The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-12-12
FIFTY YEARS AGu.
1846-No. SO 1896.
By S. T. GR1sAMoRE.

By s. T. GRIsAMoRE.
Having been landed on the wharf
boat ut Donaldsnnville Oh tie morning
of November 3, 1916, hesare daylight.
and seeing the market hanse illnmi-
mated, with my cousin I walked over
To see what il resemblsd. As we EN-
tered the structure, we heard an in
eessant talking in languages that were
worse than ancient Greek TO orr ears.
.Ase N,ere young and end, I'd with
ttss.t eat leslty tlsat is peg tr tn per-
sous visiting new aud s. rye scenes
Everything was y re-, .faiion tn us.
ire actions, dress and language were
aalell.ssei TO arouse singular spusa
ti4iss. INT; open new fields 10 oag III
SneeiIs,.,.
We itad seen negroes aud IL few
slaves IL Innlsui!is: hut this tnorning
the negro won,en selling coffee IN lie
market and the bnys aiid girls follow
Ing their masters Will, he u,.ket
baskets, the singular dialect that they
used Were all strange and interesting
Having partaken of a cup OF coffee we
returned to the wharf boat to make
preparations to descend Bayou Lafomr-
che. The proprietor Ut the wharf
ssoat informed us .stliat little packet
drawn BY horses would go down The
Bayou that morning, but that it was a
hall mile from the river, stopped by Il
little steamer named the Delta that
was sunk in the channel about where
the Texas and Pacific railruad bridge
crosses the stream.
Upon iiquiring how we could GET
our trunks taken to the packet. (which
was commanded by Capt. Hoffman,
father af our venerable fellow citizen
residing on St. Philip Street, aud
called The Velocips;!e) we were told
that ..ille Captain would come NJ with
Il skiif and get them, !" s.t;lat he always
came. SO that it was not necessary TO
trouble ourselves bnt wait Il short
while After partaking of a n,isera-
ble poor breakfast on the wharf boat
we learned that the Velocipede had
gone, without sending to ascertain If
| there were any passengers in waiting.
Thus disappointed we made search
for sanie othef means of transporta-
ton and seeing carriage OIL the front
street, talr driver told us that he would
take rs down the bayou 20 miles for
eight dollar. but could not carry our
trunks.
These we left to be shipped later pn.
the bargain was closed witt, the car
| riage driver. when We left Donaldson-
vile, not very favorably impressed
with the treatment that we had re-
| ceiFea. There were no bridges over
| the bayou. but our driver beat the
ferryna an out of his fare by fording
that stream near its mouth where the
water was not over 80 inches in depth.
Our journey down the banks of the
streau, was pleasant, everything bein g
new and strange. In those days the
traveller could easily SEQ over the
levees, and two men riding along on
/ opposite sides could hold a c0nversa-
tion viii, each other.
Our carriage driver very obligingly
jumped over some mans fence and
made Us d present Of some stalks OF
sugar cane which were the first that
We had seen or tasted. To learn how
to masticate it and imbibe its sweet
ness were accomplishment easily
acquired. Our destination was the
home OF my brother who resided in
the vicinity of a little place called
Shrimptown, just twenty miles below
Donaldsonvilie, composed Of coffee
house and billiard saloon, a cooper
shop aud one store. There was q
ferry at that point over which We
crossed .ad ended our journey tor til,
day.