The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-09-12
The Calcasieu Country.


| hAuNu hdo bGNh odlh III ASNOhN JSOs
concerning the rapid destruction 0
our lumber-produeing forests, an
fears have been entertained of a lum
Der famine in the near future
| Whether this famine be near or far
certain it is that timbered lands ar
constantly appreciating in value. On
of the most important saw mill sec
tions of this State is that through
which the Calcasieu river flows. TIL,
centre of trade for that section is thu
town of Lake Charles, situated on thu
line of the Southern Pacific Railroad
and on the borders Of a small lake in
to which the river there broadens
Very large quantities of pine timber
have already been cut from the for
ests along the upper part of the Cal
casieu river--that part above Lake
Charles-and along the West Fork Of
the Calcasieu. But the quantity re.
naming is yet enormous, being esti'
mated at 1000, 100000 feet, and is q
source of increasing wealth to the
State.
The conditions for numbering are
very favorable there, the only draw
back to large, immediate expansion
of the business being the difficulty Of
reaching market at low rates Of
freight. The railroad, Of course,
offers ready transportation, and a
large part Of the product is taken by
rail westward. But rail rates are
rather high for this class Of freight,
and the millmen very much desire to
seek Mexican and Central American
markets by water. They believe that
their present cut of lumber--worth
annually about 81 900, ,oo0-could be
much increased were they able to load
sea.going vessels of two or three hun
dred tons at their mills, thence to sail
direct to distant ports.
At present this is rendered impos-
sible by the existence of bar at the
head of Calcasieu Pass, the connec-
tion between the Gulf and Lake Cal
casieu, a considerable sheet of water,
into which the Calcasieu river flows.
A channel was dredged across this
bar by the United States government,
but since the conditions causing the
formation of the bar continued to exist
the cut has filled until no more than
the original depth, about three feet,
is now found, The appropriations
have never been large enough to build
protecting works, preventing a filling
of the dredged channel. Without
such works, only temporary relief can
be given. 1t will certainly be cheaper
for the government and more salts
factory to the people. to make at once
an appropriation sufficient for secur-
ing permanent channel than to give
every three or four years enough only
to dredge and redredge a channel
across this bar. Such work would
secure to the mill men a reduction of
about SO per thousand in the cost of
getting their lumber to the Gulf, the
across the bar now costing
nearly that amount.
With such a difference established
in their transportation rates they
could compete with the most favora-
bly, located lumber ports of the Gulf
coast. Besides the bar at the head
of the Pass there is one at the mouth
of the Pass, in the Gulf, and one at
the mouth of the river, in the lake.
These, however, while deserving at
tention in any large plan of improving
the navigation, are much less serious
distractions than the one first named.
A large rice interest is growing up |
On the lower Calcasieu, the movement
having been begun by English capi-
,alists, who have bought and are
training extensive tracts of the sea
marsh near the coast. They have in
Vested much money in the enterprise
md show disposition to urge it for
ward as rapidly as possible.
Since the mineral resources of Lou
siana are now receiving something
ike the attention they deserve, it can
be thought that the rich sui |
,hnr mines of the Calcasieu valley
will be much longer neglected. A
comparatively small capital, wisely
pplied, may be here made to yield
handsome returns, and the day is
uroly coming when such offers Of
wealth from the hand Of nature will
lot be refused in the South.