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102 South Washington Street. ^~^T~^
VICT^SBXJRa, IVIISS.
- - WHOLESALE ■ -
-^Gomn^ission Dealers in Western ProduGe,-^--
^^firocers and SoUon Factors.
APPLES. ONIONS, POTATOES,
BUTTER AND CHEESE. FEED STUFFS, GRAIN. ETC.
^ (garden I^estauFaiil,-^^
-;p-' •Corner Clay and Washington Streets.
FIRST CLASS IN ALL RESPECTS. ^ ^
ESTABLISHED OVER 20 YEARS.
-«« ^- DAVID H. HERMAN. Proprietor.
Samuel "SroHti, I ^ ^ ^ ^\ V 1 T T^TT O T ^ 1 .^ T il TT^ Chas, E. 'Seer.
BROWN & BEER,
Wholesale and Retail
GROCERS AM) COMMISSION MERCHANTS,
tS^Liberal Advances Made on Consignments of Cotton "^
^Iga iTorttL T7;7"a.slj.in.grtcrL Street,
P. O. Box 246. -:- Telephone 83.
Vicksburg, - Miss.
=|i AND ALL KINDS OF MUSICAL MERiJHANDISE. ==
DEALER : IN :
All Kinds of Repairing Neatly Done and Guaranteed. —. aw -
-«<« ^-209 OPENWOOD STREET. "VlcksbUrg, MlSS.
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Jirtiutsquf Wtrksbiug.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
^ description of the Resources and prospects oj tfiat City and the famous "^azoo ^efta,
tf) pificultural and ^^ommerrial '- ntercfifb'
♦ 14- • *-f4-
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'(bo 'WfiicH is ^ttached a Series of ^l^etcfies of Representative Industries.
PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED.
/
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BY H. P. CHAPMAN AND J. F. BATTAILE.
/
VICKSBUUG. MISS. :
ViCKsBURG PkINTING AND PUBLISHING Co.
'S9S.
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^>'''
PREFACE.
Between the Mississippi River on the West, and the Yazoo River on the East, lies the famous Yazoo Delta, probably the most amazingly prolific body of land on the American Continent. Its confines include more than oue-lourteenth of the State of Mississippi, stretch- ing from Yicksburg to the borderland of Tennessee, and containing an area of over 7.000 square miles. In this region— a small empire in itself— is contained all the diversified elements which upon development are the factors of a prosperous community. Although since the recent improvement and perfection of the levee system, progress has been mar- velously rapid, there are still hundreds of leagues of territory lying silent and tenantless, only awaiting the advent of the settler to be transferred into thriving and self-supporting homesteads. The wealth of commerce, agriculture, lumbering and fishing latently exists in untold measure. The virgin soil, the primeval forest, and tho teeming lakes and rivers all possess undeveloped riches. Man alone in Mississippi is apparently the missing quan- tity, and his energy, industry and capital are the required elements in developing, what is the natural garden of the South, into one of tlie most flourishing and striking sections of the Union.
To five briefly and succinctly a sketch of Yicksburg and this New Wonderland— not aspiring to the pretensions of a history— is the object of this work, presenting besides a general review of its great advantages as a field for immigration, the latest authentic stat- istics of its present condition, and much new information of interest to both the resident, the tourist, and the settler.
To the many friends who have furnished pictures and valuable data tlie writers beg to return their heartiest thanks.
CONTENTS.
PART I.
CHAPTER i.— Facts About Vicksbukc.
Pages.
Location and Early History of Vicksburg 10- 13
Commercial Resources and Advantages 1?>- 16
Transportation, Jlanufactures and Industries IH- 23
Warren County — Agricultural Productions-Labor 24- 2.S
CHAPTER //.—The Yazoo Canal.
Origin — Work Involved — Advantages that will accrue to tlie City I'mm its comple- tion 2!t- 35
CHAPTER III.— The Cotton Industry.
Cotton Seed 40- 42
Vicksburg as a Site for a Cotton Mill 42- 44
CHAPTER IV.— The Yazoo Delta.
Soil and Climate \. 4(3
Timber and Forests /. 46- 48
Value and Uses of the Timber 48- bO
New Industries 50- 52
CHAPTER V. — Productions of the Delta.
Corn and Other Creps 56- 57
Fruit and Vegetables 57- 61
Stock Breeding 61-62
CHAPTER F/— More About the Delta.
Cost of Living 64- 65
Transportation for Immigrants 65- 66
Some Successful Farmers 66- 70
CHAPTER VII. — PicTURESQE and Sporting Attractions.
Attractions for the Tourist 72
Sporting Attractions 72- 74
CHAPTER VIII.— Vp and Down the Mississippi.
Aboard an Anchor Line Boat 77- 79
Attractions En Route 79- 82
The MulhoUand Line 83- 84
PART II.
VICKSBURG RESUMED.
The Board of Trade 88
Public Buildings 90- 93
Educational Advantages 93- 98
Walks and Drives 98-101
Vicksburg as a Battle-field 101-102
The National Cemetery 102-104
Vicksliurg's Military Coin p, nies 104
Fr^trriud S.n'ietii-s .'.nil CIiiIj:., 104-105
Bull ling and Loan Associalions 108-109
The Press 113-115
APPENDIX.
Social Treatment of New Comers 116
Industries that would Pay in Vicksburg.. 116-117
Oil and Lumber Industries 119-125
The Coal Industry 126-127
Display and Other Advertisements 128-160
Directoiy of Representative Business Firms 160-166
Index to Illustrations.
.r^^^
CHAPTER I.
GLORY of time — a lialo of liistorv, like tl)r liallowing efi'ects that endears to nieniory ancient splendor, hovers over Vieksburi,', and throws its rliarin surcliarire<l with the spirit of sentiment and poetr}', impercejitilily around the writer, who essays even in a feeble -way to clironicle its past, or to ])ro])hesy its future greatness. A subtle power that springs from some mystic source, we know not where or how, carries the mind back to scenes, where the rich redundance of old time Soutliern magniticence have been glorified by genius. It is the South- the very words act like an incantation upon the imagina- tion. It means at once a clime of bounty and beautv', the land of soft and fragrant airs, perpetual flowers and unfailing song-birtis. It is the Mecca of the cultured voluptuary, and the asylum of the invalid. No experiences of age dispel the charm of her bright I'oinance. The very soil around us is liallowed with the best and bravest of our country- men.
Let us look back a little. With what strides the South has advanced to the position she now occuines. It is within three generations or a trifle more, that this was a land of which little was known, cut olf from the whirl and bustle of the busy world, a commu- nity of savages by itself. Venturesome travelers of repute — DeSoto — the Chevalier De Tonti — La Salle — in search of new fields of adventure, visited this country and carried back to the old world, what seemed increilible tales of a wonderful land, whose fertile soil was unequaled, whose climate was invigorating, whose possibilities were illimitalde, and whose destiny was to be the happy home of a thriving and contented people. But still the world was skeptical and the magnificent land lay fallow and umjccupied, excepting by its aboriginal owners, till a century or more later, through the impulsive restlessness "that pervades the liuman race, its hidden wealth and wonderful resources were again brought to light and this time more generally made known. To-day, although, its settlement by whites may be said to have only commenced, and its resources are yet in an incijiien't state of development, there is no attempt made to deny, that there is no other country under the sun which can offer the great inducements the South can, to the over-crowdeti population of the East in quest of new hmnes, and health, and happy contentment. Here are thousands of acres of land for the landless — here are free homes for the homeless ; here is a land great in extent, wonderful in climate, grand in its exuberant fertility, and sublime in its natural lieauty. It is the land fur the husbandman, for the merchant and manufacturer; for the hunter, for the hunberman, for the tourist— lacking nothing but capital, and industrious tillers of the soil to aid in working out its manifest destiny.
It was said of the Northern nobles who were sent to conquer Ireland, that they became so enchanted with the beauty of the green isle, the loveliness of the women, and
10
PICTURESQUE VICKSRURG.
Looking North From Court House.
bravery of the!men, that they become more Irish than^the Irisli themselves, it will be witliiall who enter our Southern domain.
So we think
LOCA TION AND EARL Y HISTOR Y OF VICKSB URG.
K you come directly from the vast monotony of the great plains of the Northwest with their parched and arid appearance, and stand suddenly upon the massive bluffs that form the solid ramparts of the historical city of Victisburg, you would gaze witli a feeling of wonder and delight upon a scene, tliat if it cannot be couched in words, holds yet witliin it a charm tliat is a spell to the eye, and thrills the sense through every pleasure- giving fibre of the frame. Here from pinnacled cliffs, once pierced by the frowning engines of war, are seen the long and winding reaches of the lordly Mississippi, bearing l>y gently wooded islands and willow fringed shores, graceful steamers freighted with tlie commerce of a hundred industries. Almost it seems within a stone's throw, just lieyond where a ridge of timber meets the horizon, lies the most southerly border of the Delta of the Yazoo — a region so unique in its character, so varied in its features, that it will be in the days unborn told of in song and story — a happy valley beyond that of Kasselas, for its por- tals will ever be open and the tide of life, in no stinted stream, Hows througli and enrich its border.
The earliest settlement in the vicinity of the present city of Vickliurg was made by the French, who had a military post, known as Fort Yasous, in the latter jiart of tlie sev- enteenth century. The garrison, a mere liandful of men, ])erislied in the insurrection of the Natchez Indians and their allies. One of the early Jesuit fathers, then voyaging down the river, landed here the day of the massacre, and was tired on by the Indians and seriously wounded.
Later on, the Spaniards built a fort just north of the present city limits, and com- manding the river. This covered a large area but was of no great strength. It gave t!ie locality the soubriquet of " Gibraltar," since ajiplied to it with terrible reason, but then used in derision. Though tradition is silent on this subject, it is believed that a small population remained here after Spain withdrew her garrison and the country came under American dominition.
As " AValuut Hills," a translation of the Spanish " Nogales," it gained some pop-
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
11
ulation and became by degrees a rendezvous for the flatboats which in that early period brought grain and other products from the settlements on the Ohio river, but the county Court House was established at Warrenton, eight miles lower down tlie river, and it was not until 1S2(), that the beginning of the present city was laid out and a charter obtained. The founder, Kev. Newitt Vick, gave his name to the city that was to be. It was not sur- veyed into lots until after his death. There were already manifestations of rapid develop- ment, a considerable trade having sprung up with the interior. It is difficult to realize now in the age of railroads, that there could ever have l)een a day when cotton was hauled two hundred miles and more to Vicksburg, the wagons returning loaded with supjjlies of all kinds, but this was a common enough jiractice at the time.
After Vicksburg became the seat of the county government its development was rapid. Its merchants acliieved wealth at an easy rate, its lawyers shone, a galaxy of talent and learning, at a period when the bar of Mississippi was famous througliout the South, and the names of Prentiss, tiuion, the Yergers, Brooke and Marshall are engraved in inef- faceable lines in the history of the State. The town was a social centre for the planting aristocracy, and its sometimes stormy history was filled, nevertheless, with bright pages. Here the jiublic scliool system gained its first foothold in the State, and none of the arts of peace were neglected, though the spirit of the jieople was essentially warlike, as became the descendants of pioneers who were, in many instances pioneers themselves. Numerous steamers plied the Mississippi and the Yazoo, bringing rich tribute to their home port. Annually an increasing area of the rich alluvial lands in Louisiana and the Y'azoo-Mississippi delta was brought into cultivation, and development never proceeded with more rapid strides in any portion of the South than in this favored region up to the breaking out of the war. The call for volunteers to fight the battles of the Southern Con- federacy was answered nowhere with greater alacrity than in Vicksburg, wdiere the response almost literally robbed the cradle and the grave. Her soldiers won imperishable glory on many a bloody field and when the conflict ceased returned, with numbers thin- ned by warfare, to a ruined city, themselves ruined also.
Looki.no Soutu From Court House.
12
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
The present city uf Vioksburg shows how faithfully and with what a ?iiirit of deter- mination they strove to etface the signs of warfare and to re])air the injuries it had ooea- sioned. The horrors of a long siege and a longer t)oniliarilni<>nt had done tljeir worst here, and few towns that escaped utter destruetion, suffered more severely than the Giliraltarof the Confederacy.
Another severe trial was yet in store for VicUsburg — the yellow fever epidemic of 1S78. The love and charity of the nation was then poured upon its suliering people and men gave up their lives for their fellows as clieerfully as lives were ever oU'ered for one's country. The ^rave of Lieut. Benner one of thi'se lieroes, in the VicUsliurg National Cemetery, wliere it is annually decorated witli flowers, the tribute of a grateful people, is a tie that especially unites the people of the once opposing sections.
Under the ellicient rjuaraiitine system yellow fever has not invaded the cities of the lower ^Mississijipi valley in many years, and no further a|iprcliensinn of its iuroails is en- tertained.
The present city of Vicksbiirg bears scarcely more resendjiance to the city of bsdl, tlian did tlie latter t<j the jirimitive Walnut Hills. The old town extended southward a little further than what is now about its centre, the intersection of South and ("hei'ry streets. The new covers an area of about two square miles, the city havinj; grown to the south ami eastward. The original limits were far larger, including many of the villages which now form the city's suburlis, but were contracted some twenty years ago, for i>olili- cal purposes it is stated. Of late years there has been a strong tendency to reverse this process and its accomplishment is only a ijuestion of time, so rapidly are the suburbs lieing built np. At jiresent, from the city's northern limits to a point full three ujiles soutli, following the line of the blufls and extending a mile iidand, the buildings are closely set. There are few finer views than the one presented by VicUsl.urg from the river, whether seen by day, when its many fine buihlings, crowinugthe lofty heights, are shown to esjiecial advantage, or by night, when illuminated by innumerable lights it seems to ri.se out of the water at its feet.
It has many imposing structures, among which may be mentioned tlie county Court House, ante-dating the war and occui)yiug a remarUal)ly fiiu' location ; the ('u>tom House.
VitKsnrRo IX 'b9.
erected a few years since at a cost of S100,000; St. Paul's Catholic Cluirch. which idso saw the perils of the siege; Christ Church, which has been described as a typical Knglish church, with its ivy-mantled tower; Holy Trinity, a beautiful example of sacreil architrc- ture, with a spire L'lO feet in height, notable also for its memorial windows in liouDr of the deail of both aruiies who perished in the siege; and the .Jewish Synago<;ue. lately remnd- eled and improved at considerable outlay. The two leading hotels, the Carroll and the Piazza, are also fine buildings. Many iiandsome residences are also to be seen in all parts of the city, whose picturesque grounds and exteriors prove that good taste is as pre-emi- nent as ever in the Hill City. These same hills, whose outlines are so closely followed by the city, have been for two generations the despair of engineers, but the glory of lovers of the picturesque. The possibilities for ornamentation aftbrded by terraces have been improved to the utmost and the rich green turf of Bermuda grass, as seen in many lawns, is unrivaled in its beauty and eflect, especially when sapjdemented by tropical jilants, as bananas, palms and caladiums, very generally grown, even by the hund)lest inhabit- ants. A humid atmosphere and nine months' exemption from frosts suthce to clothe the most uni>romising localities in living green, |)recipitous bluffs are hung with honey-suckles and luxuriance is the rule everywhere. The land of cotton is quite as emphatically the land of flowers, and nowhere are these seen in greater perfection than here. Roses in the open air at Christmas are no novelty and though they are more numerous in the spring and autumn than at other seasons they are iilentiful at all times except in tlie dead of winter.
No one has ever accused the Simthern people of a lack of admiration for the beauti- ful, but there has been a wide-si)read belief that they are addicted to sli|i-shod, easy-going methods, and that their belongings are ai)t to be rather comfortable than neat or entirely convenient. There are few traces of this vice or weakness in the city of Vickslnirg, and especially will it l)e found that all the p.ublic institutions are up to the times.
The streets are fairly well jiaved with gravel and a vast mileage of sidewalks, gener- ally of brick, cover nearly all parts of the city.
PICTURESQUE VICK8BURG.
!■ iH'pai'tMK'Ut liusfil upon a
a paid ik'iiartiiiout, i.s so c-lilcieiit that a total loss rarely
iipfral)iinilaiit water siipplv, delivered throuf^li mains wliieii
■ the ■ " ■ ■ "' '
reaeh the most isolated localities, under exreptionally heavy pressure, so heavy that except on the liit;lier levels the two steam tire entwines held in reserve are never called out. Ten additional tire-plu<rs are to be jnit in to atl'ord further protection and the city now has under construc- tion, at considerable expense, a fire alarm telegraph sys- tem, of tlie most approved type. Eighty-one arc lights illuminate the streets, which are patrolled by a police force of twenty men ; hundreds of Ijrick crossings have been laid witliin the past few years and all the improve- ments undertalien have lieen of the most substantial character.* A serious drawback to the city has been its ack of transportation, partly supplied by numerous vehi- ,,^ . cles wdiich are to be had at low rates, but an enterpris- /^]~~^^^~J ing corporation now holds the franchise of an electric p^ss^sJ railroad system and negotiations now pending contain / tlie assurance that at an early day this deficiency will be W^^-V splendidly met and supplied.
The municipal buildings are distinctly inferior, be- ing old and small, but other improvements have been considered more essential to the welfare of the commu- nity and the proposed City Hall has been postponed to a more convenient season.
In healthfulness, Vicksburg will compare favorably, it is believed, with any town of its population in the United States, since all available statistics justify the statement that the death rate of white inhabitants does not exceed 17 per thousand. This is due to the city's ele- vated situation and perfect drainage, and a/so to the ab- sorbent nature of the soil, it appears. Consumption is rare, typhoid fever almost unknown — some ph.vsicians in large practice, covering a perioil of many years, say they lave never seen a case — scarlet fever of rare occurrance and almost invariably of mild type — it is a fact that an epidemic of several hundred cases was fatal in only a- another scourge of northern climates, is also an exotic a foothold here or figured except to the most limited The diseases of this latitude are (diiefiy of a malarial in ty|ie, yielding readily to prompt treatment. The longevity of the feature worthy of renutrk and the same may be said of their mental and pliysical vigor, even into extreme old age.
COMMERCIAL RESOURCES AND ADVAXTAGES. Founders of cities have not always displayed good judgment in their selection of of sites, but in the case of Vicksburg jircscience could have done no more. The junction of the Mississippi and the Yazoo, the latter alone with its tributaries comiirising SOU miles of navigalile water, the first high land on the east bank of the Mississippi for over 400 miles, was meant by nature for a commercial centre. When to these advantages are added those afforded by the fertile territory surrounding the city, in easy reacli by rail and river, destined for the home of a teeming population and probably able to sustain a greater number of inhabitants to the sijuare mile than any of tlie most thickly peoi)led jiortions of Europe, it will be seen that Vicksburg lacks none of the attributes of potential gi'i'atness. Memphis is more than 400 miles distant by river and -20 by rail. New Orleans is about equally distant to the soutliward, while Slireveport on the west and Meridian on the east are too far away to he considered rivals. The natural de- velopment of the surrounding country whi(h finds the city its most convenient business jioint will inevitably nuike it a great city, even if its inhabitants were content to sit with folded _^^ hands and await such slow processes. Kiver 3^^ competing with railroad routes reduce trans- portation to the minimum of cost and make the citj' one of the best markets in the entire coun-
* See City Government, Part II, for detuiis of municipal reform.
single instance — and diphtheria disease anil has never ac(juirei extent, in the mortuary rejjorts nature and mild inhabitants is a
14
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
try. The traJe in Western produce, as a natural consequence of low freights, covers a remarliably extensive territory, Vickslmrg being tlie most important centre for its distri- bution in tlie State and supplying an increasing demand, not only in Mississippi but in Louisiana, Alabama and even Georgia. The leading liouses in tliis branch of commerce have warehouses fronting on both railroads and on the Yazoo river canal, so that the cost of reshipping is reduced to a trifle.
The extent of the city's commerce is l)est attested by its banking and commercial institutions. If tlie banks of a city are strong then the community prospers, and the great arteries of commerce are tilled with the throlibing life blood of active busi- ness, but woe betide the community whose banks are weak and unwisely managed — spec- ulation is there rife, and sooner or later disaster surely comes.
The banks of the Cit)' of Vicksburg are the bulkheads of its ship of prosperity. They are officered and managed by men of capacity, integrity and wisdom, and with a com- bined capital and surplus of five hundred and eigiity thousand dollars and deposits aggre- gating one million, one hundred thousand dollars, they ever stand ready to advance the best interests of the city.
When the shock of the panic of 1893 (the rumblings of whose thunder had been heard in the distant communities for some time before its first tremor was felt in Vicks- burg), struck the city, tlie lianks were found equal to the emergency, and turning a com- mon and united front to a common foe, they were unassailable, and so great was the confidence they had inspired in the public mind, they were unassailed.
Tlie condensed statement of the combined banks of the city at the last call of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Auditor of State, is herewith appended and needs no further commendation.
Resources.
|
Loans |
Bonds |
Real Estate |
Expense |
Cash and Exchange |
Total. |
|
|
Vicksburo' Bank |
SI 67,531 30 214,290 52 215,866 88 173,402 27 147,845 80 |
$ 57,000 00 43,456 25 88,493 61 9,076 24 14,473 16 |
$ 30,991 59 4,000 00 17,921 88 46,361 39 6,328 32 |
$1,2.55 2i:*l63.5-^f! fiS |
$420,304 78 315 276 78 |
|
|
First National Bank |
53,530 01 201,673 19 74,704 86 17,934 11 |
|||||
|
523,9.55 .56 |
||||||
|
DeltaTrust & Banking Co. Peoples Savings Bank |
290 27 1,479 35 |
303,835.33 188,060 74 |
||||
|
Total |
$918,936 67 |
$212,499 76 |
$105,603 08 |
$3,024 83 |
$508,368 85 |
1751,433 19 |
Liabilities.
Vicksburg Bank...
First National Bank.. Merchants Nat'n'l Bank Delta Trust it B'king Co. Peoples Savings Bank
Total.
Capital Stock
$ 75,000 00 100,000 00
1(10,000 00
100,000 00 50,000 00
$..
$425,000 00
Surplus.
20.000 00
100.000 00
25,000 00
10,000 00
$ 2,173 96$ 343,130 82$ $420,304 78
Undi- vided Profits.
Deposits
Circula- tion.
Total.
4,038 25 1.57,838 53l 33,400 00
6,891 40
19,517 75
7,606 19
$155,000 00
$40,227 55
294,.i64 16 22,.500 00
1.59.317 .5S'
120,454 .551
315,276 78 523,955 56 303,835 33 188,060 74
$1075,305 54 $.55,900 001751,433 19
With such a showing, of which our people are justly proud, it will be seen that ample capital is at hand to supply the needs of a growing community.
Scarcely less important than the banks and perhaps more so in some respects, since they have been the means of promoting thrift and of enabling the place to be a city of home-owners, are the Building and Loan Associations. Of these the Vickslmrg Building Association, the oldest in the State, is the most important. Its semi-annual report for the six months ending .Tune 30, 1895, shows resources amounting to $391,443.28, with loans of $340,000.00. The thirty-fifth series opened July 1st, 1895. It has matured and paid in full fifteen series. Tlie sixteenth series matured August 1st, 1895, and payments are being made on same. It has paid over $1,000,000 on matured and cancelled stock since the organ- ization of Association, and has built in Vickslmrg not less than 1,000 homes, including the Piazza Hotel and the finest club house in the city.
The Citizens' Building and Loan Association, an institution for the benefit of both white and colored borrowers, has loans outstanding of $90,000, with 1,2.50 shares in opera-
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
15
tion. It liesan its nineteenth series last April and has had a prosperous career since its organization, in ISSH.
The Mutual Building Association is another thriving concern, newlj' organized with local backing, and in the field to stay.
The Mississipi^i Home Insurance Company, founded in 1883, has a capital of $100,000. Its business career has been one of the greatest prosperity.
The Vicksburg Cotton Exchange, an old and powerful organization, occupies a hand- some building on Crawford street. It receives all the cotton market reports during the season, or from September 1st to June 1st. Its handsome quarters are the property of the Exchange, having been purchased and adapted to its uses a number of years ago.
The Board of Trade, re-organized in 18iU, has for its president the venerable Mr. Louis HofI'man, one of the oldest merchants in the city, whose energy finds a congenial occupation in directing tlie operations of this active young organization. The member- ship, which is large, is also influential, comprising the leading business men, and from its
V.
The Court House, Lookini; West.
foundation the board has proven a powerful agency for promoting the city's welfare. The board holds semi-monthly meetings, in the rooms of the Vicksburg Building Association.
The German-American Immigration Association is the youngest of the organizations having in charge the general welfare of the community. As its name denotes, it is devoted to the encouragement of immigration, ]iarticularly of German citizens, from the North- west. It has a membership of about one hundred persons, business and professional men. Its officers are : President, B. W. Griliith, who is also President of the First National Bank ; Vice-President, Capt. E. C. Carroll, also prominent in local banking circles and President of the Vicksburg Hotel Company ; Treasurer, R. L. Crook, the head of one of the largest produce houses in the city. Tlie directors are also of prominence in the city's commerce.
The annual amount of Vicksburg's trade may be best estimated by isolated items, in the absence of exact statistics in several important branches. Its cotton receipts, mean-
IG
PICTFRESQUE VICKSBURG.
%1
ing cotton actually compressed here, average 70,000 balc;^. It liandles 11)0.000 tons of coal annually, exclusive of tlie quantity consunied by the railroads-, of which a large proportion is used by local factories of various kind.s. The exchange bought and sold by its banks foots up a total of nearly S4(l,(IOO.0OO. The annual sales of grain, meats and western i>ro- duce have been estimated at 10,000,000 pounds of salt meats and bacon, 4,000,000 bushels of corn and oats, and 200,000 barrels of cornmeal and 100,000 barrels of flour. These totals have not diminished in any marked degree, despite the latterly immense production of corn and meat in this territory, which would sufficiently indicate, if the fact was not otherwise known, tiiat the city's trade with inland towns is increasing at a handsome rate. Three large wholesale hardware houses comi)ete for the trade of this section, and on equal terms, with the largest firms in St. Louis, New Orleans and other commercial cen- tres, and all report a growing trade, a fact attested by increased receipts and shipments.
