The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-18

crumbs in their beaks.
The boat was provided with, two
| depth of the river enabled the boat to
| make landings at any point. We stopped many
| times; but what of that. so long as you are out
upon your vacation, and very much did 1T add
pleasure to the trip. At many points the boat
scarcely stopped, for the men had the merchan-
disc upon their shoulders and were out upon the
/ gangway even before it was lowered Atone
! time we took on lot OF mules, and the speed
with which the first mate hustled them on board
and off again on the other side Of the river must
1 have been surprise even to their sluggish
/ senses About forty miles from the city dusk
overlook us. After remaining upon deck until
we were reminded by the menacing GOODNESS OF
| OF the breeze that the cabin would be more com
Portable. we retired. soon to betake ourselves to
the berths with view. of being
/ the fort which the captain informed us
would be about midnight. At the appointed
hour my genial white haired Chicago friend put
| his head into my State-room and summoned me
| out TO see the forts. These two forts-St. Phil
] lips and Jackson-are built upon opposite sides
| of the river, at point where a sharp bend
brings any ship within range of the guns for
| long distance. The night was balmy, and ex
cept when steaming down the river and against
| the breeze, warm and pleasant as anight with
| us in June. The moon unclouded, and
made shimmering path Of light upon the now
comparatively tranquil surface OF the MISSISSIPPI
| A short walk over green grass brought us to the
u.s. The walls appeared to us of brick
/ and stone, heavily covered with earth
/ and arranged as to give as many
| apertures as possible for the cannon. Around it
runs moat in which, we were informed, many
| alligators made their home. But none could be
seen, and we forebore to go in after them, al
though in dipping the hand in the water we
found it not much too cool for swim. The en-
| trance, which is a sort of arch, and capable of
defense, is guarded by iron gate which we
| found locked So help remained but to
arouse the garrison go without the visit But
as the garrison consisted of but one man-which
appears to rather feeble contingent, even
in these piping times of peace though a per-
feet type of our seaport defenses-and as he
proved to be a very genial soul, doubtless be-
cause little troubled by such midnight invaSions
| We effected an entrance and inspected by the aid
oflanterns its bomb proof easements from whose
embrasures forty-two cannon peer threateningly
out upon the river Some of these cannon
very large, throwing fifty-inch solid shot and
she'll The sergeant piloted around, explain
ing the manner of using the guns and changes
now making in munitions of war; showed US
piles of ramrods and swabs stacked ready for
| use, and shell and mortars and dlsmounted
non In the interior, and was about to conduct us
| to the parapet, when the whistle of the steam
| boat announced to us that we must cut short our
stay. But we saw enough to convince that
this fort, properly manned, must necessarily
prove formidable obstacle in the pathway of
| an advancing fleet and looking out of one of the
portfolios just as vessel was being towed UP
the river she appeared at such point blank
range as showed an admirable command
of the river by every gun high or low.
The rank clover over all the interior of the fort
cleaned like flowers in the moonlight The
crickets kept up hearty chlrping, as though
| glad to see us and have us BECOME And the
sergeant, unruffied by this midnight attack, with
the spirit of a philosopher and the pride of an
American, babe us come again, refusing the
| bonus which one of the party proposed bestow
ing upon him. So we left him, lonely. as he con-
fQGCo For off and an1 bod
nor advantages of schools or church. and cross
| ing the gangway reluctantly, most Of the party
retired to their berths
But four of again assembled TO the deck for
little final sail. The wind, which had blown
sharply through the day, now quiet. Far
| up the river cleaned the steady lights of the
quarantine TO our right lay at rest a schooner
bound for the open sea, with lanterns aloft
and the crew sleeping as soundly though
more than plank interviewed between them and
watery grave The steady pushing forward of
the engine, the varied phenomena of fringing
willows and magnolias seeming to move past us
like dusky phantoms the clouds of dense smoke
from the two ponderous stacks lying upon the
| atmosphere behind u.s. the moon, now nearly at
| its zenith, and throwing slvery splendor over
| all-altogether afforded scene most lovely and
ever TO be remembered. The captain had gone
to rest and the first mate appeared for the sec
ond watch. We waited until the lights from the
quarantine shone upon us from the rear, and,
drowsy from the DAYS fatigues reluctantly re.
tired, glad to have had the experience of a mid
night ride under such conditions on the broad
breast of the Father of Waters
Early the next morning we were awakened in
time to see the sun lift his huge golden disk
from the horizon. and after a hearty
breakfast went out to inspect the coun-
try. We stopped at the large planta-
ton of ex Governor Warmoth, and the large ship
ments of sugar gave to us the assurance that we
might inspect his mill. Governor Warmoth was
originally from the North, and having achieved
an honorable success in political life, retired to
this plantation. His sugar mill is said to be the
most complete along the river. Had / space il
would be pleasure to describe what one can see
of the process of this branch of manufacture
| from the sugar cane bare of its leaves as it is
conveyed to the shredder, and thence by a long
carrier to huge rollers which thoroughly extract
the juice leaving only fne,dry pulp And
thence to trace the green, swedish sap through
the various processes of clarifying and refining
until it issues at last from the swift
revolving, copper centrifugal machines
in the form of beautiful white sugar.
But the sugar planters uneasy. One
heavy, burly sort of man, fair type, he
seemed to me, of a Southern planter, dressed in
a velvet coat and corduroy pants, and whose
chief thought seemed to be that he could click"
| the captain, who was small beside him, aud
/ whom he did finally bear away with him to take
drink, said: Last year my crop Melted me
| eighty-seven thousand dollars: this year fifty ]
five thousand dollars. Then sugar was eight to
nine cents pound; now five to six. That's the
| difference"
| But if the planters Jared hard thought the
| laborers Jared harder, for of the coored men
told me that he was able, during the grinding
period, to earn dollar and half day by
working eighteen hours. All the sugar had
been stripped and cut save on two plantations
in one of which large number of men and
women were busily at work. But the leaves
had been frosted and the was not so good
Along the Mississippi are many orange groves |
the more numerous the further down you 60
We passed one containing seventeen thousand
trees but they had been mostly picked. At
one landing went on shore and venturing to
the planters house. made the modest request to
be permitted to gather some branches of oranges |
from the trees. Not only was a most gracious |
| assent given, but young man was sent with
me- and afterwards colored man. and l ex-
perienced for at least the pleasure of eating
oranges at first hand. And never have oranges