^y^**^. CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 1924 099 385 522 DATE DUE PRINTED IN U.SA Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924099385522 In compliance with current copyright law, Cornell University Library produced this replacement volume on paper that meets the ANSI Standard Z39.48-1992 to replace the irreparably deteriorated original. 2004 1. . '/-^ O-t^O'*- OLAyC^Z-*^^^ m^ U,A.-^^-^^>-'^^ £yC^'^€^(^<^c ,ji^ .i^^^-^^ ^^^ /^^^ I- ' ■'§■"■71;* ,-^/ •^2^ :?>•*, :::^i^'*#" \ it J 1. - ' to '> -■< .1 ■■ 3 I 01 .! MAKCUfe iNAlUKN, LAZAMUliS nU I iiiboiN.-C>^ , V-l^ '>l-> r- iv-. \l* 'I INTRODUCTION. ,CTN the preparation of this volume we are indebted to many brilliant and interesting e! sketches, stories and descriptions, written at different times during the last thirty . ■^ years for the press of New Orleans, by such eminent historians, litterateurs and journalists as the foUowmg : Hon. Charles Gayarre, Judge Alexander Walker, Charles E. \¥hitney, Mrs. Field ("Catherine Cole"), Alexander and his sons, John and Charles Dimitry,' Lafcadio Hearn, Marion A. Baker, Norman Walker, and a number of others long since under the sod. We make this acknowledgment here, instead of accrediting the matter to them throughout the book, as each phrase or description is used or story is retold. Many persons who visit New Orleans find difficulty in knowing where to go and what to see, and after the places have been determined upon they lose considerable pleasm-e by not knowing the traditions, legends and incidents surrounding such scenes. New Orleans- by its cosmopolitan character, and having been so far removed in its earlier history from tlie rest of the colonies, and during its occupancy by the Spanish and French-took to itself usages, customs and even a patois of its own, the story of which has furnished material for romances equaled by few other cities in this country. Some of these stories are still preserved and hang round the scenes of their birth like the Spanish moss clinging to the spreading oak, making and forming a part of its grandeur and existence. It has been the endeavor of the compilers to arrange these in such a manner as to facilitate the visitor to New Orleans and to furnish him with a complete Historical Sketch-Book and Guide to New Orleans and the Creole Quarter. ^^^ PUBLISHER. New York, Dec \^th, 1884, 1 take pleasure in recommendlngr the foHowIng- work. The pens from which it comes represent not only as careful, trustworthy and talented effort as could have undertaken it, but entirely different lines of long experience and acquired knowledge concerning New Orleans, that together quite bound the whole subject. Some of the illustrations, I may take the liberty of adding, are from sketches made under my own supervision. GEO. W. CABLE. Simsbury, Conn., Nov. 1 , 1 SS4. GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS. CHAl'TEK I.-NEW ORLEANS, THE CRESCENT CITY. THE EXTENT AND LIMIT OF NEW ORLEANS-ITS WARDS, DISTRICTS, AND OTHER SUB- mVISIONS-TIIE FOUNDING OF THE CITV— A JIRIEF REVIEW OF ITS EARLY HISTORY. Xew Orleans is par excellence, the city where one can amuse himself during the winter 1 months In no other on this continent are so many and such varied attractions. This is I ueculiarly the case justnow during " The World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition," with its myriads of exhibits, more diverse than at any exhibition heretofore. The Carnival, or Mardl Gras festirities, with their mid-day and nocturnal pageants surpassing anything of the kind, will this year be a feature of the vrinter, and the pen fails to describe their splendor. While all the country north of the Tennessee river is locked in ice : its trees leafless and its homes stormed by fierce arctic winds. New Orleans smiles through the preen of orange and magnolia trees. Her gardens are bright and odorous with flowers ; the streets are fflled with loungers and sight-seers ; all the open-air resorts are crowded ; there is a busy hum of gaiety and music and laughter everywhere. The city boasts three waterside resorts. Each has a hotel, a theatre, a fine restaurant. All of them are on Lake Pontchartrain, only five or six miles from the heart of the city, by steam cars running at short intervals. To him who has lived among blizzards and hailstorms, it must be a sensation to dine upon an open balcony in January, to see roses blooming in the garden to breathe the soft south wind fanned from the Gulf of Mexico, and feel that luxuriousness peculiar to tropical latitudes. He can take his choice of the West End, Spanish Port and Miineburg, at any of which points he can get an elegant repast. There is the Jockey Club with its races, the bayous and their aquatic sports, the base-baU parks, the river-side resorts with beer and music. In town are many restaurants, theatres, concert halls and saloons, where the stranger can spend his evening pleasantly. Indeed, one must be strangely hard to please who, coming from the bleak and wintry North, cannot find sufflcient enjoyment rambling about the bright and crowded streets, peeping into places of amusement and tasting the luxury of the wondrous climate of New Orleans. The city is situated on the left or east bank of the Mississippi, 107 miles from its mouth. A small portion— the Fifteenth ward, generally styled "Algiers"— is on the west bank, but the gi-eat bulk of it, with nineteen-t wentieths of its population, is east of the river. The Mississippi here is 1,600 to 3,000 feet in width, being much narrower than above. How- ever, it makes up in depth, which here ranges from 60 to 250 feet, and enables the largest vessels to land at the bank or wharf. The speed of the current varies greatly, being 5 miles an hour during high water, at other periods very slow. The current, moreover, is treacherous, and in many places the river runs up-stream. Even when the upper current is moving towards the Gulf an under-current runs in a different direction. Notwithstanding the power of the river, it is affected by the Gulf, and the latter's tides are felt at New Orleans. Salt water often forces its way up the Mississippi, making the river water, on which many depend, unfit to drink ; salt water fish are often caught in the river at and above New Orleans, and sharks over seven feet long. The tendency of the Mississippi, at the city, is to move westward. This it does, by depositing its alluvium on the east or New Orleans bank, and washing away the other bank, causing large oavings. This movement is rapid, averaging 15 feet a year. It is always adding new squares and streets to the front of New Orleans, which is known as " the batture." Whev the city was founded, the Custom-house which stood 160 years ago where It stands to-day, was on the river bank. Now It Is three squares Inland. At the foot of St. Joseph street most batture has been made, the river having travelled westward 1800 feet in a century and a half. , What ia now the east bank was then the west bank. During that period the Mississippi has filled up, i HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOK. slowly but surely, its own ohauuel— which is now well built up— and ha,8, at the same time, carved out an entirely new channel for itself. "New Orleans is specially interesting amonf^: the cities of the United States," remarks the British Encyclopwdia "from the picturesqueness of its older sections, and the languages, tastes and customs of a large portion of Its people. Its history is as sombre and unique as the dark wet cypress forest, draped m long pendant Spanish moss, which once occupied its site and which still encircles its horizon." It was founded in 1718 by Jean Baptiste Lemoyne de Bienville, a French Canadian, Governor of the French colony which had been planted nineteen years earlier at Biloxi, on Mississippi Sound. A few years after its founding when it was still but little more than a squalid village of deported galley slaves, trappers and gold hunters, it was made the capital of that vast Louis- iana, which loosely comprised the whole Mississippi Valley. The names remaining in vogue in that portion of the city still distinguished as le vieux caiTe, or the old French quarter, preserve an interesting record of the.se humble beginnings. The memory of the French dominion is retained in the titles and foreign aspects of Toulouse, Orleans, Du Maine, Conti, Dauphin^ and Chartres streets ; while the sovereignty of Spain is even more distinctly traceable in the stuc- coed walls and iron lattices, huge locks and hinges, arches and gratings, balconies and jalousies, corrugated roofs of tiles, dim corridors and inner courts, brightened with portifoes, urns and r basins, statues halt hid in roses and vines, and musical with sounds of trickling water. There are streets named for the Spanish Governors, Unzaga, Galvez, Miro, Salcedo, Casa Calva and Carondelet. The site of New Orleans was selected by Bienville as the highest point on the river bank and consequently safe from overflow. The second year of its occupation, however, the entire town was submerged, and it was found necessary to construct a dyke around it to protect it against inundation. This dyke was the beginning of the immense system of levees which have cost the people of the Lower Mississippi Valley over $150,000,000 to erect and maintain. The site selected by BienviUe for the city was deemed specially favorable, first on account of its height— it was ten feet above the level of the ocean— and secondly, on account of a bayou which ran just back of the town to Lake Pontchartrain, thus giving the city communication with the Gulf, otherwise than by the river whose strong current at high flood rendered it difficult of ascent. It did not prove to be so favorable as it had appeared at first sight, being covered by a noisome and almost impenetrable cypress swamp, and subject to frequent if not annual overflow. Its dis- tance from the mouth of the river was also a great disadvantage. Bayou St. John, known to the Indians as Choupich (muddy), and Bayou Sauvage, afterward Geutilly, navigable to small sea- going vessels to within a mile of the Mississippi's bank, led by a short course to the open waters of the lake and thence to the Gulf, Here, in 1718, BienviUe landed a detachment of twenty-five convicts or galley slaves, twenty-flve carpenters and a few voyageurs from the Illinois Country (Canadians) to make a clearing and erect the necessary huts for the new city which he proposed to found, and which he named in honor of his Highness, the Prince Regent of France, Louis Philippe, Duke d'Orleans, one of the greatest rou6s and scoundrels that ever lived. i The original city, as laid off by Bienville, comprised eleven squares front on the river, running from Customhouse street (rue de la Douane) to Ban'acks street (rue des Quartiers), and five squares back from Levee street (rue de la Levee) to Burgundy (rue de la Bour- gogne). These limits constituted for many years the boundaries of New Orleans. During the early French days, houses were built back of this, along the road running towards the lake and Bayou St. John. Plantations were established on the river bank, both above and below the city. When the city was transferred from Spain to France, andjihence to the United States, the great bulk of the population still lived in the old quart§ra??pThe Americans, however, began to establish themselves above on what was of old the Jesuits^ plantation, building up a new town, which became known as the faubourg St. Mary or Sainte Marie. At the lower end of town, another suburb was laid out, known as faubourg 1 GUIDK TO NEW ORLI'.ANS. " Marigny. Tbis made New Orleans a pei-feot crescent in shape, for the ■•'7'- ■I'^f, '';,,*™°' of the e'ty hends ^aoefuUy in the form of a half moon. To this -™"-f ^^°- '« ^^« '^^''^'^ "Crescent aty," bestowed upon New Orleans fifty years ago, and ^"ch .^"^°"f .^^J^^Xr cable then, is ridiculous to-day. The city hasspread up stream, following the ''^"^""'^^/'Y/; annexing innumerable suburban towns and villages, until it is now in shape very °>"?y*; *« letter " 8," long and narrow, while a portion of it, the Fifteenth ward, or Algiers, is situated on the right banlc and cut off entirely from the rest of the city. „,„aiinwprt a in this movement upstream and backward towards the lake. New Orleans has ^waJlojd a large number of towns and viUages-almost as many as London itself ^nd as many of the districts thus devoured still retain in ordinary parlance their old titles it '^^^f ''"'^^^^^^^^^^ strangers. Thus, the western portion of New Orleans is never spoken of as the ^'"f ^"'^ J^^™; but always as Algiers, recalling the fact that fifteen years ago, it was a flJ''^^°°^^Xl. municipal government of its own, mayor, council and policemen. The .^'^treme upper portion of New Orleans, constituting the Sixteenth and Seventeenth wards, is ^^'^^^/^l'^^.