The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-04-09

Down 500 Feet into Salt Mine on
Avery Island.
During Il. c. Crosby's recent visit
to his sou, Francis W. Crosby, in New
Iberia, La, he received new impress
sions Of that richly productive coun-
try. Mr. Crosby says he has no intcn
does not blame his son for locating
there. 1t is Il thriving and growing
city of the South and has prosper
Gus future before it.
Mr. and Mrs Crosby went there on
their wedding trip and returned just
before the worst storms of the middle
West occurred. They went by boat to
New Orleans, where Francis W. Cros-
by formerly lived, thence by the
Southern Pacific railroad to New her
ia. his present home. From there they
made excursions to the outlying coun-
try. On their return they went from
New Orleans over the Illinois Central
railroad and came homo by way of
the Michigan Central road. The first
storms were Il day or two ahead of
them, aud at Cairo they sawra wreck
of II cars which had been Blown into
the water.
Francis W. Crosby, Formerly of
BrattIeboro, is the general manager
and ono Of the directors Of the South
ern traction company, builders and
owners Of the street railroad from
New Iberia to Jeanerette He was the
moving spirit in promoting this rail-
road, which is the first electric rail
road in Louisiana, outside OF New
/ Orleans, and he is one of the well-
known citizens Of the city. This year
the company will extend the road 40
/ Morgan City, 80 miles further toward
New Orleans, -.
Iberia is one Of Il tier of parishes
bordering on the Gulf Ct Mexico. The
mainland OF the parish is drained by
the Techo. bayou, a navigable stream.
1t was ), tiled to "A large extent by
the Arcadians, whose descendants form
a part Of the present population. At
the@"f--stt--ef ira 49, vsssl
is New Iberia, the county seat, city
Of 10000 to $4,000 inhabitants.
y number Of towns sprang up on
the bayou, and formerly their princi-
pal means of communication was by
navigating the stream. About % years
ago the Southern Pacific railroad was
built through that section. but it left
these smaller towns several miles from
the railroad. The street railroad ac-
commodities these towns, following
the winding coarse of the Teche
The industries of the parish are
mostly agricultural. but two important
industries not connected with agricul
ture are the mining Of salt on, Week,
and Avery islands and numbering. The
humidity is high, but daily breezes
from the Gulf mitigate the otherwise
sultry conditions.
Sugar cane is the most valuable
crop in Iberia, the sugar, molassei
aud syrup produced annually being
] worth about $2.500,000. Some of th'
cane crushing plants are valued a
from $&J0,000 to $55o,00o. Great IN
terest is taken in corn since the adj
veut OF the cotton boll-weevil Rice i
also grown to some extent.
The parish includes some of TIN
richest land in the United States. Tn
soil is dark, and it is said that tn
only soil like it that has thus far bee
discovered is near the river Nile.
will grow practically everything TIL
big plantations are being broken Il
into small farms and settlers are bein
invited there from all through til
West.
One of the things that particular
interested Mr.. and, Mrs. Crosby Wa
the salt mine on Avery island, nes
New Iberia. The island is one of thre
which seem to have been pushed u
n through marsh land, and the mine
- 80 acres in extent. The salt stratum
-. 5000 feet thick and borings show tn;
under it is a layer of wood and the
rock 1t has been mined to depth
500 feet and from % TO 50 carloa,
of salt a day are being shipped, NJ
and Mrs. Crosby went down into Il
mine and brought home some larl
pieces of the salt, which is almo
transparent. .-...-
South Of Avery island Is a colony
50 full-blooded Chetamathcz Indian
$ all who remain of tribe which on
largely inhabited that country.