Year: 1873

!
left the Belle Lee at PASCAL rOutre sta
ton, where she had stopped, and,
embarking on the beautiful Creole,
sought the open gulf beyond the bar.
With an inspiring air from the band,
they bid farewell for the while to those
who chose to remain, and the more
lively excursionists sought the deep
waters outside of the bar. The sound of
the surf and the life-giving sea breeze
| seemed to impart new YigOr to thos e
dwellers on the land, and while with a
foaming bow the swift steamer cleft the
green waves asunder, the sound of social
converse seemed an index of the good
spirits that ran high. Everybody was
interested in the dim lines of smoke
which were rising far at sea beneath the
! horizon, and when now and then a dark
steamer or tow passed, the band gave
them lively greeting as they glided by.
In her course the Creole passed near the
dredge-boat and sayons, which were
| hard at work


DREDGING OUT THE CHANNEL.


Those who had often heard Ofthis ves-
sci and her operations for the benefit of
commerce were particularly interested
in watching herremoVing the mud. The
| Creole, after running a short distance
out to sea, returned to the bar which the
steamer Alabama was crossing at the
time. Soundings were taken in going
across for the benefit of the eeXcursionists,
who seemed surprised at the depth of
the water; then up the pass, by thelight-
house, standing like grim sentinel on
the land, and wended her way back to
the boat, which was quietly awaiting her
l..
sengers who had gone out to the bar
back to the Belle Lee at seven in the
evening, and the latter steamed out and
started


ON THE HOMEwARD BOUND TRIP.


Shortly after a convention was called
in the ladies' cabin, which consisted of
all the members of the congressional
delegation, and many distinguished cit
liens of New Orleans. The meeting
was called to order, with Mayor Wilt
in the chair, and was addressed by J. II.
Oglesby, Esq, and Judge Kennard, who
demonstrated the advantages of the
Mississippi export route over all, both
rail and canal, commercial lines of the
country. They brought up figures and
facts to substantiate their assertions, and
then how cheaply this


FORT ST. PHILIPS CANAL


could be excavated, and vessel of
any draught or tonnage would then be
able to come to our port, while now
the bar distractions kept heavy vessels
from coming in, and this occasiOned a
great scarcity of export tonnage at
New Orleans. After our citizens eX-
pressed their views on the subject of
the necessity of this canal, the immense
advantages it would bring to the west,
the congressman of many States of the
west were called on, and each gave his
opinion on the scheme in a short speech
of not more than twenty minutes.
CONGRESSMEN OF THE WEST AND


SOUTH


men of influence and stamina took the
floor, and all entertained the same Opin-
ion as to the necessity of this canal. !
They condemned the legislation of the
government for so long neglecting the !
Mississippi river, and said that as con-
gress had just appropriated four millions |
of dollars to paving the streets of Wash |
iDgton with asphaltum and wood, that |
it should at least pay six million dol
lars to the completion of scheme which |
was of paramount importance to the
whole western and southern country. |
They said that the eastern railroad mo-
nopOlists had crushed down the products
of the west too long, and that the thing |
of not finding route for exporting their |
products was getting to be


A QUESTION OF STARVATION
with the immense population of these
States, that a quantity of grain had been
burned during the past year because it
would not pay the cost of transportation;
that this was the route that the God of
nature had marked out as an outlet to
the great granaries of the west, and
down this route, it was bound to come.
They limited that if the power of the
east could find no better way of spend
ing their money than decorating the
capital and the big seaboard towns,
they would


COMBINE WITH THE SOUTH,
and move the government, capitol aud |
all, to st. Louis, where it would be better |
cared for.


Great hopes are expressed by
all parties in the results of this |
ocular demonstration to members of |
congress of the state of our channel,
and they say, cost what it may, they are
going to


HELP LOUISIANA ALONG
in every way.


The steamer Belle Lee, after having |
been detained some time by fog on her
way up from the passes arrived at |
the head of Canal street this morning at
eight o'clock, with the excursionists |
aboard, and all well and happy.


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