The Standanl Oil Company has its principal depot here, supplying a large territory ; and the Armour Packing Cfunpany is sim- ilarly provided for and distributes immense quantities of its products from this base of operations.
Among the facilities for transacting a large business, lines of intelligence are worthy of special mention. Vicksburg has communication with the outside world through the Western Union and the Postal Telegraph lines, while still more important, from a local point of view-, are the lines of the Great .Southern TelephoneCompany, centering here, which connect it with all ])oints along the Jlis- sissippi River as far as Gunnison, in the Delta ; and with points eastward or inland as far as Brandon. The lines radiating from Vicksburg comprise more than 'iOO miles of wire. Tlie Vicksburg lines alone have 300 subscribers and employ five oper- ators and two linemen.
Two hotels with all the modern com- forts now supply what was prior to their erection one of the city's most crying deli- ciencies. " The best hotels in the State," is now the verdict of the traveling public on these elegant caravansaries and visit- ors who come once never fail to come again. The Carroll, the largest of these hotels, is one of the handsomest buildings in the South. A complete description of the hotel and its attractions for the traveler will be found on another page. The Hotel Piazza is also a fine building and well kept. It contains 108 rooms and cost 8100,000. In addition to these there is the Trowbridge House and the Wash- ington Hotel, probably the two oldest hos
telries in the city, both ante-dating the siege by many years. Up fill '70 the latter was presided over liy the one-time celebrated General Mcilackin. nf whom it was .«aid there was no finer host in the country. Vicksburg is also well supjiliecl with boarding houses — boarding houses only in name, for at their table is to be found all the comforts and little luxuries of home life.
'&■::
tms^
The Bodley Moni'.mext.
TRAN.SPORTA TIOX.
Vicksburg's facilities for handling freight could scarcely he excelled in any particu- lar. The Alabama & Vicksburg and the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Kailroails cross each other within the city Hunts, the former giving access to points in Nortii Louisiana and westward, and to the interior towns of ^Mississippi and Alabama; the latter allbrding trans]iortation to the numerous towns and plantations of the delta liy its multiplied branches and to the southward by its main line and its Xatchez i'(: Jackson division. Ample switches reach every large warehou.se, the cotton presses, etc., and in resjiect to the laiiidity and convenience of liaudling freight leaves nothing to be desired.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG. 17
Vicksliurjr, however, is eiiipluitienlly a river town and though liver lines now linJ powerful rivals iu the railroads it still l)oasts the largest fleet of river craft south of St. Louis. These ply the Mississippi, the Yazoo and its tributaries in every direction and bring rich tribute to the city, besides supporting a numerous class of employes.
The fulluwiug is a list of the boats operating in and out of Vicksburg :
AXCIIOR LINE.
Tonnage.
Steam EK Crrv of Cairo l.."ilKl
City ok Mo.vuoe \,hO()
City oi- St. Lous li.OOO
City ok New Okle.vx.s 2,000
City or Hkk.max 1,700
City of .Arkansas I,."i00
Bei.i.f Mem ems 1 ,:!00 -10,000
F. LINE. ( YAZOO & TALLAIIA T< 'HIE TJiAXSPORTA TIOX ( 'o.l/y.l.V V.)
Steamer Blanks Corn well ">00
HiRiiiE Bailey l-->
Hiberxia 400
John F. .Vllen 400
Fifteen 1^1 10- I,02o
.Un.noLl.AM) I.IXE.
Steamer IIitii JiOO
Annie La hue 2^0— 750
VIVK.SBVKO A- XATfllEZ PACKET VOMl'AXY.
Steamer Charles IX Shaw ; 300
St. Joseph (>00— 000
NEW ORLEANS, VloKSHVRa .(■ BEXDS PACKETS.
Steadier T. 1'. Leathers XOO
Parooud 1,'.'00- 1>,000
VrXriXXATI ct- XE]\ ORLEAXS PACKET COMPANY.
Ste.\mer New Soith 1,'JOO
State of Kansas , 1,200
John K. Speed 1,400- 3,800
VICKSBlUn ,1- 7^.1 VIS BEND PACKET.
Steamer Ckow n Point .'lOO— :i00
Total Tonnaoe 19,375
IS
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
The completion of tlio Yazoo River canal will be of immense advantage to the city's river commerce, since it will render the entire city front, ou which are situateil nearly all the large warehouses, the Planters' Compress and the Anchor Line Elevator, accessible at all seasons of the year. At present, however, these are reached by the largest steamers when the river is at or above 16 feet on the gauge, which is usually the case when ship- ments and receipts are at their maximum point. At such seasons the city's water front presents a most animated scene, for the receipts by steamer are immense and steamers are almost constantly receiving or discharging cargoes. The Anchor Line boats alone ^handle tliree hundred to four hundred tons per boat for this place, chiefly grain and provisions
Cotton Exchange.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
19
from the West and manufaetured poods, wliile the local fleet is busy in d'iscliarging cargoes of cotton and of cotton seed and in receiving return shipments of all kinds.
The Anchor Line elevator can store, and frecjuently does, 1,000 tons of freight, and, since steamers discharge at its western doors wliile cars are loaded for resliijiinent under its eastern eaves, the entire building can be emptied in twelve hours. In time of low- water the Vicksburg Wharf it Land Company's wharfboat, then moored at Kleinston, han- dles all river freights. At higher stages this boat is moored at the city landing, where steamers discharge across her decks.
The Transfer Company, whose powerful steamer ferries across the Mississippi river all trains on the Queen ct Crescent route ( Alabama & Vicksburg and Vicksburg, Shreveport & Pacific Railroads) is also an important factor in handling freights.
MANUFACTURES AND INDUSTRIES.
Ten years ago the then Louisville, New- Orleans & Texas Railroad, now the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley, offered to locate its principal shops in Vicksburg, in consideration of $100,000 in city five per cent, bonds and the grant of certain tracts of land. The desired bonus was granted by a large poinilar majority an<l the result was tlie erection of the pres- ent magnificent plant, which employs more mechanics and laborers than any other single establishment in the city, the force varying from 350 to .500 persons, according to the requirements of the road's traffic. The shops, which are in the western part of the city, cover a large portion of the railroad yard, which extends from Depot street on the north to Fairground street on the south, a distance of nearly half a mile, and are with two or
three unimportant exceptions, built of pressed brick. They comprise all the buildings, ma- chinery, etc., necessary to the re- pairing of railroad rolling stock, including a fine planing-mill of lai'ge capacity. The invested cap- ital is about ?o00,000, not incluil- ing material. Tl.e monthly pay- roll of this force is a very consid- erable addition to the city's cash receipts and is much increased by the large sum paid out here to engineers, firemen, etc., this being the re-laying point between Mem- phis and New Orleans.
The manufacture of cotton-seed into oil, oil cake, etc., probably gives employment, directlv and indirectly, to a larger nundjer of laborers than any other product- ive industry, although the three large mills now operated liere make the fullest use of labor-sav- ing machinery. Tlie oldest mill here, the Refuge, a very comjilete establishment, is situated on the river bank, just below the city's southern suljurbs, and is con- nected with the Yazoo & Missis- sippi Valley Railroad by a switch. Its shipping facilities are unsur- passed and it handles an immense quantity of seed at remarkably small expense.
The Hill City, formerly the Warren Oil Mill, is situated on North Washington street, in the heart of the city, and though in- conveniently located, is a very successful mill.
The Vicksburg Oil Mill, occupying extensive grounds at the corner of Depot and I-evee streets, between the tracks of both railroads and on the bank of the Yazoo river canal, is probably the largest mill between New Orleans and ^lemphis, having had its capacity doubled during the present season. Its crushing capacity is stated at 200 tons
P'VUL s CiiiRcn
20
PICTURESQUE YICKSBURG.
daily. Tlie owners, Lever Brothers, limited, of London, England, besides doubling the capacity of the jilant, have erected a brick wareliouse, TOx'JOO feet, this season.
The united crushintr capacity of these mills is aliout oOO tons daily. The crushing period extends from ten to eleven months, accordini; to the supply of the raw material. The product is chiefly shijiped to Kurope, thouijh a consideraljle projiortion of the oil-cake and nearly all the hulls not burned under the boilers is fed to cattle in the vicinity of the city. The industry gives emjdoyment to ooO persons and indirectly to many more.
The two compresses of the Vicksburg Cotton Press Association are worthy of men- tion among the city's industries, since they employ a large force, some 150 persons during the cotton season. The Vicksburg, on Depot street, and the Planters', on the canal, are ea(di large structures of the best type, being built according to the strictest requirements of the insurance companies. They are i)rotected against fire by a complete system of fire- plugs and hose and their laborers are an organiz-od liand of firemen, on occasion.
The manufacture of lumber has lieen an important industry in Vicksljurg for many years, but (diietly to supjdy the large local demand and that of the plantations adjacent until a i)eriod comjiaratively recent, when the increased inquiry for hard-wood lumber resulted in decidetlly stimulating the industry. The erection of three large mills, all located on Lake Centennial, speedily followed, and large shipments of oak, ash and cotton- W'Ood were made to the IS'ortbern markets. The local demand continued to l>e active and large quantities of cypress and Cottonwood were cut for home consumption, in addition to the output for shipment abroad. Five mills were in operation simultaneously. Tlie gen- eral depression in the lundjer trade, while not so severely felt here as elsewhere, materially curtailed shipments, but at present tlie industry is in a healthy condition and tlie mills are meeting an increasing demand from Northern and Western buyers. The mills in opera- tion are owned by the Curphey-Woollen Lumber Company and the Spengler Manufactur- ing Company. The Streiglit Comjiany's mill is not in oiieration at present.
The Spengler Company has recently built a large ]daiiing-mill and sash and blind
View Fro.m tuk Island.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
21
factory, wliieli will be put in operation during the present season, it is reported. The firm of Curphe)' ct ilundv, manul'aeturers of sasli, doors and blinds, also devote much attention to the making of ottice furniture to order and are large building contractors. Considerable stocks of Inudier of all kinds, including yellow i)ine, are carried here. The Spengler Company has a large uiill at Forest, in tlie heart of the yellow pine belt.
In the mills and factories here some 1")0 luiuds are employeil. The sujiply of timlier which may be floated to tlie mill-side is practically unlimited, including not only white and other varieties of oak but sevei'al kinds of ash, besides poplar, hickory, Cottonwood, gum and cypress. Walnut is in good supply also. The city draw's the most of its logs from Yazoo river and its tril)utaries, but Arkansas and North Louisiana are also readily avail- able sources. Bohmer Brothers are cutting large quantities of ash and poplar in the north-
AnCHOR l.I.NL Lu.VDINCi.
ern part of Warren County, all for shipment North, but none of this valuable timber is being cut in the neighborhood of the city.
The lumber trade is one of the industries which will derive especial advantages from the opening of the Yazoo River canal, w-liich will tend to facilitate the floating of logs from the Yazoo and its tributaries to the mills, and will liesides give the mill men the use of a large body of water. Old liiver, through which the Yazoo will flow into the canal, to accu- mulate rafts of timber in.
In connection with this industry it is worthy of note that wood-working establish- ments are few, while the demand for their finished products in this section is extremely large. A brilliant opportunity awaits the practical manufacturer of sjiokes and felloes here, while such an opening for the manufacture of cheap furniture is rarely to be found, even in the South. Much timber now rejected by the mills would be available in the making of such furniture.
The manufacture of pressed and of ordinary brick engages the attention of three con-
22
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
siderable firms : John Beck, J. D. Tanner and T. S. Gregory, whose yards are all located in the southern suliurbs. Besides supplyinvr, almost entirely, the local demand, tliese firms sliip considerable quantities of their output, especially to points along the river. Tlie brick is of superior ijuality and finisli, as may be seen in the handsome building of tlie B. B. Literary Association. This industry, when in full operation during the manufac- turing season, employs some two hundred laborers.
The building trades in the city are represented liy numerous contractors, of whom several are firms of considerable means. Tlie brick manufacturers are among these, as are the lumber firms of Curphey & ilundy and the Spengler Company.
One of the finest plants in the State and the largest of its kind is that of tlie Vioks-
Bayoi' Bridge.
burg Ice Company, on Levee street. Its output of fifty tons daily supjdies the city ilemand, with a surplus fur steamers plying to and from this port and for shipment to adjacent points on the rivers and railroads. Since this establishment was set in iipci'ation natural ice has been entirely shut out of this market. Tlie product is of the highest standard of purity, being made exclusively from distilled water.
Light, without which civilized communities could scarcely exist, is sujiplied at roas- oualile rates, for both public and private uses, by two considerable plants. The "S'icUsbnrg (iasliglit Company, whose works are under lease to the United Gas & Improvement Com- pany, of Philadelphia, has a plant representing an investment of Sl-o,000, located on North Washington street. Its mains, thirteen miles in extent, cover all the principal streets of the city. The works and its lines are kept in thorough order and give em]>Ioy- nient to eight men, besides a large force of laborers on the mains.
The Vicksburg Electric Light Company, whose works are situated on the Alal)ania & Vicksburg Railroad, near Cherry street, is a strong corporation, now enjoying a lucrative contract for lighting the city, under which it is to supply eighty-one lights for five years.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
23
It has also a liirge business with private- (.unsuuieis and its 225 lioise-power is fully em- ployed.
Two boiler-making and repair shops, one of which has Iniilt several of the largest batteries in the citj' ; several maehine shops and a large tin and sheet-iron works — that of J. J. Mulligan — give employment to many hands.
Tlie manufacture of tine clothing, boots and slioes, all of the class known as custom- work, also employs many expert workmen.
Three firms, W. E. Beck & Co., The Hill City and the Mississippi Hottling Works, are engaged in the manufacture of soda and mineral waters and supply tlie city, besides a large shipping demand.
A broom factory, recentl); started by Western men, is selling a considerable output. Many lesser industries, employing a few men each, are omitted from this category.
A match factory, the only one in the South, will be put in operation this season, the buildings having been just completed, at South Vicksburg, a station on the Valley route, six miles south of this city. Its owners are Chicago capitalists, who have ample means and will employ from 100 "to 150 hands. The matches will be manufactnred from cotton- wood timber.
Labor being both abundant and cheap in Vicksburg the city presents an especially favorable opening for factories of all kinds. The supply of fuel is also obtainable at very low rates, through the competition of the Pittsburg and" the Alabama mines. Good steam coal may be had at $2.10 per ton, perhaps lower in round lots. A visit to the city would suffice to convince any practical manufacturer that many articles, now supplied the Southern market by Northern factories, coulil be produced here at less cost and sold at a larger profit than in the Atlantic or central manufacturing states.
Fkom New School IIousb Looking South.
24
PICTURESQUE VfCKSRURrT.
WARREN COUNTY.
The County of Warruii, of wliirli N'icksbiirt; is tin' cajiital anil the only iilace of im- portance, lies in latitude oL'° ;'.t)^, between the Mississijuii i^ Bis Black rivers anj at tlie southern extremity of the Yazoo-JIissi.ssippi Delta, a part of which is compriseil within its bounilaries. It inchnles several islands in the ^lississijipi river, of which llie most import- ant is Davis' Bend, and isdivideil into two portions by theYazoo river. Its top )<;raphy is of the most varied character, iiii-ludin<; lartre areas of tiie ricliest alluvial lands in the Missis- sippi, Yazoo and Bi>; lUacU liottoms and a still lari;er territory of uplands, also of <;reat fer- tility. The natural timbi'r is almost exclusively hard-wood and is very dense. The high- lands attain their greatest alti- tude near tlie Yazoo and Missis- sippi rivers and slope tow'ards the Bii: Black, which is the eastern boundary of the county. Barely one-eij;h"th of the total area is in c u 1 t i V a t i o n or even cleared, tlidULdi a very small pro|iortion is insusceptilile of cidtivation. Geo- loL;ically the srreater part of the county belongs to wliat is known as the loess formation, the hills Vjeiiig composed almost exclu- sively of immensely thick de))Os- its of this kind of soil, resting ujion a soft sandstone or lime- stone of marine formation. The loess is a line yellow loam, con- taining all the elements of fertil- ity, so that it may l)e considered inexhaustible in ibis resi)ect.
The county has :!:!,()0I) inhabit- ants (census of ISilO), ol whom the greater luunber reside in the city and suljurbs of N'icksburg, so that from the standjioint of an agriculturist it is thinly iieojjU'd. The tendency of tlie negro popu- lation to desert the ujilands for the bottoms, the country lor the towns, has been conspicuous in the past, but at present the i)ro- eess is measurably complete.
As might be expected, since the county is the water-shed Ix'tween three rivers, the country is well watered, aliouniling in streams large and small.
The clinuite is mild and eipia-
ble, free from extremes of heat
and cold, and in summer tiie nights are made pleasant by the gulf breeze. The temiiera-
ture ranges from L't) to IKS degrees Fahrenheit. Reports, taken by the United States
Weather Bureau, show the following averages for the last twenty-three vi'ars :
.January, 47.(); February, ."jL'.il ; March, .")S.l ; .\pril, (iti ; May, 72.8 ; .June, 7!).2; .July, SI. 11; .\ugust, SO.l ; Septend)er, 7.3 ; October, tid ; November, o.") ; Decendier, .')!.
In the lust twenty-three years we have had only two montiis without rainfall, the records showing the following average total precipitation in inclies :
Januarv, o..")l ; Februarv, 4.411 ; March, (i.47 ; .\pril. li.Oii ; May, .").():! ; .Tune, 4.29 ; July, 4.5() ; August,' :3..50 ; September, o.Go ; October, 2.011 November, 4.'J4 ; December, 5.09.
Ciiiu.ST CniKiii.
PICTURESQUE YICKSBUHG.
25
The following table shows the average mean relative humidity for the last fourteen years ;
January, 74, February, 71 ; Marcli, 6G . April, 68 ; May, 71 ; June, 77 ; August, 77 ; September, 75 ; October, 7o ; November, 71 , Deeember, 72.
This demonstrates there is an absolute freedom from the destructive droughts of the
lit
iilMili
^ . iff . t %'iA'm r^ ' 'L^
. T'-iWfi ' ^
Northern latitude. Sunstroke is also rare and never fatal, except when complicated by intemperate habits.
The county being bordered or traversed by three navigable streams and pierced by two railroads may be said to enjoy the maximum of facilities of transportation.
3
26
PICTUIU<:SQUE VICKSBUUG.
. 1 G RR T LTV HAL PRODI 'C TIOXS.
The principal crop of the county, as elsewhere in the cotton belt, is in the fleecy staple, but diversified agriculture always had its stronghold in the uplands of the State and of late years there has been a steadily increasing tendency towards abandoning the " all cotton " practice of the jjast generation and reverting to the wholesome methods of the early settlers, who grew everything at home and made their cotton a surplus crop. This accounts for the attention now paid to the hay crop, to the cultivation of corn, of which the county will unquestionably have a surplus this season; and for the increased acreage devoted to dairying — an important industry near tlje city. Truck-iarunng has also been pursued with success, though so far only to supply the home demand — necessarily very large — and orcharding is also growing in importance. Shipments of fruit and vege- tables to Northern markets have not been made, however, except on a small scale, (although the railroads extend every facility to growers) because a greater profit may be derived from supplying the home market.
The principal field crops are cotton, corn, field peas, millet, sorghum and Louisiana sugar-cane. In this latitude the hay crop is chiefly derived from Bermuda grass, which takes the place of blue-grass but grows more luxuriantly and produces several crops in a season. It also affords fine pasturage. The area sufficient to feed a steer is very small. A
A 1,, f tw '=LC--'j^JiT>^tI
dairyman near the city has 21 head of cows on 18 acres of land and finds the jiasturage superabundant. Both red and white clover have become practically indigenous plants, growing along the roadsides and in almost every pasture, but neither is cultivated as a crop. The soil never grows "clover-sick" and a fair crop appears annually on fields that have not been plowed in twenty years. Of late much care has been devoted to horse and cattle breeding; the native stock has been improved by judicious crosses and grade Jer- seys are to be seen everywhere.
Besides the crops mentioned rice, wheat, oats and tobacco have been successfully grown but never on a large scale.
The fruits are peaches, apples, pears, apricots, figs, plums — especially the .Japanese varieties — grapes — the .\merican hybrids being exceptionally well adapted to the climate — and all the small fruits except cherries and currants, which have never been tested. The fig is a crop that never fails and which is enormously profitable in the vicinity of canner- ies. The customary price for the fresh fruit is from 3 to 5 cents per pound, or from Sl'.40 to S4.00 per bushel."
Land may be had at from So.OO to SIO.OO per acre, according to location and improve- ments. Well improved plantations are offered as low as S7.00 to $9.00 per acre.
The county is now making considerable expenditures for the improvement of its
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
27
roads, employing all its convict force lor that purpose. It has also expended more than $40,000 in building iron and steel bridges. Two of these span Big Black and cost about $14,000 each, and with tlieir approaches much more.
LABOR.
Among all the varied interests of a community, none is of greater importance than labor. It is the soul of prosperity, antl the very pulse of development. If labor is plenti- ful, and tractable, and can he had at a fair rate of compensation, industries grow and flourish, but without such labor, commerce lags behind, and enterprise is nipped in the bud. When we figure up the expense of strikes and riots, the cost of enforceil idleness, the curse of confidence shaken and ruined, of capital withdrawn and withheld, of pro- jects prevented and abandoned — temporarily or permanently — which all figure in the his-
HoLY Tkinity Church.
tory of labor in the North, we certainly cannot but be convinced that the employer and the capitalist there generally suffer a very serious drawback.
No such condition of affairs exist in the South, for Soutliern labor differs from Northern labor in as many respects as the climate does. It is docile and obedient, where the latter is headstrong and ofttimes nnmanagealile. In common with the rest of the Soutli, negro labor is almost tiio only kind emjiloyed in ilississippi. It is cheap and plentiful, the usual rate of wages for farm hands being from SIO.OO to Sl.5.00 per month. If the em- ployer furnishes a house and place for a vegetable garden he can secure all the labor he needs for S8.00 orS12.00 per month. While the ordinary negro laborer of the South is not as intelligent or energetic as the white laliorer of the North, lie is yet a good workman ; works from sunrise to sunset through the whole year and boards himself. He is a part and parcel of the climate. The Imrning heat of a summer's sun only awakens in him a higher sense of enjoyment. He is easily managed and easily pleased.
The negro rarely seeks a higher aim in life than a modest living. His earnings are
28
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
spent with a lavish hand, and however large his wages he rarely makes any provision for old age. He lives for the present, happy, thoughtless, contented. His emotional nature is extreme and hence he enjoys above all things the excitement of a " big meeting," a dance or a horse race. Social by nature, he will spend every moment of leisure with his companions. He is not given to seclusion or thoughtfulness. He is moved by impulse ratiier than by reason. This social instinct makes him a discontented latiorer when work- ing alone, and he will take less wages where he can mingle with a large number of his own race.
He is liberal to a fault. He will often work a whole week and give his earnings to a church festival on Saturday niglit, or hire a costly equipage for a drive with his wife or children or with his dulcinea on Sundays. His race indulges in no anarchistic or social- istic ideas. The negro never questions the right of another to take his place when he has been discharged or has voluntarily surrendered it. The idea of a boycott is repugnant to his nature. In many respects he is eminently conservative and his greatest weakness is a lack of firmness.
In short the colored laborers of the South have man)' excellent qualities. Though lacking usually in frugality, i)rudence and forethought, they are efficient workers, patient in endurance, easily controlled and have a capacity for some kinds of farm work tliat is distasteful to white laborers and which they do not readily perform. In tlie cultivation, management, and harvesting of the great staple of the South — cotton — the colored labor- ers are eminently successful when directed by intelligent supervision.
r^
The
Yazoo
C/fJ/iL
CHAPTER II.
During tlie past fifteen years, the regulation and control of the ilississippi river has become an object of concern, and the subject of attention of the Federal Government.
Prior to this period, this great and erratic river, with its enormous volumes of annual flood waters, exercising forces of incalculable magnitude, pursued its own waj-, with the unbridled instinct of all alluvial streams, tearing away, in times of high water, many acres of its shore in each successive bend, loading its turbid waters with vast quantities of mud and sand to be deposited on the next " bar " at the foot of the bend, called by the pilots a " crossing." By this process, carried on through many successive centuries, the Mississip)>i river has assumed and maintains that pronounced serpentine form of align- ment which is characteristic of alluvial streams.
One of the marked results of these conditions is, the formation of a channel consist- ing of a succession of deep pools in the bends, with intermediate " shoal crossings " at the reversionary points between succeeding bends, when the current leaves one shore and crosses over to the opposite side of the channel.
Another evil incident to the uncontrolled condition of the Mississippi river, was
30
PlCTrRESQUE VICKSBrRG.
the impairment or threatened destruction of the harbors of the towns situated on its banks.
The liarbor of Vicksburt; was tlius attacked before any lontrol of the river had been attempted, and by a " cut oti'" of its peninsula in tlie bend opposite to Yickslmrg, whicli occurred in 1875, the channel of the Mississippi river, which liad before then Howed along the city front, was withdrawn to a location about one mile south of the town, where its harbor, called Kleinston, is now established.
Immediately it was proposed to provide a new mouth of the Yazoo river, and the citizens of Vicksburg in 1877, alive to the necessity of a permanent river front, employed Maj. T. G. Dabney, an engineer of much skill and experience, to make the preliminary surveys. In 1890, by act of Congress, another survey was taken, which resulted in the approval of the project to bring the Yazoo river by way of Old river, through Lake Cen- tennial, and down Yicksburg's front, but it was not until the fall of '94 that the work of clearing the right of way along the proposed route was commenced.