^""^^ CarroUton, while another portion, that bordering on Lake Pontchartrain, still bears the title oi Mflneburg.inhonor of the philanthropist Milne. A,.ioan= Algiers New Orleans comprises to-day what originally constituted the cities of New Ojl^^^^' ^J^^«"' , CarroUton, Jefferson City and Lafayette, the faubourgs Treme. Delord, St. Johnsburg Mangny DeClouet. Sainte Marie, Annonciation, Washington, Neuve Marigny las ^°'^'^^^^'2tn^^ vUlages of Greenville, Burtheville, Bouligny, Hurstville, ^ribourg, EickerviUe MeehanicsTille, Belleville, Bloomington, Freetown, Metairievllle, Mllneburg, Femerburg, GentiUy, Marley, Fouoher and others. „ „, t„«:^-c^t> Of these, the only names still used to any extent are Algiers, CarroUton, Jefferson, Greenville, GentUly, Mllneburg and Freetown. , , ,v . „i,„,a tho Algiers is that portion of New Orleans on the right, or west bank of the river, where the Southern Pacific or Louisiana & Texas H. E. has its depot. r.,»tr,a Freetown, is a negro suburb of Algiers, lying directly north of it, and between It and Gretna^ CarroUton embraces what is known as the Seventh district or the Sixteenth and Seventeentl^ wards Upper Line street divides it from the remainder of the city. It extends between parallel lines to Lake Pontchartrain and includes the lake resort or pleasure gi'O'^'i'i,^"'^" tt J„^t "a Jefferson City constitutes what is known as the Sixth district, or Twelfth. Thirteenth and Fourteenth wards. It comprises all that portion of New Orieans between Toledano and Uppei '° GreeuvlUe is that portion of Jefferson next to CarroUton and bordering the river, and in the immediate neighborhood of the Upper City Park or Exposition Grounds. GentUly is the smaU settlement mainly of farmers, dairy-men and vegetable dealers In the Bayou GenriUy, a corruption of ChantUly, the celebrated estate of the Condes in France, DUst back of the Third district on the Une of the Pontchartrain Railroad. Mitaeburg is the viUage lying at the terminus of the Pontchartrain Railroad on Lake Pont- i chartrain. The terminus of the New Orieans & Lake Road is similarly known as West End, and - that of the New Orleans & Spanish Fort Railroad as Spanish Fort. New Orieans includes the entire parish of Orleans, the greater portion of which is an unin- habitable swamp. AU the land between the river and lakes Pontchartrain and Borgue is conse- quently a portion of the city and controlled by municipal laws and ordinances. The total area subject to municipal government Is 187 square mUea or 119,680 acres. Of this only a very small portion, less than one-tenth, is built upon or even cultivated in farms or inhabited. The greater portion of New Orleans is stiU' covered by the primeval cypress forests and sea swamp and marsh. Chef Menteur, the Eigolets, are part and parcel of the city, although thirty miles dis- tant from a house. Within the municipal limits are the best fishing and duck-hunting resorts in the South, and there are probably sections of the Ninth ward of New Orieans which have never been visited hy man, and as unknown as the centre of Africa. One can easUy get lost in these HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOIi. rfmwhXh^v ^'/'^l'''' swamps, which are . portion of the municipaUty, and from which they were rescued when very nearly expiring from staryatiou. eraph tek™ ^ thTL'' "^f ■' '"'?^^'"' " P>^'=P^''>"S sketches of New Orleans scenes, had a photo^ behtodth.Bn.^ ?!''"'*'"' *^<= exact geographical centre of New Orleans, immediately deoSfed to r,! f ""''f '^'"^'- "^^^^ Pl^^tog^Ph was so weird and gloomy thai the magazine one would heH^l; confessing that it was a fine sketch, but declaring, at the same time, that no one would beheye for a second, that such a melancholy spot existed in the centre of a great and ttH^k^*"'"^ "'.f ^' f '^"' '" ^^^ ''^'"'''^^^ "^ P'*<"°S ^" tMs country, between the rlyer system ofdralnLrTr°°*™[°'*''^"^ authorities, in order to facilitate and improye its beenTound n^ ^ The river bemg higher than the city and Lake Pontchartrain lower, it has been found necessary to drain backward through large open canals into the lake whitettedlTIV '^^^"^^.^'''f° <5i^tri«t^ and wards. The wards are the political diyisions, while the distnots are mainly used tor describing the location of a building. Thus one reldom speaksoflmngm the Third ward, but rather says, "in the First district.'^ ' nr Ar!! • H"^' '°'=>'^7 hpinjT furnished with a residence, a chapel, ^;^:^::^:^^r:T^'^^^^ oran., «. sugar cane and indigo plant to Louisiana. HISTORICAI. SKETCH HOOK. A map of New Orleans, made in 1728 when Peri^r was Goyernor of the colony of Louisiana shows the ancient Place d'Armes of the same rectangular figure as to-day, an open plot of grass, crossed by two diagonal paths and occupying the exact middle of the town front. Behind it stood the parish church of St. Louis, built like most of the public buildings of that day, of brick. On the right of the church was a small guardhouse and prison, and on the left was the dwelling of the Capuchins. On the lower side of the Place d'Armes, at the corner of Ste. Anne and Chartres, were the quarters of the goTernmeut employees. The grounds facing the Place d'Arnies in St. Peter and Ste. Anne streets were still unoccupied, except by cord-wood and a few pieces of parlied artillery on the one side and a small house for issuing rations on the other. ,,_^Just off the river front, on Toulouse .street, were the smithies of the Marine, while on the other liandtwo long narrow buildings lining either side of the street named in honor of the Duo du Maine, and reaching from the river front nearly to Chartres street, were the King's warehouses. Upon the upper comer of the rue de I'Arsenal (now Ursulines) was the hospital, with its grounds running along the upper side of the street to Chartres, while on the square next below was the convent of the Ursulines. The barracks and the Company's forges were in the square, bounded by Eoyal, St. Louis, Bourbon and Conti. In the extreme upper portion of the city, on the river front, at what In later years became the corner of Customhouse and Decatur streets, were the house and grounds of the Governor ; and in the square immediately below them the humbler quarters transiently occupied by the Jesuits. The fine residences, built of cypress, or half bnok and half frame, mainly one story and never over two and a half,-stood on Chartres and Boyal streets. The poorer people lived in the rear of the city, the greater number of their houses being located in Orleans street. Prominent among the residents of New Orleans at that early day, to whom belongs the honor of being the original founders of the oity-its P. P.'s-stand the names Delery, Dalby, St. Martin, Dupny, Eossard, Duval, Beaulieu-Ohauvin D'Anseville, Perrigaut, Dreux, Mandeville, Tisseraud, Bonneau, DeBlanc, Dasfeld Vlilerg Pro- venohe, Gauvrit, Pellerin.D'Artaguette, Lazon, Eaguet, Fleurieu, BrulS, LafrcSniere, Car'riere Caron and Pascal. Abouthalf these names are now extinct, but the remainder .still flourishin New Orleans and throughout Louisiana. In that same year, 1738, occurred the one important event, the arrival of a consignment of reputable giris, sent over by the King of France to the Ursulines, to be disposed of in marria=-e by them. They were supplied by the King on their departure from France with a small chest of clothmg, and were long known in the traditions of their colonial descendants by the honora- ble distmction of the fillesdtlacmaelte, or "the casketgiris," to distinguish them from the "cor- rection girls" previously sent over from the prisons and hospitals of Paris Incidents of Indian warfare and massacre are not lacking on the pages of the eariv historv of New Orleans. • ^'i It was in 1730 that the Natchez Indians murdered all the French at Port Eosalie (Natchez) and at a number of other settlements above New Orleans. All the able-bodied men of the little city, black as well as white, were armed and sent against them. This was followed in 1732 by a negro msun-ection, which was only suppressed by the execution of the ringleaders the women on the gallows, the men on the wheel. The heads of the men were ."ttuck upon posts at the upper and lower extremities of the town front, and at the Tchoupitoulas settlement and at other pomts, to mspire future would-be conspirators with awe. In 17.58, New Orieans received a considerable accession of population, on account of the absorption by the British of the French settlements on the upper Ohio, at Fort Duquesne now Pittsburgh, and the consequent migration of the French colonists from these points to New Orieans. This required the construction of additional barracks in the lower part of the city front, at a point afterwards known by the name of Barracks street (rue des Quartiers) Exneot ng an attack from the British, Governor Kerlerec seized the opportunTty to mproye the fortifications around the town. " nui^iove me GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS. 9 The Creoles of New Orleans were at this time sreatly affitated over what is known in Louisiana history as the "Jesuit War," a quarrel between the Jesuits and Capuchins as to juris- diction This strife was characterized by "acrimonious writings, squibs, pasquinades and satirical songs," the women in particular taking sides with lively zeal. In July 1768, the Capuchins were left masters of the field, the Jesuits being expelled from all French and Spanish possessions on the order of the Pope. Their plantation, which was in a splendid condition and one of the best in Louisiana, was sold for $180,000, a very large sum m those days. ' fl In November, ITeaOhe treaty of Fontainebleau was signed, by which France transferred (^ Louisiana to Spain. The transaction was kept a secret, and it was not until after the lapse of two years that the people of New Orleans learned with indignation and alarm that they had been sold to Spain. In March, 176li, the new Spanish Governor, Don Antonio de Ulloa, arnved with only two companies of Spanish troops. For some time, the ineommg Spanish and the out- going French Governors administered the affairs of the colony, but on October 25th, 1768, a. conspiracy, long and carefully planned, and In which some of the first officers of the goyern- ment and the leading merchants of New Orleans were engaged, revealed itself m open hostilities. \t the head of this movement were LafrSniSre, the Attorney-General, Fouoault, the mtendant Noyau and Bienville, nephews of the city's founder, and Milhet, Carresse, Petit, Poupet, Marquis, DeMasan, Hardy de Bois-Blanc and VillerS, prominent merchants and planters. On the right of the 28th the guns at the Tchoupitoulas gate at the upper side of the city were spiked, and the AcadianSrh^ded by Noyau, and the Germans, by Viller^. entered the city, tmoa and his troops retired aboard the Spanish frigate lying in the river and sailed for Havana. Thus freed from the Spanish dominion, the project of forming a repubho was discussed by the Louisiank Creoles, and delegates were sent to the British American colonies to propose some sort of union of all the American colonies. But the republic was short-lived. On August 18th, 1769, Don Alexandro O'Eeilly-whom Byron's Donna Juana mentions so f avoid- ably-arrived with 3,600picked Spanish troops, SOpieces of artillery, and24 vessels. The Louisian- ians could not resist this force. Twelve of the principal movers of the insurrection were arrested ; six of them shot in the Place d'Armes, and the others imprisoned in the Moro Castle at Havana. , , ^ ^i .^ ■ i At the time that O'Reilly took possession of New Orleans, the trade of the city was mainly in the hands of the English. He soon broke this up, however, refusing to admit any English vessels to New Orleans. The commercial privileges of the city were, however, gradually extended Trade was allowed with Campeachy and the French and Spanish West Indies, under certain restrictions. The importation of slaves from these islands had long been forbidden on account of tlie insurrectionary spirit which existed among them, but the trade in Guinea negroes was encouraged. In 1778, Galvez gave New Orleans the right to trade with any port m France, or of the thirteen Critish colonies, then engaged in their struggle for independence. In 1776, Oliver Pollock at the head of a number of merchants from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, who had established themselves in New Orleans, began, with the countenance of Galvez, to supply, by fleets of large canoes, the agents of the American cause with arms and ammunition delivered at Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh), fi On Good Friday, March 21st, 178ei;t6ccurred the great conflagration which destroyed nearly the entire city. It began on Chartres street near St. Louis, in the private chapel of Don Ylncento Jose NuBez, the military treasurer of the colony. The buildings on the immediate riverfront escaped, but the central portion of the town, including the entire commercial quarter, the dwellings of the leading inhabitants, the town hall, the arsenal, the jail, the parish church and the quarters of the Capuchins were completely destroyed. Nineteen squares and 856 houses were destroyed in this flre, Six years later, on December 8th, 1794, some chlldiea playing in a court on Royal street, too near an adjoining hay store, set fire to it. A strong north wind was blowing at the time , and in th.i-«?e hovfrs 212 d'?velllng3 m4 stoves in the heart of the t,o,wjn, if;ere, destroyed. The cathedral, 10 HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOK. lately founded on the site of the church, burned in 1788, escaped ; but the pecuniary loss exceeded that of the previous conflagration, which had been estimated at $8,600,000. Only twc stores were left standing, and a large portion of the population was compelled to camp out in the Place d' Annes and on the levee. |_j! In consequence of these devastating fires, whose ravages were largely attributable to the "f^Jnflammable building material in general use. Baron Carondelet, then governor, offered » pre- •-^ mium on roots covered with tiles, instead of shingles, as heretofore ; and thus came into use the ■j tile roof which to-day forms one of the most picturesque features of the old French quarter. As ^■Ja the heart of the city filled up again It was with better structures, displaying many Spanlsh- \j American features— adobe or brick walls, arcades, inner courts, ponderous doors and windows, *< balconies, porles cochires, and white or yellow lime-washed stucco. Two-story dwellings took the place of one-story buildings, and the general appearance as well as the safety of the city was improved. New Orleans now made rapid improvement. Don Andres Almonaster y Eoxas, father of Baroness Pontalba, erected a handsome row of brick buildings on both sides of the Place d'Armes, where the Pontalba buildings now stand, making the fashionable retail quarter of the town. In 1787 he built on Ursuline street a chapel of stucco brick for the nuns. The Charity hospital founded in 1737 by a sailor named Jean Louis, on Rampart, between St. Louis and Tou- louse, then outside of the town limits, was destroyed in 1779 by the hurricane. In 1784, Almon- aster began and two years later completed, at a cost of $114,000, on the same site, a brick edifice, which he called the Charity Hospital of St. Charles, a name the institution still bears. In 1793 he began the erection upon the site of the parish church, destroyed by fire in 1788, of a brick buil- ding, and in 1794, when Louisiana and Florida were erected into a bishopric separate from Havana, this church, sufficiently completed for occupation, became the St. Louis Cathedral. Later still, he filled the void made by the burning of the to wu hall and the jail, which, until the con- flagration, had stood on the south side of the church, facing the Place d'Armes, with the hall of the Cabildo, the same that stands there at this time, consecrated to the^courts, with the excep- tion of the upper story added since, the French roof which at present distorts its archi- tecture. The Government itself completed very substantially the barracks begun by Governor Ker- lerec, on Barracks street. Close by, it built a military hospital and chapel, and near the upper river comer of the town, on the square now occupied for the same purpose, but which was then du-eotly on the river, it put up a wooden customhouse. The " Old French market " on the river front, just below the Place d'Armes, was erected and known as the Halle de Boucheries. In 1794 Governor Carondelet began, and in the foUowhig two years finished, with the aid of a large force of slaves, the excavation of the " old basin," and the Carondelet Canal, connecting New Orleans with Bayou St. John and Lake Pontohartrain. In 1791 the Creoles of New Orleans became infected with republicanism, and Carondelet found It necessary to take the same precautions with New Orleans as if he had held a town of the enemy. The Marseillaise was wildly called for at the theater which some French refugees from San Domingo had opened, and in the drinking shops was sung " C'a ira, (•« ini, les arUlocrates ti la lanUrne.