The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-08-25
NEW ORLEANS LETTER.
Gourdain's Make-Believe 9ank aRustsd.s =
The Building BOOM New Iberiais
Dubious Fever ease.
Weather. Etc.
New Orleans. La, August 22, 1906.

panic IN the southern metropolis, nave
you? There are no visible evidences
or indie ations of such 8 catastrophe
| anywhere throughout the city, except
at one solitary spot-the northwestern
corner OF Camp and St. Joseph streets,
where stands tWo.story brick build
ing which the ophisticated observer
might be excused for regarding as one
OF the leading monetary Institutions OF
| the community. Displayed In shiny
gilt letters on the windows OF the lower
story of the building are those legends:
Chemical Bank HLouisiana Trust
Banking Co." "World's Guaranty
and Surety Co. The place is placarded
for rent, and ii is evident that sll
three Of the concerns with theimposing
titles just quoted have gone TO smash.
Still, as have said, there are no symp.
toms Of unrest Or trouble among any
other OF the numerous banks, trust
and surety companies in the city, aud
it is apparent that the failure OF the
three institutions at Camp and st.
Joseph streets has affected nobody but
those directly connected with them. In
point Of fact there has never been any
thing more tangible TO the Chemical
Bank, the Louisiana Trust Banking
Company and the Worlds Guaranty
and Surety Company, than the gilt
letters on the windows presenting these
high-sounding titles to the public eye.
The street doors of the building have
been kept closed for several years, no
customers were ever TO be seen in front
of the counters and no clerks behind
them. The premises have been rented
by Louis A. Gourdain, the picturesque
Louisiana confidence man and lottery
Ioperator recently brought to tsw and
condemned TO seven years imprisons
ment in the penitentiary at J oliet, Ills,
for conducting 3 fraudulent lottery at
Chicago. Gourdain used the names OF
the three imaginary banking and
surety concerns as references In his
lottery business, and now that the lat-
ter has gone by the board, there iB no
further incentive to invest even tha
small sum requisite TO pay rent for the
maintenance OF the intangible trinity.
There is no 1et-up in the building
and improvement boom here, and tha
city il making forward strides in arr
chitectural appearance and the in
crease Of material values that have
had no parallel In the record of iss
|. past progression. As Harlequin says:
aNever since lbs founding has such D
tremendous amount of building hean
in progress in New Orleans. Every
where houses, from humble cottages
TO magnificent homes, from little
stores to great manufactures, ara
building. The ancient city resembles,
indeed, boom town In the great west.
i 1t is, In this respect, no longer like
New Orleans. -
| A striking illustration of the benef-
cial effects Of the campaign OF e1uca-
tion carried on in this city and stats
last summer with view OF demon
strating the means by which yellow
fever Infection is transmitted and
the practicabilisy a1 controlling aud
| extirpating the disease, is supplied by
the fact that the announcement OF the
appearance OF q case OF the fever 81
| New Iberia has caused hardly arippla
of excitement or nneasinesa among
our people, and that there is no talk
of the "slapping on of indiscriminata
and senseless quar- antines either within
the state or across it's borders. The
health officers OF Texas, Mississippi
and Alabama express full confidence
in the ability and purpose OF the Lou
i isiana board OF health TO stamp ont
the Iberia Infection and prevent itg
spread TO other localities. DR.. Irfon,
president OF the board, is on tho
ground, IN personal charge OF the
/ work OF fumigation and sanitation.
and even the people of New Iberia
have no fears of his failure 10 prevent
the fever from gaining foothoid In
i that community. Many expressions of
doubt and dissent with references TO the
diagnosis OF the Iberia case are heard.
The patient is colored youth, and
the comparative immunity OF the Afro.
American from yellow fever In aIl we'll
defined epIdemics OF that disease af-
lords reasonable basis for assuming
the possibility Of error on tho part OF
the disting guished physicians who have
expressed the opinion that the case is
one of genuine Yellow Jack. An un-
fortunate feature Of such affairs In
that unless the patient dies so that an
autopsy can be held, the erect CHI ar
aeter OF his disease may never be sat-
isfactorily determined. AT t1is writ.
ing there ia said TO be a favorable
| prospect that the New Iberia dsrkav
will obligingly prevent any eontro.
versy among the disciples OF Esculau-
ius concerning the nature OF his all
nent.
Il would be useless to deny that we
J are having some warm weather: in-
j deed, it may even be admitted that 81
times, when humidity IL excessive and
the south wind has aubsided for .
: while, the temperature is subject to tl1e
impubatlon OF being hot: but. Land
sakesl we are not having-Wa nsyar f1f
, ything Ike the blistsrfnc
heat that is killing people In Cnicago.
! PittsDurgs New York and other cfties
, OF the north and west. met 3 citizen
: OF Chicago yesterday and couldn'l
! help eongr atulating him that inasaaf
OF being at home, where be might n
most be roasted alive on the street. hs
Q was enjoying the delightful breazes
from the gulf away down south ID
Dixie. New Orleans will be cettina
up reputation as q summer resort ag
Well as winter one, first thing wa
: know.
: The weather man at the Custom
q mouse ought TO be ashamed of himself
: : Tor giving you Asesnsioni6as such !
Q damp reception on the occasion o
+ your visit here last Sunday, ami /
Dr. Cline wasn't such good friend %
mine and ordinarily so clever in mese
geological matters, I might be temDtet
i TO call the attention Of the VI ashIng
n %Esrz erN1@3@ AZ. 4 ~