The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1890-12-13
FIFTY YEARS AGO !
Bf UNCLE SILAs.
No. 10.

The citizen who lay down fifty years
ago to rest il peaceful dreams, along
bayou LafOurch", was not ruthlessly
awakened by the shrill blowing of the
whistles during the sugar making
season.
The whistles themselves were nm
known ut that date, and sugar houses
with very rare exceptions were MT
run by steam. The rolls were set
upright. and turned by horse power
For some reason the impression pre-
vailed that mules would not answer to
! turn the rollers, and that horses only
were suitable for that purpose. Wheth-
or il was simply an idea, backed mp by
tradition or whether il was II real fact,
that the long cared animal wOnld not
| work ut turning rolls. it WAS however
true that that part of sugar manufac-
turing was done with horses.
Aman stood by the rollers, and fed
the sugar canes into the mills by hand,
sending about as much cane through
the rollers III one day, as now goes up
to- the mills in five minutes.
The cane juice WAS passed through
It'lt III NV Ktitlt utllI. IS SSoPoAa
ton and c~lariiicatinl. There were no
sIeam pans Oh great CHARTERS III use
then. Lime only was used for clarity
ing purposes. and, when sugar cane
was IL bit frosted or IA little green the
planter WAS generally satisfied to
make what they called gumbo sugar,
which was an article SO thick and
black that it would not half purge
when put into the hoghsheads.
Much of the labor about sugar roll
ling was done by 81 ives, but all the
white men who resided in the vicinity
could generally set employment, du-
ring that season, if they sought for it.
4 sugar apparatus that would make
five or six ~hogsheads of sugar in "a
hours was ''big thing"
Planters would generally cut and
haul mp big piles of sugar cane, and
stack it up around the mill, for two or
three days, and then grind up that.
and what could be supplied in the
meantime, and then stop for as many
days. None of them had the force to
keep their mills going steadily. and.
even If they had. their supply Of
CUbItlS wis ~ SllluIs tilstt tlIth DITCH
had to wait for the sugar to cool suffi-
%ciertlf t, be pat int" the l"g>leads.
The only fuel then used was wood.
but, there was IN aipundanc: of that.
The land that WAS annually cleared,
furnished more wood than was requisite
to evap"rate their cane juice.
The close of sugar making was i,
h,nny Inv uitl, all ,,l an hi. t;n,o So.
the slaves. When the last canes
came IN from the fields. one or two
big stalks were selected, for a baptis-
mai ceremony. The men would pick
up their master 81 averCer. and. carry
hlm through the sugar hoise when the
whisky jug was brought forth. the
sugar CT. e. properly baptized Wit, the
fiery liquid. amid The wishes "f all
that the hex ytar would produce Il
larger yield, and, then all the hands
We're bapti>ed also, only instead of
splinkliug on their ontsides it was
turned inwardlv and passed by the
channel into which all good wli>kcy
disappears.
Dnsing Ill this ceremony the air was
filled with the songs and c%lioluSeS,
song only u .+iaves could sing them.
The hands engaged about the sugar
house had to tteud to their work. but
when the last strike was thrown out
they had tncir time also. A week was
generally gwen them after rolling was
completed, or if that occurred before
Christmas, the holiday week was
given them, and on each plantation
Il grand feast was prepared, the mas
tiers generally furnishing the flour and
the meat, whilst the mistresses often
had 4 number Of cakes prepared and
sent to them. These feasts were
generally participated in by the hands
of the adjoining plantations, and
wound up with il grand dance at night.
During these holiday periods woe
betided the man that had not his pOck-
cts well lined with picayunes and bits
(64 and 12ll cent pleces) for every slave
on the plantation, or that happened to
know him. expected one of those pie
ces every time that they met.
On every plantation were negroes
who could play the violin or the banjo.
and they were often called upon to
play for the whites when other musi-
clans could not be had.
When the slaves wanted a dance and
no fiddle was on hand. some one would
pat his knee" and the dance would
e" on. But those gay scenes live only
III memory. Only lie or she who has
Snsn than, <.n 80, ii. =, -, - .,-1.,