Thibodaux commercial journal. (Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, La.) 191?-1959, 1910-05-11
Onlcers reelected and Hon. Robert Ro-
berts elected for first vice president
important business transacted.

On1cers reelected and Hon. Robert Ro-
berts elected for first vice president
Important business transacted.
Opeiousas live forever. Her
hospitality to visitors, her genero.
sity and method Of entertainment
to the press association of this
state will forever be among the
most pleasant recollections our
representatives to that conven
tion have ever had. On the first
day there was an entertainment
ON the well kept court house
grounds. The soldier boys drill
led, there were three May pole
dances at one and the same time
to the accompaniment of a brass
band, Chicken sand wiches, cof-
fee, lemonade, punch were SER
We'd by the ladies'. The entire
town was out to welcome the
visitors. At night there was a
smoker at the Elks home for the
men folks while the ladies' were
entertained at a musical, wind
ing up with a dance. All ses-
siOns were interspersed with vo-
Cal and instrumental music by
the ladies of that town, who be-
sides being pretty and swell
dressers are talented in music.
The second day we were taken
by railroad to the Scheil Canal,
the largest and most gigantic
drainage, irrigation and naviga
tion canal in the world. The ma
chinery is stupendous and mar
vellous. The pump takes the
water over an incline of seventy
i've feet, after the pump is sub
merged in forty seven feet of
water. In the levee there is a
tunnel nearly two hundred feet
or more long, through which
crowds can promenade. One
shaft of the pump weighs alone,
forty IONS. The water is taken
from the Mississippi River by
means of another stream twenty
two miles away and will besides
furnishing a nayiga BILE canal ir.-
rigate several thousand acres Of
land, here tofore uncultivated.
The plant is beyond description
and were it at the head of Bayou
Lafourche, the largest crafts
could navigate the year round.
The individual in charge Mr..
Schsll, is a Pennsylvania, ,and is
!. not looking at the financial end.
He wants success and wants to
create new homes for people in
over crowded cities, he wants to
better mankind and if he sue
ceeds in this he will be satisfied.
We have never heard man
speak of such stupendous un-
dertaking with so much SINGER.
ity, always having uppermost in
his mind the bettering of man..
kind. If Louisiana had twenty
or one hundred Schells like this
one it would soon put the hard
bricks that are loading this state
down out of business and the
state would lead every state in
the union. Mr.. Schell is not
pledged to any one crop. but be-.
lieves in diversification. From
what we know of him we believe
him to be the best man into
whom God ever breathed life.
The people of Opelonsas and
Washington think so also. Heis
one mile from Washington, and
because the convention could not
60 there, it's good people came to
US and served Us refreshments
at the Schell canal. Mrs. K.
Lynch, formerly Miss Gertrude
Callahan, and her hus band were
at the head of the entertainers.
On Tuesday we went to Church
Point, Rayne and were royfully re-
ceived, beered, caked. and sand
wished. At Crowley we were left
by the special together with the re.
presentatives of the Daily States
and the Times Democrat and being
thus divorced from the convention
we made the best of it returning
to Lafayette, where we spent the
night and returned to Opelousas
the next morning to take the train
for home. We had hoped to get
an auto and drive from Lafayette
to Opelousas but were deferred on
account OF the down pour rain and
were thereby deprived OF one of the
grandest banquets the press associa
tion was ever treated to anywhere.
We reached Opelousas at six o'clock
Friday morning and had sufficient
time to pack our belongings and
partake Of one of Mine Host Cretin
h the Lacombe's Hotel good meals
before leaving for our home. The
Elks and Knights OF Columbus
kept open house for the visitors,
the latter have q beautiful home
OF their own.
The following of6csEs we're cleo
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