Homer guardian. (Homer, La.) 1888-1890, 1888-10-05
PETITE AI.sE ISLE.
A Queer Island in Southern Louisiana
and Its Marvellous Salt Nine.

and Its Marvellous Salt Nine.
Apparently without cause there
rises out of the marsh lands Dor.
dering the gulf Of Mexico, west OF
the Mississippi river, a cluster OF
hills, forming what is known as
Petite Anse Isle. 1t is the only
high land to be found in the south
ern part of Louisiana, and it will
always remain a wonder that such
an elevation should appear in so
unexpected q place. 10 realize
that it is an island is hard until
one tries to approach it, and then,
especially if the wind is in the
right direction, to flood the marsh
es with gulf water, YOU will think
it the islandest island you ever
saw. There is but ono way of
reaching it, and that is by dis
located plank road. some parts of
which are buried in the mud while
i'll places planks linger patiently
about fluctuating with the tide.
It's an exceedingly pleasant sen
sation which one experiences wien
the nigh" horse all but disap-
pears IN some unforeseen alligator
"wallow," eseciallay as the road is
narrow and deep canal flanking
either side waits to receive those
unable to keep the straight and
narrow way.
Not content with the absurdity
of its location, Petite Anseis won
derful in it's composition. Dig
down anywhere twenty.seyen or
thirty feet and you will strike
white salt, 99g per cent. pure, the
purest found on the face of the
globe. Zig down two Hundred
feet and you will still find salt,
and when you haze dug thus far
you will know as much about the
extent of this big salt rock as any
one. Posslblyit extends two hun
dred feet deeper, but no one knows.
Twenty-Five years ago Deacon
Keller, as honest an old darkey as
ever served q master faithfully,
was sent down into IA old we'll to
clean it ont, and inso doing struck
his spade against rock, which.
proved to he salt. To-day the Az
cry brothers, owners of the Petite
Anse Island, receive q royalty Of
from $60to $500 q day from the
New Iberia Salt Mine Company,
and Deacon Keller is cat yo' sar-
vices, sab. Use a po' ole man,
but I'm trabbing tie road to Zion
mighty libely.'
The main shaft to the mine is
100 feet deep, radiating from
which are several immense cav
ems varying in height from 10 to
60 feet, grottoes with solid roof
and walls. Do not expect the
walls TO sparkle. The miners
lamps have smoked until q scurf
has formed which shuts in the
g'ittering salt. Only where a blast
has been made recently does it
look pure. 1t is q mine that can
be visited in a very short time
satisfactorily, there be little va
riety TO the salt, and nothing to
watch but the miners working
with drill and pick by the light of
the little lamps they wear in their
caps, or the lights which twinkle
in the distance, or 60 fitting by
in q spectral manner. Although
the guide assures you that the
roof Is sufficiently thick to pre-
vent its caving, and that, even
should it fail, you will be well pre-
served, it seems good to he shot
up the shaft in the elevator to the
pure air. A conglomeration Of
buildings of well-assorted sizes
and shapes, most of them filled
with an endless variety of wheels
and chains and belts and pulIeys,
constitute the mills. The salt is
first hoisted to the top of = high
tower from whence it goes down
through a series of crushers and
sifters, finally to be bagged up on
the main floor and loaded into the
cars. Buildings and workmen are
we'll seasoned, clouds Of fine salt
filing the air and giving every.
thing a hoary appearance; and ey-