^^ To ensure safety the fortifications of the city were rebuilt, being completed in 1794. They consisted of a tort, St. Charles, at the lower river front, with barracks for IBO men, and a para- pet 18 feet thick faced with brick, a ditch and a covered way ; Port St. Louis, at the upper river comer, was similar to this in all regards. The armament of these was twelve 12 and 18-pounders. At the comer of Canal and Rampart street was Fort Burgundy ; on the present Congo square. Fort St. Joseph, and at what is now the comer of Rampart and Esplanade street, Fort St. Ferdinand. The wall which passed from tort to fort was 15 feet high, with a fosse in front, 1 feet deep and 40 feet wide, kept filled with water from the Carondelet Canal. In ^■fH ]5tienne de Bor6 whose plantatjon occupied the site where the Seyeuth di.'i- GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS. which declared the Mississippi free to the people of the XJnited States, ana of deposit for three years free of any charge. ^^ .^,.„,, ,„ gp^m to France. It was not On the 1st of October, 1800, Louisiana was t'^^'^'^^^'^f .^^..^P';''' '"'u.^^t landed at New however, until March 36th, 1803, that the French ''^°^f. ^l^^^^^^Zr^lT^^^r^e force being Creoles. 12 HISTORICAI. SKETCH BOOK. CHAPTER III.— THE OLDEN DAYS. NEW ORLEANS UNDER THE SPANISH DOMINION — CONDITION OF THE CITY JUST rREVIOUS TO ITS ANNEXATION TO THE UNITED STATES— OLD HABITS AND CUSTOMS THAT STILL SURVIVE. The traveler approaoliing New Orleans by the river iu the year 1802, would have discerned at the first glance, what wonld have seemed a tolerably compactly built town, facing the levee for a distance of some 1,200 yards from its upper to its lower extremity. From the rue de la Levee (now Decatur street) the town extended in depth (on paper) about 600 yards, although Dauphini5 street was in reality the limit of the inhabited quarter in that direction. The line of what is now Rampart street was occupied by the palisaded fortifloation, with a few forts, all in a greater or less condition of dilapidation. At the upper end of the ramparts was Port St. Louis, and on the ground now known as Congo square, was Fort St. Ferdmand, the chief place for bull and bear fights. Esplanade street was a fortiScation, beginning at Fort St. Ferdinand and ending at its junction with the ramparts on Eampart street. Along what is now Canal street was a moat filled with water, which terminated at a military gate on the Ghemin des Tchoupitoulas, near the lev^e. Thus was the city protected from siege and attack. Along the river the city's upper limit of houses was at about St. Louis street, and the lower at about St. Philip. The Spanish barracks on Canal street covered the whole block, between what are now known as Hospital and Barracks streets. The house occupied by the Spanish Governor-General of the province was situated at the corner of Toulouse and the rue de la Lev^e. It was a plain residence of one story, with the aspect of an inn. It fronted the river. One side was bordered by a narrow and unpretending gardenintheformof ai)arfe?T«, and on the other side ran a low gallery screened by lattice- work, while the back yard, inclosed by fences, contained the kitchens and the stables. This house was burned down in 1827, after having been used for the sessions of the Legislature. Other public buildings, now passed away, were the Military or Eoyal Hospital, the Public or Charity Hospital, and a convent of Ursuline nuns. There was no merchants' exchange for the transaction of business, no colonial post-office, no college, no library, public or private, and but one newspaper, the Monlieur de la Louislane, which, issued once a week, had but a limited circulation, and was confined to the pruiting of a few Government orders or proclamations on local affairs, business advertisements, formulas for passports, bills of lading, and a driblet of political news. .Joachim Salazar, a portrait painter from Mexico, lived in the city at that period, and testimony to his presence still survives in the shape of portraits to be seen in the Ijouses of some old families. In the faubourg that extended above the city, with a frontage of 600 yards by a depth of 300, were two establishments where cotton was cleaned, put up in bales and weighed. The only ' other factory that deserved the name, also in the faubourg, was a sugar refinery, where brown sugar was transformed into a white sugar of fine appearance. This establishment the city owed to the enterprise of certain French refugees from San Domingo. Of the public buildings which are familiar to the eyes of the present generation, only the French Market, the Cathedral, and the Cabildo, or City Hall, adjoining the Cathedral at the corner of St. Peter and Chartres streets, still remain. The Cathedral was not yet finished and lacked those quaint white .Spanish towers and the central belfry, which in 1814 and 1815, were added to it. The "Very Illustrious Cabildo," which held weekly meetings iu this building,' was the municipal body of New Orleans. It was composed of twelve individuals called regidors i'M was presidecl oyer by the Goyernor^Geners.,! ct Ws Civil Lieutenant, .I^cKson Square, caUe^ I p&(\£/1h|TQiVs IDaT^ PaUm -iij GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS. 13 then the Place d ' Armes, was used as a re vie w ground for the troops, and was resorted to by nurses and children, the elders taking their " airing " on the Leyee or the Orand Ckemin that fronted tlie houses of the rue de la Levfie. It was then but a grass plot, barren of trees and used as a play- ground by the oblldren. It was rather a ghostly place, too, for children to play. A wooden gallows stood In the middle of it for several years and more than one poor fellow was swung off into eternity, about the spot where General Jackson now sits in efflgy. Then there were no trees and no flowers, and no watchman to drive away the little fellows at play. The gallows was not the only stem and forbidding and uncongenial thing about the place either, for the ccUaiosa stood just opposite ; it is the police station now. Here, in front of the Place d'Armes, everything was congregated— the Cathedral Church of St. Louis, the convent of the Capuchins, the Government House, the colonial prison or calabosa, and the government warehouses. Around the square stretched the leading boutiques and restaurants of the town ; on the side, was the market or Halles, where not only meat, fruit and vegetables were sold, but hats, shoes and handkerchiefs ; while in front was the public landing. Indeed, here was the religious, military. Industrial, commercial and social center of the city ; here the troops paraded on f6te days, and here even the public executions took place, the ■ criminals being either shot, or nailed alive in their cofBns and then slowly sawed in half. Here, on holidays, all the varied, heterogeneous population of the town gathered; flery Louisiana Creoles, still carrying rapiers, ready for prompt use at the slightest insult to their jealous honor; hoHtans, fresh from Canada, rude trappers and hunters, voyageurs and coureurs-de-bais ; plain unpretending 'Cadians from the Attakapas, arrayed in their home-made blue cottonades and redolent of the herds of cattle they had brought with them ; lazy emigre nobles, banished to this- new world under lettres de cachet for interfering with the king's jyetits amours or taking too deep an Interest in politics; yellow sirens from San Domingo, speaking a soft bastard French, and looking so languishingly out of the corners of their big black melting eyes, that it was no wonder that they led both young and old astray and caused their cold proud sisters of sang pur many a jealous heart-ache ; staid and energetic Germans from " the German coast," with flaxen hair and Teutonic names, but speaking the purest of French, come down to the city for supplies ; haughty Castilian soldiers, clad in the bright uniforms of the Spanish cazadores ; dirty Indians of the Houma and Natchez tribes, some free, some slaves ; negroes of every shade and hue from dirty white to deepest black, clad only in braguet and shapeless woolen shii-ts, as little clothing as the somewhat loose ideas of the time and country permitted ; and lastly, the human trash, ex-galley slaves and adventurers, shipped to the colony to be gotten i-id of. Here, too, in the Place d'Armes the stranger could shop cheaper if not better than in the boutiques around it, for half the trade and business of the town was itinerant. Here passed rabbais, or peddling mer- chants, mainly Catalans and Proven9als who, instead of carrying their packs upon their backs, had their goods spread out in a coffin-shaped vehicle which they wheeled before them ; colored marchaades selling caUas and cakes ; and mUk and coffee women, carrying their immense cans well balanced upon their turbaned heads. All through the day went up the never-ceasing cries of the various street hawkers, from the " Barataria 1 Baratarial" and the "eaUas loiis chauds / " 'in the early morning, to the "belles chandelles!" that went up, as twilight deepened, from the sturdy negresses who sold the only light of the colony, horrible, dim, ill-smelling and smoky candles, made at home from the green wax myrtle. Lake Pontohartrain was connected with New Orleans by the Carondelet Canal and the. Bayou St. John, by which water-way schooners reached the city from the lake and the neigh- boring Gulf coast. The canal served moreover to drain the marshy district through which it ran and to give outlet to the standing waters. With the exception of Levee, ciiartres, Royal and perhaps Bourbon streets in the direction of Its breadth, and the streets included between St. Louis and St. PhUip in its length, the city was more in outline than in fact. The other streets comprised within the limits of the town were regularly laW out, It Is true, but they, a,s well as the faubourg, were but sparsely settled. Alonu 14 HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOK. Levee street, Chartres and Eoyal, and on the intersecting squares included between tliem, the houses were of brick, sometimes of two stories, but generally one story high, with small, narrow balconies. These had been erected within a few years, and since the disastrous fires of the years 1788 and 1794, terrible calamities which haij compelled the inhabitants to flee for safety to the Place d'Armes and the Leyee to avoid death by the flames. Farther back in the town the houses were of an inferior grade, one story in height, buUt of cypress and resting on foundations of piles and bricks, and with shingled roofs. On the outskirts and in the faubourg the houses were little better than shanties. The sidewalks were four or five feet wide, but walking was some- times rendered ditlicult by the projecting steps of the houses. ' One of the most disagreeable features of the city in those early days was the condition of the streets in which not a stone had been laid. A wooden drain served for a gutter, the ban- quette was also of wood, and the street between the sidewalks was alternately a swamp and a mass of stifling dust. Wagons dragged along, with the wheels sunk to the hubs in mud. It was not until 1821 that any systematic attempt was made to pave the streets. The city, in that year, offered $250 per ton for rock ballast as inducement to ship captains to ballast with rocks instead of sand, and this plan was quite effectual. In 1822 St. Charles street was paved for several blocks, and patches of pavement were made on other streets. Prior to 1815, and, indeed, for some years afterward, the city was lighted by means of oil lamps suspended from wooden posts, from which an arm projected. The light only penetrated a very short distance, and it was the custom always to use lanterns on the streets. The order of march, when a family went out in the evening, was first, a slave bearing » lantern; then another slave bearing the shoes which were to be worn in the ball-room or theatre, and other arti- cles of full dress that were donned only after the destination was reached, and last, the family. There were no cisterns in those days, the water of the Mississippi, filtrated, serving as drink- ing water, while water for common household needs was obtained from wells dug on the prem- ises. Some houses possessed as many as two of these wells. New Orleans, eighty years ago, was woefully deficient In promenades, drives and places of r public amusement. The favorite promenade was the Levee with its King's road or Chemin des Tdurupitmiae, where twelve or fifteen Louisiana willow trees were planted, facing the street 1 corners, and in whose shade were wooden benches without backs, upon which people sat in the afternoon, sheltered from the setting sun. These trees, which grow rapidly, extended from about