, until
there is sufficient fall of rain to wash them
out, and meanwhile they are mere stagnant
receptacles of filth. The streets are paved
with huge blocks of granite, tilted at every
angle, the openings being full of everything
that ought not to be there. Add to this the
fact that all the residences depend upon
cstern water and we shall not think il
strange that the cholera makes such head
way under the fierce rays of a summers
sun.
AS the stranger moves about the city he is
pleased with the appearance of SUCH streets
as Canal, Esplanade and Rampant, which
are TN powered amid rows of trees, the
drive W " for other vehicles than the cars be-
ing between the trees and the ST iewalks.
Out on Canal street, toward Lake Pontchar-
train, is the famous "Shell road,n on which
2:40 stood for many years as the fastest trot-
ting time ever made. In the center of
Canal street towers an imposing bronze
statue of Henry Clay, the effect being some
what marred 10y the proximity of several tall
octagonal structures of wood, which appear
like enlarged sentry boxes and serve as offices
for the street railroads. The street car
service is a novel one. The cars are bobtail,
including the single mule with his rope har-
ness. They have no doors, carpets or cush-
ions. Usually there is a notice to the effect
that 'this is a smoking car" which would
lead one to infer that there are others which
are not, but it is difficult to discover any
others. The passengers are usually Of the
toughest Sort and ladies seldom avail them
selves of this method of travel.
MORE PARTICULAR FEATURES
There are many pleasant little squares
scattered about The statues of Franklin
and Andrew Jackson are well worth seeing.
The churches are neither large nor interest
ing, with the exception of the French church
of st. Louis. The private residences ale dis.
appointing, being built for the most part OF
wood, with occasionally q white marble
front, real or in imitation. They are often
quite spacious and with wide verandas, OF
galleries." as they are called, extending
around them. Usually they are raised sew
eral feet from the ground on brick piers,
with lattice-work between. Hip roofs are
the prevailing style, the corners being COW
cred with an extra layer Of shingles, or with
semi-cyinders of tile, laid in cement, the eff
feet being uncouth and incongruous. Let
painter mix tub Of whiewash and color it
pink, or some shape Of red, or tint 1t at all,
and go over the building. Should he trim
the cornices, etc, let him do tin some bar
barous color out Of all harmony with the
prevailing tint and some idea of the vare-
gated colors of a residence in New Orleans
may be obtained. The business blocks are
oId-fasbioned and irregular, but they have
the same wealth of overhanging balconies.
Along the streets throng of sallow-lookng
men and bright-eyed women, clad in sum
mer silks, is passing at a snail's pace, at
least 80 it seems TO a Northern city man.
Pronounced Crcoles do not appear in large
numbers, except in their own quarters, but
the shades from black to white are recognized
all about us. The thermometer shows about
20 degrees. The magnolias are just budding
and the fruit is ripening on the orange
trees.
THE EXPOSITION.
Ofcourse the ''World's exposition" Is the
talk Of everyone and brief note may be OF
interest 1t will be impossible to 90 into de-
tails. In general way it may be described
as located upon the bank OF the Mississippi,
about four miles above the heart Of the city.
Access is had by horse cars or steamers. The
grounds are sown with white clover, which is
in full bloom, and an occasional clump OF
live oaks or nagnolias breaks up the fiat
surface Of the grounds. There are four
chief buildings, all Of which are built Of pine.
They lack the proportions and the iron grid
ers and the corrugated sides Of the centen-
NAL buildings at Philadelphia. The main
building here has an area larger than that Of
the main building at Philadelphia, but this
is secured by throwing into it the machinery
hall, the constant din Of which interferes
With public exercises in the audience
ball, close at hand. The exhibits here
are Of miscellaneous charsc-