The importance of tliis immense undertaking to Yicksburg and the Delta generally, is hardly realized. Few know that between the Yazoo and Missisi-ippi rivers, the 4,500,000 acres they drain and enclose, are capable, if cleared, of producing as much cotton as is now raised in all the world, and worth even at present prices as much as the gross revenue of the United States. Of this 75 per cent., or o,3.50,000 acres, are made up of forests of cypress and hard wood, worth if cut and dressed, at the present price of lumber, more than sufficient to pay the debt of the United States.
An idea of the immense commercial possibilities of this region can be better obtained
when it is stated that the Yazoo river and its tributaries offer unobstructed naviga- tion of over 800 miles, except at low- water, when its lengtli is reduced to about one half. What will it mean to Yicks- burg. when this territory shall even in a small measure, l>ecome })eopled with in- dustrious whites ?
The Y'azoo river proper enters the Mississijjiii from the east, five miles above N'icksburg, and fails only in that much to carry oft' the rainfall of the whole region of the Y'azoo-Mississippi Delta. As shown l)y the early maps, the Y'azoo formerly en- tered the >Iissi''sippi at the head of the bend, wliicli is now a "cut-off" called < ihl River.
" The Navigator," a book giving direc- tions for the sailing of the Monongahela, Allegheny. Ohio and ^Mississippi rivers, tlie first edition of which was published in 1801, in its ninth edition published in 1817, speaks of tiiis " cut-off" and states, that " tlie Y'azoo flows into the Jlississippi through the lower end." Certain it is, that from thi; time the first permanent white settlements were made along the banks, the present mouth of the Y'azoo has been a source of trouble during every low water.
The oldest inhabitants tell of keelboats and barges moored near by, waiting to go in when a rise should begin, or when the continued low stages should have lirought about a sufficient scouring of the Ijottom. This however, belongs or will shortly belong entirely to the past, for with the com|iletion of the canal, the current of the Y'azoo as it nears the mouth will be all suflicient to clear away the small amount of sediment which may be brought bv the Mississippi. Not that thecurrent out of tlie Yazoo will be stronger than now, but the deposit by the Mississipi)i will be almost nothing by reason of the location on the channel side.
Oddly enough, Y'azous, for so Y'azoo was first written, is commonly supposed to be the Indian for Styx, or the river of death. Y'et it is not in a sense of death-dealing that the river deserves its name. Rather the reverse. Because it is calm and dark and deep ; be- cause over the other side " there is a land that is fairer than day," because many cross over and few come back. Y'es ! a land of luxuriant forests, surfeited with fruits, w here almost
U. S. Kxgin'eer's Okkke, Ykksburg.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
31
every known product of the temperate zone will grow with but little care or cultiva- tion." A land where the dweller in a forest cabin can subsist in luxury on fish and fruit, and flesh, witli venison or turkey or duck, upon his daih' table. Where the climate is so that his house can be constructed with a few days labor in the primitive forest, and the fuel for his cuisine and comfort gathered within a furlong of his door. In short, a land whose possibilities are infinite and whose productive power is incredible.
Nor is this idle talk or mere rhetoric, for the logic of confidence in the future of this wonderful section of the South, is exemplified in the great undertaking, which is being pushed forward with so much energy by the Federal Government, under the skillful man- agement of Maj. J. H. Willard.
Below are given the different routes that have been surveyed, showing the relative distance and amount of excavation to be done on each. It will be seen that the route by Old river and Lake Centennial, is by far the nearest and most direct, yet the time of con- struction will certainly be three years :
Thompson's Lake Chickasaw Bayou. Old River
Length Miles.
8.4 7.9 5.9
Excavation. Cubic Yards.
8,.51],000
8,223,000
5,750,000
The length of the entire route from deep water in the Mississippi river at Kleinston, to deep water in Old river at the original mouth of the Yazoo river, is 9.2 miles, constitu- ted as follows: 1.9 miles along Vicksburg harbor front, where the cutting will average 25 feet in depth, and width of the canal at the top about 350 feet ; L5 miles through Lake Centennial where no dredging will be necessary ; 8-10 miles through the bar at the head of Lake Centennial, where the cutting and width will be a little less than along the harbor front; 9-10 miles from the main bank of Lake Centennial to Barnett's Lake, 5-10 miles with depth of cut 34 feet and some- what greater width than before, say about 400 feet; ii-10 miles to the main bank of Old river, with the sides of the canal rising to 50 feet and top width 4.W ; then 1 mile through deep water to the Yazoo river.
Briefly, the work involves clear- ing away a forest for a distance of two miles and heavy willow growth another mile ; grubbing and lilast- ing out roots and stumps ; digging a canal not quite six miles long, with average depth 25 feet, top width .300 feet, bottom being one hundred feet wide, and the earth to be removed 5 3-4 millions cubic yards ; in addi- tion to this there is building the necessary levees, dams and revet- ment to turn the Yazoo river.
The amount appropriated to date, including cost of survey, is $345,000, and the amount needed to complete the work is S905,000. The clearing is completed and the
grubliing about half completed. Dredging will be commenced about January, 1895, and if money is available, will be prosecuted continuously to completion, about July, 1898.
The benefits of the work will consist in giving a valuable outlet to the Yazoo system at all stages ; restoring Vicksburg's river front ; reducing the back water limit of the ilis- sissippi river in the Yazoo Delta, and finally in furnishing an ojiportunity for extending Yazoo Front Levee system. To the merchants of Vicksburg it will mean, at one bound, a large increase in their trade with the Yazoo Delta. What that trade now amounts to, the accompanying summary of commerce for four years past will show :
A View of a Clearing.
32
PICTURESQUE ViCKSBURa.
SuMMAUY OF Commerce.
Articles.
Cotton
Cotton Seed
Hides and Skins.
Live Stock
Lumber
Staves
Provisions
Grain
Saw Logs
Miscellaneous ....
Total Freights
For Yazoo Proper. Total Freiglits
From Tributaries..
Total Freights
Yazoo and Tributaries.
Estimated Value..
1893'-94.
Tons.
15,815
17,355
10
60
3,200
14,447
12.(120
14.2.S0
22.400
12,200
111,787 116,.394
248,181 88,314,000
1892-'!)3.
Tons.
11,094
12,795
2(1
79
3,122 12,488
8,.")47
0,107 11,800
S,.507
74,567 124,887
199,452
S4,329,000
1891-'92.
1890-'91.
Tons.
15,033
16,570
19
124
3,318
6,864
10..502
12,.531
15,000
12,624
93,205 116,021
209,226
S7,351,500
Tons.
13,750
12,.500
10
60
3,600
1,350
9,020
11,080 2,140
10,540
64,050 97,588
161,633 $6,315,275
It will be seen that there is a large fall- ing off for '92-93 over
the preceding vear. This falling off" was due to low water at the mouth of the Ya- zoo, completely shut- ting off navigation at a period when shiji- ments were usually heaviest. It is pre- cisely this evil tljc new canal will rem- edy. It will also 111- noticeil, that notwitli standing this draw back to navigation the commerce of th' Yazoo has increased 20 per cent, in tlie last four years, or from S<i.3i5,274, to $8,314,000. With im- proved and unol)- structed navigation it is therefore not un- reasonable to suppose its growth will still be more rapid.
terested in maintaining the navigation of tliese rivers, as a reasonable clieck upon the railways tliat are extending in all directions, while on the other hand those interested in tlie railways should desire increased facilities of navigation to hasten the development and settlement of the country, which is large and rich enough to afford good returns to all." These are true words. The rapid growth and settlement of the Yazoo Delta, which none will deny,hasliegun. and with it thedevelopment and enlargement of the export trade of Vicksburg— a trade made up in largely controlling proportions of its products— has
.\.\ Aviiu.ii.E Dei.t.v Sti .\U'.
Capt.J. H.Willard, in his report for bS84, to the Chief of Engi- neers at Washington, says :
" In reviewing rec- ommendations for the work, it must be re- membered that the Yazoo Basin com- prises a number of rivers that drain a rich country reclaim- ed from overflow by the work of the .Mis- sissippi River Com- mission, the District Levee Boards, and the Louisville, New < )rleans and Texas Railway Company, and "that rivers, affording a navigation of over 800 miles, are l)locked in low water by the bar at the mouth. The people of the valley, as well as the city of Vicks- burg, are deeplv in-
An Anxious Moment.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
forced upon tlie thought of the coniinunity the question of rheap transportation. All commercial experiences have ilenionstrated that only where there is an available water route can tliis question be so placed, as in its resultant influences to represent and em- brace fair profit to the farmer, the manufacturer ami merchant, tlie classes through wliich all others become participants in the profits of industry.
When are rates lowest in the States farthest nortli and east of us ? After navigation opens up in the spring, by the competition brought aljout by lakes and canals. But, when
the ice king lays his liand upon tlie northern waters, then they are at the mercy of those who transport by rail, and railroads, all over the world, are but human. They proi)Ose to make all they can when they have not full and free competition. It is but natural that they should. Riglit here is where the Delta is doubly fortunate over other sections. Its waters are navigable, if not all of them, the greater portion of the year, and the farmer coming to settle in this valley is sure of the first and great essential to profitable farm- ing, viz: cheap transportation to all points, inside or outside the State, for all that he can raise.
The following table shows the effect of competing river routes on railway freigl.t rates. They are suggestive of what may be expected whenever the use of waterways is abandoned. Tlie rates given are those for freight carried by rail to the points men- tioned :
PiCTrUESQUE VICKSBrRG.
35
|
R |
\TES i.\ Cext.s Vek 100 Liss. |
||||||
|
Fko.m St. Lori.s, Mo., To |
Dis- tance. |
Cl.4ss. |
Bagging arid Ties. |
Packing House Product. |
Flour in Sacks. |
||
|
Miles. |
1 90 114 llil lis |
2 3 4|5 7.5 '(» 50 40 |
6 35 40 47 47 |
A |
B |
C |
|
|
540 400 427 407 |
20 38 43 43 |
30 40 4(; 45 |
•>5 |
||||
|
Aberdeen. Miss Winona, Miss |
94'73(>2 07 SO (ill 97iS0(i5 |
s 54 |
:!21 |
||||
|
40 |
|||||||
Continued.
From St. Louis, Mo., To
Vicksl)urg, 3Iiss Aberdeen, Jliss. Winona, Miss... Grenada, Miss...
|
Dis- |
Beer |
|
|
(Tiain. |
in |
|
|
tance. |
Wood. |
|
|
Miles. |
D |
E |
|
540 |
20 |
28 |
|
400 |
20 |
37 |
|
427 |
31 |
48 |
|
407 |
33 |
48 |
Liquors in
Wood.
H
42 48 54
Flour in Barrels
Per Barrel
Special Iron.
45 57 60 70
L. C. L.
31 30 42
C. L.
18 29 29 36
It will be noticed that Vicksburg is 133 miles further than Grenada, and 113 miles further than Winona, and 149 miles further than Aberdeen, yet the rate to Vicksburg is much less than to either of these points. Why i^^this? Simply liecause there is a water- way by way of the Mississippi river to Vicksburg. If Grenada had the advantage of water transportation it might have freight rates of about one-third of what they are at present.
In 1885, the river rate from St. Louis to Vicksburg, for Hour, was 60 cents per barrel ;
at the time of writing the Anchor Line boats are carrying it for 30 cents per barrel, and the rail- roads, although their class rate as specified above is 45 cents per barrel, to meet this competition, will make you a rate of 35 cents, which will hold good till tlie An- chor Line raise their rates, or low water causes them to tempora- rily suspend service. These are facts "that carry volumes witli them. As we have already said, it is impossible to exaggerate the advantages to be derived by Vicksburg from the improvement of the mouth of the Yazoo. Its immediate effect will be to force the settlement of some hundreds of thousands of acres of land. These lands are more fertile than those of the valley of the Nile, wliich by the richness of its soil was the granary of the East, and became the seat of ancient civilization, and the heart of one of the miglitiest systems of government the world has ever known. With the inrush of people into this wonderful valley, where beautiful flow- ers never cease to bloom, and inconceivable riches exist, ungathered, in the soil, will come the consequent need of manufactures, and the thousand and one accessories necessary to human sustenance and happiness. All this trade is Vicksburg's own, and is destined to make it the largest city, as well as the commanding point of trade, between St. Louis and New Orleans.
DlilLLINt; FOK A Bl,.\ST.
TiiK Blast.
-And Akteu.
CHA^PTER III.
We would be derelict in our duty, if before going any further, we did not devote a whole chapter to the Cotton Industry — the stronghold of the South, and one of the most important factors in the commerce of the world.
What the grape-vine is to the countries of southern Europe — what the tea plant is to China, cotton is to the Southern States. The word cotton has become synonomous with sunny skies and starry nights. Of a clime resplendent with fields ever fresh, and groves ever green. For cotton is truly a child of the sun, and flourishes best in a clime :
" . . where every season smiles, Far from the winters of the West, By every breeze and season blest."
It was cotton that, thirty-odd years ago, furnished to the South the sinews of war, and when the devastating tread of armies had obliterated her plantations, reduced many of her beautiful homes to ashes, and left ruin and desolation to mark their course, exuber- ent nature, with marvelous rapidity, as if to cover up the scars with a glory nf her own, on the spot where a few short months before canons belched forth their deadly missies, raised fields of white-fleeced cotton, that did much to reduce the general indebtedness that then existed.
Almost every one knows the history of cotton is coeval with human history, and it would be useless to describe when or where it was first cultivated by the ancients. It is suf- ficient to say that the real history of cotton in the United States, dates from 1784, when a shipment of eight bales was made to Europe. Now, the South plants in round numbers 20,000,000 acres, the crop for 1894 reaching the enormous total of 10,000,000 bales.
The production of cotton must, in the very nature of things, ever remain one of the leading industries of Mississippi. The agricultural conditions of the State are especially favorable for the culture of this staple crop, while all tlie habits and traditions of its labor and of its land-holders lead in this direction. Diversification of products is the great cry
38
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
of the prt'ss, and undoubtedly one of the pressing needs of tlie times, but there are ample scope and faeilities for such diversification without trencliing materially u]ion the yield of this gi-eat product.
The demand for cotton goods mu^l a/mij/s continue to keep pace with increasing pop- ulation and wealth, and the new purposes to which the fibre is constantly being applied. The world must depend for its supply upon this limited area where this staple can be suc- cessfully grown, and Mississippi, with its favorable soil and climate, and its rich alluvial Yazoo Delta, will always remain an important factor in cotton production. The average crop of the Delta is placed at 400,000 bales, of a grade and quality almost unexcelled.
Ofttimes do we read in the story books of the beauty of the fields of the waiving wdieat or vellow tasseled corn, but few sights of this nature surpass the snowy sea which lies before" us when we contemplate a field of cotton ready for the picker's hands. Some- times the leaves are all shed before the fruit is ripe, and tiiere remains nothing but a vast white prairie, which almost l)ewilders tlie unaccustomed eye, as a first sight of the sea does one not familiar with it. But sometimes the green leaves remain on the stalks until the bolls have fully burst, and we see a beautiful condiination of green and snowy white, varied by an occasional brown leaf which has succumbed to the burning rays of the tropi- ical sun". The eflfect is, as if some one had made captive the fleecy, white clouds which may be seen wafted swiftly across the sky on a summer's night when the moon is full, and hung then by handfuls from the dark brown borders of the bolls. Wlien the weather permits we see pickers here and there leaning forward and plucking the white fleece, which is so ready to leave the boll that it almost droi)S into his liand, and transferring it to the long canvas" bag which drags l)eliind him. In most cases the pickers are negroes or negresses, and the ebony hue of their complexions contrasts markedly with the white expanse before them. The ripe cotton is usually from waist to shoulder high, though it sometimes exceeds or falls short of this limit.
Although the long established method of cotton cultivation is well known, it may not be out of place to say that the average date to begin prei)aration of the land in Missis- sippi is February 1st, f)efore the rain commences. Planting generally commences aliout A|)ril 5th, and isflnisbed by May 10th.
The method of cultivation is to plow the ground thoroughly ancl as soon as all symj)- tonis of frost lias disappeared, the soil is laid ofl'in rows varying in width from :!.! to 7 feet, according to the quality of the soil. The seed is then sown along the centre of the beds in a straight furrow made" with a small plow or opener.
For plowinar, the planter requires just snflicient rain to give the soil a moist and spongy texture. From the date of plowing to the end of the picking season, warm weather is essential.
Picking cotton gcnernlly commences in August, and frequently continues until the approach of sjiring.
"" ' ' plantation, from the gray-haired old darkey, who has
lost all track of liis age, to the pickaniny, are called into employment during the harvest.
The cotton is gathered into bags suspended
from the shoulders of the picker, and when the
\l,..^ crop has been secured it is spread out and dried
All tlR
ailalde hands on th
When cotton is not ginned on the planta- tion, the price is SI. 50 to S2.50 per bale. The weight of a bale of cotton is 400 to 600 pounds, the average being less than .500 pounds. The seed is usually taken for part or full payment for the ginning, cost of bagging, etc. As a rule, l>lanters sell to a middle-man. calleil a cotton factor or commission merchant, who ships tlie cotton to the large export markets, or sells to their agents, or to the Eastern mills. All cotton for export sliipment is compressed in the town from which it is shipped, if the town be large enough to support a jiress of the kind. Vicks- bnrg has two large compresses with a capicity of 2.50,000 bales per season. Both of these presses do a large and increasing volume of business.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG. 39
Perhaps it is not generally known tliat Mississippi can make the proud boast of having one ot the largest cotton plantations in the world. It is located in the Yazoo Delta, and is known in the country as the Dahomey ]>lantation; comprising no less than 36 sec- tions of land or 6 miles square. Home of this represents timber land, but that portion directly under cultivation produces 8,000 bales of cotton, and 4,000 tons of cotton seed, and employs all the way from SOO to 1,200 hands.
But this is a monster, and even in Mississippi, the home of large and princely plan- tations, there are few, devoted exclusively to cotton, that approach it in area.
The size of the average cotton plantation in Warren county and the Delta, may be said to run from 50 to 2.50 acres. Nine tenths of them are farmed by colored tenants who rent them all the way from $3 to $6 an acre.
The average yield of seed cotton per acre in Mississippi, is o70 pounds, and lint cotton, 190 pounds. In the alluvial land of the Delta, '^St^
it is 1,12.5 pounds seed cotton, and 375 pounds lint cotton per acre.
There is raised contigious to to Vicksburg, Orleans cotton 1 inch to 1 1-16 ; Benders, 1 inch to 1 1-S ; 1 1-16 to 1 1-8 ; 1 1-8 to 1 2-16 ; Mod- /(M •■.vY |
erate extras, 1 3-16 ; Extras 1 1-4 to 1 5-<! : 1 3-8, 1 7-16, and 1 1-2, with a VM tS'
small percentage of 1 5-8 staple. In fact, in the variety and quality of ffVV/'
its cotton, it stands almost without a rival in the world. The average ililSj'^'t.
length of staple grown in the vicinity of the Delta lands, is, 1 1-8 inches,
and the extremes of long and short staple, 3-8 to 1 3-4 inches. In North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama, the average
length of staple grown is 3-4 to 7-8 inches, and in Tennessee 3-4 to 1 ^-3 WiX
inch.
The length and finest of the staple grown in the Delta is the result of generations of watchful care and intelligence, and the extra staple • ''•^^^ni>)"3^.,^&; known as "Benders," is a household word in the cotton market of the ,,>'-''' '•<!'/l'-, -a
world. With the low price of cotton last year the extra staple of the Delta fetclied 12 1-12 cents a pound, against 5 cents for the ordinary.
It is a question much debated among planters whether it pays to raise cotton at low prices which have prevailed for several years. A great many contend that it does not pay but often these are the very producers most wedded to its culture.
It therefore happens at eacli planting seasen, there is much discussion about decreas- ing the acreage in cotton, which more frequently ends in an increased acreage, than oth- wise. If there is really a desire to reduce the production of cotton, it will be best accom- plished by the introduction and production of other crops, and the diversification (if indus- tries generally throughout the cotton belt. This seems difficult to accomplish at once, and there remains the one practical plan for each individual planter to adopt, and that is to improve the culture, increase the yield, and by these means lessen the cost of pro- duction.
An eflbrt has been made by the writers to determine approximately at least, the cost of production. This is well nigh impossible, as so much depends upon the character of the soil, the seasons, the method of cultivation, and etc. Out of a dozen or more of plant- ers interviewed, on the subject, all of them planting, on the wage system, not less than 2.50 to 1,500 acres, the lowest estimate given for a 4.50 pound bale, under exceptionally favored circumstances, was 4 7-8 cents per pound, and the highest 7 1-10 cents per pound. I'nder the share system the cost would increase fully 1 1-2 cents per pound. One planter who has under cultivation 7-50 acres in the Yazoo Delta, submits the following estimate made up from the last year's crop expense account.
Basis, one acre ; yield, 4.50 pounds lint :
Preparing land for seed S 2 00
Planting 3 00
First plowing 1 25
Second plowing 1 00
Third plowing 1 00
First chopping 1 50
Second chopping 1 50
■ Laying by 1 50
Ginning 1 00
Picking 7 .50
Hauling 75
Total S22 50
Total cost to make l,4t»0 pounds seed cotton, or 450 pounds lint ready for market, $22.50, or 5 cents a pound.
40 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
This estimate makes a very good showing for the ricli alluvial bottoms, where a bale to the acre can lie easily made without fertilization.
M. B. Hilliard, in a most interesting work called the " New South," says :
" In the Mississippi bottom it is a common thing to make more cotton than is picked. It has been said that there is land enough in Mississippi, in what is called the '■ bottom," to make enough for the present needs of the world. If, therefore, the cotton picker will serve the purpose hoped for, it w'ould seem that tlie cheapest lal)or would grav- itate there and locate itself in the most productive land. This will greatly enhance the price of the lands, rapidly bring them into cultivation, and greatly improve the healthful- ness of the country. Vast areas now devoted to cotton raising, will be given over to rais- ing stock, grass and cereals. For awhile at least these lands, unable to compete with the rich "bottoms" in cotton production, will be even cheaper than now, until they become possessed by the numerous immigrants from the Xortli, the West and Europe. These immigrants will not raise cotton. They will go into general agriculture, and fruits and vegetables, cereals and live stock of all kinds will be raised. One can see that if all the cotton be produced on land that will yield a bale or more per acre, and can be picked, that cotton will sell at much less and pay better than now. If the pork and corn be raised that is consumed in making it, then the business of cotton raising alone may be pursued with ]irotit."
This was written before the South had produced a 10,000,000 bale crop, and the bot- tom so to speak had dropped out of cotton — but what was true then is true now, and if there is a more profitable business in the world than the purchase of cotton lands at from S5.00 to $15.00 per acre, that sold before the war for SoO.OO to SloO.OO, we should like to know where it is.
COTTON SEED.
But another phase of the cotton industry that we have not touched upon is that of the manipulation of the cotton seed, mainly for its oil, but also as food for stock and a fertilizer.
It is one of the most wonderful oversights of the South that the cotton seed should have remained so long undiscovered, so to speak. In 1880 there were a few small mills nuiking cotton seed oil and meal, worth perhaps So,006,000 all told. Now tlie traile uses a capital of over $40,000,000 actual cash, and makes a product worth over 870,000,000. The material consumed was regarded a nuisance in 1861. To-day it is worth to the planter IJ to 2 cents for every pound of cotton he makes. The price rose to 317.00 a ton in 18h2-'93, and averaged about 814.50 during 1894.
It is said to be somewhat noteworthy that throughout the development of this busi- ness there was a constant feeling of apprehension on the part of those interested that it would be over done, but each year seems to add greater stability to the industry, ancl lower prices appear to be offset l>y a steady increasing demand and a wider range of mar- kets for the various products of the cotton seed. Tlie refined oil is rai)iilly coming into favor for cooking uses, both in its natural condition and compounded with other prepa- rations now on the market. The oil itself is a sweet, wholesome and fine vegetable oil, and regarded as far preferable by many persons to hogs' grease for kitchen uses.
It will probably largely supplant lard some day in the South, and jiossihly in other parts of the world. People are beginning to understand that they have been largely using it while supposing they were using olive oil — the former lieing exported from the United States to Italy, and brought back labeled olive oil. So they have learnt its merits and can have a chance to be patriotic, at less cost, by its use under its true name. It will make anything from luitter to axle grease, and half the vasi-line and ointment you get at your druggists contains a large proportion of this wonilerful tiuid. Perhaps the greatest appli- cation the oil finds in the arts, is in manufacturing soap. It is now a well known fact that a large percentage of the finest toilet soai>s are made wholly or partly from cotton seed oil.
In the early history of the oil business, prices w'ere 50 to 60 cents per gallon, and sales have been made at a maximum of 60 cents per gallon within the past two years, but on the other hand, since that time prices have gone as low as 20 cents per gallon.
As the cotton is picked it takes 300 pounds to make 100 pounds of lint — J lint and j seed. The seed is worth about S8.00 a ton at the gin.