St. Louis street to St. Philip. Outside the city limits was the Bayou road, with all its inconveniences of mud or dust, leading to the small plantations or truck fai-rns forming the Gen- tilly district and to those of the Metallic ridge. It was the fashion to spend an hour or two in the evening on this road, riding on horseback or in carriages of more or less elegance. This custom was one that had crept in with other luxurious habits within the past eight orteu years a period which had been marked by a noticeable growth In the desire for outside show of the citizens. Almost up to the year 1800 the women of the city, with few exceptions, dressed with extreme simplicity. But little taste was displayed either in the cut of their garments or in their ornaments. Head-gear was almost unknown. If a lady went out in summer, it was bareheaded ■ if In winter, she usually wore a handkerchief or some such trifle as the Spanish women delight in. And at home, when the men were not about— so, at least, said those who penetrated there- she even went about barefooted, shoes being expensive luxuries. ' A short round skirt, a long basque-like over garment ; the upper part of their attire of one color and the lower of another, with a profuse display of ribbons and little jewelry— thus dressed, the mass of the female population of good condition went about visiting, or attended the ball or theatre. But even three years had made a great change in this respect ; and In 1802 for some reason that it would be difficult to explain, the ladies of the city appeared in attire as different from that of 1799 as could well be imagined. A surprising richness and elegance of apparel had taken the place of the primitive and tasteless garb of the few preceding years— a garb which, had it been seen at the ball nr theatre m 1802. would have i-esenibled to the critical h GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS. 15 feminine eye a Mardl-Gras disguise. At that perled the natural charms of the ladles were heightened by a toilette of most captlvatlnK details. Their dresses were of the richest embroidered muslins, cut in the latest fashions, relieved by soft and brilliant tran8pa,rent taffetas, by superb laces, and embroidered with Rold. To this must be added rich ear-rings, collars, bracelets, rings and other adornments. This costume, it is true, was for rare occasions, and for pleasant weather ; hut it was a sample of the high art in dress that had come just in the nick of time to greet the fast-approaching American ocoupation. Of the ten thousand people, of all ages, sexes and nationalities, who at that tnne formed the permanent population of New Orleans, about four thousand were white-native, European and American; three thousand free colored, and the rest slave. In addition to these there were from seven to eight hundred officers and soldiers composing the Spanish garnson, many other Government underlings, and numerous undomioiliated foreigners. In the ranks of those not native to the city or the colony were Frenchmen, Spaniards, English, Americans from the States, Germans, Italians, a few refugees from San Domingo and Martinique, emigrants from the Canaries and a number of gipsies. The mass of the Frenchmen were small shopkeepers and cultivators of the soil ; the Spaniards were generally in the employment of the Government, either in the magistracy or the military service, or as clerks; the Catalonlans kept shops or drinking houses ; the commercial class comprised chiefly the Americans, the English and the Msh; the ItaUans were fishermen; the Canary Islanders or Islennes as they were termed, cultivated vegetable gardens and supplied the market with milk and chickens ; and the gips.ee who had been induced to abandon a wandering life, were nearly aU musicians or dancers. Of the Americans, some were of the KaintocJc (Kentucky) clement, worthy fellows who came periodically to the city in their flatboats, floating down the river laboriously and bringmg with them up-country produce from the banks of the Ohio and the Illinois, and returning on horse- back to their distant homes, by the way of the river-road, after having disposed of their wares Kaintock was a generic name given by the Creoles of those days to the Americans who came from the Upper Mississippi, and, as the name imports, chiefly from the flourishing State of Kentucky. They were regarded as in some way interlopers on the profound conservatism of the city. There was an idea of something objectionable-even more so than in the later phrase. A™WH hot hie deen-blue The city guard of those days wore a most imposing uniform. His cocked hat his deep blue frock coat hS^breast straps of black leather supporting cartridge box and bayonet scabbard his old Sck musket and his short sword made him an object of profound respect on the part of tht ^Uboyrand a terror to the slaves who happened to be out a little late. These proud old luaXns of be peace were not compeUed to do beat duty. Bariy in the evening the sergean woi^d gather his squad together in the guardroom, which adjoined the ^''^''^f -T'^^^;,^: Z orders the corporal would put his men through the manual of arms. Then with muskets at ^^^^X^'i^I^JtZtZ ran^doCto Ksplanade street and back to K^^^^ri^ Beyond this, nothing but swamps and neighboring plantations were to be seen After mak ng a foTthey returned to the guardroom, to make a second round later. If a disturbance ocouired tour they >:«t^™eu b ^^^^^ ^ ^^^^^^ ^^ discipline to have been fn^'Tnf i^ ll^e tt'reveni a flgTor to disperse a crowd before a riot had alreadytaken '' They bore themselves with that stern, sullen demeanor that ^^ed the Peaceable and amused *K „ cx,wf = Of those davs Frequently in the upper pori)i on of the city, where the Kentucky r bTa'i^ostly did ^rg.eS were'the gens^d'armes ignomlniously put to flight, swords, muskets and all. 20 HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOK, The old calaboose in wUoh they incarcerated the -victims of their displeasure Was a eUrf- ■ ous old building of Spanish style. It was situated on St. Peter street, jttst in the rear of what is now the Supreme Court room, and occupied all the space down to within about fifty feet of Eoyal street, where now there are prirate dwellings. It was two stories In height, with walls of great thickness. Opening on St. Peter street where now runs St. An- thony's alley, near the Arsenal, was the huge iron gateway. The ponderous door was one mass of bars and crossbars and opened upon an ante-room, on either side of which were the officers'- rooms. Passing through a second iron door one entered the body of the prison, a gloomy, dismal-looking place, as silent as the dungeons of the old Inquisition. A number of windows opened on the street, through which the inmates drew what little fresh air they got. The building was put up in the year 1795, by Doti Almonaster, when the Cabiido or City Council occupied the present Supreme Court rooms. When the Territorial Government of Louisiana was formed it was still used as a calaboose, and, as imprisonment for debt was then allowed, its upper story was given up to unfortunate debtors. After the close of the war with England, New Orleans began to grow rapidly, and over- flowed beyond its ancient boundaries. The old Marigny plantation below had been cut up Into squares, and new comers were building there, whilst, above, scattered houses showed that the people could not be confined to the narrow and restricted limits of the ramparts. A new and larger prison became necessary, and in 1834 the foundations for the present Parish Prison were laid just back of Congo square. As soon as it was completed all the prisoners were carried thither, and the work of demolishing the calaboose was commenced. It was a work of much more difficulty than was expected. The mortar of the Spaniards, made from the lime of lake shells, was as tenacious as the most durable cement, and would not yield. It was found easier to cut through the solid bricks than to try to separate them, and, therefore, the work of tearing the old donjon down occupied some time. There is a story of how the workmen discovered skeletons bricked up in the walls, and chains and shackles in the vaults, but none of our citizens who were living at that time ever saw any of those ghastly souvenirs of Spanish rule. Beneath the building, it is true, they came across some three or four deep vaults, which had not apparently been used for years, and this was enough to give rise to the report that they had discovered the dungeons of the Spanish Inquisition. The tale has come down, and many old Creoles still believe it. After it had been razed to the ground, parties claimed the ground, alleging that the Spanish Government bad occupied the site without reimbursing them, and accordingly it was awarded to them, and private dwellings were built upon it, saving an alleyway, which now Intersects Cathedral Alley. In those days flatboating was a business of immense proportions. The flatboatman was a distinct character, like no one else in the world, and disposed to believed himself a superior being. Hough as he was, a great deal was owed to him, and his lack of refinement is lost sight of in the contemplation of his worth as a pioneer. He was the only medium of trade in those days with the Northwest, and his real importance was, perhaps, not overrated even by himself. The crews of the flatboats, after a passage of many weeks, during which they underwent hardships that we know nothing of in these days of railroads and steamboats, were disposed to enjoy themselves at the end of their journey, and their idea of enjoyment was in harmony with their rough lives. When they came on shore they spent their money like lords, and assumed privileges in accordance with their individual views of their own importance. They resented interference, and were disposed to protect their rights with their muscle. The natural consequence was war. In these battles the fiatboatmen, armed with clubs, were as often victorious as the gens d'armes, armed with swords. When their carousals were over they went peaceably across the lake on some sailing craft, and made their way back to their Northern homes overland and on foot, through the Indian country, leaving their boats to ^ OUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS, 21 be utilized as juuk shops, oi' to be still more debased by doing duty as sidewalks or banquettes, To come by a keel boat from Louisville, Kentucky, to New Orleans took over three months. Very few passengers employed this mode of travel, the custom being to go overland on horse- back through the Indian country. Socially, the people were happier in tliose times than now. Tlieir wants were few, their tastes simple. Balls were the most popular form of amusement, and the play came next. These two were all, and they wore sufficient. They extracted genuine enjoyment from a ball. Here was found pleasant social intercourse, and the excitement of the minuet, the reel and the 1 contra-danoe iilled the measure of their requirements. 1 The old colored nurse, the Creole " mammy " was the ideal servant— a good cook, a thorougli nurse, a second mother to the children, but teachluK them to prattle a horrible jargon, some- times called "gombo," and again " Creole." The negro lingo of Virginia is classical compared with the jargon of the Creole negro. Whether it was that French was a language too difBoult for their tongues, or whether it was due to the presence of so many negres brutes, wild negroes of African birth, in the colony, cannot be said ; it is only known that they spoke a distinct patois —another language from tliat of their masters, made up of about equal pai-ts of French and African words, and absolutely incomprehensible to an ordinary Frenchman. Who was to know that *' ma P(J cown" was gombo for 'VemV/i vois," "I am going away;" "irw va taye H,^^ tor "jevaUlefmietter," '■ I am going to whip him ;" " tne ganye diaue," for "j'aiun clieixd," "Ihave a horse " ? The whole gibberish contained but a few hundred words and was vrithout tense, mood or grammar. One word did duty tor a hundred, and the very animals and trees were without distinctive titles, because the language was not rich enough to give them names. There were a few Indian slaves. They were always troublesome, not submitting to slaveiT as readily as their African brethren, and becoming finally so dangerous that the government interfered and issued the first American emancipation proclamation, freeing all the Indians. The result was a negro rising which was put down only with considerable loss of life, and which was commemorated for some time afterward by the decapitated heads of the negro leaders, which were stuck on pikes at the city gates to overawe the colored population. In those days, the children cast fearful glances under the old beds with their baldachins while the old negro nurse told of Compe Bouqui (the clown of the negroes), and the knavery of Compe Lapin, whose type represents Punchinello of Europe, or sang some of those Creole ballads whose .simple and touching melody goes right to the heart and makes you dream of unknown worlds. One of the favorite stories was that of Jean Bras CoupS, captain of the runaway negroes of Bayou Sara, who filled the whole of Louisiana with the reports of his sanguinary exploits. He resisted alone, this hero of the swamps, all the expeditions sent in pursuit of him. Strange rumors were in circulation on this subject. Sometimes it was a detachment of troops that had i ventured to the haunt of this brigand, who disappeared without anyone being able to discover J any trace of them. Sometimes it was the hunter, who told of a ball flattened against the j breast of Bras Coup^, whose skin was rendered invulnerable hy certain herbs with which he rubbed it. The negroes asserted that his look fascinated, and that he fed on human flesh. He was finally captured and condemned to be hung in the square opposite the Cathedral. He had been attacked by a terrible scurvy, and the infecting odors exhaled by his corpse, two hours after his execution, made them bury him contrary to the law, that condemned him to remain suspended to the gallows for two days. Sometimes the old negro servant interrupted- this tale to exorcise a "zombi," whose impure breath she felt on her face ; and the children shivered with fright and gathered around the grandmother, who crossed herself and went on with the story. 