The Opelousas courier., 1893-05-20
The Teohe.
The Valley Q! the Teche,

Il
| The Valley OF the Teche,
1 The TeChe, sometimes called II bayou.
is more appropriately styled a river u
is marked as such in most OF our maps.
It rises at the C~ourtableau, III the parish
| of st. Landry, near Port Barre, flows III
| a winding S. s. f. direction and enters
| the Atchafalaya river in the parish OF
| st. Mary, not far from Morgan City.
It's length is $50 maes. 1t is 900 yards
/ wide at its mouth. The channel is 20
feet deep and the tide ascends more
than 1870 miles. 1t is navigablo all the
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, it's waters, by the way of the
Co%urtableau, run into the Teche to
reach, through it, the gulf of Mexico.
Then it might be termed a bayou. Al
such times it is in its highest stage OF
navigation, and boats OF large tonnage
can ascend it as far as Leonville, 10 The
parish of st. Landry, no miles. It's wa
(ers, which are generally clear, become
muddy and even red on account of the
waters of Red river. At it's lowesl
>tage it is supplied all along its banks
ny beautiful springs Of limpid water,
good to drink and some OF them are
.eputed to have strong medicinal prop.
critics, are much looked for by invalids
md said to have effected some remark.
,ble cures. Bayou Fuselier, which en-
ers it at A~rnaudville, is one Of its main
tributaries, drawing most OF its water.
rom the ridges OF Lafayette and St.
Landry. On the banks of the Techt
here are thriving towns, among which
We can name: P~attersonyille, Centre
Vile, Franklin, Jeannerette, New
IBERIA, L~oreauville, St. Martinsville,
Breaux-B Bridge, Arnaudvi!le and Leon
Vile. A good aud fine road follows it,
ranks on both sides all the way. The
great Southern Pacific runs along it a.
ugh as New Iberia; then verging to the
vest passes at only seven miles from II
1t BreauX Bridge, where a good road
eads to it. At st. MartinsvilIe there il
, branch road running to Cade Station
md another one is sOon expected from
Breaux Bridge to Lafayette, the point
Il junction between the great Southern
Pacific and the line that runs to Alex
md on Red river tho center OF a gen. |
raj system OF railroad lines. A line OF |
inc steamboats, runs regularly het0eeL !
New Orleans and New Iberia and it i. |
understood that as soon as locks will bt |
constructed in bayou Piaquenine, anG \
III appropriation Is already made t. /
hat effect, a line Of daily packets viii,
connect New Iberia with the Crescent |
City. Although the railroad is superior |
60 the boats In speed, visitors sOlne-
prefer to take them so as to con.
emulate more leisurely the fine scenery
chih presents itself to their view during
10 voyage.
Colossal live oaks, c~entRries old, ali
bearded with moss, lined along the
lend to IS grand scenery "a ma
estic aspect. The country or both
is high the soil is light and mel
OW, fertile beyOneeXpressiOn. Cotton,
corn, and alIis5inds Of semi-trop-
cal plants come there with a luxuriant
a Il yielding as much as fOuI
'alatlal residences range along it,
especially Dr the parish of St.
Diary, and ease aud comfort are every
where displayed in that seCtion2 In
nense central sugar factories turn out
asst quantities OF sugar, white as snow,
OF them as much as five million oil
Their capacities are increas-
1g and improving every day and there
) no telling where they will stop. Cane /
sold to these factories by the ton at i
rices ranging from three to FIVE dol
ars and the construction of railroads
nd branches of railroads enable the
lanters to send them at considerable &
istance, the price Of hauling being )
eneraily % cents a ton. |
Some OF these factories have theiI \
wn railroads. Prof. Knapp q banker s.
nd millionaire OF Lake Charles is nov IL
.,nstructlng IN the upper portion of the !
OF st. Martin, between Breaux -
ridge and Arnaud9ille a railroad that
Ill start from Huron plantation on the Il
eche TO the town Of st. Peter, in the .
lrish OF Lafayette, there to connect
18th other lines, -
Both sides of the Teche, in the rear, ~
. immense forests of valuable woods,
easy access. The sugar planters in
den times employed this wood as fuel,
1t since the system of factories has
'en so solldly established, they find il
ore to their advantage to burn coal.
lis coal Is towed to the factories in
rye barges at a reasonable price, and
ountains of it "a be seer at each fac
~. The only portion of this great /
antry which is sometimes flooded by
Q waters of the Mississippi, is that 2.
llch lies on the edge of what is gener-
y called the Great Woods, near the vi
.chafalaya river. But the floods never TO-
ach the banks of the Teche itself. tt
le people know well that in that coup-
they are running the risks of an
at times, but they are all per Al
satisfied that those lands are so -
h and productive, that even if in the
'se OF ten years they lose two crops,
~ are still doing very we'll on account
the great fertility nf tho land
are shipped to market with 4
10 and dispatch, either by rail or wa |
!. Since the war, most Of those large
ntations have changed hands, and 4
now in the possession of rich cap {
lists, who have found iu them mines 4
gold far superior to those of Califor- A
i, even during the gold fever.
The following we clip from the n. o.. N
and calculated to be of in v
RI an p1nrAo,