The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1907-06-15
AcHEsoN ON LOUISIANA.
Pennsylvania Congressman Tells of what
He Saw During Recent Toar OF the
State with National Rivsrs
and HarbOrs Committee.

l a11u hAED0FS Tom aEn1GtGes
Following is the report OF Congress
man e. T. -Aeheson OF Pennsyiyahis,
member OF the river and harbors COM
mittee of the national house OF repre-
sentatives, covering the observations
made by him during his recent tour of
Louisiana in company with that COM
mittee:
THE SALT MINES.
1--WE visited the great salt mine at
Avery Island. 1t is the largest mine
in the world. The area OF the island
is four square miles and two square
miles of this is a solid block ofssalt.
Drills have been put down through il
to a depth of 2299 feet, when cedar
25 or 30 feet in thickness is encoan.
tered. Operations are carried on nov
532 feet below the surface so as to
give root and keep the water ont.
Entries are driven very much in the
same way as in our coal mines except
that they are about 25 feet In height.
Eighty thousand tons of salt were
taken from silis mine last year. We
saw ZIG, 900 tons at the mouth OF the
mine waiting shipment, but no cars
available. The cars on hand only
held 20 tons each and seemed very
small alongside of our 50-ton coal
cars. General Avery's grandfather
came from New Jersey in 1916 and
settled on this island. Lump salt was
discovered in 1862, the first ia Amsr-
lea. Il is 98.6 per cent pure. Ia
basco pepper also grows In profusiDn
on this Island, and thousand barrels
of oysters are shipped every day.
Five hundred men are given employ.
ment. The highest part OF the island
is $50 feet above the sea. Hero Gem
eral Avery, his sons and Civil service
Commissioners MeIlhenny, his son.in-
law, have fine homes, where wa we're
beautifully entertained.
JEFFERSON IS ISLAND.
1--WE passed the island owned by
the late Joseph Jefferson, the actor,
which he called Bob Acres In this
neighborhood are lands said to yield
100 to 400 barrels of onions per acre.
The seed is brought from Bermuda.
The oyster beds nearby yield 1000 bar
rels per acre. Last year 5000, 200
bushels of oysters were taken from
the Louisiana beds and on each bushel
the state imposes q tax of cent.
"We passed through miles and
miles of rice land. Much of this land
can be purchased for $40 TO e25 per
acre. The average production OF rice
is about ten sacks per acre. Each
sack contains 100 pounds and sells as
So. Many instances are given OF per.
sons who have cleared the price OF
the land in one crop. It is said so b
a common thing. 1t is only 20 yeara
since rice growing was begun in this.
neighborhood. One man can eultis
vate 100 acres. Wages are prstsy
good and the demand for labor is
great. The usual rate is S1.50 per
day for common labor. Many farm.
ers are moving from Illinois and lowe
to these rice lands. They sag one
must pay s125 per acre now for good
land in those states. Such land when
planted in corn will produce abous
$50 gross. They can produce go
worth Of rice on land which they can
buy for one-ffth as much as In Illinois
or lowe.
LAKE CHARLES--THE SULPHUR MINES.
Lake Charles is one of the grow.
ing towns of the state and the msteop-
oils of southwestern Louisiana. Il
has numerous sawmills which turn
out about 10000 feet OF lumber per
day. The yellow pine timber belt 10
about fifteen miles north Of the town.
Ten miles northwest OF Laks
Charles is the wonderful sulphur
mines, said to be the greatest ID. the
world. Sulphur was discovered here
during the civil war while boring for
salt. Over $1,000, 900 were expended
By different companies in attempting
to mine 1t. The property finally
passed into the hands of the Stand ara
Oil Company and Professor Hermas
Frasche, the engineer for that greaa
concern, invented method of gets
ting It out. Wells are drilled TO 4
depth Of 500 to 900 fset. A thirteen
Inch iron pipe is inserted with six-
inch pipe inside. Superhaated stesaa
is forced down the larger pipe. ii.
melts the sulphur and the air prassusa
brings it up the six-inch pips. III
pours out like molasses. Il is conS
fined in large square pens made ~
setting heavy planks on edge, Sons
of these are 200 By hoo fest, with
an area OF about seven acrss. Ths
sulphur cools when It comes Ia con-
tact with the air. The planka asa
then raised and this 10 continued an.
I'll the blocks Of sulphur are so feett
high. We saw several OF these chuna
The mine produced last year 300.
600 tons. The market prizes was So
per ton. During the Russo-J apansss
war it rose to $40 per ton. ina
deposit Of sulphur is 500 feet below
the surface and is rs fest in thick