22 HISTORICAL SKETCH HOOK, t t NEW ORLEANS IN 1806. Governor Claiborne, when he came flown here to inspect Louisiana and talie posaesaion of New Orleans, noticed amonff the curiosities and strilcinff buildings of the city a saw mill with two saws turned by horses, a wooden-horse riding circus for children, a French theatre, two banks, a custom-house, navy-yard, barracks, a fort, public storehouses, government house -.(its hospital has been lately burnt), a Catholic church of the first order in size and ele- gance, and the Capitol, a superb building adjoining the church, both built by a Spaniard, at an expense of half a million dollars, and presented by him to the Spanish Government at New Orleans. The cotton presses of the city give much labor, and the pressing song of the men is , interesting. It is similar to the heave lioi of the sailor, with this difference, that several are engaged in singing, and each has his part, consisting of two or three appropriate words, tuned to his own fancy, so as to make harmony with the other. Other presses go by horse and steam power, where the men have no other labor than rolling in the bales, untying, retying, etc. They repress a bale in seven or ten minutes. NEW ORLEANS IN 183S. The first directory ever published in New Orleans, in 1822, gives the following description of the city, showing the changes that had taken place under American rule : '-— The city is regularly laid out ; the streets are generally thirty-eight feet wide, and with tew exceptions cross each other at right angles ; Orleans street is forty-five feet wide ; Esplanade and Eampart streets, each 108 feet ; Canal street, 171 ; and Champs Elysees street, 160 feet. i The spacious streets wliich bound the city, namely. Canal, Rampart and Esplanade streets and the levee, have lately been planted with four rows of the sycamore or butter-wood tree, which in the course of a few years will afford a fine shade, contribute to the health of the city '. and present one of the most elegant promenades in the United States. There are several large ' public squares, one of which, T/ie Place of Arms, S.'M feet on the levee, by 330 in depth to Chartres street, is very handsome, being planted with trees, and inclosed with an iron palisade, having beautifully ornamented gateways of the same metal. [The Circus public square, is planted with ^ trees, and inclosed, and is very noted on account of its being the place where the Congo and other negroes dance, carouse and debauch on the Sabbath, to the great injury of the morals of the rising generation ; it is a foolish custom, that elicits the ridicule of most respectable persons who visit the city ; but if it is not considered good policy to abolish the practice entirely, surely they could be ordered to assemble at some place more distant from the houses, by which means the evil would be measurably remedied. Those streets that are not paved in the middle, have brick sidewalks, and gutters formed of wood, which are kept clean by the black prisoners of the city, who are generally runaways, carrying heavy chains to prevent them making their escape. The wells are generally from five to fifteen feet in depth, the water in them is clear from salt, but unpleasant to the taste, and unfit for drinking or washing of clothes. Drinking water, and that used for cooking and the washing of clothes, is taken from the river, carried through the city for sale, in hogsheads or carts, and sold at the rate of four buckets for six and a quarter •cents, or fifty cents per hogshead. The water for drinking is either filtered through a porous stone or is placed in a large jar, and cleared by alum, etc. The water is considered wholesome. In consequence of the deposits of earthy particles from the eddy part of the river, the harbor above St. Louis street becomes more shallow annually ; and below the said street It deepens, as the channel or main current approaches the shore. It is thought by most persons that the water ought to be introduced from the river into the city, from above the eddy and point; as it is certainly more pure than that opposite the city, w!i£re it becomes impregnated with ail kinds of Jllih, the very thought of which is sufpcient to turn the stomach of a person of delicate onstitution. cmiJIC TO NEW ORLEANS. 28 TI.0 buildings of tlio city were fovmerly almost entirely of wood, but tbose reoeutly erected are, for tbe most part, ueatly built of brlok, covered wltb slate or tile. On the streets nearest the river the houses are principally of brick, from one to four stories hlRh, but In the tack part of the town they are generally of wood. The buildings have no cellars, except the vacancy, m some of them, formed between the ground and lower floor, which is raised Qve or six feet from the earth. The houses are built without cellars, in consequence of the dampness of the earth, water being found generaUy by digging from one and a-half to three feet ; but an experiment has lately been made In the new stores. New Levee, above Gravler street, which promises to be , highly useful. The cellars are lined wltli strong plank, the .iolnts of which are caulked and 1 pitched, to keep out the water ; and which is found to answer, notwithstanding the surface of the water lu the river is at this time higher than the bottom of the cellars. There are two villages, MoDonoughviUe and DuvergesviUe, on the opposite side of the nver, where ship-building is carried on, and where a number of vessels are always harbored; this port Is considered as part of the port of NewOrlean.s. A steam feiTy-boat keeps up a constant and regular communication between this city and the opposite shore ; It starts from the Levee, near the Market House. , , „ .^ , 4. i j The barracks and military hospital have been sold, cut through by Hospital street, and con- verted to private use, by being altered into .stores and dwallii.gs. The fortifications erected in former times for the defence of the place, were found not to answer the intended purpose, and have therefore been entii-ely removed, and new places of defence have been built at more dis- tant and judicious points. ' ' It Is likewise defended by nature ; on one side by the river and on the other by a swamp that no labor can reclaim, and no effort can- penetrate ; it 13 only to be approached through a defile three-fourths of a mile In width, which, being protected by abreast- work manned by 6,000 men (for a greater number could not operate). New Orleans, m point of strenrth. Is another Gibraltar ; she laughs defiance at the most powerful Invaders. ~ The incorporated portion of New Orleans embraces the city proper, and the suburbs St.. JJary above, and Marlgny, below, being between Delord street, the upper boundary, and D Bni ghlen street,the lowest boundary. The city Is governed by a Mayor and City CounoU, and anumj ber of wholesome ordinances have been passed for the establishment and support of order. The/ city is guarded at night by about fifty armed men, who, during the daytime are genera"^ private citizens. They patrol the streets In small squads, which are generaUy, and should always be composed of persons capable of speaking both French and BngUsh. EveiV exertion has been made to render the city more healthy ; the low ground m the rear has been drained by ditching, and care is taken to remove all nuisances, A cannon is fired at eight o'clock in winter, and nine In the summer, as a signal for all sailors, soldiers and blacks to go to thebr respective homes, and all such persons found m the streets afterwards, without a pa*s from their employers or masters, are taken to the calaboose or city prison ; It Is also a notice for groceries and taverns, with the exception of a few reputable hotels and coffee-houses, to tie closed. .The present population of the city and suburbs of New Orieans is about 40,000. The popula- tion was much Increased by the unfortunate French immigrants from San Dommgo, and afterward, in 1809, by those who were compelled to flee from the island of Cuba, to the number of about 10,000. The population is much mixed, consisting of foreign and native French, Americans bom in the State, and from every State in the Union ; a few Spaniards and foreigners from almost every nation ; consequently the society Is much diversified, and there is no general fixed character. There Is a great ''confusion of tongues," and on the levee, dunng a busy day, can be seen people of every grade, color, and condition; in short, it is a world in miniature. The State Prison, in 1821, contained 236 debtors and criminals, and the calaboose, or city prison, 140 black and colored prisoners, generally runaways, who are employed on the public works and the streets. .^i. • i i„ a (The unfortunate debtor was at that time confined in the same prison with criminals.) 24 ItlSTORICAL SKETCH BOOK. The Charity Hospital is situated on Canal street, and consists of two lar^e white buildingEi, having a number of conyenient apartments, which are kept remarkably clean. The lot on which these buildings stand embraces the whole square between Canal and Common, and Basfn and St. Philip streets. About 1,300 males and females were admitted during the year 1821. and the average number of the patients is about 130. Sick persons wishing admission, apply to the Mayor of the city, or to one of the administrators. There are, besides the above, the Masonic and Naval Hospitals, and a private hospital. The Poydras Female Orphan Asylum, situated at 133 Poydras street, is a neat, new frame building with a large garden . This institution commenced its operations in 1816, with 14 orphans, which increased in 1831 to 41 . Any female child In want may be admitted by consent of the board, though not an orphan. The constitution declares "that they shall provide a house for the reception of indigent female orphans and widows, which shall be enlarged according to the income of the society." This excellent charitable establishment owed its existence, principally, to the liberality of JuUen Poydras, who contributed a house and the large lot on which the new house stands. The State Legislature voted $4,000. New Orleans appears to have been pretty well supplied with educational institutions at that time, as the following enumeration of the various establishments will show : The New Orleans College, a large building, situated at the corner of Bayou and St. Claude streets ; an Academy on the Levee, two miles below town, under the direction of the Rev. Bertrand Martial and several other gentlemen attached to the Catholic clergy, where sixty boys receive the benefit of their united labors ; an academy under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Hull, No. 2 Bourbon street, below Canal street ; four schools on the plan of Joseph Lancaster, one of which, 77 Chartres street, under the superintendence of the Rev. Michael Portier, an academy with 170 boys ; a large brick school on Magazine street, under the direction of Francis F. Lafon ; one for young ladies, 27 Contl street ; one for colored boys and girls ; an academy for young ladies In the convent of the TJrsnllne nuns, where about sixty scholars receive " the most accomplished education, with the exception of dancing;" twenty-five orphans are supported and educated gratis in a separate apartment, and as many poor day-scholars. Also several other academies, and forty-eight common schools, some of which are for persons of color. Among the public buildlDgs standing in 1822 may be mentioned : The City Hall or Principal, with a front on Chartres street of 103 feet, built in 1796, in which are the City Council chamber, city officers and city guard;-the City and State Prisons, on St. Peters street, in the rear of and adjoin- ing the City Hall; the Presbytice, with a front on CondS street, of 114 feet, built in 1813, in which the Supreme, District and Parish Courts hold their sessions; the Government House, built in 1761, where the Legislature meets and in which is the Treasurer's olBce and the Orieans Library, of about 6,000 volumes ; the Customhouse, a spacious, plain brick building, with a coating of white plaster, situated on the levee, where, besides the offices connected with the customs, are the United States District Court-room, and ofSces of the United States District Clerk, Attorney, Marshal and Land ; the Charity Hospital, on Canal street, a large building; erected in ISl.'i ; the Ursuline Convent, built 1733; the New Orieans College, built 1812; the Market House, a neat building about 300 feet long, situated on the levee, near the Place of Arms, contains more than 100 stalls, erected in 1813 ; the Orleans Theatre, with Davis' Hotel, and the Orleans Ball-room, a considerable pile of brick buildings, first erected in 1818, destroyed by fire in 1815, rebuilt and furnished with a very handsome front and Interior decorations in 1816 (there were dramatic performaoces here almost every night throughout the year by fall and respectable French and English companies, who played alternately); the St. Philip street Theatre, a neat brick building, vrith a handsome interior, erected in 1810. The public expecta- tation, for a long time manifested for an American theatre, will soon be realized, as Mr. Caldwell, the manager of the American Theatre, has purchased the ground between Gravler and Poydras streets for a theatre. Liberal subscriptions have been made, and it is said that GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS. 26 the foundation of a lafRB and elegant edifice, to be styled the American Theatre, will be laid tn June next. A new briok market-house, 42 feet in width, by from 200 to 250 feet In length, is to be buUt Immediately on the upper end of the batture, between St. Joseph and Delord streets. A new and handsome briok buildinf; Is to ho erected at the corner of Orleans and Bourbon streets tor the accommodation of all the courts and public ofBcers of the parish. It Is con- templated to build a corn and vegetable market. The State Bank Is a neat brick building with a coat of white plastering, and there are two other banks, kept in buildings that were formerly dwellings altered for their reception. The Louisiana