The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1918-12-20

4
ingly encouraging.
| Morgan City and Berwick are or
! the main line of the transcontinenta
Southern Pacific. The Frisco Rail
road is now completed to within sew.
en- miles of these cities, coming from
the northwest, and its extension east
ward is now assured. Berwick Bay
the finest inland, fresh-water port ir
the nation, is broad stretch of the
Achafalaya River. with a depth OF
so feet and a width Of 1900 feet fol
a distance of over a mile betweea
the two cities. Deep water for com
! merce is opened to the markets of
| the East and North via the Plaque
mine locks and the Mississippi
Eighteen miles to the south lies the
Gulf of Mexico, connected with these
ports by the Atchafalaya and a gov
eminent deep water channel The
Intercostal Canal passes between
Morgan City and Berwick, running
from New Orleans to Corpus Chris
ii.
Just outside the mouth of the At
chafalaya River and easily accessible
to these ports is one of the greatest
oyster beds in the world. The ac-
cumulated shell reefs of ages are
now to be utilized by concerns which
make valuable use of their proper
ties. The oyster industry is great,
but is still in its infancy. The ship
ments Of sea foods from these ports
constitute great and growing bust
ness. The manufacture of lime, CO.
ment and poultry shell from the dead
shell will, no doubt, soon add other
lines of large commercial activity to
these ports.
Sugar farming and refining, cy-
press and hardwood lumber mills,
syrup factories, single mills, the
manufacture Of ties, box shocks and
sea food drying operations are extef7-
sively carried on. In addition to the
large six-way shipyard, there are 9TH
er yards which build large barges
and river craft. Hundreds of men
living in surrounding parts of St.
Mary Parish are employed in Morgan
City and Berwick.
An industry which has now been
carried past the stage of experiment
and is being enlarged upon in these
communities is the live stock indus
try. Eleven thousand acres of land
IN one body on Avoca Island, adjoin-
ing Morgan City and Berwick, has
been given over to cattle-raising. No
finer pasturage is to be found in the
United States than that afforded by
the ricl reclaimed areas which are
being utilized for such purposes. Not
only do these reclaimed lands pro-
duce pasturage and silage crops to
an almost unbelievable extent, but
the corn and cane and produce CROPS
which are grown yield a greater re-
turn on the investment than do any
lands yet discovered on this or any
Continent. Millions of acres of these
lands are available surrounding Nor
gan City and Berwick and in South
Louisiana. The price of the raw
land is so low that the additional
cost of clearing and reclamation puts
them in producing condition at a
lower price than lands of far infer
lor value, already in tillable condi-
ton, can be purchased elsewhere.
The trapping of wild animals for
their pelts is no inconsiderable bust
ness In this section of Louisiana.
There is volume of this business,
amounting to over $175,OOO per
year, and it furnishes living in j,
come for large number of men.
Living conditions at Morgan City /
md Berwick are as reasonable in .
price and as well provided with all
modern conveniences as in any cities
n the South. The public school IA
,llities are splendid and the courses
If study embrace all those to be
found in the best of modern schools. !
The saving of a day to great ship
means the saving of considerable ex-
oense. This one fact will have a
great influence on the development
IT t he ports of Morgan City and Ber-
wick. These ideal ports, connecting
ocean commerce direct with rail and /
inland waterways, are from $50 to
800 miles nearer the great shipping
,enters of Central and South Amer
ca than any other ports along the
iulf Coast. The rise and fall Of the
;ide is but Is inches. The safety of
hips at anchor is assured and. be-
:ause of this, harbor and dock facil-
ties are easilv built and maintained.
Sportsmen find the surroundings
If Morgan City and Berwick ideal
or deer, duck, small game, hunting
md fishing. The waters of the trib-
,tary streams abound with game
'ish. and they are conveniently reach
I'd by highway and waterway.
The illustrations Of features Of
Morgan City and Berwick shown in
his issue Of the Marine Register, !!
Of the water fronts along
hese cities, speak more forcibly than
words of the character Of the improve
nents and the development now 60
ng on. Manufacturers seeking a To-
'ation will do we'll to investigate the
resources and conditions claimed for
;hese cities in this article. The writ
r believes that he has dealt mode
ately with the situation, as the facts
lot only bear out the statements, but
would ms ifv much GREATER c1a;rns