The products of cotton see.l as they are utilizeil now are oil, meal, linters, hulls and ashes. After the oil, the meal, of course, is the most imi)ortant factor. This sells forS5.00 to S20.00 per ton. Xething new can be said concerning this splendid cattle food and fer- tilizer, known by all men to be superior to almost every known food for cattle and admit- ted with equal frankness to be superior to almost every known soil fertilizer. The farmer is learning every day some new way to make it serve his purpose. Mixed with hulls, bran
Ph
IZi
O o
42 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
or other dilutants, he brings to life ami fatness the lean and hungry cow. Mixed with acid phosphate, home-made compost, or any respectable " tillinji," the cotton seed meal asserted its kingly prerogatives by outstripping the best fertilizer in the field. Every state chemist in the land gives it high "sounding praise and not a farmer in all the land, or a cattle feeder south of Ohio will hesitate to say that at S16.00 per ton cotton seed meal is without a peer. The least important of all the products of the cotton seed are linters. To the uninitiated we might say, linters is the name given to the cotton taken off the seed when re-ginned by the mill.' It is used for cotton batting and shoddy goods and sells for 2 to 5 cents per pound according to the price of cotton.
Cotton seed bulls, which were formerly used for fuel, now sell for cattle food at $;5.00 to S-3.50 a ton. Even the ashes are worth money, a cent a pound, and are shipped away to be used as fertilizers. The best quality of Havana fillers and wrappers are fertil- ized with cotton seed ashes.
To come nearer home, the cotton seed oil industry of Yicksburg, in common with other places, has in the last few years grown to be one of great importance, and it would be dithcult to locate a more favorably situated point, combining such close proxim- ity to the raw material, and such great facilities for export.
In the Refuge, the Yicksburg, and the Hill City, which are treated in Chapter I., it possesses three large oil mills that generally run the whole season through without a shut down, handling the bulk of the cotton seed of Warren County, and a large part of the product of this" section of the Delta, and shipping their cotton seed oil and meal, by thous- ands of tons, to all points of the world.
These mills crush annuallv some .50,000 tons of seed, and pav out for raw material, $62.=),000. The raw material produces 17,000 tons of seed cake, worth STo.OOO ; 40,000 l)ar- rels of oil, worth 8400,000, and 2,000 good bales of lint, valued at §22,000. They pay out annuallv for freight to the railway companys and steamboat lines 8100,000 ; disburse in wages not less than $60,000, and in other running expenses another 8100,000. In addition to this, there is invested in plants about 8350,000. The total monetary value to Yicksburg, that is tlie amount these mills put in circulation in the course of a year, is close on the 81,000,000 mark.
VICKSBURG AS A SITE FOR A COTTON MILL.
The measure of the power of cotton to enrich the South has never been niade. It is difficult to comprehend it. Cotton is such a marvelous product that we cannot fully realize its value. It has been the foundation of agriculture in the South and of vast manufactur- ing interests, employing hundreds of millions of capital in New England and in Great Britain. This manufacturing industry is surely tending to the South and nothing can check it. In the future cotton will not simply be worth to the South an average of $350,- 000,000 a vear, as the raw material is now, but it will create a manufacturing Inisiness which will more than treble the value of the crop to the South and give em]doyment to many thousands of hands. This may seem a broad statement, but it is borne out by facts.
Cotton manufacturing like every other industry or business, is engaged in for the profit which it aflbrds for the employment of capital and labor. The profit in cotton nuin- ufacturing at present depends largely upon careful and economical management and close attention to details. This is true to so great an extent that the practice of economy in all details in one mill and the neglect of it in another will generally make the one a paying and the other an unprofitable enterprise. Every item of expense has to be considered, from the oil that lubricates the machinery to the motive power which drives it. There are, of course, notable exceptions in each section, but as a general rule, it may be stated as a proposition which cannot be controverted, that cotton unuuifacturing is far more prof- itable in the Southern than in the New England States. The )>ublished figures of the div- idends of incorporated companies establisli this fact without a doulit.
Southern factories possess the advantages of j>roximity to the cotton fields, and a climate whose mildness insures them against those interruptions to work, w hich, in severe winters, are often causes of inconvenience and loss to Northern mills. Other advantages over the North are cheaper land (for sites for factories and dwellings lor operatives,) cheaper building material, fuel and labor, and longer working hours. Nearness to the cot- ton fields means not only a saving in cost of transportation of the raw material and a reduction to the minimum of inevital)le loss in weiglit by handling, but it means also a better selection and lower prices. Soutliern mills can buy their cotton direct and save the profits and charges which the Northern mills must i)ay to lirokers and middle-men.
As an example of what cotton and woolen mills can do in this State, we refer to the Mississippi Mills, at AVesson, Miss. These mills iiave kept running with full force during times when Eastern mills were closed or running half time. They have sold their goods in the Western. Northern and even Eastern markets in successful competition with those of New England mills. Capitalized at 8325,000, its stock is estimated at six for one, and our
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
43
information is that it cannot be bouglit even at that figure. Comment on such sliowing is unnecessary.
Again, the cotton used in the Southernmills last 3'ear would havecost over two million dollars more if these mills had been located in New England instead of in tlie vicinity of the cotton fields. On the otiier hand, the cotton consumed last year in the Northern mills cost five million dollars more than if tliose factories had been in the South. If tliese estab- lishments liad been in the .South, enabling tliem to obtain the raw material so much cheaper, they would have nearly doubled their dividends.
1 — Home of a Negro Pl.\nter. 2 — Chick.vs.vw B.wou.
A mill for instance, located in Vicksburg would be aide to buy right from the wagon, saving by actual figures in freight, compression an<l commission from SS to SlO dollars a bale, or over one-fourth of the value of the material.
This is not strange, for it would be fully in accord with a correct system of economy if the entire cotton crop of the country should be spun in the section of its growth, and the proportion of it needed for the looms of the world shipped in the shape of yarns in- stead of cotton.
Another point is, that the establishment of a central ginnery in connection with the
44
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
mill would enable its projectors to manufacture cotton with its elasticity unimpaired liy compression, which authorities consider hijjlily detrimental to the staple.
Tlie natural disinclination of experienced business men to entjage in a pursuit of which they know nothing, unless associated with otliers who are expert in the industry to be developed, is the chief, if not the sole reason why Vicksburg has not long ago become the seat of tiourishing cotton manufactures. Undoulitedly it has all tlie advantages of a climate and location, being nearer than New England or tlie Southwestern States to Chi- cago, St. Louis, Kansas City and the other distributing points, and for export to Mexico and Central America. It has abundance of cheai> fuel, being within accessible distance by direct lines of railroad to many coal mines in Alaljama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ark- ansas. A tine quality of Alabama nut coal, free from slack and slate, and excellent for steaming purposes, is now being sold in Vicksluirg for.S2.10 jjcr ton. Slack coal is sold at $2.2.5. The ^Mississippi river at the city's front door, lirings coal cheiip liy Ijarge from Pitts- burg, Pa., and the Kanawali, West Virginia, and other mines. In the river it has ample water for steam purposes, and perhaps what is more than all this, it has the benefit of com- petition between railroatls and river routes for transportatiun nt both raw material and the finislied product.
So eager are the peojde of this community for factories, that we quote the law of Mississippi regarding exemption from taxation :
" All permanent factories hereafter established in this State, while this section is in force, for working cotton, wool, silk, furs or metals, and all other manufacturing imi)le- ments or articles of use in a finished state shall be exempt from taxation for a period of ten years."
This on a conservative estimate, means a saving of at least 2 per cent, on the capital invested in plant and machinery in anj' first-class mill.
Reviewing these advantages and coupling them with a temperate and healthy cli- mate, and with the fact that the founder of a mill would have no difficulty in placing a portion of the stock locally if he so desired, it does not take much of a prophet to foretell that it is only a question of a little time, when the justly famed cotton of this section, will be spun right here where it is grown, and with the smoke stacks of the first mills, will come to Vicksburg a new era of prosperity, the like of which the city fathers of a genera- tion ago, never dreamed.
-- ^%S^^ J^Ji^tjll. ^
k ij'i
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CHj!i.PTER IV.
Here is a region rich witli the varied wealth of tlie forest and the soil ; a new found region of delight — replete with scenes winsome and beautiful ; an elysium of almost perpetual summer possessing such an equable voluptuous climate that it requires no vivid imagination to fancy that within its boundary the golden Indian summer days first found their birth. A region tliat from the advantage of location, and the bewilder- ing fecundity of its lands, lias been called by scientists the " Natural Garden of the South." We refer to that great rich alluvial plain lying in Mississippi, and commonly known as the Yazoo Delta — one of the most important formations, not only in the State but in the entire Union. It lies between the ;Mississippi River on the West and the Yazoo River and its tributaries on the east, and from the line separating Mississippi and Ten- nessee on the nortli, to Vicksburg on the south. It comprises about 7,000 square miles, or 4,500,000 acres of the most productive and fertile soil in the world. It is larger than the com- bined area of Connecticut and Rhode Island, and almost half as large as the two states and Massachusetts all combined.
This vast delta is ellipsoidal in shape and its dark, rich alluvium has been formed by the overflow of the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers and their tributaries. Its length is ISO miles and its greatest width 7o miles. It embraces ten large counties.
At its northern limit, the State line, it is very little more than ten miles wide, but the Mississippi River turning to the southwest, it widens rapidly, and thirty miles south- ward, where the dividing line between Panola and Tate counties would strike the bluff near Helena, Arkansas, it is about thirty-six miles wide. It reaches the greatest width about opposite the town of Carrollton, Carroll county, and from thence it at first narrows slowly, and at last rapidly. Opposite Yazoo City it is still more than forty uiiles wide, but ends near Vicksburg, where the hills close in towards the banks of the ^lississippi River.
A peculiar feature of this vast region is, that tliere is not a hill in it save those that fringe the eastern border; not a stone save those brought here by man. The chief eleva- tions are the Indian mounds, some of them not ignoble rivals of the pyramids, and un- doubtedly, the work of the mound-builders of pre-historic times, traces of whose existence are to be found from the Gulf of Mexico to the shores of Lake Winnipeg, but wliose his- tory is Ijased wholly on conjecture. The race has vanished, leaving traces of its existence puzzling to the minds of those versed in arclueological lore. The earthworks they left are overgrown with large trees, the hieroglyphics olditerated by age, the places of defense or abode have crumbled away, and only the outline of their original shape is traceable amid the ruins that time has made. Even the Indians have no traditions regarding this extinct and almost forgotten race. The earliest visitors to the continent give no account of them. But their sepulchral mounds, their skeletons, their pottery and their sliells, tell the tale of their existence and nothing more. Here is a field of research for the stuilent, and the his- torian. Whence came these quiet sleepers, who with fleshless palms, crossed as in mute expectancy, miglit have slumbered on till the morn of resurrection, but for the love of adventure of our ancestors, whose descendants have rudely disturl.)e<l their rest ? What the fate of this great mound-building race, which from the shadow of the Andes to the far North, have traversed the continent ? AVrapped in a veil of mystery which may never be uplifted until that supreme hour when all things shall be revealed.
46 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
,SO/L AXD CLIMATE.
The location of this vast bed of inexhaustible fertility is as advantageous as its other conditions. The Yazoo & Mississij^pi Valley road, the Illinois Central System, spans its en- tire length and carries its products in a few hours to that gateway of tiie world, Xew Or- leans, while Vicksburg in the South is an ample and convenient supply market. Large navigable streams, as seen by the map of the Basin of the Yazoo. How tlirough the Delta, making a perfect net-work of waterways. Tliere are at least thirty-one that are utilized by steamboats of from fifty to one thousand tons burden. Those all flow into tlie Yazoo River, which receives the entire drainage from Horn Lake to the city of Vicksburg. Be- sides these streams that, together with the Yazoo, are navigable upwards of eight hundred miles, there are many large bayous that are used by raftsmen and those engaged in getting out timber. Tliese also are capable of being navigated by small craft for two or three months during the rainy season.
Probably there never was a section of country the victim of such erroneous impres- sions held by those not familiar it, as this great Delta. It has been considered by many a swamp, whereas, althougli generally tiat, it has a perfect natural drainage, government engineers crediting it with a fall of 114 feet from its northern extremity at Horn Lake to the mouth of the Yazoo River. Hence the prejudice which has long existed on this account, as to its supposed unfitness for cultivation and for health, is rapidly dying out, and it is now generally considered in its vast ])Ossibilities of more value tlian all the other sections of the State combined. It is true that up to a few years ago mucli of the Delta was subject to overflow in times of higli water, but with tlie superb system of levees which now exist, stretching south from ilemphis to the moutli of the Yazoo River, tliis disad- vantage has been entirely removed. To indemnify tlie land against Hood from ISii-T to 1892 no less than §7,69-5,229 was expended ; of this amount, i^6.920,-594 was contributed by the local levee interests, and S774,(il!o.72 liy the Federal Uovernment.
Tlie soil of the Delta is of two classes, loam and clay, the former varying in color but generally dark, and easy to cultivate. The loam lies in ridges five or six feet high along the banks of the streams. The clay underlies the loam tliroughout tne Delta, and is reached between the loam ridges where the surface has received less deposit. Tlie clay lands are popularly known as " buckshot lands," from the soil drying into angular bits the size of a buckshot, and of a lead color. When wet, the soil is soft, smooth and slipjiery, and when dry is loose and light and falls to pieces. The " buckshot " lands are considered the most productive in the Delta, and taken one year with another, will easily produce with proper cultivation from one to two bales of cotton and from sixty to eighty bushels of corn per acre. Professor Hilgard ascribes their fertility mainly to certain ferruginous concretions which tliey contain and deems them almost inexhaustible. They will raise anvthing, and almost everything, from the Silierian crab-apple to the strawberry and the peach ; from Indian corn to indigo. The far-famed Blue Grass region of Kentucky cannot surpass the "buckshot," or clay lands in the production of grass, when the war waged upon it by the planters shall have ceased. Tliere is a story told of a planter near Green- ville who sowed grass on his land, ami it grew and grew by leaps and bounds till it was many feet high, when a neighbor sued out an injunction against him for obstructing the view from his windows. Fortunately when the case came to trial the court decided that grass on a neighbor's farm was an atHiction that had to be borne.
Cattle and hogs thrive in the Delta almost without lieing fed. The wild grasses in summer, and the switch cane in winter, keep the cattle in gooil order, whilst roots, acorns, beech nuts, pecan nuts, etc., furnish abundant supplies of food for the hogs. The whole Delta is burdened with animal life, and nothing short of a volume can describe its wealth and attractions.
It is in truth,
" .... a goodly sight to see
What heaven has done for tliis delicious land. What fruits of fragrance blush on every tree."
Such prodigality of resources as the Delta contains was not intended merely to gar- nish a desert of beauty, but for all arts, all culture, and a dense population of imlustrious people.
TIMBER AXD FORESTS.
The entire surface of the Delta save where it has been cut down for the purpose of cultivation, or by lumbering operators, is covered by a heavy, dense growth of timber. The cleared portion does not represent more than one-eighth of its area, the other seven- eighths is overgrown with probalily the heaviest forest on the American continent. There are forests where the trees are more crowded, and feeble and attenuated in consequence,
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
47
but in nil |iijrtiiiii nf tlic >;loli(.' can tliere be Sffii trees where the foliage is higher overhead, or wliere the great trunks, lovinj;!}' entwined witli vines and creepers, seem so sound and liealthy, and stand in such endless and impressive columns around the traveler. It is a perfect museum of woods, a veritable hot-house of wild fruits, a seemingly interminable jungle of small shrubs and berry-bearing plants.
Every year finds some new use for the valuable timl)ers of the South. It is but a few years since no one had a word of praise or could find any use for Cottonwood. Now it is one of the best and most called for woods of the South, and as the poplar is disappearing, and the poplar when once cut never reproduces itself, the once despised Cottonwood now comes to take its place and it is found that it requires skill and experience to distinguish the true yellow cotton wood from the jioplar. The small cottonwoods of the islands in the southern rivers, which every river man has looked upon as a nuisance to be gotten rid of in any possible way, have been found to be the finest of all material for wood pulp, and it reproduces itself almost as rapidly as the swamp willow.
Yazoo Kivek Bridge.
For a long time the cypress was supposed to be good only for well curbing, and to be a sort of bastard i)ine. Tlie fact that it was, humanly speaking, everlasting, did not appear to introduce it to the favor of the ordinary lumberman, or builder. It took long years for the furniture manufacturers of the Northern and European manufacturing furniture cen- tres to learn of and apju-eciate the beauties of the Mississippi woods — the quartered oak, the veined ash, the ribbon-huefl sassafras, etc. As all of these and others have been dis- covered and brought to the notice of the Northern or Eastern architect and builder, the growth and development of that liranch of Southern lumbering industry has been unpre- cedented. Not only has the prejudice or ignorance concerning the value and beauty of the Southern woods been forced to give way as these woods come more and more into pub- lic notice, but the fact of the increased cost of northern lumber and its scarcity obliged the turning to the South for the necessary building material, and every use of these southern woods has added to their popularity.
48 HCTURESQlTE ViCKSBrRG.
The enormous timber resources of the Delta, and the great variety of wooils to be found there, coupled with the remarkably luw jiriie at which the best timber can be pur- chased gives the section extraordinary advantages for tlie establishment of furniture fac- tories and other enterprises of a similar character. To attempt to enumerate the difier- ent species that uprear their trunks from its prolitic soil would be tedious alike to reader and writer. The number would run into the hundreds, and tlien not be complete, for there are ]iortions of the Yazoo Delta, where the axe has never rung, where the foot of the white man has never trod — that are to-day, as silent, as primeval, as when the discoverer of America first sighted the shores of this great continent.
Following is a partial catalogue of the commercial timbers common to the Delta: Oak, 12 varieties; cypress. 5 varieties ; cotton wood, white and black ash, red gum, pecan, walnut, etc., etc. Besides these there are a great variety of smaller woods, some bear- ing fruit, but whose timber is none the less valuaVjle; such as the black locust tree, the wood of which is very hard and durable, and is frequently used in the interior for wagon hubs, posts, etc.; the wild plum, which sometimes has a diameter of 14 inches, the mock orange, or wild peach ; the wild cherry, the wood of which is used for inlaid work, and the apple haw, and wild crab-apple tree.
A comparison of the opinions and statements of the heaviest mill men of the Delta shows, that the logs that are brought to tlie mills will average, ash, 22 inches in diameter ; Cottonwood, 36 ; cypress, 34 ; oak, 30; poplar, 34. Certainly, lumber cut from such logs must be of better, more matured and durable quality than that cut from the small and immature logs of the North.
The most valuable timber for shipping purposes and most in demand is the oak. Cot- tonwood, poplar, ash and walnut. It is estimated that everv vear there is shipped away from the Delta to Northern mills not less than lt1,000,000' feet of oak, 25.ai0,000 of Cottonwood, 10,000,000 feet of ash, 50,000,000 feet of cypress, or a total of something like 95,000,000 feet. To those unacquainted with the vast wooded area of the Delta, this might suggest speedy exhaustion of timber. Not so though, the timber lands of the Delta have been pronounced inexhaustible, and while this is of course, a fallacy, the amount of standing timber is very great.
Authorities agree in computing the area of the forest land at about 3,750,000 acres, for certainly less than 1,000,000 acres of the Delta is cleared land, and about one-half of this only is in cultivation. The estimated yield per acre varies from 5,000 to 30,000 feet of lumber.
VALUE AXD USES OF THE TIMBER.
But a little calculation is necessary to show tlie magnitude of these figures. Tuking the minimum yield of 5,000 feet per acre, for a basis, it gives us 18,750,000,000 feet as the Delta's supply of timber — quite a ])ile of firewood, enough to keep the toes warm of every man, and woman and child living in the North, for many a long moon to come. Of this, two-thirds, or 12,.500,000,000 feet, may be classified as choice hard wood, worth, cut, at any mill, for shipping or home purposes S15 per 1,000 feet. This alone in round numbers amounts to the respectable sum of 8187,500,000. But we have still a trifie of 6.250.000,000 feet to our credit, made up of cottonwood and other woods. This, allowing for some of it to be second class, would make a market value at the mill of not less than SIO per 1.000 feet, or another 862,500,000, which added to the former sum, swells the monetary value of the Delta's timber crop to 82.50,000,000, an estimate which is more likely under the mark than over it.
Eighteen billion feet ! The mind can scarcely conceive what a vast mass of timber this is. Cut into inch planks 34 feet long by 12 inches wide, and stacked close together, 7 feet high, it would cover 11,707 acres. If these planks were laid three abreast and end on they would form a continuous sidewalk three feet wide and 1.183,710 miles long. Placed singly they would reach 141 times around the world. Cut up into railway ties 8 feet long 6 by 8 inches, it would make 58(i,000,000 ties. Allowing 3.520 to a mile, this would build a railway 160,000 miles long. Made into firewood it would represent 146,500 000 cords, suffi- cient to supply the State of Mississippi, at the present annual consumption, for 240,t)00 years. Cut into boards, and allowing 10,000 feet to a car, to transi>ort this mass, it would require 1,875,000 cars. Counting 40 cars to a train loail, it would make just 46,885 such loads. Counting the length of a car at 34 feet, these would form a train of cars 10,180 miles long, and so we might go on.
Of the varietiesof Delta timlier. that we have enumerated, the most valnalde for ship- ping purposes are quarter-sawed white oak, cottonwood, cypress and ash and locust.
The sterling qualities of Mississijipi oak, the beautiful finish it takes, are generally understood everywhere. There are twelve varieties ; six of the twelve varieties of oak are good for staves, and there is a wheel made from the water oak that has been running over forty years in the Delta, Of the two varieties of locust the black locust is the best post- timber in the world ; the broad statement is made that it never rots. Cottonwood
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50 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
also needs no eulogy, but a word about the cypress will not be out of place. To tlie Southernt'r it is the wood of woods, on aetount of its practically indestructible na- ture; a niiality up till quite recently i^noreil in the Nortii. Boat builders now use it to a coiis'iderable extent. Many oi the small boats beloniring to the meu-ofwar of the Tnited States service are constructeil of cypress ; much is used for water tanks, sugar-coolers, and cisterns on account of durability ; some enters into the construc- tion of houses and house finishing, it being excellent in ceiling, and large quantities are made into shingles and railroad cross-ties ; some claim that shingles properly prepared will last one hundred years ; they are certainly very durable. AVood taken from submerged swamps, which has been in contact with decaying influences of mud and water for untold centuries, is found to lie in an excellent state of preservation. Cypress logs have been taken from the soil deep under New Orleans ingooil I'oudition. Evidences are alnindant and conclusive in regard to the lasting properties of the wood ; hence, it is gradually creeping into use more and more every year. Already it is being used in many fashionable houses in New York and other cities, and in the near future the demand for it is likely to be greater than the supply.
There are several varieties of ash : The cane ash is very tough and is used for mak- ing oars and agricultural machinery; the black ash is consumed in great quantities by furniture factories ; the blue ash is a beautiful variegated wood, and the swamp ash is con- verted into ]iump tindjer. Four kinds of gum grow in the Delta — the Tupelo, which is so soft and light that it can be compressed and iiKUilded: the white; the red, which imi- tates mahogany closely, and the brown gum, which is called "satin-wood," and is used for veneering the interior of the flnest passenger coaches.
There has sprung up recently and is slowly increasing, an export demand for per- simmon logs. This is used for shoe lasts and loom shuttles, it having a fine grain, which does not work up rough when used against the grain. Of this lumber there are two kinds, one, the white, wdiich is used for exporting and the other, the yellow, which is of no value as a commercial wood. There is a fair amount of each kind growing in the Mississippi Delta. There is fmt very little difTerence in api)earance between the two kinds when growing in the forest, and experience and observation is required to distinguish one from the other in tlie rough.
Another kind of timber which has come into export demand is pecan. A leading lumber man in the Delta, recently received an order for 40.000 feet of this lumber for ex- port, for what purpose to lie used he did not know. He found some difficulty in filling the order, owing to the unwillingness of the mill-men to cut and work it, it being a timber to which tliey were unaccustomed.
NEW INDUSTRIES.
Yet another important item in the development of the lumber business in the Delta is the steady coming to this section of the smaller woodworking shops and factories. The coming of the large ones, the big car works, the syndicates with their hundreds of work- men and extensive plants, building up villages of their own, is all well, it is "a big thing" for the country, but better than these is the constant coming in of Hmall indus- tries. The advent of these industries does not call for as much local rejoicing, so many headlines in the morning paper, but it does very much to build up the villages and smaller towns and relatively bring more money and enterprise to the village or cross-roads liamlet, than does the large plant to the city. As the country is the bone and sinew of the nation, so these small wood working industries are the strength of the lumber interest.
The people of Vicksliurg and the Delta generally, are alive to this, and through organized bodies, sucli as the Board of Trade, and the efforts of individual citizens are continually seeking to pl.ace before investors the Delta's remarkable advantages. The result of this continued agitation and advertisement has awakened a brisk line of enquiry from the North, and within the last six months has led to the establishing of a broom fac- tory, and a match factory, the latter as already stated, being so far as the writers know, the tirst and only one in the South.
The belief has become current, that when the saw mill trees have been cut away, that nothing of value is left. On the contrary, the work of production is only ready to begin. The loss of the falling tree, generally left by the mill operator, can be cut into cord wood anil sold for domestic purposes, or burnt into charcoal. That portion of the tree which is left on the ground, being the upper and near the limbs, too small for saw logs, can be cut into posts or cross ties.
The fallen timber and the defective trees not suitable for mill purposes will yield in wood three to seven cords per acre. After these items are taken into account, there still remains an abundance of standing small tindier to make rails for fences with, and thus the forest acre bereft of its big trees, still contributes to the cost of its own clearing and fencing, and deposits from S2.00 to $3.00 additional in the pocket of the owner.
These lands when cleared yield a good crop the first year. The second year the
52
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
f;round enjoys a full-tide harvest. It is upon lands of this kind, once covered with timber, that the enormous crops of cotton and corn that justly make the Delta famous, are grown.
I>et the reader look aliout liiia and sec what an important part lumber and wood play in tlie intricate drama of commercial life. Tlien let him reflect how indespen.sible are the fruits of the farm, tlie orchard and the garden. After he has done this, a clarilied vision will reveal to him the prodigious possibilities of the forest region of the Delta. He will wonder how it is that these lands are selling after the saw-mill trees have been cut away at the iiitable price of So.OO to So. 00 an acre, when even the rubbish left upon them is worth more.