Insurance Offloe is a small but neat brick building The United States Navy Yard and stores, a marine barracks, quari;ermasters' stores, an ordnance arsenal, with a great number of mounted field and battering cannon, mortars, , sliells balls and other implements of war ; and a fine commodious building, erected exclusiyely for the accommodation of different lodges and Free Masons, may be mentioned as the most important buildings in tie city. . , „, . t. , j *„ Amon- the public institutions of this city are a branch of the United States Bank, and two others, Whose joint capital is 83,000,000-three insurance companies, whose joint capital is $1,000,000; besides there are agents of four foreigTi insurance companies; the New Orleans Library Society, two medical societies, and a board of medical examiners. There are no less than nineteen lodges of the various orders of Free Masons in New Orleans, and the Grand Lodge of Louisiana was formed and constituted on the twentieth day of the month of June, 1820. and of Masonry, 5820, by five regular lodges which then existed in the State, and deriving their charters from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. There is a " Female Charily Society " the object of which is to relieve women and children laboring under sickness, and for the accommodation of whom It is contemplated to build an hospitaL. There are several handsome ball-rooms, where balls are frequent and well attended by the inhabitants, more particularly the French. The means for extinguishing fires are twelve fire-engines and hose, ladders, hooks and a great number of leather fire-buckets; "the Washington Fne Society," has been formed for the protection of property; each member is provided with two leather buckets, two bags four feet long, a bed-screw and a knapsack. The citizens, during fire, are generaUy active, are set a worthy example by the indefatigable Mayor and Fire Wardens, who, on an alarm, are amongst The tot to repair to the spot. In order to remedy the evil of fire, no other than brick houses are allowed to be erected within the compactly built part of the city. Perhaps no city In the Union can boast of being better lighted than New Orleans. Theie are 250 of the most complete and brUliant reflecting lamp.s, suspended to iron chains, which are stretched from the corners of houses or high posts, diagonally across the .lunctions of the various streets, in such a manner as to be seen in a range from the middle of any street, the cost of which is about forty-five dollars each. , , „ i„ ti,„ The following were the various branches of manufactures and busmess carried on In the city and suburbs of New Orleans at that time, embracing the professional, mercantile, mechani- cal and other establishments, namely : many physicians and counseUors-at-law ; 260 mercantile establishments; wholesale grocery and dry goods merchants, carrying on an exten sive trade in produce and merchandise ; seven auctioneers, with a great business ; 102 retail dry-goods stores twenty-seven millinery and fancy stores and a number of small shops of various kinds; a number of billiard tables; the Planters' and Merchants' Hotel, a spacious building, bO feet front situated on Canal street, containing upwards of one hundred rooms, besides which there were'other very extensive hotels aud coffee-houses, that had not their superiors in the Union; 350 taverus and groceries, retail, and seventy groceries that sell by wholesale, besides a number of porter and oyster houses, etc.; one public bath-house, two fumigating bath- houses- thirty-two blacksmiths, five brass-founders, one bell-hanger, tliirty-seven barbers, one brewery twelve bricklayers ; nine book and stationery stores, four bookbinders ; the New ortetvns Society librarjr, kept in the GoYeruineut House, coutaluiug 6,000 volumes, priucipally tii 26 HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOK. French and Bnglish, and one English and one French circulating library ; nine book and news- paper printing offices ; the following daily gazettes were printed : " The Louisiana Courier," the "Orleans Gazette and Commercial Advertiser," the " Louisiana Advertiser," the "Friend of the Laws," the "Louisiana Gazette," and the "Commercial Report," a weekly paper; three of these were printed in French and the same number in English ; one lithographic printer, many com- mission and exchange brokers, four lottery offices, thirty-seven coopers, fifty-three cabinet makers ; many builders, carpenters and bricklayers ; six large steam saw-mills, one of which was of brick, embracing a grist mill, and was built by Dr. Geo. Hunter ; 105 cordwainers, employing 1S.3 persons ; sixteen confectioners and pastry cooks ; a number of public officers ; several sur- veyors ; four carvers and gilders, thirteen coach and harness-makers, forty-tour coach, sign, ship and ornamental painters, glaziers and paper-hangers ; thirteen portrait and miniature painters ; several landscape and scene painters ; four musical instrument makers and stores; many musicians, dancing and fencing masters; two chocolate manufacturers, six cutters, a number of French and English comedians, five chair stores and makers, twenty-four drug and apothecary stores ; six large rum d istil leries, three for gin and nine for cordials ; seven dentists, four dyers and scourers, three engravers ; two iron foundries, lately established ; one fringe maker, a number of gardeners, fowlers, fishermen, oystermen, boatmen, mariners, caulkers, stevedores, riggers and ship carpenters ; five sail makers ; three furniture stores, thirteen glass china and queens ware stores ; seventeen gunsmiths ; a very great number of would-be genUemen and ladles, or, in other words, persons who had no apparent business ; four working hatter shops ; fifty-six hat, shoe and clothing stores ; twenty-one hardware and ship chandlery stores ; anum- ber of perfumers and hair dressers, two ice houses, one laboratory; several large livery stables and veterinary hospitals, a number of wood and lumber merchants, two last makers, one screw cutter, several mill-wrights and engineers, one mathematical instrument-maker, two mineral water establishments, a number of mid wives and nurses, many notaries, translators, interpreters and ship brokers ; three pump, block and mast-makers ; one plumber, two rope-walks, twelve saddlers and saddlery stores, one sugar refinery, four stone-cutters, one spectacle-maker, two sculptors, many shoeblacks, sixty-two working tailor-shops, nineteen tin and copper smiths ; a great number of traders, peddlers and travelling merchants, of all colors, four tanners and cur- riers, seventy-seven tobacconists and sugar-makers, employing 417 hands ; four soap and candle manufactories, eight turners in wood and metals, a number of victuallers and sausage-makers, twenty-two upholsterers and mattress-makers, two umbrella-makers, eight wheelwrights, and fifty-six watch-makers, gold and silver smiths and .iewelry stores, 4'jO licensed drays and carts, sixteen two-wheeled and thirteen four-wheeled carriages for hire. There were a number of extensive cotton pressing and tobacco warehouses, among which were the large flre-proof warehouses of Mr. B. Eilleux. corner of Tchoupitoulas and Poydras streets, worthy of pai-ticular notice. They were commenced in 1800 ; they were on Tchoupitoulas, Poydras and Magazine streets, with passages leading to each, and contained 11,500 bales of cotton ; there were three cotton presses— one by steam, one hydraulic, and one by horse-power ; with this range of buildings were eight wells, a flre-engine, hose and flre- buckets for extinguishing fire, if it should occur, and twenty-five men who slept in the yard. This building, with the lots, presses, etc., cost about $150,000; the passages and alleys through this building were paved with pebble stones in 1806, so that this gentleman has the credit of being the first to introduce that necessary and important improvement In highways. Mr. Benjamin Morgan followed Mr. Eilleux in the important experiments of improving the highways, by paving Gravier street w'th pebble stone, between Tchoupitoulas and Magazine streets, which was so well executed as to stand the test of some years, and convinced every thinking person of its utility. GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS. CHAPTER IV.— BY RAIL. 27 HOW TO REACH NEW ORLEANS— THE VARIOUS RAILROAD LINES CENTERING THERE- REMINISCENCES OF HALF A CENTURY AGO— THE FIRST RAILROAD IN THE UNITED STATES— ITS STYLE OF ENGINES AND CARS— STREET CAR AND FERRY LINES. The Pontohartrain Hailroad, out Blysian Fields street to MUaeburpr, was the first railroad for general transportation completed In the United States, and was opened for traffic in 1830. The President of the Company was Morris W. Hoffman, of Maryland, then a prominent lawyer of New Orleans, and among the Board of Directors were Judge Bustis, Samuel J. Peters, and Messrs Prltohard, Hewlett, Cornelius Paulding and others, all of whom have died long smce. The Albany & Schenectady, Baltimore & Ohio, and Camden & Amboy Kailroads were commenced about the same time as the Pontohartrain RaUroad, but the latter ^as completed and in use before any of the others. The capital stock of the company was ongmally $MO,000. Capt John Grant contracted to build the road, and when it was finished he was made Super- intendent. While acting in that capacity, he had the honor of running the first locomotive over the Pontohartrain Railroad that ever turned a wheel south of the Potomac Hiver. This engine never went into regular service on the road, being too light for the purposes for which it was intended It was built in Cincinnati, Ohio, by a man named Thomas Shields, and was originally designedfor a turnpike locomotive. Finding that his invention did not answer his expectations in this respect. Shields changed the wheels to fiange wheels, and there being th«n no railroad on which to use his invention at Cinoinnati he shipped it on a steamboat, and in im arrived in New Orleans. He took rooms at Richardson's Hotel, on Conti street, and placed himself m commu- nication with the officers of the old Portchartrain Railroad Company. They agreed to allow him to test the merits of his engine on their road, and referred him to Capt. Grant. After the engine had been fitted up and placed on the rails. Shields could not find an engineer to run the locomotive and Capt. Grant volunteered, and one morning a coach was attached and steam raised The engine did not possess power enough to make the apparatus a success, and Capt. Grant' so informed Shields. The latter had expended all his money on the perfection ol his engine was indebted to the boat for freight charges as well as his own passage, and could not Uquidate his board bill at the hotel. In this dire strait he appealed to Capt Grant beggmg the latter to make him an offer for the engine. Capt. Grant candidly informed him that he could not pay him anything near the money which the construction of the locomotive had cost as he could not utilize it as it stood. If he bought it he would have to dismantle it, and apply one of the engines to use it as a motor to turn a lathe and grindstone in the repair shops of the company. He therefore made Shields an offer of 81,000 for the locomotive, which was accepted, and soon afterwards the inventor left for Cinoinnati. . For many years afterwards this engine did service in the shops, and was finally superseded by more modern and improved machinery. The first locomotive in actual service on the Pont- ohartrain Railroad was the "Creole," and soon afterwards the locomotive ■Pontchartra.n wi received and placed in service. The coaches were of every design and pattern, and a train Tf cars presented a unique appearance which compared with those of the present day would be ludicrous in the extreme; but at that time they were a source of admiration and wonder to "^^Tb^tLi. according to the measurement of the engineers, was originally 5>i miles long, and there was a turntable at each end of the line. The engine, when it reached the end of the run, was detached from tlie tender iind turned; tUen la succession tl.e tender nM each of tbe ows 28 HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOK. were turned and the train again made up for the return trip. The fare for the round trip was 75 cents, and the transportation of freight was attended by a oon-espondlng high rate of charges. The loading and imloadiHg of freight to and from the cars was accomplished by means of a oTsine, by which it was piclied up or deposited on the floor of the depot. Captain Grant, after mature deliberation, concluded that the handling of freight would be greatly facilitated by building a raised platform, and broached the subject to the directors of the road. They were opposed to this plan, but he was confident that it would be .'iucoessful, and the next day commenced the work. He left instructions with his men that if the President or i any of the ofBcers came and ordered them to cease operations not to pay any attention, but to 1 continue the work, • As he had anticipated, the President did yisit the depot, and on ascertaining what was going on he ordered the men to cease. They however continued, and after the platform was built Captain Grant invited the directors to visit the depot and witness the loading and unloading of freight. Thus it is that New Orleans not only has the honor of having the flrst railroad on this continent, but also that of the flrst freight platform in the world. It was not until after the year 1858 that the raised platform was finally adopted generally throughout England and Europe . The first schedules for trains over the Pontchartrain railroad provided for hourly trips, the train leaving each alternate hour from either the city or Mllneburg. The demand for transporta- tion for both passengers and freight was so great that it was desired to place two trains on, but there being only a single track'built, the running of these trains was impossible., Capt. Grant was also foimd equal to this emergency, and commenced the construction of a side track at Genttlly Ridge, which, when completed, answered all the requirements. The first locomotives were not provided with cabs for the engineers and firemen, who were thus exposed to all the variations of weather. The smokestacks were straight, and not supplied with spark arresters, and cinders and sparks flew into the cars so that accidents in which the olotliing of the passengers took fire were frequent. The adoption of the funnel-shaped stack and other huprovements obviated this danger. It was the original intention of the company to build a solid pier of earth, shells and brick protected by wooden fascines, out into tlie lake ; and they did, indeed, erect about five hundred feet of it, which yet stands as firm as a rock. This work was covered with an arched roof, high enoug!) to allow trains to pass underneath ; but at the suggestion of the superintendent, afterthe flrst five hundred feet liad been built, the design was abandoned and a wharf was built, which was several times washed away by storms and destroyed by fire. