The Opelousas courier., 1892-10-29
An Account of Our Excursion.
Availing ousrelyes of very kind j

Awaiting ousreives OF a very klhd In
vitation we left Opelousas boarding the
train for Alexandria, La. Picking our
company at Opelnusas, we took with
us daughter, Miss May Sandoz, that
she too might enjoy some of the sights
and means of instI uction and enter
tainment which awaited US, and had as
companions de voyage, Misses Ada
and Mabel Sandoz. On reaching Alex
andria, we met with other Louisiana
Editors, who like ourselves availed
themselves of the invitation from the
Iron Mountain Railroad to visit st.
Louis. All were indebted to Mr.. B.
Allison, the affable and experienced
superintendent of the advertising de-
partment of the Iron Mountain and
Missouri Pacific r. R., for appreciated
courtesies.
A sleeper belonging to the Missouri
Pacific, was provided for the special
accommodation of the Editors. AS the
train was to leave Alexandria at a.
M, it was thought expedient to go
aboard at night and take up our lodg-
ing. This precaution enabled US to
sleep gently on until the east threw
back its gates to let the morning paint
the landscape about us in its tints OF
gold. We breakfasted at the city of
Monroe, already long distance en-
route. The road bed is yet new, but
making due allowance for this fact the
motion of the cars was not disagreeable.
The scenery thus far was familiar to
some OF US and none was so romantic
and awe-inspiring as the lofty cliffs,
and sublime heights of the Hudson and
the Rhine But there was something
new, much that we were not accustom-
ed to seeing in our dead level land
scapes of Southern and Southwestern
Louisiana. We could not avoid the
consolng reflection that in few years
at most this route may prove one OF
the principal high ways OF travel and
of commerce between New Orleans and
the cities of the great West, and
means two of establishing competition
in trade, by which the producers of
Louisiana must necessarily be benefit
ted. We feel just pride in the great
ness of New Orleans and wish to be
able at no distant day, in the prosper
ity and independence of our planters.
Since N. O. became the commercial
metropolis of the State, and we may
say the emporium of the Mississippi
Valley, the planters of Louisiana have
had no alternative but to consign their
crops as a whole to its merchants.
The consequence has become serious,
and We say it Wss consollng to our
minds, while rejecting that these fine
and enterprising roads may within a
short period of time, give the planters
choice of cities TO which TO ship their
crops. Competition is the life of trade
and properly kept up is the safeguard
against local moHopolles.
We have not tue space to go into de-
tails concerning the very many pleas
ing Incidents of our journey. Our
company was SO congenial and the
proprieties Of social life SO easily OBJ
served, that time few by on angels
wings and we took no note of it. We
remember to have dined at McGee,
where passengers change cars for Ar
kansas City. The party reached Little
Rock on Wednesday where We supped
and had our sleeper attached to the
Cannon Ball train bound for st. Louis
On Thursday morning we reached thai
city, having been out from Alexandra
| not quite % hours. In passing along
we here and there caught glimpse o.
the father of waters, but the palatial
steamers that for many years parted it;
waters, were net to be seen. TheIl
monopoly of transportation has beer
| destroyed, and the iron horse nov
reigns their competitor.
Many pleasing incidents occurred
| which we are sorry we cannot des
cribe it must suffice to say that as VI
neared the great city, the topography
of the country was changed and be
came interesting from it's undulatioD
Arriving at the depot we were struck
by the hustle and stir of the great
Babel of people seen there. We arr
not accurately Informed on the subJec
| bat believe we are correct IN saying
that at least twenty roads met at tha
point. One may form some idea O
the confusion to a stranger, which il
eansed by this intermingling of roads
trains and voyagers. The space occu
pied is immense, the accommodation
large, and yet they are found to be in
sufficient for convenient business pur
poses. From the depot we, the editor;
were escorted to the only hotel Wher'
] accommodations could be had for til,
party, the Moser hotel. A committee
appointed by tile Board of Trade wa
| to have met us at the depot but owing
30 some neglect on the part of the visi
tors, it failed to do SO, the failure wa
the result of our own misunderstood
ing. Snndry plans of interest wer'
visited by the party on the day of on
arrival, some going to one and other
to another place. Among other place
we went to the Exposition building
and there TO our great surprise an
i pleasure we met with Mr.. Gaiennie,
native of Louisiana, and who was i
charge of the Exposition. He welcom
ed as with great cordiality and spare
no trouble in explaining and shown
| us every object of interest. 10 ca
the climax, he exposed basket mad
of writhes with some familiar glas
ware in it, and the contents of Whie
served 10 exhilarate all who partOo
| of it. At night the party, escorted b
Mr.. w. T. Anderson the Chairman
the committee guided Us on the street
of the city TO view the extraordinar
brillianey and great varieties of illnm
nations. We confess we never ha
seen any thing like it in the remotei
degree. Mr.. Gaiennie was polite an
attentive when We reached the Expos
ton and did all that could have bee
done to enable US to enjoy the beaut
Of the general magnifcenee preseDte