With a wasting wealth of fuel to supply cotton factories alongside the cotton field, or canning factories at the gateway of the truck farm, and sash and door and wood finish- ing plants alongside the mill, there does not remain an abiding olistacle to success and fortune. In one and thesame vicinity arecombined all theneeilful elementsof a prosperous rural and inihistrial community. The balmy air, fragrant with the perfume of sweet smel- ling grasses and trees, that life-preserving ozone so coveted by the invalid, add to the attractions of this region. Its limited wliite population commends it to the white set- tler. Nothing stands in the way of the early development of this great and hitherto neg- lected section, except tlie lack of knowledge regarding its real merits. The Delta needs 1,000,000 frugal, enterprising, industrious and intelligent farmers who will strike hard blows with the ax and hoe; who will follow tlie plow, drive the wagon and reaper, sow their grain, ]dant their orchards, gather their fruits, and who will not Vie asliamed to be seen doing all and every kind of work demanded for the successful prosecution of their busi- ness. In other words, it needs intelligent farmers who are not ashamed to work, and who will save a part of their earnings for future investment. This is the force that will vitalize this boundless section into abundant streams of prosperity.
A Planter's Home, Built on an Indian Mound.
0DUCTi0i^S OF THE P'ELT
CHAPTER V.
Almost of a surety, if a farmer in the Delta was to be asked what his farm would grow, he w'ould reply " everythiug," and there would be less exagfjeration in tliis sweeping statement than would appear on the surface of it. The reason for this is not far to seek^ It may be expressed in one word, climate ! For here is a section of rich country which may be said to lie on the verge of the temperate and tropical worlds — where the chill of winter winds, and the fierceness of the torrid heat are not known ; where the prolonged spring, the fruitful summer, tempered with the soft, pervading cooling breeze, the genial bright and sunny fall, and uniformly mild and gentle winter, seem specially ordained by nature to work hand in hand with a prolific and ever yielding soil.
The lands of the Delta will produce nearly all the crops and fruits of the ISIiddle, Northern and Soutliern States, and in addition, a great variety of semi-tropical fruits and vegetable. The settler may turn his attention to almost any crop with equal hope of suc- cess. For instance, he may raise cotton, tobacco, sugar, indigo, hemp, jute, etc.; or rye, corn, oats, rice, beans, peas, etc.; or Irish potatoes, sweet lootatoes, yams, turnips, beets, cabbages, egg plants, squashes, etc., or strawberries, melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., or go into fruit, as peaches, apples, figs, grapes, plums, pecans, etc. All crops whether of fruit or vegetable, mature so much earlier than further north, that the producers receive a threefold jirice as compared with other parts of the United States.
Yes ! it will grow everything— and why ?
A little research among meteorological reports, show a preponderance of advantage in favor of this section with which it is not usually credited. In Vicksburg, for instance, and indeed in the Delta generally, the uniform summer temperature is SO to S.") degrees, rarely reaching over this and then only 90 to 92 degrees. The maximum temperature in summer may be certainly placed at 95 degrees, and the minimum temperature in winter at 25 degrees, with an average not below 45 degrees. In Mobile, Ala; Galveston, Texas ; St. Augustine, Florida ; Charleston, S. C; Savannah, Ga.; and New Orleans, La., the extremes of temperature in summer and winter, range mucdi in excess of these figures.
Well then may all murmurs cease and discouragement give way to praise, wlien from Florida on the east to California in the west, there is not a country blessed with a more equable climate. But we can go further than this. The countries of the Mediterranean — that land of grapes and olives — sung in song, told of in story, possess greater extremes of heat and cold than tiiis Delta of ours, and we have the facts to prove it. Here for the reader's consideration, is an autlientic record of temperatures of all the jirominent fruit and garden growing districts of sunnj' Southern Europe :
54
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Place.
.SHORES OF THE MEDITERAXEAN.
Spain :
Malaga
Cadiz
Valencia
Alnieria
Portugal :
Lisbon
Oporto
South France :
Marseilles
Nice
La Sauve
Italy :
Genoa
Naples
Eome
Greece, Athens
Syria, Beyrut
Egypt, Alexanilria
Africa, Algiers
ISLANDS OF THE MEDITERAXEAX.
Cyprus, Larnaca
Sicily, Palermo
LSLAXnS OF THE ATLANTIC.
San Miguel, The Azores
Teneriffe, F-agnna
^laderia, Fuiiclial
Bermuda.s, Hamilton
|
Maximum |
Minimum |
|||
|
m |
summer |
in winter |
||
|
month |
s. |
months. |
||
|
Degreet |
Degrees. |
|||
|
100 |
107 |
109 |
32 |
35 38 |
|
97 |
99 |
103 |
35 |
36 39 |
|
97 |
98 |
109 |
19 |
27 32 |
|
92 |
97 |
37 |
43 ... |
|
|
07 |
99 |
100 |
31 |
32 34 |
|
95 |
97 |
100 |
31 ... |
|
|
92 |
95 |
23 |
24 26 |
|
|
92 |
25 |
27 29 |
||
|
96 |
99 |
101 |
16 |
18 23 |
|
89 |
90 |
24 |
36 ... |
|
|
95 |
99 |
27 |
32 ... |
|
|
95 |
97 |
98 |
16 |
21 26 |
|
102 |
105 |
105 |
20 |
21 26 |
|
91 |
94 |
98 |
41 |
43 48 |
|
95 |
96 |
101 |
55 |
46 48 |
|
97 |
100 |
106 |
34 |
36 37 |
|
98 |
107 |
30 |
35 |
||
|
100 |
108 |
ii2 |
30 |
31 |
33 |
|
83 |
84 |
86 |
41 |
42 |
|
|
101 |
104 |
106 |
37 |
38 |
|
|
86 |
89 |
90 |
43 |
44 |
46 |
|
93 |
94 |
40 |
43 |
From the statistics it will be perceived as we have stated, that with the exception of a few isolated islands, all the continental places of gardening have as great and greater extremes of cold than the denizens of this favored locality. This portion of Mis sissippi tlierefore ranks fully equal in climate with sunny Europe, and many, many times its value in diversity of products and material.
Though it may seem outside the province of this chapter, let us also take a glance at the statistics of the climate of the continent of Asia, gained likewise from official sources :
Place.
China :
Hong Kou< Za-Ka-Wei
Japan, Tokio ..
Australia :
Melbourne Sidnev
|
Maximum in summer months. |
Minimum in winter months. |
|
Der/rees. fll '92 93 96 99 102 95 95 96 109 110 111 93 96 97 |
Deqrees. 41 '42 44 12 15 26 15 17 19 27 28 31 40 42 ... |
In the Asiatic climate, we have again a most favorable comparison for this section. In .Tapan there is nearly a similar summer temperature to this, but colder winters, and at ^lelbourne, Australia, and Hong Kong, China, almost similar winters exist. We avoid the extremes of summer heat of Australia and extremes of Japan. Surely, in such a climate
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
55
as this, there must be something of more than unusual value. What is it, and what is its worth ?
Some of the advantages possessed by this climate are these :
1. A ceaseless season of growing crops. There is hardly such a thing as set seasons for using the ground. AVhen done with one crop, immediately use it for another. AVin- ters are used to grow winter crops; spring for others; summers, other crops still. The ground is never frozen, and the plow and seed-sower are used the year round. Two crops are frequently gathered from laud in one year, and Ijy judicious use four successive crops can be raised on the same ground. The possibilities of agriculture in this latitude can hardly be exaggerated. For example, it is perfectly practicable to plant a crop of potatoes in December or January, harvest the crop in !May, plant corn in the same ground, followed by potatoes in August to be harvested in October, leaving the soil free for cabbages or turnips until January again.
Coming into Town for Supplies.
2. Our seasons are earlier. A full month's difference in j)lanting exists between the climate of this section and that of northern Texas, and still another period of two or three weeks yet is added to this for the climate of southern or middle Kansas or Colorado ; crops that are gather(>d there in August are gathered here in June, and other crops gath- ered here in the the si)ring before their planting begins. We have a prolonged spring sea- son which includes all the springs from here far north for over 800 miles, wliich begins here in Feljruary an<l does not end until May. When the Sei>tembcr frosts cut down the garden crops and the vegetation there, we go on with our seasonable work regardless of care and of cold, and our flrst notice of any slight change is the first light breeze from the north in November, or later yet. Christinas is always green.
3. An immense advantage is the prolonged growing season for vine and tree growth. Nearly all vines and trees, with other things equal, will make double the growth here as com-
56 PICTrUESQUE VICKSBURG.
pared with any localit_v Nortli, /. e., one season here equals nearl_v two there. For trees there is hardly any rest. If the leaves siiould fall in December, the trees spring into life, new liud and growth in February. Nature hardly dies. It takes a resting spell and then trav- els with accelerated speed. If you plant a cutting to-day, it is a tree the first year and you can sit under the shade of the leaves. It is possible to plant cutting.-; of Cottonwood, "the united growth of which tlie first year will exceed 40 feet. You may ]>lant cuttings of figs, hardly one-half inch thick and ten inches long, which will mature from ten to fifteen feet of wood, and the trunk at the base be as large as your wrist. Give a tree its proper advant- ages ami you will be astonished at its growth.
4. A great advantage of this section is the prolonged sea.son for marketing. Grow- ers have markets around them north of them for liundreds of miles, and the cry for vege- tables is early and late. From February until June and July you can sell something con- stantly or ship something away somewhere. As fast as the near-by markets are sup|>lied the next farther north are ready for early produce and the wave of demand swells and moves farther and still farther north. Unlike other sections on the Atlantic coast, wliere each grower has but two or three weeks at a time to market his crops, here it is in constant demand and shipment from early spring until late.
CORN AND OTHER CROPS.
Of course, the first and most important is cotton. This has alrcaily lieen treated of, so we will pass it by, without further comment than to say, the Delta can and does raise, more of the fleecy white sulistance to the acre, than any otlier part of the world.
Next in importance to cotton comes cor.n. The lands of the Delta are especially suited to the cultivation of this crop, ami more i)roductive than those of Illinois or Iowa. Corn may be planted here in February, and good crops are often grown from lands from which oats or wlieat lias been harvested, and the [ilanting delayed as late as June or even July. When planted in July the corn has still more than three months before it can be injured by frosts, and so with favorable weather for six weeks after planting, a crop is assured. It is no uncommon occurrence f()rai)lanter in the Delta, to raise sixty bushels'to the acre, while on selected ground the yield reaches even more than one hundred Ijushels. Corn in the Delta, is getting to be as staple as cotton in a way, every colored person who has any land at all, raises enough for his own home consumption, to last him thrcuigh the winter, with some to |)eddle out to the nearest market as well.
It can be raised with the most slovenly cultivation, ground jdowed three inches <leep with one small mule, when it should be plowed eight.
Wheat grows as well here as in Ohio or Wisconsin, and is of good quality. Before the war, much of the flour consumed in the State, was made from wheat grown at home, but at present prices other crops are more profitable, except w here the w heat can be grown as an incidental crop to occupy the lan<l during the winter. The average yield of the wheat grown in the Delta, is about jo bushels to the acre.
0.\TS may be sowed at any time from (!)ctober to ^larch, and when sowed early make the best of winter grazing. The yield is usually less than in some of the Northern States. but the crop makes such excellent pasture that it is valued highly for winter feeding, and as it can be grown when the land would otherwise be idle, planters are fast recognizing its importance and increasing its acreage.
Rye and Barley are also grown for winter pastures, but not as largely for grain as farther north.
Sorghum is grown very generally all over the Delta, and thousands of barrels are annually shi))ped to the markets of the North. Nearly every farmer in the Delta has his patch of I>ouisiana sugar cane, an acre or two for home consunii>tion and the local mar- ket. Very little of this is converted into sugar, but from .">00 to 400 gallons of superior syrups are produced to the acre, and the surplus finds a ready sale at good (iriccs, often bringing in to the farmer as much as $200 per acre. One acre, well prepared and mode- rately enricheil, planted in Louisiana sugar cane, will yield more molasses, and of the very best ipiality than any white family in any county in the Slate will use in one year.
Kick is an important grain crop wliicb is planted in some portions of the Delta, but not to anv great extent. When it is grown the yield is from forty to fifty bushels per acre. One-eighth of an acre of rice will be ample to supply the table of any white family for one year, and in addition, will pay the toll for cleaning it at the mill, etc.
Hemi" is another croi/wldch finds just the soil and climate wliieli it needs in the rich bottom region of the Delta. Its cultivation there is of recent introiluction. but the small plantings and experiments that have been made there during the last three years have been so encouraging that a factory for working it is now being erected near (ireen- ville, where a large acreage will be jilanted <luring the coming season.
In fact, there is scarcely any fiehl croj) grown in the Northern States which cannot be grown with even greater success and less cost in the Delta. Cotton has been the lead- ing crop so long that it has overshadowed many other crops of greater profit, and it is
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
57
tliounht by many who have not examined our possibilities, that Mississippi can ^tow notli- in;; but cotton — a mistake into v liich even some of our own planters have fallen. With cotton bringing ?100 per acre, many of the planters forgot that they couhl till their corn cribs and smoke-houses at almost nominal expense and so imported nearly all their sup- plies, including even hay, which was fed to the mules whi(di raised the cotton. The decline in the price of cotton, liowever, has taught them to look more closely after otlier crops, and they are finding that they are not only able to su]>ply their own needs, but that these formerly neglected crojis are often tlie most profitable part of their farm.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
Fruit raising as a vo: ation was hardly known South until after the war. Before the war, many had their orchards of one fruit and another ; but it would have been consid- ered then,' utterly petty and contemptible to have raised fruit and Sold it— as beneath any gentleman. Tliirty-tive years ago this was jirecisely the view ahuost all tlirough the South. Now who sliall tell of the development of Mississippi in fruit culture ? Who can fix its boundaries ? Who can depict the transformation scenes of the trackless woods, with peach and pear orchards — with groves of luscious figs and plums. The raising of early vegeta- bles for shipment to the Northern market could be made as profitable an industry in the
St.\rting to Chukch.
Delta as it is to the farmers in the bill lands, where it has assumed extensive proportions, and won for them an enviable reputation in the markets of Cincinnati, St. Louis, Boston, Chicago, and even Denver.
Mississippi strawberries and tomatoes are known in every little town and cross- roads in tlie North, and indeed in many Northwestern States, the first herald of approach- ing spring is the arrival of Mississippi lettuce and peas, which have been grown here in the open, while our distant customers were shoveling snow.
In the Delta strawberries, tomatoes, cucumliers, beans, peas, cabliages, lettuce and Irish potatoes, can all be raised to yield wonderful returns, and no tangible reason can be given why the farmers here have not long ago endjraced the opportunity to replenish their bank accounts, unless it be the want of ready and reliable transportation facilities, now supplied by the Illinois Central Railroad system and its numerous branches. This road has done everytlnng in its power to promote truck gardening, offering cheap and fast transportation from each of its numerous stations. There is but one reason for the failure to embrace these offers — the people have sense enough to know that they are not familiar with the business. It might be added that they are otherwise profitably engaged.
5
58
PICTURESQUE VICKSRURG.
APPLES.
It cannot be said that very niueh attention has been jiiven to the raising of apples, though they unquestionably do well here, and are extremely jirotitable, as the supply is much less than the home demand. The trees here may not be as long lived as at the North, but they come in earlier, liear more regularly, and tlie fruit is of the best quality. Early apples might be sliipped quite largely, as they would reaeli Nurthern markets in advance of those from any other section, and so com- mand liigh prices. Winter varieties, however, are generally more profitable, as they always find a liome market at much V>etter l)rices than are paid at tlie North. During the winter montlis apples in Mississippi sell higher per bushel than do oranges. The owners of old api)le orchards are more than satistied with their investments, and the planting of new orchards cannot fail to be a ]>roti table investment.
PEARS.
For many years, pears in great varieties, notably the Le Conte, have been the favorite incumbents of the orchards in tlie southern and middle portions of tlie Delta, and are found to succeed well. Standards have been extensively jilanted of late years. Among these the Bartlett has so far proven the most sat- isfactory. The rapidity of its growth, the small amount of capital, laliorand time, required to secure bearing orchards of any extent, its wonderful proliticness, and earliness of ripening, should make the production of the pear a popular investment in this portion of the State. At the time of writing, as fine a looking pear as could be seen in the most favored localities of the United States, can be bought daily on the streets of Vicksburg for (iO cents to SI. 00 a bushel, or 2.5 to 30 cents a peck. They are not small either, but large and juicy, and one of them is quite as much as any person would care to eat at a time.
There are orchards in the Delta, that have given from S,3 to So per tree in ten years from planting, and many smaller orchards have given even better cash returns. The price seldom deviates, for the cjuantity of first-class pears has never yet been known to glut the market. California Bartletts begin to arrive in New Orleans the latter part of July, and from that time until the middle of September are very abundant in the market, yet the price keeps up all the time, to from S3 to S4 per bushel.
PEACHES.
This fruit grows well in all parts of the Delta, though it has not been cultivated to any extent for shipment, except in Shar- key county, where there are several large orchards, yiehling re- markably fine fruit, Chinese clings fre- . quently weigh- ing a pound each. Almost every plan- Sly^C '••''"" "'""^ farm -no matter how small, has a sufficient ^^^^ numlier of trees
on the place to yield them all they require for preserving a n d eating purposes. During the sea- son, from .lune to Octiilier. large <iuantities are brought into the city of Vicksburg When first in, like all other early fruit, they command a ready sale at high figures, and fetch from $3 to S4 a bushel. Along in the early part of the fall though they may be bought for 25 cents a peck, and even less. Tlie varieties most successfully grown in the neighborhood of Vicksburg are the Beatrice, Mountain Eose, Elberta, etc.
and sold from wagons.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
59
PLUMS.
Many varieties of plums are quite extensively raised, and thei'e is not a shadow of doubt that fruit of this liind can be grown on selected land that will conimaiul the highest fancy prices in all foreign markets. In tlieir wild state, j^lums aliound all tlirough the Delta in great profusion ; and riding along the roads it is a common thing for tlie traveler to pull up his hoi'se by the side of a plum patch that fringes the highway and then regale himself to his heart's content, filling a sack, a bucket, or any receptacle he may have with him as well, if he diooses. On the whole, but little attempt has been made to cultivate the finer varieties, except on the part of a few of the most progressive farmers. These have been well rewarded by fruit of more than ordinarv size and excellence, especially suited for profitable shipment to the North and New Orleans, and the writers are credi- bly informed that this season many hundreds of new plum trees have been set out within a five miles radius of Vicksburg, Varities that are known to do well are the the Kelsey and others of that type.
GRAPES.
Grapes of the American hybrid varieties, obtain their greatest perfection in the foot- hills east of the Delta, and can not be excelled elsewhere east of the Rocky ilountains. In the Delta itself, they have been known to grow with equal avidity, and are looked upon as one of the standard fruits. The seasons here are so long that the vines make double the growth they do in the north, they never require protection from winter freezes, and the latest ripening sorts never fail to reach maturity. If the vines are cared for, they will often ripen five pounds of fruit in eighteen months from planting, and such is the vigor of their growth, that they are not injured liy producing such crops while still so young.
Vines grow much larger liere than in the North, and bear with corres]>ondingly increased abundance. The leaves are not injured by mildews, and tlie fruit seldom troub- led bv the black rot, or by insects.
FIGS.
Among the varied products of the Southern orchard, none offers greater possibilities to the grower than the tig, which, although a semi-tropical fruit, is a sure crop in the southern half of the Delta. The tree grows rapidly, beginning to yield a crop in the third year from planting, is long-lived and has no insect enemies. It is propagated readily by offshoots from the parent tree, and having the peculiarity of fruiting on the wood of the same year, is not affected by late frosts as are other fruit trees. The bearing season is of long duration and tlje yield is enormous. Fruit in all stages of growth is seen on the trees at tlie same time. The fig cannot be shipped in a fresii state, but the demand for it when canned or preserved is immense, and has led canneries to give very high prices for it, rang- ing from 3 to 5 cents per pound, or from $2.40 to $4 per bushel. When it is considered that aged trees have been known to yield a peck a day for weeks at a time, the profit, even at the lowest figures named, will be seen to be large.
STRA WBERRIES.
This is a fruit that has never been cultivated for profit in the Delta, but is said to do well on the lighter soils, near the streams. Remarkably fine berries are grown near Vicksburg, but so far not in sufficient <|Uantity to supply the local demand. It is not unu- sual to have a second crop in the fall, and these berries are of fine quality.
TOMATOES.
The tomato crop of Mississippi is a very respectable feature of tlie State's horticulture, and the annual shipments are increasing. Truck-growing being in its infancy in the Delta, this crop has never been grown to supply the ship- ping demand. In common with all other garden products, however, toma- toes are unusually productive in this fertile section, and a yield is obtained without the use of fertilizers that wouM be considered prodigious in ordinary soils under the most favorable circum- stances. From .June until Septendier they are bought daily in Vicksburg by the basket and the liushel full, but are never so plentiful that they do not fetch fair prices,
60
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
PECANS.
The native nut tree of the Delta is the pecan, whicli is to be found everywhere and in many localities constitutes an important portion of the forest. Its nuts are a valualde food for swine, and for many years no other use was made of tlie nut, except that siliall quantities were gathered for home consumption. Of late years they have been gathered and sent to market by thous- ands of barrels in a single sea- son. The native variety, though of fine flavor and having conse- quently a good market value, is small and less profitable than the large Texas pecans. These have been introduced many years ago and are per- fectly at home in this climate. They are more productive than the common variety. Within the past decade some land owners in the Delta have set out large plantations of the Texas pecan, which are doing well and will come into bearing in a few years. Mr. (). S. Robins is one of these growers and his grove, many acres in extent, is in .Sharkey county, near Anguilla on the Valley route. In Madison parisli. La., Mr. Sam James has several hundred acres in Texas pecan trees, and will liavc a prodigi(nis income from tliem when the trees come into bearing. This is a matter of considerable time, from seven to ten years, but for several years the land may be culrivated in other crops, or the trees being set at a good distance, may be used as a pasture. When once established a grove will in- crease in productiveness annually and should continue so for generations, the trees being of remarkable longevity.
IRISH POTATOES.
In its endeavor to secure the diversification of agriculture in the Delta the Illinois Central system has been especially successful with respect to Irish potatoes. The princi- pal seat of the industry at present is Coahoma county, where a very large acreage was planted this season. The crop was abundant throughout the Delta and brought good re- turns. The total shipments were something over one hundred tliou.-and barrels, of which the greater part came from Coahoma and IJolivar counties. One grower in the former county sold his crop of three hundred acres at a net profit of ten dollars per acre, as he did also in 1.S94. Potatoes thrive in all portions of the Delta, in fact in any part of the State, or of North Louisiana. (Ine of the largest growers in the South resides in Madison parish. La., almost in sight of Vicksburg. His annual crop is about five thousand l>arrels and he always makes a crop of corn on the same land, after the potatoes are gathered. The yield ranges from one hundred and fifty to two hundred bushels per acre and is often in excess of the latter figures.
SWEET POTATOES.
One of the most valualile crops in the South, whether for shi| tion or as a food for stock of all kinds, but especially hogs, is the sw berless varieties. !Many of these are known as yams, but any botanis that the yam is not grown in tlie ITnited States, nor is it a desiraldc son with the sweet potato. The plant is jiropagated by means of si potatoes. Later in the season cuttings are iilauted, also with good simple and inexjiensive and tlie yield enormous, from tliree hundrt els to the acre. There are, as jireviously stated, many varieties-, soi tiveness, others in sweetness and flavor. It is a curious fact that tl in the North, a dry or mealy variety, is not at all liked by most S a soft, sugary potato. There are early and late varieties, some others in October. None are shipped to markets in the North.
The possibilities of tlie sweet i)otato as a food for stock are S( here. Six hundred bushels would weigh eighteen tons and re])resi for their weight than perhaps any root crop grown. Hogs thrive o excellent pork at very small cost ; cattle and horses also apprecia
imenf, home consump-
eet potato in its nuHi-
t knows or should know
egetable by comjiari-
ijis or sprouts from the
resvills ; the culture is
•d to six liunilreci bush-
_ excelling in produc-
le potato most api>roved
iiutlierners, who prefer
maturing in .luly and
■arcely fully recognized ■nt more nutritive value n them and they make te them highlv and in
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
61
iiuuiv jiortions of the State are fed to some extent on tliem. Tlie faet that they may be left in tlie soil with perfect safety from frost until Christmas is a great advantage in feed- ing tliem to hogs, as it saves all tlie troulile and expense of harvesting. Persons who have experimented with tliis manner of feeding say that better results are obtained than it the eroj) is gathered and fed to the animals.
STOCK BREEDING.
The kindred branehes of horse and cattle breeding, dairying, slieep-liusliandry and liog raising, whieii really merit description b}' ex\ierts, will be ]iresented here from the standpoint of an observer acquainted with the results achieved but not, except in the most general manner, with the methods adopted. These pursuits have always had their followers in Mississippi as adjuncts to the general business of farming, ))ut not until late years has any one of them been adopted as a specialty by breeders. Being greatly addicted to horsemanship, the people of Mississippi at an early day introduced the American thoroughbred, but the native stock of horses showed comparatively few signs of admix- ture with this strain and until within a few years Warren county — and the same may be said of the Delta and of north Louisiana — paid little attention to either horse or mule breeding. The pres- sure of declining prices for cotton, however, finally turned the scale. Planters found, as the result of many experiments, that a promising colt couhl be reared at little more expense than an ox, excellent sires were introduced and lilierally patronized, brood mares were purchased and at present few plantations are without tlieir quota of well-bred, stylish-looking horses, native to the soil, while native mules are also numerous. Such pursuits are im- mensely favored by the abundant and almijst perennial supply of native grasses. Cane grows everywhere, in the lowlands in dense brakes, in the uplands on nearly every wooded hill-side or creek- bottom, and aflbrds a rich pasture all winter long.
