The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-02-26
NEW ORLEANS
Gateway of the Great Mississippi Valley
Selected

He greatest port and metropolis of the
southern section OF the United States,
New Orleans, is unique among cities of the
Americas. There is no other like it, Up-to-
the-minute in its modern civic improvements,
typically American in its aggressive CONNER
cial energy, even ahead of the times in its
city government and municipal owner
ship and control of public utilities, it is
nevertheless, in some features, one of the
oldest and certainly one of the quaintest and
most foreign of the large cities of the United
States, says the Bulletin of the Pan-American
Union. In the southwest quarter, with its
modern business houses and fine residences,
the visitor finds himself in a modern city of
the United States; in ten minutes he may
cross Canal street, stroll into the northeast
or "Latin Quarter" and find himself in
quantity medieval city which might be
French or Spanish. In the old French
Market" section he hears veritable babel of
tongues-French, Spanish, Yiddish, near
English and sometimes several of these
mixed up in "patois" that is distinctively
"New Orleanseque." Even the names of
the streets reflect something of the citys his
tory. Its French origin is revealed in such
names as Toulouse, Orleans, Du Maine,
Cont, Bourbon, Dauphine, Chartres, ETC.,
while other street names such as Unzaga,
Galvez, ETC., reveal the fact that at one
time the Spaniards were in possession. Again
Tchoupitoulas street would lead one to in
fer that Indians had also had hand in the
general admixture of nomenclature.
Situated about 107 miles above the
mouth of the Mississippi river, whose system
of navigable waterways radiate 1900 miles
through the great middle section of the
United States, and on Lake Ponchartrain,
with access to Mississippi sound water routes
eastward to Mobile, Ala, ard thence by the
Warrior river to the great coal and iron
fields of Alabama, the center of six canals,
and the principal terminal of ten trunk lines
of railways operating total of 145, ,288
miles, New Orleans has become one of the
great industrial centers of the world. Its
manufacturing industries have an output of
over $140,OOO0OO worth of products an
nually, while as a market center the city
distributes $1,130,000,000 worth of COM
modities each year, tremendous trade that
is accounted for by the fact that New Or
leans is the gateway of the Mississippi valley,
the great producing area of the United
States. Comprising II per cent of the United
States proper, this great section, which in
cludes from an economic standpoint II states,
yields 824 per cent of the nations cotton
and cottonseed products, 27.9 per cent of
its coal output, 62.7 per cent of all the iron
ore mined, 67.5 per cent of its live stock,
and 31.7 per cent of its total manufactures.
In the harbor of New Orleans is seen
strikingly successful application of the doc
trine of public ownership and operation of
public utilities. Sixty per cent of the port
facilities have been built or developed by the
dock board, state institution. In the II
years this board has had charge it has ex-
pended $15,OOO,O0O on the wharves, steel
sheds, elevators, and warehouses on the east
bank. These, with terminals built by the
railroads, will give New Orleans almost
eight miles of docks, capable of accommo-
dating at one time 80 vessels 500 feet long.
All are served by the Public Belt railroad,
another triumph of public ownership As
surance of future port expansion without
fear of private profteering is given by the
fact that the title to the water front for Al
miles on both sides of the Mississippi river
is vested in the public and under the control
of the dock board. In addition, the board
is now building an inner harbor six miles in
length, the famous Industrial canal.
Terminal facilities erected by the dock
board comprise 18 of the most modern steel
Sheds, 1924 feet in length, 4,257 feet of
open wharves, 1900 feet of wharf at the
publicly owned grain elevator, and 1873
feet of wharf at the publicly owned cotton
warehouse.
The cotton warehouse and the grain
ELEVATOR are the latest developments in port
Improvements. The former is the largest
handling plant for an agricultural product
in the world, is the most efficiently equipped