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad, on acquiring this road by piu'chase, have since rebuilt the wharf. The iron rails used on this road were originally nothing but flat bars of iron perforated at short intervening distances, with drilled holes, to allow spikes or screws to be driven into wooden sills, which were bolted on top of the cross ties. These flat iron rails were subsequently superseded by the T rail (iron), similar in shape to the steel rails of modern railways. \ The New Orleans & Nashville Railroad was commenced in 1835. The road was gi'aded as far as Bayou LaBranche and was ready for the superstructure when the company failed. It extended out Canal street in a bee line to the lake shore, which it first touched between Bayou Labarre and I^orriet, about five miles west of West End. The remains of the roadbed can still be found all along the lake shore as far as Bayou La Branche, whilst the piling of a larger pier, extending out into the lake for the distance of fully half a mile, at what is still known as Prairie Cottage, can be seen distinctly, and proves a source of danger to vessels plying In the svaters of Lake Poutchartiaiu. Prairie Cottage was intended to be a watering place, and had the road been completed would doubtless have proven to be as popular a resort as West Bnd ftiid Spanish Fort have since become, It was located Rbont midway between Longf Point ftnd GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS. 29 Bayou Lorriet, and is decidedly the best place for a resort that could be found west of the New' Canal, the ground beinghif^her and the beaob a very good one Indeed for bathing pui-poses. The roadbed was constructed in a most substantial manner, and to this alone can be attri-' buted the fact that much of the old roadbed still remains, despite the washings over it of the lake. First, a layer of flatboat gunwales was placed, and on these flatboat planks were laid. Clam shells and olay formed the roadbed on which the cross-ties were placed, and on top of these were laid the sills on which the flat Iron rails were to be spiked. The pilinR of the bridges across Bayous Tchoupltoulas, Indian and Labarre still stands firmly in the channels of these water courses, and the planking of the old roadbed Is frequently usrd by hunters and fishermen in the marshes for fuel. , When the New Orleans & Nashville Company, the capital stock of which was $10,000,000, failed, the six miles of completed road was sold to Martin Gordon and Laurent MlUaudon, who afterwards used the Iron to construct the old Mexican Gulf Eailroad to ProctorviUe. The Mexican Gulf Kailroad, the route of which was the same as the present Shell Beach Eailroad, was completed in 1838 or 1889, and Mr. F. Garcia was the first President. The capital stock was 83,000,000, and when the road was first completed it was well patronized. Several railroads were in contemplation during the early days of railroads. One was designed to run out lo Spanish Fort alongside of the Bayou St. John, but the Pontohartrain Company had the exclusive right of way from New Orleans to Lake Pontohartrain in Orleans parish, and they enjoined the Bayou St. John Company. Subsequently the CaiToUton Eailroad was built, and then a branch road from CarroUton, in Jefferson parish, to the lake at West End, then called Jefferson Lake End. Prior to the building of railroads the popular route from New Orleans to Washington over- land, was as follows : From New Orleans to Mobile, vi& the lake and Mississippi Sound, by schooner. Thence by a small steam ferryboat to Blakely, where the stage coach was met, and travelers then proceeded on to the Bast. • PEESENT EAILEOAD LINfeS AND CONNECTIONS. New Orleans was one of the last cities in the Union, east of the Mississippi, to be brought into communication with the railroad system of the rest of the country, and itwas but a very few years before the war that the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern EaUroad, now the Chicago, St. Louis & New Orleans connected it with Columbus, Ky., whence a boat carried passengers to Cairo, Ills., connecting there with the Illinois Central Eailroad. Even at the end of the war, New Orleans had but one trunk line. Within the past few years, however, five new roads have been completed, which place it in an almost air-line communication with all the leading cities of the country. Its railroad connections now are the Louisville & NashvUle, running to MobUe, which gives it connection with all of Florida, as well as the Southern and Eastern States. The Cincinnati, New,' Orleans & Texas, or New Orleans & Northwestern, an almost direct line to Cincinnati vlA Meridian, Birmingham and Chattanooga. ~The Chicago, St. Louis & New Orleans, or as It is familiarly called, " the big J," which con- nects with the Illinois Central at Cairo, and gives a line to St. Louis and Chicago. The Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Pacific, running parallel to the river in an almost direct line to Memphis. West of the river— The Texas & Pacific, running alongside the Mississippi and Eed Elver to Shreveport, and there connecting with the Texas system of the Texas & Pacific. The Southern Pacific, running direct to San Francisco vi^ Houston, San Antonio and El Paso. The trip to New Orleans by each of these lines ha,s special features of interest to pas- ser gers. 30 HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOK. ^ Coming by the Louisville & NashvUle, you skirt the beautiful Mississippi Souud for a hun- dred odd miles. In the distance can be seen the islands of the Southern seas, while frmf?mg the shores is a constant succession of watering places into which New Orleans pours itself in summer time. PascaEOula, Scranton, Ocean Springs, Biloxl, Camp Grounds, Mississippi, Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, Waverley follow each other in rapid succession. Here are to be seen elegant seaside villas, gardens rich in foliage, orchards in which the orange and other tropical fruits predominate, while in the background rise the mighty pines of a virgin forest extending a hundred miles into the interior. As you get nearer New Orleans and pass the Pearl river, you reach -a, region of sea marsh cut up by myriads of bayous and lakes, which are the favorite hunting and fishing grounds of the South. Tou can see the fish in the streams as the cars flash by and the dull winking eye of lazy alligators ; or the roar of the train may frighten from some lagoon where they were feeding a flock of ducks or jDm/Z«s(i'OTW«. Houses are miles and miles apart. Here and there the few there are for the accommodation of the sportsmen from the city will recall Venice, for they are perched high above the waters, on long stilts. You cross the beautiful Pearl river which separates the two States of Louisiana and Mississippi, the Eigolets, and then dash into New Orleans by way of Elysian Fields street, and thence along the Levee, where you can see the whole commerce of the city, the French Market, the Mint, the Cathedral and Jackson Square, the train landing you at the foot of the great boulevard of New Orleans, If you come by the New Orleans & Northeastern, you run through a portion of Mississippi thinly settled but wonderfully beautiful, a rolling country of trees, forests and ci-ystal streams, where deer and bear are still to be found, and where wild turkeys and such game are abundant. When finally you reach Lake Pontcbartrain, you are treated to a most extraordinary trip on the water, for you cross over the lake on the longest bridge in the world, with its approaches being over 16 miles in length. When you reach the middle of the bridge and see the land dimly visible in the distance, you cannot but feel as if you were at sea, while the strong but pleasant lake breeze pours through the cars, and the red-sailed Italian luggers sail alongside the train. ■ , „ ^ , j. , j i j. By the Jackson rotite you skirt the southern shores of Lake Pontcbartrain and come into the city over one of the worst praines tremblanles that have ever defied an engineer, the soil a perfect quicksand, which sinks under any weight. Thousands of dollars and millions of cubio feet of earth and lumber have been expended to give the road asolid foundation, which has only just been accomplished. As it is, you pass through the dreariest and most dismal swamp it 18 possible to see, the track of the old Bonnet Cave crevasse. By the Mississippi Valley route you run alongside of the river, striking Vicksburg, Baton Eouge and all the river towns. As you approach the city, you traverse the finest sugar planta- tions of the State, run close by the plantation quarters : by the immense sugar houses lookmg with their big bagasse chimneys like some feudal castle ; by the palatial residences of the planters built in the old "flush times" of Louisiana; by acres on acres of cane, the purple sticks and dark-green leaves making a handsome contrast ; by rice fields and orange orchards. The country is thickly, densely populated, and while towns may be few, or rather none of any importance south of Baton Rouge, you will find the country covered with houses, and each plantation looking like a village. The Texas Pacific will bring you through the cotton country along Bed Kiver, through long pine forests, over the tn rbulent, boiling Atchaf alaya, and through a series of fine plantations ; and thence across the Mississippi in a ferry to New Orleans. • The Louisiana & Texas, the Southern Pacific route, will bring you first over the prairies of Calcasieu, with their flocks of cattle : and thence along the Tfeohe— the beautiful, poetic, romantic rp^che— the loveliest stream in Louisiana, with its mossy rolling banks, the giant live oaks watering their branches in it,' and the plantation houses hidden in groves of trees. Py whichever rouf-e you oome, yon cannot f aij to get a view qt truly represfiutativ? ?ceB«ry, GUIDE TO N1£W ORLEANS. '31 and the scenery of eaoh road is absolutely different— one gives you the sea, another the swamp, another the susar plantations, another the weirdest, wildest forest seen east of the Mississippi Elver. The foUowlns Is the location of the ticket oflloes and the passeneer and freight depots of the various roads centering at New Orleans, and the means of reaching them : Star and Crescent Route— Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Hailroad, or, New Orleans & Northeastern. Ticket ofaoe, 84 St. Charles street, opposite the St. Charles Hotel. Depots, passenger and freight, at the old Natchez Cotton Press, comer of Press and Decatur streets, in the Third district, two miles from Canal street. Depot reached by the Rampart &, Dauphin^, and Barracks & Levee lines of street cars. Great Jackson Eovite— Chicago, St. Louis, & New Orleans EaUroad. Ticket ofBoe, on Canal street, corner of Carondelet, under the Pickwick Club. Passenger depot, corner of Magnolia and Clio streets, about a mile and three quarters from Canal street, uptown. Depot can be reached by the Clio,- Erato, Royal and Bourbon street cars. Louisville & NashviUe Railroad. Ticket office, corner of St.Charies and Common, under St. Charles Hotel. Passenger depot, foot of Canal. Can be reached by the Coliseum & Upper Magazine, Canal & Claiborne, Canal & Common and Tchoupitoulas & New Levee cars. Freight depot on the river, at the foot of Girod street. Star and Crescent Route, Southern Paoiflc— Morgan's Louisiana & Texas. Ticket Office, comer of Natcliez and Magazine. Passenger depot in Algiers ; depot for New Orleans, foot of Elysian Fields street, whence passengers are carried by ferry to the depot on the opposite side of the river. Ferry landing reached by Clio, Erato, Royal & Bourbon, and by Levee & Barracks oars. Freight depot, foot of Julia street. Texas & Pacific Railway. Ticket offices, 47 St. Charles street, under the St Charles Hotel. Depots, foot of Terpsichore street, whence passengers are ferried to the opposite side of the river to reach the cars. New Orieans, Louisiana & Texas Pacific. Ticket office, 61 St. Charles. Passenger and freight depots on Poydras and Magnolia, reached by the Canal & Common, and Poydras & Girod oars. ,. -f Beside these trunk lines, New Orleans possesses a number of local steam Imes connecting it with suburban, seaside and other resorts. The Shell Beach, or Mississippi River, Terre aux Bceufs & Lake Borgne Railroad runs along the line of the Mexican Gulf Railroad to Shell Beach, formerly Proctorsville, on Lake Borgne where fine fishing, hunting and bathing is to be had. The depot is at the corner of Claiborne and Good Children streets, and is reached by the Canal & Claiborne cars. Thence the line mns along the Gentilly ridge, and through a number of sugar plantations m St. Bernard parish and out on the Terre aux Bceufs ridge to Shell Beach. Along the Terre aux Bceufs is to bo seen the colony of Islingues, or descendants of the Canary Islanders, who settled m Louisiana over a century ago. This colony, nearly purely Spanish, still preserve all the names, habits language and characteristics of their Castilian ancestors. In the immediate neighborhood ot Shell Beach is the singular Malay colony of St. Male, a settlement composed almost without exception of Malays, speaking only the Tamil and Spanish languages, living in a queer littlo village perched on stilts over the water, foUowlng the habits and customs of the Philippine Islands', their main diet, fish, generally eaten