The Opelousas courier., 1888-12-15
Petite Anse.
o,,eer Island in South Louisiana, and it's
Wonderful Salt hines.

Apparently without cause
there rises out ofthe marsh lands
wandering on the Gulfof Mexico,
vest of the Mississippi river, a
Snster of hills, forming what is
known as Petite Anse Isle. It
i the only high land to befound
Il the southern part of Louisi-
ma, and it will always remain a
wonder that such an elevation
should appear in so unexpected
place. To realize that it
i an island is hard until
one tries to approach it
and then, especially if the
wind is in the right direction to
aood the marshes with gulf wa
fer. you will think it the island
EST island you ever saw. There
i but one way of reaching. it,
and that is by a dislocated plank
road. some parts of which are
hnried in the mud, while in pla-
ces planks linger patiently
ahont fuctuating with the tide.
# is an exceedingly pleasant
sensation which one experiences
when the nigh" horse all but
disappears in some unforeseen
alligator "wallow," especially
as the road is narrow and a deep
canal hanking either side waits
TO receive those unable to keep
the straight and narrow way.
Not content with the absurdi-
10 of its location, Petite Anse
IS wonderful in its composition.
Dig down anywhere twenty
seven or thirty feet and you will
find white salt 993 per cent pure,
the purest found on the face of
the globe. Dig down two hum
bred feet and you will still. find
salt, and when you will have
dug thus far you will know as
much about the big salt rock as
any one. Possibly it extends
two hundred feet deeper, but no
one knows. Twenty-Five years
ago Deacon Keller, as honest
an old darkey as ever served a
master faithfully, was sent down
into an old well to clean it out
and in so doing struck his spade
against o rock, which proved to
be salt. To-day, the Avery
Brothers, owners of the Petite
Anse island, receive a royalty
of from $50 to 500 "a day from
the New Iberia Salt Mine Com
pany, and Deacon Keller SAT
yo' services, sab. Use "a POI ole
man, but Pm trabbling de road
to Zion mighty libely."
The main shaft to the mine is
100 feet deep, radiating from
which are several immense cav
erns varying i'm hight from ten
to sixty feet, grottoes with solid
salt roof and walls. Do not ex-
pect the walls to sparkle. The
miners lamps have smoked IN
Til a scurf has formed which
shuts in the glittering salt. On
II where a blast has been made
recently does it look pure. It
is o mine that can be visited i'll
q very short time satisfactorily,
there being little variety to the
salt, and nothing to watch but
the miners working with drill
and pick by the light of the
lamps they we're wearing III
their caps, or the lights which
twinkle in the distance, or 60
Hitting by in a spectral manner.
Although the guide assures you
that the roof is sufficiently thick
% prevent its eaving, and that
even should it fall, You would
be well preserved, it seems good
70 be shot up the shaft in the
elevator to the pure air. A con-
generation of buildings of we'll
assorted sizes and shapes, most
Of them filed with an endless
variety of wheels and chains and
belts and pnlleys, constitute the
mills. The salt is first hoisted
fo the top of a high tower from
whence It goes down through q
series Of crushers and sifters, e.
nally TO be bagged up on the
main floor and loaded into cars.
Buildings and workmen are we'll
seasoned, clouds of fine salt fill
lng The air and giving every
thlng Q hoary appearance ; and
even outside the mill clouds of
saIf al the air, killing or stunt.
ing vegetation in the immediate
neighborhood.
The smallest wafeh IN Al mnrina