The pasturage in winter may be increased in value by the cultivation of rye, which is scarcely afiected by the coldest weather, and of several winter grasses. The dreary sea- son is of such brief duration in this latitude, however, that the laziest cultivator may pro- vide himself with an aliundance of dry forage to meet its exigencies. The first mild days in JIarch suffice to start the herbage in any [lasture — Bermuda grass, white clover and les- pedeza — and a late fr(jst rarely checks its growth for more than a few days. A Bermuda grass pasture will probably feed more cattle to the acre than any other in the world. Stim- ulated by a Southern sun, it sends up its spears by myriads, in rapid succession. Meadows of this grass are mowed several times in a season.
Cattle, in the presence of such pasturage, are generally left to make their own living on the range and attain early maturity and good size under such lack of care. Large num- bers of cattle, however, are liow fattened for the Northern market, generally near the larger towns and in the vicinity of cotton seed oil mills, whose products are their principal ration. It has been found that cotton seed meal and hulls with some additional rough forage, produce very superior beef and in a short space of time. In this manner thousands of cattle are fattened annually near Vicksburg, to say nothing of other towns, and still more will be fattened the coming season. These beeves are bought off the range, at low prices, and herded on pastures near the city.
It is said that no pursuit introduced within the past quarter century has made greater strides in Mississippi than that of dairying. Native butter-makers now supply a large part of the city demand, furnishing butter of very superior quality, for which they obtain remunerative prices, usually from twenty-five to thirty cents per pound. A success- ful dairyman in this county markets from sixty" to seventy-five pounds of butter weekly at these figures and is credited with paying all the expenses of his considerable farm in this manner and with the aid of his gai'den. The introduction of Jersey and other fine dairy cattle, now of many years standing, has vastly improved the dairy stock of the State. Grade Jerseys and Holsteins are to be found everywhere. The Delta has some fine rejire- sentatives of the Jersey family, but Warren county has one of the largest herds in the South— that of Dr. W.'E. Gates— which is known to breeders all over the United .States, being of the bluest-blooded ancestry. Here, as elsewhere, the Jersey is the queen of but- ter cows, and crosses with the native stock, itself not without merit, are very superior milkers.
Sheep husbandry in this section is confined to small flocks, chiefly raised for mut- ton. Southdown blood, introduced under the old planter's regime, may be detected in
62
PiCtURESQUE ViCKSErRG.
the majority of sheep broilght to a Vicksburg market. They are small in size, but the mutton is of very superior Havor anil is liighly esteemed by epicures. It has been sug- f;estecl tliat s)irint.' hinilis niitrlit be raised witli jiriptit tor the Northern market, but nosliip- ments are rejiorted. Tlie local deniami is large and growers say protitable. Tlie wool clip is of no considerable proportions, little attention liaving been given to this branch of tlie industry. Sheep owners agree in stating tliat there is money in the business.
A country where hogs can pick a good living the year round on the range is certainly one that should abound in swine. This is certainly the case in the Delta, and tliis wood- land meat is especially toothsome, being juicy and of a true gamy Havor. In the olden time, few planters failed to cure an abundant supply of liacon, for use on their plantations, and Snutliern hams are well known to epicures in this latitude. The high price of cotton imme<iiately after the war and tlie jiredatory habits of tlie negro, discouraged tlie jiroduc- ti<in of pork, but a wonderful change has heen wrought by the low prices obtidned for cotton of late years, ami observers report more hogs in the country at present than at any time since the war. The increased attention paid to the corn crop is partly respuiisihle for this change, but it has been a theory of planters for many years that this country can produce jjork more cheaply than the West, and they have had every motive to try the experiment.
It is a fact that excellent pork can be produced by feeding corn for a few weeks to hogs that have made all their growth without costing their owners a penny, and this is especially the case in the Delta, where mast and succulent herbs and grasses are very abundant. Dealers report a steady dei'rease in their sales of Western meats, and large quantities of liogs are now marketed in the towns. The abundant corn crop of the pres- ent year (1895) is expected to produce a surplus for shipment. In any event there are few among even the negroes in the Delta, wlio are not fattening hogs for next year's food sup- ply. Hog raisers in tliis latitude have several great advantages over their Western com- petitors. The winters are so mild that less food is required, there is good pasture nine months in the year, and what w ith field peas, potatoes and other cheap food crops, the Soutliern grower can put a fat hog on the market at a little more than a third of the out- lay that a Xorthern piirker would rejiresent.
That a great future lies before the Delta in all the foregoing pursuits no one will question, who will acquaint himself with the facts, and weigh them justly and without prejudice.
MORE ABOUT THE DELTA
CHAPTER VI.
One of the first and most important of all questions, to the settler, is the price of land.
" Can it 1)0 bought so cheap ? " he asks.
AVe would reply, perhaps the most strikinj; advantage of the Delta, and the same may be said of the whole of jMississippi, is in its cheap lands. The shrinkage in the value of lands in the South, Ijy reason of the war and its correlative, the abolition of slavery, is past computation ; and yet their productive power, their intrinsic value remains the same. There are lands for sale in Jlississippi ready for the iilow, in vast area — thousands — mill- ions of acres, that can be had for one-fifth to tenth their value before the war.
In the Yazoo Delta there are hundreds of thousands of acres of fine wood laud, abso- lutely undesecrated even by the superficial tillage of the South — virgin soils the ricliest in the world. These can be had at merely nonnnal prices and await the thrift of the new husbandry to be inaugurated with all and more than the cheapness of a new and unsettled country, "with all the advantages of climate and tliicker population, and the other inci- dents of civilization in schools and churches, railroads, a settled state of society, low taxes, competing modes of transportation, etc.
Yes ! Land is cheap and can be bought in the Delta or AVarren county, to-day, for a song, looking at what it produces and the return it will pay on the investment. But wait a little while. A few years hence there will be no such bargains, or else signs utterly fail.
Good improved land, convenient to schools, churches and railroads, can now be pur- chased for from $10 to $1.5 per acre, while wild lands with more or less tiud)er on them, may be had at half these prices. The greater number of farms now on the market are the result of dividing up the large plantations, and as few of the present owners wish to leave their homes, a number of the farms for sale may have but few good buildings or improve- ments beyond their fences. As a rule though, tracts of 100 acres for sale — if it is improved land at all— usually have cabins for laborers, and one good dwelling house and other out- buildings, gardens and orchards. Such lands as these convenient to a town or settlement and railroad, command anywhere from $S to $20 per acre, and at such figures " cheap " is scarcely the word for them.
To use an old argument — is not an acre of land in Mississippi, that will produce all and much more tlian an acre in Illinois, Ohio, or New York, with products as valuable, and yet which sells for the above pitia\)le figures, worth quite as much for production as an acre that sells from thirty to one hundred and fifty dollars per acre ? The enhance- ment in the value of land— its selling price— is only a question of time. Has not diversi- fied farming, market gardening, stock raising in all its branches, and dairying, proven not only practicable, biit profitable and easy, in all jiarts of Mississippi. The immeasurable benefit of multifarious industries is the ])"romise of the future. These are some of the ben- efits that make our lands in reality more valuable than before the war. If they were worth
u
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
then from thirty to one hundred dollars an acre, they are worth twice as mucli now. We repeat, they only sell from $5 to S15 an acre now ; but wait ten years!
Professor Hilliard, whose work, called "The New South," we have referred to. in his chapter on Jlississppi, writes :
" The productive power of the land is incredible ; and no greater anomaly marks Southern affairs than the prices at which lands rent and the value of their product, as compared with the prices at which they can be bought. The value of lands per acre in Mississippi, as compared wdth the value of products per acre, according to the returns of the census, aflVird an interesting study. It often happens that lands that rent from §.) to $10 per acre, and yield products in value from $15 to if40 per acre, are rated in the market as low as SIO to S2.5 per acre."
As to taxes they are a mere hagatelle. Lands are generally assessed very low, proba- bly on an average of five dollars an acre at most — that is farm lands. A man with a very small farm in the Middle States and New England, pays far more than one in the Soutii with a thousand acres of good land.
It must finally be remembered by all thinking of Viuying lands in the Delta, that the impairment in prices of Southern lands, is not an impairment in value, ('limate is left. Conditions more favoralde to the happiness, thrift, and influence of the white farmer, ob- tain now than when lands were from five to ten times as high in price. Railroails — the Illinois Central, with its numerous branches, and the Georgia Pacific, plough their way in every direction, ami add their great influence to a true enhancement of values.
Immigration is fast coming in, and lastly, the foolish notion that white men cannot stand the climate of Mississippi, is abundantly disproved liy the numerous families that have lately come here from other parts of the Union, and who could not be induced to return to the lands thev have vacated.
COST OF LIVING.
But there are other aspects than cheap lands, that weigh in favor of the South against the North. One of the most conspicuous is climate. We have shown that it means a prolific and wide range of crops — it also means a saving of fuel, clothing and fooil to man and beast. It must be olivious when the climate is mild all the year amund, it does away iargelv with two verv expensive items of living — viz : meat and fuel. These are the large elements of the cost of the North and indispensible there. The mildness of the climate in Mississippi gives the opportunity to draw largely for the support of life, as well as for monev-niaking, upon the winter garden. Lettuce and radishes can be planted at all times. Cabbage and turnios planteil in the fall grow through the winter. So, through the list.
The ground from which the crops of cotton, corn, oats, wheat, rye, barley, etc., are taken is available for turnips, cabbages, carrots— what you will, and chickens can be
hatched in the fall. Your ewes can be made to lamb in November, and your cows can be made to come in when you please in the winter.
In clothing, the aggregate of cost saved by the resident in Mississippi, as compared with the resident in the North is considerable. The increased quantity of wool in the goods worn North, of necessity, counts very heav- ily in money's worth as compared with that worn in the neighborhood of Vicksburg. Less bed-clothing is neces- sary too. Lap blankets and such like are" a trifling expense. Indeed, there are thoiisandsof persons in Jlississippi who, for instance, never saw a buffalo robe—much less used one. Then again, blankets for horses are very rare.
These matters seem to be trivial, but aggregate them, and the cust will be found to be very considerable. In- deed, there is a germ of industrial rev- olution in the thought that tliere is not the ratio of consumption South to the
S:'^ ^Ikrjniirr-J.
PICTrnEPQt^E VICKSBURG.
65
ratio of production North and AVest. LooIj liow mucli of tlie wool, pork, bay, corn, wlieat, etc., the Northern man produces, which he and his stock must consume. If he lived in ilississippi, in winter lie and Ins stock would not only consume very little of these, but he would be producing at the very period the Western man is consuming.
The cost of building in Mississippi is much less than in the North. The climate is
so warm that douVde floors and walls are not needed, and lumber can be had at moderate prices all over the State. Ordinary rough building and framing lum- ber in Vicksburg, costs SIO to S15 per l.OOtVfeet at all mills, and in the Delta, there is scarcely a location wdiere a mill cannot be found within a distance of anyway ten miles. Dressed lumber, that is native yel- low pine and cottonwood, can be bad at any railway station for from $10 to !?2b per 1,000 feet. Ordinary carpenters and bricklayers cost from $2 to $3.50 per day, and very comfortable houses can be erected for from $800 upwards. Mr. W. Stanton, who has had twenty-seven years experi- ence in architecture and building in all parts of the State, puts the average cost of good two story frame ■liouse of five rooms in the city, with all modern im- provements, at from $1,000 to' $2,500; and a ten room house from $3,000 to $8,000. Comfortable two roomed cottages can be built at a cost of from $100 to $150.
Barns and sheds for stock are correspondingly inex- pensive, as they do not need to be built for a pro- tection from cold, but merely to shelter the stock and feed from wind and rain. Good fences can be built at a cost of not more than $100 per mile.
An O.^k Tkee on the Road to Ukuwuuu.
TRANSPORTATION FOR IMMIGRANTS.
Every railroad entering Mississippi is doing everything in its power to assist settlers to find satisfactory localities, and to reach them at the least jDossible cost. The Illinois Central which has vast interests centered in the Delta, recognize the f/ict tliat it will derive a greater final profit bv filling up the country with industrious and productive farm- ers and manufacturers, than by charging high rates to the incoming settlers, and so trans- portation rates for both immigrants and their goods have been fixed at the lowest possible figures.
Goods may be shipped from St. Louis or Louisville, or Cairo, to nearly any part of the Delta for $50 per car load and corresponding low rates are made from other Northern points. (See Appendix for tal.>le of distances and rates of transportation.) As this rate includes transportation for one man to care for the stock, if any, the expense of moving is certainly very low. The railroads recognize the fact, that a person before settling in any
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PICTTTRESQUE VICKSBURG.
new country, desires an opportunitj- to look over tlie land — to investigate it for himself, that lie may determine its worth. To foster and encourage this they have arranged fre- quent excursions at very low rates, which enables the home-seeker to spend a month in becoming acquainted with the opportunities oflfered l)y different localities, and in picking out the place he thinks will make the most desirable home.
As a car load contains -4,000 pounds, and its transportation costs only $50, the cost per |)ouMd for the goods brought is U'ss than one-fiftli of a cent. In other words, goods tliat are worth 20 cents per 100 jiounds, are wortli l)ringing. One liuudred dollars will tran^^port an ordinary family and its household goods from h-t. Louis or Cincinnati to any town in the Yazoo Delta.
SOME SUCCESSFUL FARMERS.
There is one point not usually noted, yet which comes with convincing evidence that the people at home are beginning to recognize the productive value of the land outside of cotton, and it is that one-half the merchants in town have a direct interest in some farm or another--an interest acquired in most cases by purchase and not by the foreclosing of any lien or mortgage. A few years ago this same merchant would have as soon jiut his money into the Mississippi river, as into land, to-day, as more than a side issue, he is turn- ing his attention to general farming — planting orchards, planting new crops, and demon- strating liy practical example the truth of his arguments to the planter, that other things beside cotton will pay.
To our knowledge, there are a dozen merchants in Vicksburg, who in addition to their other business, own farms either in the Delta or the foothills, and farms, mind you, that pay.
A few days ago, the writer had the pleasure of visiting the farm of Bazsinsky Bros., about three miles from this city, near tlie Hall's Ferry road, purchased less tlum five years ago, as Mr. Bazsinsky explained, as a sort of experiment, for a low sum ; then with- out fences, run wild, only a small part under cultivation — now all under the plow and as pretty and picturesque a place as could well be found. We saw white Tennessee corn
Roustabouts Unlo.\ding Steamek at Lake Providence Landing.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
67
Early Morning in a Delta Village
there, the stalks sixteen and eighteen feet liigh, tliat would yield a hundred Inisliels to the acre. Between, the rows cow-peas are planted, the pods of which appeared to be so thick it would almost be impossible to estimate the quantity growing. AVithin the r.adius of a hundred yards, we were shown an orchard containing several choice varieties of peaches, apples, plums, grapes and figs, cultivated bhu^kberries, a field of oats, Irish pota- toes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, tomatoes and other vegetables.
In one little plot of ground less than an acre, Mr. Bazsinsky told us they had this sea- son raised a crop of early potatoes which sold for S10.5, not counting what they used them- selves. This piece of ground when we saw it, was planted in sweet potatoes, whitdi were expected to give 250 bushels to the acre. These will be dug in October, turnips next planted and pulled in February, ready for anotlier crop of Irish potatoes to go in. On the same farm we observed a great number of native hogs, some fine milking cows, and chick- ens and noultrv galore, all in the verv pink of condition. AVhat more could a farmer ask than that?
Other gentlemen who combine a business in town with the delights of a mountain farm are the Smith Bros., who a year ago set out an orchard of 2,500 young trees, com- prising the choicest imported varieties of peaches, plums and apples, all of which appear to be doing well. A walk over the farm of 420 acres on the Warrenton rnad, would con- vince the most skeptical that the possibilities of successful farming and hog raising in this section are very great.
Let a country lie prosperous or otherwise, no matter in wdiat quarter of the globe it may be, the inhabitants carry it in their faces. Poverty, the gloom of despair— prosperity, the cheerfulness of hope. So it is with us here. A stranger arriving in any part of Mis- sissippi, is at once struck with the hale and hearty tone that pervades among all classes of the people. Let it be a farmer he meets, and he will tell him of the abundance of his crops— the quality of his stock, the improvements he is making on his place, and how he expects to do better next year than this.
In the neighborhood of Vicksburg are to be found many representative planters and farmers, whose well tilled land, and generously stocked orchards, are live examples of what can be accomplished by careful management and moderate means. Among other prominent planters deserving of mention, none stand higher in their respective lineq
68
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
than Col. F. L. Maxwell, of Madison Parish, La. He is a very large land-holder, but his home place is almost within sight of Vicksburg. A Northern man by birth and education, the parish whicli he entered since the war to make his home, contains no more popular citizen. His brilliant record as the President of the Fifth District Levee Commissioners, will be remembered with appreciation by generations yet unborn. Col. Maxwell's plantation would be considered a model in any country of a farm on a large scale. He produces a large crop of cotton, but all his crops are large. His shii)ments of Irish potatoes average .5,000 bbls. annually. He also ships the produce of many acres of cab- bages. Chicago dealers visit his plantation to purciiase fat cattle, his corn crop is suffi- cient and to spare for all his stock, lie successfully rears mules and horses, and bis mutton is famous among epicures. Col. Maxwell's extensive plantation is strung with telephone wires, immensely facilitating its management, has a system of waterworks also, for the better care of his stock, and is a largely paying property.
Another gentleman deserving comment is O. S. Kobliins, noted for having one of the largest pecan and peach orchards in the country ; and Dr. W. E. Gates, known all over the United States for his fine herd of Jersevs.
As tlie opportunities and possil)ilities of stock raising and dairying in this section are not fully appreciated, it will not be out of jjlace here to give Dr. Gates' exp
in his own words, under the heading of
cperience.
Pi!.\cTKAi. Results of Seventeen Years ok Stock Raising and Butter Dairying, in Warren
County, Missi.ssirri.
" Mistrustful of the ability of the Southern cotton planter to escape the impending financial ruin, the all cotton system of agriculture was blindly and hopelessly leading him to, seventeen years ago the writer pinned his faith to the little meek-eyed Jersey cow, amid the frowns and protestations of friends, and caustic criticisms of neighbors, such as ' fool and bis money is soon parted,' etc.
The resulting pleasure and profit from this truly fascinating enterprise, can be but
Four O'clock Tea on tue ^Mulholland Line.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
69
Refuge Landing.
briefly alluded to in this short space allotted to an article of this nature in a publication dealing in generalities. Hence but a few of the main facts succinctly stated, may lie of but passing interest to the reader.
During the winter of 1.S78, the foundation of the Beechwood herd of thoroughbred Jersey cattle was laid. After familiarizing himself with the strains, pedigrees and Island history of the Jersey cattle then in the United States, the footsteps of tlie writer were guided liy the goddess of fortune to Ewel Station, Tenn., the splendid farm of my lamented friend, Maj. Campbell Brown, from whose grand herd the following heifers were selected, namely : Komp Ogden 2d, Xo. 47H4 ; Sunny South, 6S30 ; Busy Bee, Holjti, and Yariella, ()337. These have proved worthy matrons, whose produce emulated their grand breeding at the pail and churn, long since made famous in the annals of Jersey litei'ature ; and whose win- some, deer-like forms and distended udders loosed many a visitor's sordid purse strings and carried his head and heart by storm.
Except one imported cow, bought of John T. Hardy, of New Orleans, La., for $7.")0, in lSSr>, no other purchases have been added to the herd, except an occasional bull, as an out crop. Since its foundation in 1S78, 17.i bulls, cows and heifers have been ,><old from the herd for $ob,S~b. To rob these figures of incredulitv, it should be Ijorne in mind that one of these bulls sold for $2,.50O to F. C. Sales, Pawtucket, R. I.; another to Mr.s. Eliza M. Jones, of Brockville, Ontario, for |800, and a bull calf before he saw the light of day, to John Scannal, of Haughton, Bossier Parish, La., for $700.
The herd now consists of fifty animals, all told, and offers nothing for sale except one bull, a contradiction of the prophecy often reiterated, that tlie bottom must soon drop out. The demands on this herd in tlie past to replenish some and found others, has been so great as to alisorb all offerings at satisfactory prices as shown by foregoing figures.
Recognizing the prime importance of a partner in the business and as well to provide pocket money for an impecuneous wife, the latter was promised the proceeds of the ilairy, the income of which for the last 13 years prior to '1)4 and '9.5, has been a gross turn out of •5,200 pounds of butter per annum sold in the Vicksburg market at an average through the year of :i7.> cents per pound, amounting in the lo years to $25,.350. Since the decline in agricultural products during the past two years, this butter has sold at a uniform jjrice of 3.5 cents per pound ; the gross proceeds of sales for these two years being ?3,(140.
Deducting the annual average feed and labor liills of $87.5, we have for fifteen years a net income of $15,865. To the junior partner, mostly, and the introduction of a centri- frugal cream separator, as auxiliary, the dairy feature is wholly dependent for its great sue-
70
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
cess. In fact, no dairy in the South can turn out a first class article of creamery butter without one of these machines. The double advantage to be had in tlie centrifugal method consists first in the production of a superior article of cream, deprived entirely of animal and stable oders to which milk is so susceptible, and in the second place the milk can be fed warm and sweet to the calves, as the milk is run through the macliine as fast as drawn from the udder.
The public mind needs to be disabused of tlie erroneous but fixed idea that the Jer- sey cow is so inherently delicate, as to require the same tender, watcliful care, as an infant in its swaddling clothes ; and while this may be applied with full meaning to the unaccli- mated cow, the writer asserts without the fear of contradiction, that taking as a compari- son the same number of cattle of any other breed as liave been handled in this lierd dur- ing the seventeen years of its fruitful existence, the inortality in tlie latter would sliow less. The fact is, these cattle receive no more care tlian humanity would Ijestow on tlie scrub cow of the impecunious cotton planter, who not only fails to provide shelter from the winter's rain for 'old sukey', but actually fences her out of the shelter of his gin house. Poor ' old sukey ' adorns the fence corner of many Southern plantations, the living accusation of man's inliumanity.
Another error born of prejudice, is, that tlie Jersey cow is diminutive in size, witli udder development similar to the goat, reasoning on the basis that because her milk is richer than that of any other breed, the flow must necessarily be smaller. Contro- verting this theory, it is only necessary to state, Jersey cows in the Beechwood herd have given as much as 57 pounds of milk daily, and as regards size, many have tipped the beam at 1,000 pounds.
Of recent years a few trotting horses have been added as an adjunct, and while the enterprise is yet in its infancy, sutticient progress has been made to justify the hope of ultimate success. This hope seems justified by the high rate of speed attained by one of the fillies that now- ornaments tlie Kentucky turf, beside the fact, that the farm has now two fillies showing a 2:30 clip, and several youngsters that promise to trot fast.
Nature has lavishly bestowed all of the necessary elements requisite to make this one of the greatest stock growing countries on this continent, if we except one sad defi- ciency, and that is, a want of progressive citizens. Let no man longer halt on account of his unbelief, but come forward and have the mill stone taken off of his neck."
ATTRAeTIONS
CHiLPTER VII.
" Throw up the window! 'Tis a morn for life In its most sul'tic luxury. The ;iir Is like :i brciithitifj from a rarer world And the south wind is like a jjentle friend."
These lines aptly describe an early morninj; in Mississippi, wliere bright days are the rule, and showery days are niartied by transcendent beauties of earth and sky, fleeting wonders of form and color. Let tlie morning open with a murky zenith, dark clouds dropi)ing showers, and as the invisible sun mounts, he peeps unexpectedly through a rift to see that his world is safe, then vanishes. The sky has an unrelenting aspect. The timber land in the distance is obscured. Suddenly, far to the left, a rift breaks dazzling white, just short of where the rain is falling on the fields in a long, bending column, and at one side a broad patch pales into mottled gray.
The face of earth, washed newly, "is a patchwork of somber and gaudy transparent colors; yellows, greens, sepias, grays. One's range and clearness of vision are quickly expanded, as when a telescope is fitted to the eye. Now begins a wonderful shifting of light and shadow, peeps through a curtain tliat veils unbearable splendors of ujjpersky; gradual dissolutions of cloud into curls and twists and splashes, with filling of blue between. Again the sun ajipears, at first with a pale burnished liglit, flashing and fading irresolutely until at length it flames out with summer ardor. The clouds break into still more curious forms, into pictures and images of quaint device, and outside the wide circle of Virilliant sunlight all the hills are in purple shadow fading into stcel-bhie, and about their crests cling wisps of many colored fleece. Here and tlierc the wliite of a planter's house, looms up subtly behind" an intervening shower— a thin, transparent bank of smoky hue. The veil quickly <lissipates, but almost immediately, the rain-mist advances and hides the whole from view — tlie entire heavens are overcast.
" I.ike a gentle joy descending To the earth a glory leniling
Comes the pleasant rain."
A strip of green next flashes on the sight— a distant cotton field lighted bv the sun, but lying unaccountably beneath a cloud of blac'k. Beyond, the broad foot of a rain-liow winks and diappears, as if a brief intimation of its presence was all that was necessary. By noon the sun is again shining, and this is the way it rains in Mississippi.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
atthactwxs Foii tiik toljust.
