St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-01-01
FRISCO RAILROAD nov
runs into new IBERIA
Ths Beautiful Tschs City mas . Compelling
Railroad Ilns IA ihe Great system.
CONNECTS AT PORT BARRE
The Entrance Of the First Train late New
iberia Mads the occasion q ThuR.
dsrlng Demonstrates.

With cannons roaring, bells ring
ino. whistles shrieking, and cheers
from five thousand throats, New Ibe-
ria on last Wednesday welcomed the
first Frisco train to enter the city.
II was gala occasion. For years
the neople Of New Iberia had lsbored
;ndnstriousIy to get ! competing line,
tba Southern Pacific being the only
railroad running through that city.
The realization of their efforts in
the completion Of the Frisco naturally
entbused them, and they celebrated.
well.
GREAT system at Port Barre, and the
Iat.er place is at present the terni-
nal If the line. But it is now pro-
nosed. according to New Iberia citi-
lans to end the road there. There
i ! scheme to go on to 0akdale with
Il nassipg through either Opelonsas
or Washington, thence through Plais-
anca and Vile Platte, striking the
Sante Re and the Kansas City,
Watkins & Gulf Railroad at Oakdale.
And again, there is move on foot
10 make Opelousas. instead Of Port
Barre. its terminal, pending the con-
srronaation of the 0akdale scheme,
This would practically give Opelousas
4 new line. 1t would connect it di-
reetly with Leonville and that section,
and make It more accessible to the
people Of the Arnaudville section.
AS it is now, it gives railroad COM
munication with those sections, but a
through train, as is proposed, would
be much preferable.
The first train to enter New Iberia
Wednesday contained but one coach,
and was drawn by Frisco engine No.
10l. 1t was preceded by a "dinkyo
engine Of the Nigh-Rutledge Lumber
Co, with r. III. WEIGH, the promoter
of the road, and Ne iberia COM.
mittee, riding on the cow-catcher.I
Mr. Welch rode in this manner all
along the route. ID true Welchenian
style, it had been necessary for him
to put much temporary work in order
to get his road into the city in time
to make it eligible to receive the
hundred thousand dollars tax voted
by New iberia for the road. There
was string tied to the tax, in that
if it's engine did not enter the corpo-
rate limits of the city by January
1st, the tax would be forfeited BY
the road. But it did enter, although
much Of the road is not yet graded.
Crossties we're laid on the level ground, |
and all manner of temporary bridges
built over the streams. The work
proceeded just some miles ahead Of
the first train. At Loreauville the |
train wss delayed in order that the
workmen could finish the work. A
temporary depot had been erected,
and the whole scheme was indeed
unique and characteristic Of the man.
But the people Of New iberia were
satisfied, and cheered Weleh and ban
quoted him, and presented him with
D gold watch. It will b six months
before the road will be in operation,
SO we are told, but it will be in oDer-
alton.
The trip over the new road was
necessarily slow and tedious. Leaving
Port Barre at 10 o'clock, it arrived
in New Iberia at $50. On board the
coach were people from 0pelousas,
Port Barre, Arnaudville and other
towns along the route, as well as q
delegation from the City Council and
Board Of Trade of New iberia, which
had come to 0pelousas the day be-
fore and boarded the Frisco here,
connecting with the new road atI
Port Barre. The delegation consisted
Of Mayor Powell, Messrs. R. ]. Lock
wood, ]. T. Johnson, R. F. Delahous-
saye, A. G. Barrow, Arthur Leblanc,
W. Patout, Chas. Clerc, A. F. Voor-
HES, O. Renaudet, w. Lassalle, =.
Daigre and Alexis Voorhies.
The New iberia delegation was en-
tertained at banquet at the Lacombe
Tuesday night by Mr.. ]. Adam Budd,
who is now in business in New Iberia
but still citizen of Opelousas They
were given royal good time by
their jovial and enterprising host.
The banquet at New iberia was set
Tor two hundred covers, but the
guests greatly exceeded the capacity
Of the tables. At least thirty had to
wait for a second table," but there
was plenty there, and none went away
hungry It was given at The Aims
House, and was one Of the most sue
cessful and ENJOYABLE functions per-
haps ever held in southwest Louisiana
It was given under the auspices Of
the New IBERIA Board Of Trade, ana
the New Iberians showed themselves
20 be prince of entertainers. One
marked feature was the unanimous
and unqualified spirit Of New Iberia
all the time" which welled in tle
hearts Of the Iberians. They have