St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-06-10
The TeChe.
The Valley of the Tcchc.

Inc valley OF Inc Icchc.
The Techc, sometimes called ii bayou,
is more appropriately styled river and
is marked as such in most Of our mans.
1t rises at the Courtableau, in the parish
of st. Landry, near Port Barre, flows in
Il winding 5. 5. l.. direction and enters
the Atcllafalaya river in the parish of
st. Mary, not far from Morgan City.
Its length is $50 miles. 1t is 200 yards
wide at its mouth. The channel is 30
feet deep and the tide ascends more
than 1870 miles. II is navigablo all tho
year round to st. Martinville in the par
ish of st. Martin. At certain times Of
the year it is navigable higher up, but
this depends altogether on the condi-
ton of the weather: rainy Or dry.
When the Mississippi is very high, as
in 1882, its waters, by the way Of the
! COurtableau, run into tie Teche to
reach, through it, the gulf of Mexico.
Then it might be termed bayou. At
such times it is in its highest stage of
navigation, and boats Of large tonnage
can ascend it as far as Leonville, in the
! parish of st. Landry, 10 miles. Its wa
ters, which are generally clear, become
muddy and even red on account of the
waters Of Red river. At its lowest
stage it is supplied all along its banks
! by beautiful springs of llinpid water,
good to drink and some of them are
t reputed to have strong medicinal prOp-
critics, are much looked for by invaids
| and said to have effected some remark
| able cures. Bayou Fuselier, which en-
tiers it at Arnaudville, is one Of its main
tributaries, drawing most Of its waters
from the ridges of Lafayette and St,
| Landry. On the banks of the Teche
| there are thriving towns, among which
| we can name: PattersonviIle, Centre
vile, Franklin, Jeannerette, New
Iberia, Loreauville, St. Martinsville,
Breaux- Bridge, Arnaudville and Leon
Vile. A good and fine road follows its
banks on both sides all the way. The
great Southern Pacific runs along it as
high as New Iberia; then verging to the
west passes at only seven miles from it
at Breaux Bridge, where good road
leads to it. At st. Martinsvile there is
branch road running to Cade Station
and another one is soon expected fr0m
Breaux Bridge to Lafayette, the point
of junction between the great Southern
Pacific and the line that runs to Alex
and on Red river, the ceuter of gen-
eral system of railroad lines. A liue of
fine steamboats, runs regularly between
New Orleans and New Iberia and it is
understood that as soon as locks will be
constructed in bayou Pla1uemine, and
an appropriation is already made to
that effect, line of daily packets will
connect New Iberia with tie Crescent
City. Although tue RAILROAD is superior
to the boats in speed, visitors some
times prefer to take them SO as to con
template moro leisurely the fine scenery
that presents itself to their view during
the voyage.
Colossal live oaks, centuries old, all
bearded with moss, lined along the |
IochG, lend to its grand scenery anna /
jeStlc aspect. The country Oh both /
banks is high the soil is light and mel !
low, fertile beyond expression. Cotton,
cane, corn, and all kinds of sem!-t,ou-
ical plants come there with Il luxuriant !
growth, cane yielding lis much as four .
thousand pounds of sugar to the acre. .
PaIatlal residences range along its !
shores; especially in the parish of st. !
Mary, and ease and comfort are evoly-
where displayed i'll that section. I'm
mense central sugar factories turn out
vast quantities of sugar, white as snow,
some of them as much as five million of
pounds. Their capacities are iucrcas-
ing aud improving every day and there
is 10 telling where they will stop. Cane
is sold to these factories by tie ton at
prices ranging from three to five dol
tars; and the construction of railroads
and branches of railroads enable the
planters to send them at considerable
distance, the price Of hauling being
25 cents a ton.
Some of these factories have their
own railroads. Prof. Knapp a banker
and millionaire Of Lake Charles is now
in the upper portion OF the
parish OF st. Martin, between Breaux
Bridge and Arnaudvllle Il railroad that
will start from Huron plantation on the
Ieche to the town Of St. Peter, in the
parish of Lafayette, there to connect
with other lines.
Both sides of the Teche, in the rear,
IRE immense forests of valuable woods,
IT easy access. The sugar planters in
'lden times employed this wood as fuel,
)ut since the system of fact cries has
)een so solidly established, they find it
more to their advantage to burn coal.
This coal is toWed to the factories in
arge barges at a reasonable price, and
mountains OF it can be seen at each fac
ory. The only portion Of this great
COUNTRY which is sometimes flooded by
he waters Of the Mississippi, is that
Which lies on the edge OF what is gener-
Atchafalaya river. But the floods never I
each the banks Of the Teche itself. .
The people know we'll that in that coun-
ry they are running the risks Of an
vert1oW at times, but they are all per-
ectly satisfied that those lands are SO
lch and productive, that even if in the
apse of ten years they lose two crops,
hey are still doing very we'll on account
t tue great fertility of the land.
Crops are shipped to market with L
ase and dispatch, either by rail or wa
er. Since the war, most Of those large
lantations have changed hands, and
re now in the possession OF rich cap
tallsts, who have found i'll them mines 7
t gold far superior to those Of Califor- 1
la, even during the gold fever !
Secretaries Lamont and Herbert have