raw, their laws of their own make, and their supreme control vested in a chief, the most ancient of the inhabitants. The Pontchartrain Railroad, by which all visitors to New Orieans from the North, formeriy reached the city, coming by way of boat from Mobile, and thence by this line to the city, is now the property of the LouisviUe & Nashville railroad. The cars start either from the depot of the latter road at the foot of Canal street, or from the old Pontchartrain depot, at the foot of Elysian Fields street, to be reached by the Clio, Erato, Royal & Bourbon streets cars. The roi^S runs along the levee and tbenoe out Elysian yields gtvegt, flue north in a straight line ovcv 32 HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOK. the swamps to Mandeville, famous in former years as the old Lake End. Here Boudro, Miguel, and other famous restaurateurs flourished in the olden days, and here New Orleans came to eat its flsh and game dinners. Here, too, in the little strapgling Tillage, which rises in the midst of the marsh Milneburg, named in honor of the philanthropists who gave all these swamp lands in charity, was bom that remarkable woman who electrified the world afterwards as Adah Isaacs Menken. Milneburg, or "the Old Lake " as it is called, has suffered somewhat from the establishment of New Lake resorts, such as Spanish Fort and West End, but it still boasts of several delightful hotels and restaurants, with elegantly shaded and well laid-ont walks ; a long wharf projects into the deep water of the lake, at which steam-vessels plying with Mobile, Pensacola and points on the Mississippi Sound, land. Prom here, also, steamers run regularly to Mandeville, Louisburg, Covington, and other watering places lying on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, and distant from the wharf some twenty or thirty miles. The depot of the New Orleans & Spanish Port Railroad, also a steam line, is located on the comer of Canal and Basin streets. Thenco, the oars run out Bienville street, through the Lower City Park, and along the Orleans Canal to Lake Pontchartrain, and for about a mile along the lake to Spanish Fort, formerly Fort St. John, lying at the mouth of Bayou St. John, and erected over a century ago by the Spanish Governor, Baron Carondelet, for the purpose of pre- venting the invasion of New Orleans. The fortifications still remain, built in the Spanish style, and as massive as ever, and some of the longSpanish cannon then in use are preserved here ; butthe whole place has been converted from its military use into a pleasure resort. The old building inside the fort has become a restaurant and hotel ; the old orchard is now laid off in mounds and shell walks, with seats for visitors where they can listen to the music, A large casino has been erected, and a theatre built directly over the water in which dramatic and operatic performances are given. Besides these are shooting galleries, bath houses, and every- thing else to make the place agreeable. Spanish Port may also be reached via the shell road running along Bayou St. John from Esplanade street. The cars of the New Orleans, Cemeteries & Lake Railroad start from the comer of Canal and Dauphin^, running straight out Canal street on the same track as the Canal street horse- cars to the cemeteries ; and thence along the new canal to West End on Lake Pontchartrain. On the opposite side of the canal is the famous Shell road, famous thirty years ago for the display of fast horses. The canal itself is a favorite rowing place for the various rowing clubs,' a number of whom have their club-houses located directly on It. At West End most of the rowing regattas are held, the crews rowing to Spanish Port and back ; here also is the magnifi- cent house of the Southern Yacht Club, one of the finest in the country, and from which all sailing matches take place. Prom the terminus of the railroad extends westward for about a mile the revetment or protection levee to prevent the overflow of New Orleans from the waters of the lake, which sometimes become very turbulent and high, being driven up by the winds from the south and east, and frequently flooding the back portions of the city. This levee is laid out in an elegant esplanade, with the choicest flowers and shrubs, statues, mazes, and walks and drives. Innumerable hotels and restaurants face it, and there are, in addition, the Lake Hotel, an opera house and concert saloon, at which dramatic performances are given in the summer. West End is also reached by the Shell road, from Canal street, and Washington and CarroUton avenues. On all these three lake lines, the Pontchartrain, Spanish Port, and West End railroads the cars leave both termini, from every ten minutes to every hour according to the season'and time of day. The fare is 15 cents to the lake and return, the distance being from 6 to 8 miles and requiring from 20 to 40 minutes to make It. The CarroUton railroad, formerly a regular steam line, is now run with horses from Canal and Baronne streets to Napoleon avenue and St. Charles, and thence to CarroUton by (Jummies, eaqh of which draws a single ordinary horse-oar. This ro&(} rvms along Barpnne \h is set ; to the a to St. Mexican ennle to Ight Co. let feri-y Ferry, et ferry . Philip ding to ;egut to 5— From i— From 38 40 HISTORICAL SKETCH BOOK. Blue and Canal, midnight. Cahal, Du Ma Dumaine and Broi minutes a car on tl green light. Leav Fbenoh Maek] station and Fair Q light. Leave stai midnight. These cars traT the best opportunil old-fashioned adoh gi oves. The Bayot through a district v cook pit, once tlie s the short route to French Market line The St. aiarles the following lines ; Clio, Ebato, R< Elysian Fields, up E Returns by Brato, C Leaves starting poin Detades & Ham: Andrew and Baronn Canal. Green cars ; 1-. M., then every fifti Carondelet & B Baronne to statiou c White cars ; by nigh every fifteen minute: The Jackson rail in^ from the depot o Louisiana A Texas E most of the other lii which they traverse, and Creole architecti Tlie stores on them a language almost uni celebrated French merly the old St. Lo All the lines of I Masonic Hall, Acade run by the Dryad es These various lini Opposite the city city; Freetown, Wesi these New Orleans is CHAPTER v.— BY WATER. APPROACHES TO NEW ORLEANS BY THE RIVER— THE VARIOUS OCEAN AND RIVER VESSELS REACHING CITY— WHARVES AND LANDINGS. Lines of steamboats connect New Orleans with all the towns on the Mississippi river and its tributaries, whUe the ocean vessels run to every port in America and Europe. 1 The arrival at New Orieans, via the river, shows the city to its greatest advantage. If you come by way of the Gulf, you pass through the Jetties, the greatest engineering enterprise of the age, 'and by Eadsport, built In the midst of a wild country, neither land nor water, but a mixture of both. All the way up to the city the scenery is varied and attractive. For the first twenty miles the shores are nothing but a narrow strip of mud, separating the river from the Gulf. As you ascend higher you pass the Quarantine, station, and Forts St. Philip and Jackson, which protected New Orleans against the Federal fleet for several months, but were finally passed by Parragut, and the city captured. Above this is Buras settlement, with its acres of orange groves, the finest and handsomest in the State, worth from $600 to $1,000 an acre. Then comes the rice country, around Polnte i la Hache, with hundreds of small farms, managed by Creole farmers ; the grandest sugar plantations in the State, which make Plaquemines parish the sugar bowl of Louisiana. In the distance is the Crescent City, never looking more beautiful than when thus seen from the river, its long front of twelve miles, full of steamboats, steamers and ships, and barks of every nation. As the highest part of the city is that directly on the river, and it falls as you go towards the lake, you can go and look down from your vessel upon the streets and avenues. A river parade shows you the entire city, for New Orleans clings to the Mississippi, and is a narrow fringe along that river, seldom running back over one or two mUes. Ton pass the battle ground of New Orleans, the Jackson monument, the Chalmette National Cemeteries, the Slaughter-house, U. S. Barracks, Jackson square, the Cathedral, Canal street, all the KaOroad depots of the city, for all the Imes have theirf reight depots directly on the river front, m close propinquity to the wharves, the Elevator, the Upper City or Exposition Park, and finally Carrollton ; while on the western bank of the river will be seen Algiers. Freetown, Qouldsboro, Gretna, and other suburban villages, with their dockyards, railroad repair shops, foundries, and mills. Coming down the river by steamboat you pass an even more picturesque country. The whole river bank is densely populated and an almost continuous town. The country on both sides is highly cultivated, and it is one succession of farms and plantations, sugar, rice, com and tobacco. Scores of little towns look down on you from the bluffs or nestle beneath you safe behind the levee, and so much lower than your steamer that you can actually look down into the houses and see wliat is going on within. The steamboats ot the Mississippi are ml genens, different from the vessels traveling upon any otherriver. The little ones are as comfortable and as agreeable as any mode of travel can be imagined. The packets and the steamers plying between New Orleans and St. Louis and Cincinnati are really floating palaces. In most of these the old and uncomfortable berths have been done away with and the traveler is furnished instead with state-rooms provided with large bedstead,washstand, bureaus, etc., fltted up,infine, likearoomlna first-class hotel. The saloons extend the entire length of the vessel, 200 feet or so, and are as handsomely fltted up as elegant carpets, magnificent furniture, and grand pianos can make them. As for the table, the fare furnished by the steamboats is unexcelled, the table d'fidie inoludingevery delicacy of the season, oookedin the flnest style, for which the stewards of the river boats have obtained a world-wide reputation. A trip by river to St. Louis or Cincinnati is a favorite excursion, and half the wedding tours from New Orleans are made by boat to these oities. One is not cramped up as in the cars GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS. 41 nor shaken or .lolted, and can walk about, and read, play or dance. The company on the steam- boat, indeed, live as it in a floating hotel, with all the pleasures and enjoyments of hotel life. From the decks is to be seen the panorama ot the river scenery, and the stops made at the different towns and landings give one aa opportunity to step ashore and inspect. During the oarnival season, the boats from St. Louis and Clnoinnatl come down to the city, laden with passengers. So comfortable are tliey and so pleasant the accommodation, that their passengers seldom leave the vessels, but reside in them as if staying at an hotel. The steamer ties up against the river hank, at the toot ot Canal street or some other important thoroughfare and remains there until the holidays are over and its passengers are anxious to return. The di'-itance from this landing to the central and business portion of the city is but little more than from the hotels. The passengers board on the boats, eating their meals there and sleepmg there at ni-ht, hut spending their mornings and evenings ashore, viewing the sights of the city or at the theatre. Whatever the time of night when one returns to the steamer, there is never any difficulty or danger in getting aboard, as the wharves are hrUliantly Illuminated by electric lights and well policed and guarded. This system of visiting New Orleans and spending a week or so there has grown in great favor of late years, and now the upper river hoats seldom arnve at the city during the season without a large party of visitors aboard who lodge thus over the water. When the city is crowded with visitors moreover, the steamboats are converted into floating boarding-houses and seem to accommodate several thousand guests. Each steamship, sailing vessel and steamboat line has its special landing. The foot of Canal street is the cotton landing for vessels running in the Vieksburg and Bend trade, and whose principal freight is cotton. Below this, immediately in front of the Sugar Sheds, is the sugar landing, where steamers engaged in the Bayou Lafourche, Tfiche, Atchafalaya and Bayou Sara trade, and the greater portion of whose freight is sugar, land. StiU further below this is the landing for the lower coast packets, running down the river towards the Jetties. Above Canal street, the steamboats from St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and other points land. In leaving New Orleans, the hour of departure for all up-river boats, whatever their desti- nation is 5 P. M. ; and 10 A. M. and 13 M. tor those engaged in the lower coast trade. The following is the division of landings in the city, and the trade for which each Is set "''^FiKST SECTioN-Flrst district : Steamboat Landing-From Canal street ferry landing to the upper line of Julia street. ,, , , j. * t v *„ of SEOoraSECTioN-Flrst district: Barge, Flatboat and Coalboat Landmg, from Julia to St. Joseph-New Orleans, Mobile & Texas Railroad, from St. Joseph to CaUiope-Florida & Mexlean Steamship Landing, from CaUiope to Gaiennie-Upper Steamboat Landing, from Gaienme to "^Thibd SEOTioN-First district : Sea-going Vessels and Coalboats of the N. 0. Gas Light Co. From Thalia street to upper limits of First district (FeUcity street). FouBTH AND FiFTH SEOTJONS-Second district : steamboat Landing-From Canal street f eri-y landin ' to St. Louis street ; New York Steamship Landing-I'rom St. Louis to Morgan's Ferry. Sixth SEciioN-Seoond district : New York Steamship Landing-From St. Ann street ferry landing to St. Philip street ; Sea-going Vessels, Schooners, Coalboat Landing-From St. PhiUp to Elysian Fields street. Seventh SEOTiON-Third district: Sea-going Vessels-From Third district ferry landmg to Montegut street. ,. „ ,. ^ * t EioHTHSECTioN-Thlrd district: English and other Steamers' Landing-From Montegut to Clouet street. ,,. . t j- -u ^ Ninth SEcTioN-Third district ; S,ea,-g