They call this season winter. Winter indeed ! One accustomed to live in the North, could not possibly avoid the temptation to lie satirical. The temperature is so finely bal- anced one does not easily deciile whether to walk on the sunny or tlie shady side of the street. It is cool, not cold, not liracing in the ordinary sense, but just the proper temper- ature for continuous out-of-door life. June does not define it — nor September. It has no synonym. But if you cared to add one more to the many unsuccessful attempts to define it in a phrase, you mis^ht term it constant, delicious weather. But even here, man is a clothes-wearing animal. There is a breeze pervading the most brilliant sunshine. Remembering this, the most apprehensive person will soon discover that there is no men- ace in the gently invigorating air of the Mississippi winter. It wins the invalid to health by enticing him to remain out of doors.
In tlie autumn, you may sit upon any veranda, and lift your eyes frotn the brilliant green of ornamental trees and shrubs, from orchards where late fruits ripen in heavy clusters, and from the variegate<l bloom of gardens to waving fields of pastures — to cot- ton fields, where the singing darkey is still at work, trailing his bag behind him. The smallest of these communities is great in content. Literally couched beneath his own vine and fig tree, plucking from friendly boughs, delicious fruits, finding in the multifa- rious products of the soil nearly everything needful in domestic economy, and free from most of tlie ills tliat flesh was thouglit to be heir to, what wonder that the Mississippian envys no man — nor looks wistfully eastward ornortliward, towards the crowded cities or the precarious famine-beset regions of the prairie .'^tates. Here is an uplifting environment for a home, truly fit to breed a race worthy of the nulilest empire under the sun. Here it is indeed a poor boy or girl who has not a pony on which to scamper about — or lacks liberty
for such enjoyment. And every year, there comes a period of holiday, an interval when there is no plowing or harvesting to be done — a recuperating spell of nature, when the weather is just as glorious as ever, and the laughing rivers beckon se- ductively to the poet that is in the heart of every unhar- rassed man and woman and child. Then the timbered lakes, and the shady nooks, and the grassy l)Owers, are dotted with tents, where the ice cold leaping little rivulet foams, and sjireading ash and oak are festooned with drooping moss, and wild honeysuckle — when the trout of the stream, and tlie game of the forest have then their solstice of woe. When the camp- ers return to store and field, it is not by reason of any inclem- ency of the weather, but because their term of holiday has expired.
Here indeed, should come the tourists, and pale fugitives from the buffets of Boreas, where they may wander happily over hillside and lowland in a country unvexed by the tyr- anny of seasons.
To the invalid we say— visit this most seductive of States, and see liow tenacious will he its hold on you. You have done but little, and a day has fled, have idled, walked, ridden, read a little, have seen two or three of the thousand things to be seen, and a week, a month is gone. You could grieve that such golden, boundless hours should ever go into the past, did they not flow from an inexhaustible fount. For to be out all day in the careless freedom of perfect weather, to ramble over ruins of a former occupation, to wander by cotton flelds and through gardens and orchards ; to sketch some of the quaint old ante-bellum characters that make picturesque and interesting the dustiest road ; to listen to old time stories of the war, full of heroism and pathos; to fish, to shoot, to gather flowers from the blossoming forest ; to explore a hundred fascinating retreats of hillside and valley ; to lounge on the soft grass under the shade of the magnolia tree until the sun drops below the horizon ; all this is permitted to the tourist and invalid, who will visit Vicksburg, be it winter or summer.
A Colored Sport.
SPORTiyO A TTRACTIOXS.
To say that the country around Vicksburg is also a sportsman's paradise is in no respect an exaggeration. The "flelds abound in quail ; snijie and woodcock are also plenti- ful in season, and the lakes and streams are as notalde fur ducks, geese, and other water fowl in the winter, as for the abumlance and cjuality of tlieir fish. Good sliots d<i not con- sider it a great feat to l)ring a hundred to bag in a day's outing. The wild turkey, the noblest of American game birds, finds abundant food and safe hiding places in the cane
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
73
brakes of the low lands, and while the wariness of this bird makes liim the prize of hunters equally cunning in wood-craft, and scarcely attainable l)y the novice, except in case of rare good luck, "those who love sport for sport's sake, will not count the hours wasted that finally repay the liunter with such royal spoil.
Deer and bear also frequent tlie bottoms in "the Delta and in North Louisiana, regions equally accessible from Vicksburg, and being numerous, are to be found with less trouble than in other parts of the country. The American lion, here known as the pantlier, is rarely liunted, unless it takes to killing young cattle or hogs, as sometimes happens, but hunters who desire the element of danger in their sport, will have little difficulty in grati- fying it at its expense, for tliough ordinarily timid, it has been known to attack man vol- untarily, and when once brought to bay by the dogs it is full of figlit. The black bear is nothing like so pugnacious, yet instances have occurred in which the hunter became the prey of his quarry, and though not so formidable an animal as the grizzly of the Kocky Mountains, a six hundred pounder, and larger ones are often killed, is a very respectable bag. One of the largest sent to Vicksburg last winter, was killed witliin thirty miles of the city, by rail. In fact, it may be seriously doubted whether any city of 20,000 inhabit- ants on the American Continent has as fine hunting grounds within a day's ride, going and coming, as Vicksburg, and since this has become known, not a winter has passed without seeing several parties of Northern sportsmen camping in the Delta, and invariably sending home big bags of game.
Reference has been made to the lakes and water courses of the country. The former are practically innumerable, and many of them of considerable size. Wherever the Yazoo or the Mississippi rivers have madea cut-off, a lake is the result. Since these streams having been running riot through the Delta from time immemorial, the result is that a beautiful lake may be found in every township. Their origin is the same in every instance, but thev vary greatly in size, some, as Lake George, near Sunflower river, or AVolf Lake, a tributary of the Yazoo, extending twenty miles in length, while of no considerable width. The lakes made by the Mississippi river are generally from three-quarters to a mile in.
Ruins of .\n Old Church on L.\ke Washington.
74
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
width, but may be twenty or thirty miles long. Lake Washington and Swan Lake, in the Delta, and Lake Providence and Lake St. Joseph, in Louisiana, are maKnitieent sheets of water and of the largest size. Swan Lake is controlled by a hunting and fishing club, comijosed of wealtliy gentlemen who hunt there annually.
Wild geese and many species of ducks visit these land-locked waters every winter in innumer- able flocks, at times covering their entire surface. Their shores, except where bordered by jilantations, are usually surrounded by open woods whose trees sweep down to the water's edge, and in the summer their crystal deptlis are hidden by tlie leaves and flowers of the Southern lotus, a gigantic species of water lily. The Sunflower river, more truly a lake for a large part of its course, also abounds with wa- ter-fowl. Game fish is numerous, the most impor- tant to the angler being the black bass, which at- tains a very large size and is extremely plentiful. In October and November, this fish bites readily at artificial flies, while at other seasons preferring live bait. The white or speckled perch is another tine fish, and l)ream and goggle-eyed perch are even more esteemed for the table.
Lake George, with its wonderful Indian mounds, the highest elevations in the Delta and which mod- ern engineers say would cost immense sums to rear, even witli the mechanical appliances of the present day, is a famous fishing resort and easily accessible from Vicksburg, while its beauty chides translation. Here to the aromatic odor of the forest come lovers of pure joys for comparative solitude in the heart of nature. In the adjacent wilderness there is game to tax the address of the bravest gunner, and rippling streams shout in torrent through a thousand fierce tangles of wood land, such as is dear to artists and unprofessional lovers of untrammeled beauty. Have you ever chanced upon a spot where nature, turning from gorgeous pigments and heroic canvases, in a swift softening mood had spent the white lieat of inspira- tion upon a picture on which was permitted neither asperity nor want of perfect grace, a thing finely poised between grandeur and gentleness, wood, and water and sunshine and sky, rhymed in every line and tone to fine exultation such as the Greek knew when he dreamed a statue out of marble ? Lake George is of that category.
In visiting any of these lakes, the lover of the picturesque and beautiful would feel sutticiently rewarded if not a tish, bird or beast existed within a thousand miles of their shores.
A Kitchen Study.
'm^
iPand down
THE
MISSISSIPPI
CHAPTER VIII.
There is one jjleasure the visitor to tiie South should not miss, whatever otlier recre- ations or siglits lie may deny himself. It is a trip on the lower Mississippi, a voyage by the " old road to Dixie." Beside this the other delights pale and grow wearisome, for there is a subtle hidden charm in gliding for days over the liroad and capricious bosom of this great inland river — alike wayward, strenuous, and possessed of creative imagination and energies when the mood is on, but just now complacently sauntering oceanwards, that challenges comparison and defies description. It must be experienced to be appreciated, and once undertaken always remains a bright spot in the memory, to be conjured with on gloomy days — or to be repeated, with new sensations and equal delights as before.
You often hear people say who are contemplating such a trip, " tell me what tliore is to be seen ? "
The best definition that we know of, is that it is utterly unlike any other river trip in the old world or this. You think awhile and then you say, " It is the >Iississippi," and when }'ou say tliis you have said all. You may do the Rhone or the Rhine, or the Danube or the Seine, and feast your eyes on castled turrets and ancient spires — or you may take in the scenery of the Hudson, or linger for a season among the far famed isles of the St. Lawrence; all these are beautiful no doubt, but you have not in the faintest degree seen anything that is a counterpart of the Mississippi. All is different — the people — the coun- try— the very style, appearance and get up of the boat on which you travel. In point of
76
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
duration, a journey for instance, from St. Louis to New Orleans, is, more like taking an ocean vovage, but in other respects it is an exact antithesis.
No' spending half the time below deck, a prey to the undiscriminating ravages of sea- sickness—no need of heavy lap robes when you come on deck— no lashing of your chair to a friendlv stancheon, lest an ill-time roll, land you over the railings or at tlie best in the lea scuppers, nor what is more than all, no lack of appetite to eat tiie dainty repast when it is set before vou. On the contrary, your digestive organs, after you have been enjoying the delights "of a blow in the fore part of the boat, assume an alarming state of activity, and it is safe to sav you never ate so much before. You have all the exhilarating eflfects of a long journev bv water, with none of the discomforts of an ocean passage. In short, one can sav that it is a trip filled with quaint scenes not found elsewhere; of pic- turesque groupings that would lose their distinctive flavor seen under otlier circumstances — if, indeed, thev exist anywhere else ; of dreamy days and restful nights ; floods of music from light-hearted mocking birds ; rich perfumes" from thousands of opulent southern blos- soms—and still the true essence of the charm has quite escaped. It consists as nearly as can be expressed perhaps, of the faint, fascinating aroma of a vanished past— of days of romance and deeds that are history. The spirit of beauty is everywhere :
" At eve she hangs o'er the western sky, Dark clouds for a glorious canopy And around the skirt of each sweeping fold, She paints a border of crimson gold. She mellows the landscape, and crowds the stream With shadows that Hit like a fairy dream, Still wheeling her flight through the glorious air— The spirit of beauty is everywhere."
There is a challenge to the imagination in the very waywardness of the river. It is the inveterate lover of a chaotic channel. It is its genius to create, isthmuses, islands— new towns, new banks, on a scale that from time immemoriai has been the dismay of engineers. It feels as though it must make prodigious jumps by cutting through narrow necks of land, and thus straightening and shortening itself, and the result is an array of long, low islands, timbered to the water's edge, and innumerable lakes and bayous, where birds
and fish make their haunts in undisturbed seclusion. On the wrinkled face of the earth, you may read earth's story. She has laid things toheart. She broods in mem- ories. But the river denies the past, it is as heedless of events that were, as the air is of the path where the butterfly was winging. Its changing, winding expanse is alluring to the fancy, and the glories aii<l charms which the moon and the sun and the twilight inscribe upon the river's face, remain indelibly grafted on tlie vis- ion of the beholder.
Sunset on the river '. Have you ever ob- served one, from the window of the pilot's eyrie '! Red as blood is the broad ex- panse before you ; in the middle dis- tance the hue brightens into gold, through which a solitary log comes dritt- ing, black and conspicuous ; in one place the surface is liroken by boiling, tumb- ling rings, that are as many tinted as an opal ; wliere the ruddy flush is faintest, is a smooth spot that is covered with grace- ful circles, and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced ; the shore on one side is densely "wooded, and the somber shadow that falls from the forest is broken in one place by a long ruffled trail that shines like silver. High aV>ove the forest wall a clear-stained dead tree waves a leafy bough that glows like a flame in the unobstructed splendor that is coming from the sun. There are graceful curves, A Lower Deck Char.^cteb. reflected images, woody heights, soft dis-
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
77
tances, and over the whole scene, far and near, the dissolvinj; lights drift stead- ily, enrichin.i; it at every passing moment \vith new marvels of coloring.
Such sights as these are among some of the pleas- ures of a river journey, but the half of them can- not be told.
ABOARD AN ANCHOR LINE BOAT.
One of the oldest passen- ger lines of the Mississippi— the only line to-day carrying passengers and freight from St. Louis to New^ Orleans, a distance of 1,2.50 miles, is the old Anchor Line— a name so well known as to be a svnonyran of ease and comfort and courtesy and safety, as far as river travel is concerned— a line that for 40 years has proudly carried "its pennant at the mast head — outdistancing every rival and maintain- ing, despite the encroach- ment of railroads, in good times and bad times, always the same efficient service, till to-day they have attract- ed by low rates, a travel that was before unknown.
The parent organization of the present Anchor Line was the Memphis & >St. Louis Packet Company, and took place about 18.55 or thereabouts, when it ran to Memphis only, with headquarters at St. Louis. Afterwards they extended their trips to Vicksburg,
keeping up also the Memphis line for the time being. Later, the entire line came througli to Vicksburg. After this, they bought and built several boats and went through to New Orleans, the'"iine to Vicksburg being operated separately.
Several years later, the Vicksburg line was extended to Natchez, making that beau- tiful little city its terminus. In 1S(I3, the entire line went through to New Orleans, the business getting so heavv, this was considered the best way to handle it, and the boats are now all running to New Orleans, witli the exception of two boats plying regularly from St. Louis to ^leraphis, which trade has been revived under the present able management. The latter took charge in April ISilo, and organized with Geo. S. Edgell, President; G. C. Meissonnier, Vice-President and General Manager, and T. C. Ziegler, Secretary. The Directors are A. Watkins and .1. J. Hayes ; the latter being also the Genera! Traveling Agent. If we remember rightlv, the first officers were Capt. Dan. Able, President; Capt. John A. Scudder, Secretary ; botli of whom are still living in St. Louis, and known as among its best and most useful citizens.
Capt. Scudder afterwards became President, and it was under his wise management, that the line became so prosperous and famous. When he retired, Capt. John P. Reiser became President and managed the line with signal ability for a number of years. Capt. Keiser selling out his stock, Capt. Scudder again became President, and acted as such for several years, when his private business requiring so much attention, he turned oyer the
T.\KiN'G Co.\L AT Greenville.
78
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
management to Capt. Isaac M. Mason, who remained there until the line changed hands in April 1895, when he retired to go into business on shore, much to the regret of his numerous friends both on the river, and engaged in other pursuits.
In speaking of the old othcers of the line, it would be incomplete if we failed to mention the connection therewith of Capt. E. C. Carroll, who was their agent at Vicks- burg, Miss., for nearly twenty years, a generation it might be said. Capt. Carroll went witli the Anchor Line February 7th, 1S7.J, and remained with it until tlie present summer, when it was decided on the score of economy to lay up the elevator for business, and this rendered tlie office thereof vacant.
Captain G. C. Meissonnier, the new General Manager, is a native of Yicksburg, and the l)est years of his life were spent in the river trade contiguous to the historic city. He has been engaged as captain and ck'rk on the Yazoo and Sunflower rivers for many years, and there is nothing connected with those positions that he is not entirely familiar with. Lately he has been the General Manager of the Yazoo &. Tallahatchie Transportation Com- pany, one of the best known steamboat lines in the Jlississippi Yalley. His promotion to be the General Manager of the present Anchor Line is regarded with much satisfaction by his numerous friends, and is a well-merited tribute to his capacity and untiring energy. Captain J. J. Hayes, who is associated with the Anchor Line under the new reijiine, is also known far and wide as a " worker," and everything he connects himself with must go through someliow or other. Captain Hayes is the General Traveling Agent, which is a good title for him, for he is here, there and everywhere at the same time.
* . . . _ I. -jrr^'Ca"^ ali ; Ji
Anchor Line Ste.\mer City of C.\iro.
No need to plead depleted purses, or the old tale of its costing too much money. A passenger to-day can go from St. Louis to Memphis and back, a trij) on which a week is consumed, for $10, or from St. Louis to Yicksburg for $2-1, or to New Orleans, a 20 day trip, for $32. Think of it, this is less than $1..50 a day, board, lodging, and transportation included, and when you consider, that the fare on the Anchor line boats rompnn-x favorably with that of Jirst class liotels chanjimj $4 and S4.50 a day, your wonder is how the\' can pos- sibly manage it. There is always a generous supply of meats in refrigerators ; a store- room stocked with groceries, canned goods, condiments, etc.; live poultry have comforta- ble quarters on the hurricane deck ; milk and eggs are obtained at various points on the route, and one of the events of tlie trip is to accouipany the obliging steward through the French market at New Orleans , where he goes at about five o'clock every morning while at that port to buy delicious oysters, lirilliant red snappers right from salt water, shrimp, alive and wriggling (also from salt water, I and fresh vegetables and fruits.
Early evening brings the supper hour and the cheery caliin, with its snowy paint cleared to the last point or whiteness, is fairly startling in its brilliancy by the light of the gently swaying chandelieis. The tables, guarded hy a double line (if sable waiters, in spot- less jackets, look homelike and attractive, and the novice soon finds that the Department of the Interior is not neglected. In fact, the three meals a day eaten with an Anchor Line appetite have come to be important functions, that if the truth, be told, the traveler after the first day out looks forward to with pardonable eagerness and some impatience, for he at least is always ready.
In other details the same care and thouglit for the passenger is equally manifest, whether it be in the matter of state-rooms, which range from large ones with double beds, wardrobes, washstands, draiieries. and bunks like PliIIukui sleepers, or the stuilious attention that is shown to the sick passenger by every employee on board. Certainly what- ever else may be charged against the .\nchor Line, none can question the excellence of its cuisine — or the uniform courtesy of its officers and stewards. From the moment you cross
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
79
the gangway plank you lose your identity as a citizen, as a stranger unknown, and become one of tltem. Every "part of the boat and anything on it is at your disposal, and not the least pleasing feature of a sojourn on auy of these floating hotels, is that this spirit of com- panionship— this charming disregard of orthodox slioi'e-a-day etiquette seems to be trans- mitted from the crew to the passengers, and acquaintance begins with tlie first revolution of the steamboat's paddles. You are sure, whenever or by whatever boat you make a trip, of forming friendships, for there is a strange fascinating spirit aboard, indefinable— yet that breathes of contentment, rest, peace; and softens with its potent charm, the temper and acidity of the most querulous individual. Everything goes right — the service and accommodation is perfect, and no one is in any hurry for the trip to end—on the con- trary a delay of a night at a landing means just so many more hours of pleasure and enjoy- ment.
On the advice of one who has made the journey, and remembers it as a summer idyl, to be treasured up as at least one period, all too brief, of rest and perpetual content- ment, if you have never made the journey V)y boat from St. Louis to Vickslnirg, make it — make it liy all means — even if it lireaks your coffers and leaves you poorer than Job's tur- key. Yoii'U get it back in tiie liest sort of medicine— it will repay you a thousand fold, and set you longing for the opiiortunity to go again.
>"'>■■. " :-.
■^^^■•-::<jm'
SuNNYSiDE Landing.
We will suppose that you have made up your mind to take the journey, and with your wife and family, if you liave one, and a paper covered novel and a small liand grip, if you have not, are on the way to the w'harfboat where the City of Hickman, or the City of St. Louis, lies impatiently at her moorings, taking aboard the last items of her miscellaneous cargo. From this time on, till you wring the hand of the Captain and dis- embark, all you see will have a peculiar feature of attraction. Late, hot excited passen- gers arrive breathless — the warning bell is sounded and jieople scurry ashore, some linger though to saya few more words to friends and depart none too soon, for before you know it, almost without jar or motion, the palatial Anchor Liner, like an old veteran, lias swung aroun<l into stream, and witli black wreatlies of smoke puffing from her funnels, precise but genial officers on duty, tired roustabouts dispersed at ease all over the boat, is soon cleaving the water at an easy ten knot clip.
ATTRACTIONS EN ROUTE.
One cannot write soberly of all there is to be seen on the Mississippi river. The pulses refuse to be equable and the pen self-contained. Picturesque bits of nature alter-
80
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
natf with trim towns and cultivated openings unfolding foliage that is plentifully sprayed are overhauled where the banks are low and s ton plantations, and behind and over all th Now you suddenly round a bend, and the flat shore is broken by a quaint village, with a little white church peer- ing out in the Ijackgrouud through a grove of trees. The essence of the scene is passing (juiet and peace. The petty noises of the villagers are powerless to break the spell that seems to be a par- cel of the landscape. The very style of architecture — the wooden shanties '<( the negro seem spontaneously in touci with its environment. The darkey anc hiscabin dominates theriver. Black faces mingle with the pale Saxon type — the music of " the niggar," is heard where- ever you hear human speech, and from behind the thin walls of his primitive abode come the tinkling of a guitar and the cadence of a soft voice in plaintive rhythm. The sun makes black .><Iiadows by every house and tree, and sweeps in broad unliroken light over the patch of river sand, to cultivated fields beyond. Asliore, scjuirrels scamper across the way, wild dove and quail start up with whistling wing, and there is everywhere the song of the birds and the cry of the barnyard fowls.
But still all is not nature and woo< land, there are other sights to lie .seen. Immediately below St. Louis you pass Crystal City, at which place is located the largest and finest glass works in the country. Plate glass is shipped from
lines of bluffs appear misty in spring with
with ever blossoming trees, long reaches
trung, with great fields of tall corn and cot-
ese lies an endless variety of winsonieness.
there to all parts of the globe. Thirty- five miles from St. Louis on the ^Missouri side, the " Kennett Castle" looms U]). Tliis is a magnificent stone residence with stately ivy-covered towers, which cost its present owner, 'Sir. Brooking, of St. Louis, f 100 000, and will com- pare favorably with any of the castle structures that adorn the St. T-awrence. Small craft of every description are to be seen in the vicinity of this city. Barges, keelboats, skitts, dugouts or pe-
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
81
rogues, made of hollowed lojrs, and other boats for which language has no name and the sea no parallel. The contrast between the magnificent steamer you are on, and the clumsy looking fiatboat, moored out nearly in mid-stream strikes you with an odd sense of humor, but serves to remind you that the river's earliest commerce— was in great barges— keelboats, broadhorns. They floated and sailed from the upper rivers to New Orleans, changed cargoes there, and 'were tediously warped and poled back by hand. A voyage down and back sometimes occupied nine months. In time this commerce increased until it gave employment to hordes of rough and hardy men ; as Mark Twain puts it, " rude, uneducated, brave ; suffering terrific hardships with sailor-like stoicism ; heavy drinkers, coarse frolickers, heavy fighters, reckless fellows, every one, elephantinely jolly, foul-witted, profane; prodigal of their money, prodigious braggards, yet, in the main, honest, trust- worthy, faithful to promises and duty, and often picturesquely magnanimous."
In St. Genevieve, on the west bank, where no stop is made, you have seen one of the oldest settlements in the Valley of the Mississippi, founded by Marquette In 1763. Cairo passed, which Dickens visited" in 1S42, and Grant made his headquarters in 1861, you are
View of Saloon, Anchor Line Ste.\mer Arkansas City.
soon in war waters, and surrounded by war names and memories. Just above Hickman, the Chickasaw Bluffs, the first and highest of a series which appear at intervals like islands out of the low bottoms, as far South as Natchez, come into view. The Mound-builders used these natural fortresses to hold at bay the fierce tribes of the North, and many cen- turies later they played a conspicuous part in the civil war.
At Memphis in June 1862, occurred the famous naval engagement, in which the Con- federate flotilla was nearly destroyed, and after which the Union forces took possession of the city. The next town of importance, is Helena, Ark., also the site of desperate fighting, and after Helena, Vicksburg, located as you will admit viewing it from the river, amidst some of the best scenery of the lower Mississippi. Here the visitor can well dis- pose of a week viewing the historical points and famous land marks, which survive to tell the story of the city's desperate defence against its investment by the Federals. From Vicksburg to New Orleans, you see the truly tropical South of tlie imagination, where nature exercises her selectest influences, where the landscape is perpetually a flower, and 7
S2
PICTURESQUE VICKSEURG.
ever redolent with myriad fragrances. As you progress down the river each day tinds the vegetation further advanced and more tropical. Xow there are magnolias and umbrella- topped cypress trees in abundance. One can hardly imagine a more wierd and an- cient object than a tall, gaunt cypress tree, its lew remaining branches spread out like stiff fingers at the top of the trunk to support trailing masses of hoary moss. Long before this, deep, green gar- lands of mistletoe hung high in the trees have been noted, and here, floating drai]e- ries of Spanish moss add novelty to the picture along the shore.
From Baton Rouge to the Crescent City, cane is king, and you are in tlie Lou- isiana sugar belt. All day long the steam- er floats between smiling lands, cultiva- ted as far as the eye can see ; and big su- gar-houses, sinuous green levees, magno- lias, immense oaks, sweeping Spanish moss and the song of the mocking bird are a part of ever}- waking liour.
One feature of the trip that should not be omitted, is the brief stops at numer- ous plantations by day and also by niglit, where the irrepressible roustabout — a character born of the river — witli his fas- cinating rliythmic coon-jine gets in his work. This is something that cannot well be <lescribed on paper — a half step — half dance, a swaying, a rolling of the Ijody to the time of sing song chant and must be seen with its attendant surroundings, a steep pitch of bank, and a hundred or so barrels or boxes to unload in half as many minutes, before it can be appreciated.
