The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-04-27
Lo,,lsiana's Waterways.

L0sslstana's Waterways.
Following Ia the report of Con
gresham Adhesion, member of tn
Rivers and Harbors Committee O
the House. on the observations mad
by him during the recent tour O
Louisiana by that committees:
We visited the great salt mine a
Avery Island. 1t IL the largest min,
In the world. The area Of the islant
IL four square miles and two squar,
miles Ut this Ii IA solid block of salt
Drills have been put down through
1t to a depth of 2, 299 feet, when cedar
Is or 30 feet In thickness IL encount
cred. Operations are carried ON no "
$50 feet below the surface Sd as IT,
give roof and keep the water out
Entries are driven very much In the
sati,e way ~ In our coal mines ex-
cept that they are about % feet iu
height. Eighty thousand tons OF
salt water were taken from this mine
last year. We saw 10000 tons at the
mouth of the mine waiting shipment,
but no cars available. The cars ON
hand only held 70 tons and seemed
very small along side of our 50 ton
coal cars. General Avery's grand
father came from New Jersey In 1916
and settled ON this island. Limp
salt was discovered in 1852. the first
In America. 1t IL $50 per cent pure
TObasco pepper also grows in pro-
fusion on this island and thousand
barrels of oysters are shipped every
day. Five hundred men are given
employment. The highest part OF
the island IL $50 feet above the sea.
Here General Avery. his sous and
Civil Service Commissioner McIlhen-
ny. his son.in-law. have fine homes.
where we were beautifully enter
tanned.
I'VE passed the island owned by
the late Joseph Jefferson, the actor.
which he called Bob Acres. In this
neIghborhood are lands said to yield
800 to 400 barrels Of onious per acre.
The seed Is brought from Bermuda
The oyster beds nearby yield 1000
barrels per acre. Last year 5000. 900
bushels Of oysters were taken from
the Louisiana beds aud on each
bushel the State imposes tax of ]
cent.
I'VE passed through miles and
miles Of rice land. Much Of this land
can lie purchased for so to SIS per
acre. The average production OF
rice IL about ten sacks per acre.
Each sack contains $50 pounds and
sells at 50. Many instances are CIV
en- Ut persons who have cleared the
price Of the land Ia one crop. 1t is
said to he u common thing. 1t is
only 70 years since rice growing WAS
begun IN this Deigbborbood. One
man can cultivate 100 acres. Wages
are pretty good and the demand for
labor il great. The usual rate Is
81 50 per day for common labor.
Many farmers are moving from illi-
nois and Iowa to tbese rice lands
They say one must pay Sis per acre
now for good land in those States.
Such land when planted in corn will
produce about so gross. They can
produce $50 worth Of rice on land
which they can buy for one-fifth HIS
much as in Illinois or Iowa.
Lake Charles 10 one of the grow
ing towns Of the State and the me-
tropolis OF Southwestern louisiana.
1t has numerous saw mills which
turn out about 75O.0OO feet of lumber
per day. The yellow pine timber
belt IL about fifteen miles north of
the town.
'.Then miles northwest Of Lake
Charles IL the wonderful sulphur
mine, said to be the greatest In the
world. Sulphur was discovered here
during the Civil war while boring for
salt. Over $2.OO0.OO0 were expended
by different companies In attempting
to mine 1t. The property finally
passed into the hands of the Stand
ard Oh Company, and Professor
Herman Frasche, the engineer for
that great company, invented u
method Of getting 1t out. Wells are
drilled to q depth Of 500 to GU ieet-
A thirteen-inch iron pipe IL inserted
with six-inrh pipe inside Super
heated steam il forced down the larg
er pipe. 1t melts the sulphur and
the air pressure brings IL up the six
inch pipe. ltpours out like molasses.
1t il confined In large square pens
made Law acting heavy blanks on