The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1904-03-17
About the Mexican Trip.
Continued from last week.

Continued from last week.)
Upon arising the next MORN
ing we found upon making in
that we were in Louisiana
and almost at New Orleans. One
of the interesting spectacles were
the swamps that hemmed in the
track on either side. Vast trees,
from six inches to as
many feet in foul i'll smelling,
brakish water, rose from fifty to
one hundred feet high, and their
tops were invariably hung heavy
with Spanish Moss" a variety
common to this locality. This
moss is a silvery gray in color
and hangs pendant from the
limbs, lazily swinging in the soft
stirring breeze. This moss has a
commercial value, being used for
mattresses, ETC., and wherever
accessible, is picked and cured
for market. Occasionally a negro
cabin, built upon stills, would be
passed and the thoughts of living
here we're nearly enough to pre-
cipitate an attack of malaria or
fever and ague.
Lake Ponchatrain, which is in
reality an arm of the gulf was
passed, it's ripping waves fairly
washing against the track On the
east and in a few moments we
were in New Orleans where a
great many things of interest
were to be seen. The levee was
a place of busting activity and
was visited by every member Of
the party. The Mississippi here
is about seventy feet deep and
ocean going vessels of every class
and description and from all
parts of the world anchor here.
Many of these large vessels were
seen unloading and taking on
cargoes. Cotton, sugar, rice,
molasses, ETC., are shipped in
large quantities and New Orleans
hopes, upon completion of the
Panama canal, to handle the bulk
of the wheat raised in the north
west and become one of the
greatest grain exporting cities
on the continent.
Among the other places visited
we're the old French market, the
old Spanish cathedral, one of the
oldest buildings in the city, the
parks, and the cemeteries, the
silent cities of the dead, where,
because of the proximity of the
water to the surface, interments
are made in tombs built above
ground instead of in the earth.
Some of these tombs are magnif-
icent structures built of the
finest granite and marble aud
some Of them cost many thou
sands of dollars. All too soon
the day came to a close; too soon
for the eager sightseer but not
too soon for the body, which had
become exceedingly tired in the
days quest for the knowledge to
be gained tramping up and down
the streets of this quaint old
town, and, after viewing the
magnificent preliminary parade
preceding the opening of the
Mardi Gras, all wendell their
way to the car to lose themselves
in s1umber.
At $50 the next morning (Fri-
day. our train was ferried across
the river to the west side and VIC
were off Oh our forty-cight hour
ride from New Orleans to 81
Paso, covering a distance of
eleven hundred and sixty-one
miles, to be made without a stop
except for meals.
Louisiana, Judging from what
we saw, is one of the garden spots
of the garden spots of the earth>
We saw no growing crops, but on
every hand were evidences of the
fertility Of the soil. Cotton, corn
and cane fields gave abundant
proof by last years growth that
the washing down and distribu-
tiOn over this region for centur-