Another pleasure that does not wearv or pall, is to sit by twiliglit or moonlight up, far above deck.s in the jiilot house, and watch "the man at the wheel " manieuvre with unerring aim the great steamer alongside or head to a plantation landing, when to tlie untrained eye no vestiL'e of a sign or landing is visible, literally it seems to you smelling his way, but putting his boat's nose, for all that, not a foot outside of where he planned to, then turning to tell you with a smile, some legend of the river, some episode fraught with romance ami sentiment, that occurred at a spot you have just passed.
The tired city man will find tliis Southern journey a sort of Aretluisa, or a spring of nepenthe, where the wounded sensibilities may find a curativk-; where the 'fitful fever " of life may be soothed; where the bondage of routine may be broken ; where the dull heart may be gladdened ; where a refu^re may l)e found from " weary, carping care," where he may enjoy at but trifiiug expense a brief respite from the vulgarity and irrita- tion of business, and like the poet who recognizes the music i>f the " inner voice" in the river, feel
" .-\ distant dre.Trness in the hill A secret sweetness in tlie stream."
TniHsTV We.\theu.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
83
THE MULHOLLAND LINE.
This chapter would Vie incomplete without mention of the Vicksburg & Greenville Packet Company, familiarly knowii as the Mulholland Line, whose fast and beautiful steamers, the Ruth and the Annie Laurie, carry the mail between Vicksburg and Green- ville, a distance of IBl miles by river. They are one of the most important feeders to the city's commerce, and aflford the pleasure seeker the most delightful short trip on the river possible out of Vicksburg. Its steamers, running with the regularity and almost the swiftness of an express train, make the round trip three times weekly with the utmost ease at all seasons, while in the fall and winter, the seasons of greatest activity, both are in ser- vice and ply the river almost continually, touching at all intermediate landings in Miseis- sii>pi. Louisiana and Arkansas. During the long and prosperous career of the Line it has won the cordial friendship of lioth travelers and shippers, and its steamers are invariably well patronized by both, whether making their way up stream laden with merchandise for
Ste.\mek Annie Laurie.
points en route — Vicksburg's commerce with the upper bends being very large— or coming down with the staple product of this region, the celebrated Benders cotton, unrivalled in the markets of the world. Officered iiy navigators whose ability is second to none on the river, and whose attention to the comfort and pleasure of their guests is an additional at- traction to the traveler, the Line can boast that it never lost a passenger or had even an accident occur to one while under its care. How many thousands it has carried witli safety and celerity it would be interesting to know, were the figures ascertainable. The commercial traveler going over this route, which embraces some of the most highly im- proved agricultural country in the United States, with a dense population and a conse- quently large trade, is able to make his arrangements for visiting and leaving any point he wishes" to stop at en route with the utmost precision, just as if he were running through the country by rail.
The tourist, seeking pleasure or information, cannot study plantation life and life on
84
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
the river under more favorable or agreeable conditions tlian are aftbrded by tliese fast vessels with their superb accommodations. The scenes along the river, interesting to those to the manner born, are doubly so to one to whom they come as a revelation of novelty. In time of low water, the high banks, upon whicli tlie stalwart roustabout labor- iously toils witli boxes, barrels and sacks of freight, afibrd pictures of local color that are irresistably attractive. It is not only taking on bales of cotton at a hundred landings or discharging freight at the same, but the variations on this theme are endless, while the scenery on either shore of the river is quite as varied. In time of flood a better idea of the Mississippi in its restless might could not be desired than can be gained by stemming its rapid flood in this manner, and the journey of 322 miles, made in less than twenty-two hours, is withall so inexpensive that any one can aflbrd it who can stop the same length of time at an ordinary hotel. In fact, the trip costs nothing. It is merely lodging at a flrst- class hotel which is constantly clianging its scenery with its location. Plantation suc- ceeds plantation as the traveler proceeds on his journey, interspersed with just enough of the primeval forest to lend an agreeable variety to the landscape. When the water per- mits, two of the most picturesque of the Mississippi's cut-ofls, PJagle Bend and Bunche's Bend, may be visited, one or the other of these steamers making the trip tlirough them every week, but in any event the voyager is sure of a deligliful pilgrimage and of adding much that is pleasant and interesting to his fund of experience. Not the least interesting feature of this short tour is the exceedingly definite idea attainable of the levee system, to be seen in its greatest perfection from the guards of the steamer. These mighty embank- ments rank among the most imposing feats of American engineering and have engaged in their construction and maintenance some of the finest minds of the age. In low water they tower above the steamer's deck ; in time of flood the traveler looks down upon them and sees furtlier inland and far below him the cultivated fields which they protect from inundation. No such spectacle can be seen anywhere in the world except in Holland. Viewing their colossal proportions and those of the mighty river which they hold at bay, the observer is conscious of the impossibility of setting bounds to the possibilities of hu- man achievement as he never was before.
Scenery on the river is never monotonous, tlie variations of light and shade even in the same locality are too great to permit this. Seen at noontide it will present one ap- pearance and at sunset another, while by moonlight, or even under tlie brilliant rays of the electric searchlight, none but the experienced pilot could recognize the most familiar scene by day. The river itself is quite as changeful in its moods, and after a personal ex- perience of these kaleidoscopic effects the tourist will end, as tliis brief tribute to the Vicksburg & Greenville Packet Company Ijegan. by recommending every traveler who visits Vicksburg to take a run up and down the river under its auspices.
Part II.
A View on Washington Street.
THE CITY GOVERNMENT.
David Montgomery. John Walsh. ^, A. Ehkman.
M. Foi'ssE.
Mayor \V. L. TROWBUIDGE.
Daviu Wai.sh.
D. A. CAMPBEI.r..
Thomas A. Cauoiilin. Wakren O. Smith,
CKSBURG
RESUMED
The niiinifipal affaire of Vicksburg are in the liands of a Board of Mayor and eight Aldermen, eleftetl liiennially, in December; wliicli in turn elects the other officers, except the Assessor and Collector, and the AVharf and Harbor Master, who are also elected by the direct vote of the people.
The present officials, excluding some minor officers, are : Mayor — W. L. Trowbridge. Aldermen — Thomas M. Cauf»hlin and A. A. Ehrman ; M. Fousse and David Montgomery ; John Walsh and David Walsh ; D. A. Campbell and Warren O. Smith, representing the First, Second, Third and Fourth Wards respectively. Assessor and Collector — A. Keirsky. City Attorney — R. V. Booth. City Clerk — H. ,T. Trowbridge. Street Commissioner — John Evans. Chief of Police — John Groome. Health Officer — Dr. H. B. Wilson. With two exceptions the members of the administration have liad long experience in the manage- ment of public affairs. Aldermen Ehrman and Fousse being the only members of the Board serving their first term.
The city is policed by an efficient force of twenty uniformed and well disciplined men. Its Fire Department, under the direction of an experienced Chief, J. Yoeinkle, is operated on the minute-man system, and is admitted to be of high efficiency. As the water pressure is very high, the two steam fire engines held in reserve are very rarely used. Five hose reels and a hook and ladder truck, in addition to the engines, can be turned out upon occasion. The city has just received from the contractors a complete fire alarm telegrapli system of the best type, comprising fifteen miles of wire.s and nineteen boxes —thirty inch telephone boxes— representing an investment of $.5,000. It may be mentioned here that the waterworks, owned bv a New York Company, represent an invest- ment of $.300,000.
The improvements of its streets has received especial attention from every adminis- tration for the past ten years, and the aggregate sum invested in that period in .streets, sidewalks, gutters and culverts, will approximate half a million dollars, a large slice of the city's income, which is in round numbers $14.'j,000. These improvements are of the most substantial character, including grading and graveling many streets, besides the mainte- nance and extension of a combined system of surface and underground drainage. The city was authorized some years ago to issue $100,000 in bonds for the construction of a sys- tem of sewers, but has not yet taken advantage of this privilege.
In addition to the improvements mentioned, a considerable sum, about $9,000 has been expended in extending and improving the city cemetery road.
88
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Besides the sura annually expended for its maintenance, the city's revenues are de- rived from a tax of twenty mills on real and personal property, in addition to license taxes. The assessment roll for the year 1895 foots up So,oOO,000 in round numbers, but of this amount $525,000 is bank property and only taxable live mills. The valuation is nominally two-thirds the actual value of the property, but is actually much lower, especially on per- sonal propertv, it is considered bv the best authorities. Some of these place the actual values as high as $15,000,000. The total indebtedness of the city is §4:57,5.50.00, of which $326,350.00 is funded in five per cent, bonds, of this amount $100,000 is in bonds issued to the L. N. O. &T. railroad (now the Y. & M. V.) The floating debt is $20,000. which, however, under the present administration, will be entirely wiped out this year, without permitting any retrogression in the condition of public property. The bonded debt is required by law to be retired by means of a sinking fund of $10,000 annually, but at no time within gome years has the city been able to purchase or And sellers who are willing to part with her bonds below par. At the last opening of bids onlj' $700 in bonds were offered : a fact that sufficiently attests the creilit of the city.
THE BOARD OF TRADE
Lori.s HoFK.M.\N, President
Dan Searles, .Sec.
Adolph Rose, Vice-President. EXECUTIVE OFFICIALS.
Representative Members of the Board of Trade.
A G. RUSSELL, W. J REA. J. C. JACKSON, DR. R. A^ QUIN. B. W. GRIFFITH, JAMES MUNDY,
7 ABE KUHN,
8 JOHN WORRELL,
9 JACOB DORNBUSCH,
10 SAMUEL SCHWARZ,
11 RANDOLPH BUCK,
12 M. FITZGERALD,
19. SOL. FRIED.
13 P. M. HARDING.
14 WARREN 0 SMITH,
15 WILLIAM CURPHEY,
16 LEE RICHARDSON,
17 DOUGLAS S. WRIGHT,
18 L. M. NICHOLSON,
Representative Members of the Board of Trade.
|
1 |
L. R. SHIRK. |
7 |
S. C. RAGAN. |
13 |
JOHN A. KLEIN, |
|
2 |
E. M. MOORE. |
8 |
R. C. WILKERSON, |
14 |
R. L. CROOK, |
|
3 |
A. C PEATROSS, |
9 |
SIMON STEIN |
15 |
W. H. FITZ-HUGH, |
|
4 |
JOHN CURPHEY, |
)0 |
D. J. SHLENKER, |
16 |
VINCENT PIAZZA, |
|
5 |
DR. W E DATES, |
11 |
A G. CASSELL, |
17 |
H. M EHRMAN, |
|
9 |
LOUIS HIBOU, |
12 |
J, A. CONWAY, |
18 |
FRANK MARKHAM, |
'^
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
89
Next to tlie Ciiy Govenuuent in iuHueiice, and with a. wider tield of exertions, is tlie Vicksburg Board of Trade, organized July 3d, 1894, and but briefly referred to in the first chapter. It is emphatically a working body, and one whose semi-monthly meetings are attended by the interest of" every citizen. Its members, fifty-eight in number", are the ac- tive business men of the city, tlie representatives of its financial and commercial enter- prise, and carry with them into the Board the same energy and capacity that have won them their place in the world of trade.
The officers of the Board are, as when organized, Louis Hoffman, of the Louis Hoffman Hardware Company, President ; Adolph Rose, Vice-President ; Dan. Searles, Sec- retary ; and E. S. Butts, President of the Vicksburg Bank, Treasurer.
■ The Directors are, S. C. Ragan, E. L. Crook, S. Stein, C. J. Wright, D. J. Shlenker.
The useful career of the Board began at once, when the ink was scarcely dry on the muster-roll, and its achievements may well be regarded with honest satisfaction by its members. Among those may be named the bringing about of a conference between rep- resentatives of the city, its own body and the Southeastern Tariff Association, by whose
Tr.\nsporting Cotton bv Steamer.
happy results local insurers secured concessions, amounting to $40,000 to $50,000 per annum from the Association ; the successful management of the Vicksburg Farmers' Insti- tute, which brought a large number of distinguished Western visitors to the city, and is considered to have attracted many immigrants to this Section ; the State Insurance Con- vention of August :20th, ISll.i. which is expected to result in securing the passage by the Legislature of an equitable Insurance law ; and, by no means least in importance, induc- ing the calling of a general convention of the Valley States in the interest of the improve- ment of Western an<l Southern waterways, to be held October 2'J-23d, 1S95; and from whose deliberations and action the greatest benefits to all the States of the Mississippi Valley are confidently predicted.
In addition to the regular semi-monthly meetings of the Board, special meetings are of frequent occurrence. It is the policy of the institution, as enunciated by its venerable but still active President and heartily concurred in by every member, to accustom the membership to united action, and the habit is manifestly a growing one. The Board is steadily increasing in numbers, each of its successes generally witnessing an accession of new members shortly afterwards, and it is justly regarded as one of the city's most indis-
90 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
pensible institutions. The Board occupies handsome quarters, in common with the Vicljsburg Building Association, but its members are looking forward to building and occupying a home of their own at no distant period.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
Vicksburg contains many handsome buildings of a public character. Chief among them may be reckoned the Courthouse, but briefly mentioned in the earlier pages of the book, whose site cannot be excelled by any Ijuiliiing in the country. It occupies the square bounded by Grove, ilonroe, .Jackson and Cherry streets, in the center of the north- ern half of the city. This square, originally an irregular hill, has been surrounded by walls of heavy masonry and then terraced. Its grounds are kept in excellent order and liave some fine trees. The Bermuda grass is luxuriant there and the terraces are very beautiful. The building is of the Ionic order of architecture, except the cupola. It is an exceedingly massive building, and has four magniflcant porticos with large and lofty col- umns. It is built entirely of brick, cemented or stuccoed over, only the floors, windows and doorsbeing of wood. Though only two storie.s high, its ceilings are high and the propor- tion between its height and base are perfect. From its cupola or dome may be seen every part of the city. This tine liuilding was designed by William Weldon and built by George and Thomas Weldon. An illustration appears on page \b. It was commenced in 18.58 and finished in 18t>l, and cost rather more than 8100,000. The flight of over thirty years, ac- companied by the vicissitudes of a long siege, has not impaired its beaut)' or strength to any appreciable degree. In the second story are the court room and jury rooms. The former is a very imposing hall, indeed, and is additionally ornamented by fine oil paint- ings of the former luminaries of the Bench and Bar, wiiich hang above the seat of justice. Here are found the portraits of Sargeant S. Prentiss, George S. Yerger, the most illustrious of seven brotJiers, who were all eminent lawyers ; of Walker Brooke, at one time United States Senator, and a lawyer of the most brilliant ability ; .Judge Guion, the jjartner of Prentiss and a famous lawyer in his day ; .Tu<lge V. ISl. Yonng, now a member of the bar of St. Louis, and .Judge Warren Cowan. These i>ortraits are hung in the following order, be- ginning at the right hand of the spectator : Cowan, Young, Guion, Prentiss, Yerger and Brooke.
Vicksburg was the theatre of the greatest forensic effort of Prentiss, Yerger, Guion, Brooke and others, and it is peculiarly appropriate that even after death their faces should continue to look down upon the living expounders of the law, and to point them to the lofty heights olitainable Viy earnest ell'ort, and to remind them also of the high standard of professional honor and integrity manifested by these, tlieir noble predecessors.
The United States Post Office and Custom House, at Vicksburg, is another build- ing of which the city is justly proud, (see page 2.5.)
As a rule, the Uniteil States Government buildings give jjainful evidence of haste and lack of thought iu their design, the government giving only a minimum salary with a max- imum of work to its supervising architect. This building is an exception to the general rule, the design being good with souie excellent detail. The style of architecture is a modi- fication of the beautiful Romanesque first introduced into this country by the world- famed architect, H. H. Uichardson, of Louisiana.
On a basement of gray (juary-faced stonew'ork, is erected two stories of deep red press brick work. The ajiproaclies being also of stone, this color contrast is very pleas- ing. In the upper stories tlie windows and doors are trimmed with molded brick, and terra cotta of a little diflferent shade. There are numerous panels and courses of terra cotta with beautiful iletail in the brick work, and numerous corners and angles relieve the wall surfaces, allowing at the same time sufficient wall surface to show out the detail.
The interior of the first story is taken up principally by the Post Office department. The Post Office proper, is one immense room, whose ceiling is supported liy rows of white colums and entablatures of almost the Corinthi;ui order. In the second story are the offices of various Federal officers, the Signal Service department, and the United States Court room. On the roof and in the tower on northeast corner are the meteorological instruments.
The State Hospital, originally built for a private residence, but remodeled, is on the Jackson road, at the northeastern limits of the city. This institution has an annual en- dowment of ten thousand dollars, contrilnited jointly by the city, county and State, besides a considerable revenue from the ^larine hospital service and private [latients. It is a well managed institution conducted in accordance with the most improved methods of modern medicine and surgery, and has a capable staff', headed by Chief Surgeon .S. D. Robliins and his able assistant, Y>r. .John II. Purnell, who are among the State's most bril- liant medical men. A numerous class of internes assist in caring for the patients, and derive great benefit from the experience thus acquired. The hospital is a handsome brick building with spacious and elevated grounds.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
91
CARROLL HOTEL.
An important aiklition to the attractions and conveniences of Vicksburg, the value of which cannot be overestimated, is tlie well known Carroll Hotel, which was first opened to the public October, 1893. This truly magnificent building, a monument to the enter- prise and public spirit of Yicksburg's citizens, is the property of the Vicksburg Hotel Company, of which the officers are ; E. C. Carroll, President ; T. M. Smedes, Vice-Presi- dent; Joseph Hirsh, Assistant to the President ; W. G. Paxton, Secretary ; and Lee Rich- ardson, agent of the property. It was built by popular subscription, in response to the demand for better accommodations for the traveling public, at a cost of 1150,000, and 127 business and professional men of the city, have an interest in its welfare. The hotel is pronounced by experts, and indeed by all who visit it, to be one of the handsomest and most complete in the South.
The building is a large four-story structure of the Spanish Eenaissance style, the cen-
TiiE Carroll prom Clay Street.
tral part running uji to five stories in height, situated on the corner of Clay and Walnut streets, fronting 175 feet on tlie former and 10i> feet on the latter. It is exceptionally well located, being in the centre of the city, within a block of the Post Office and principal retail and wholesale stores.
Driving up from the depot, for the first time, the stranger cannot fail to be struck with the metropolitan aspect of the hotel, towering above the buildings near by, and mak- ing the largest of them look diminutive by contrast. The clean looking ornamental front, faced with pressed brick of two colors, the first story mixed with gray sandstone, broken by projections which form towers, set off by numerous bay windows. The Carroll presents the appearance of a model hotel, which in fact is, both in beauty of exterior, and the per- fections of its appointments.
The interior arrangement consists, on the ground floor, of six stores, a spacious bil- liard room, laundry, general lavatory, baggage and store room, with grand rotunda and
92
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
reading room 102 by 37 feet, connected with the upper floor by a broad oak staircase, and passenger elevator, "run by hydraulic pressure. Its every appearance indicate ease and rest. Over the marble tile's are scattered comfortable arm chairs, that no time of the day are without their occupants, enjoying maybe a quiet smoke, or in summer time taking the delights of the breeze which sweeps through the three spacious front doors.
The second floor consists of a magnificent dining room, that will accommodate 150 guests, beautifully lighted with windows on two sides, so as to give thorough ventilation; children's dining room, ladies' sitting room or rotunda, elegantly furnished, large and spa- cious hallways, bedrooms and other appointments.
The upper floors are divided into bedrooms, so arranged as to be thrown into suites
Office Rotunda, .\nd Dixixg Room— The Carroll.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
93
of two or three, with private bath room, the interior, in short, more than fulfills the expec- tation awakened by its external attractions. The Carroll is perfect in its appointments from its ninety-two large and lofty l)edroonis, that are all designed to open on fresh air, and ofi'er many tempting devices for the ease of its occupant to its well set table, where the hungry guest will find everything the market aflbrds, and of the besl. In fact, the cuisine here is a specialty, and the delicacies of the season are served up to perfection. The attendance is prompt, and everything around you liespeaks that cleanliness is a feature.
The hotel is operated on the American plan, and the prices will be found eminently reasonable, and those who appreciate good fare are quite sure to echo tlie universal verdict that The Carroll is par excellence. Tlie entire house is lighted with gas. It is heated throughout by steam pipes and registers in the rooms and lialls, while the bath and water closets, on every door, are supplied with an abundance of clean water from the city water works, and the entire building protected in case of fire by a hose on each floor.
The new manager, ilr. G. B. Duy, familiarly and popularly known as the former pro- prietor of the AVashington Hotel in this city some ten years ago, when he succeeded in keeping an excellent house though handicapped by an old building and necessarily un- favorable conditions, has since and for the past seven or eight years conducted some of the best hotels in Columbus and ;\Iacon, Ga. His management of the Carroll since taking charge of it, on October 1st, has been such as to win the highest praise from itspatronsand has aflbrded him a well improved opportunity to demonstrate his ability as a host.
The Carroll takes its name from that of the president of the company, Capt. E. C. Carroll, who was largely instrumental in its construction. When the new hotel was com- pleted an appropriate name was desired, and it was then that in recognition of the untir- ing energy and fine executive ability displayed by tlieir cliairman in leading the way to- wards the accomjilishment of their plans tliat his associates, by unanimous voice, decreed tliat the beautiful edifice sliould be a monument to his continuity of purpose and to his inspi- ring example which had done so much to in- sure the success of their undertaking. This es- timate of his zeal in behalf of the community by his fellow-workers, representative men of tliis section, has been re-echoed by the approval of the public. It ma}' be mentioned, however, that not in this respect alone has Capt. Carroll de- served and received the applause of his fellow- citizens, for his labors as Cliairman of the local Harbor Committee have lieen characterized by the same energy and tlie same success, and liave been an important factor in securing (hat degree of attention from the National Government which is now resulting in the construction of the Yazoo river canal, and the consequent free navi- gation of Yazoo river and restoration of the har- bor of Vicksburg, which will be secured by the completion of this improvement under the plans and immediate direction of that accomplished engineer. Major J. H. AVillard. In recognition of this feature of his lifework, Capt. Carroll was some years ago appointed a Vice-President of the Association for the Improvement of Western Waterways. But great as have been his labors for the communitjy in the foregoing respects, they do not cover the field of his useful activity, for he has found time to serve as a director of
several leading financial institutions, in addition to his many years service as Super- intendent of the Anchor Line Elevator, from which he but recently retired.
EDUCATIONAL ADVANTAGES.
The city of Vicksburg is in no department of municipal excellence, more thoroughly " abreast of the times," than in the all-important matter of public schools. She is /ac(7e princeps among the Southern cities tliat approximate her in population, and the rapidly advancing tide of educational impartment in her city schools, will, in the very near future place her upoti an equality with many of her sister cities of a higher latitude, whose repu- tation for fine educational facilities is almost a household word among the public educa- tors of the country.
A brief description of the public school building, of the curriculum of studies, and of the corps of teachers, will give an adequate idea of the matter in point :
Capt. E. C. Carroll.
04
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Residence of Capt. E. C. Carroll.
The Main street building, a handsome brick structure of twelve lecture rooms and a Superintendent's office, is a model of symmetry and beauty, and is mainly used for girls. The "Girl's High School " is located in this liuilding, and the course of this institution is higher and more comprehensive than any in tlie State.
NjiTii \ K K^BURG School Bi'ildin-g.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
95
Residence ok Dr. S. D. Eobbins.
The AValnut street buildin<i is a commodious frame house of seven rooms, and is the seat of the " Bovs' High School" and of subordinate Grammar grades.
The South Vickslnirg school building is a splendidly built brick structure, recently provided, for the convenience and l)enetit of the southern extension of the city, as well as to enlarge the general facilities of accommodation for the rapidly growing needs of the educable" population. This building is arranged for Ijoth boys and girls, and is thoroughly equipped with most of the modern improvements.
The Cherry street school, for the colored race, is a frame edifice of ten rooms and an excellent basement, and in conjunction with a rental building of six rooms, furnishes com- fortable accommodations for more than 1,000 pupils.
The total value of all of the school property belonging to the city of Vicksburg. is estimated conservatively at S116,000, while the equipments are of an excellent order.
The number of pupils in attendance upon tlie public schools of the city has advanced within two years from a maximum number of 1,421 in '92-'93, to 2,190 in '94-'95, while the corps of teachers, has contemporaneouslv risen from 32 to 48.
Most of the teachers of the Vickslmrg Public Scliool, are well educated, experienced and successful as teachers, and tlie curriculum of studies is being modeled upon the design of the best Grammar and High Schools of the country.
In fine, the entire management of the public schools of Vicksburg, is so pre-emi- nently excellent, that many pupils are annually sent to this city from adjoining towns, in order"tliat as temporary residents with kins-people and friends, they may receive the very superior advantages that can be accorded to them in the Vicksburg Public Schools.
The leading private schools are ; St. Aloysius Commercial College, taught by the Christian Brothers, and St. Francis Xavier's Academy, for girls, also a Roman Catholic in. stitution and attended by a large number of pupils from the city.
ST. ALOYSIUS COLLEGE.
St. Aloysius Commerci.\i. College, conducted by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, Brother Daniel, Director, was founded in the year 1879, by the late Rev. H. Obertield. Its corner stone was laid in the vear 1878, by the lamented Rev. J. H. McManus.
It was early chartered under the'laws of the State of Mississippi, empowering it to grant diplomas and confer degrees.
From its inception it has received a most liberal patronage from the citizens of Vicksburg and vicinitv, irrespective of creed and denomination ; and on every side its sys- tem and work are spoken of in the most tlattering terms of respect and esteem. Its efTect- iveness as an educational factor may be judged by the large number of graduates and
96
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG,
pupils who are now occupying with distinction enviable positions in the mercantile world, and by the many abroad who with no less distinction are qualifying themselves for the liberal professions.
The course of studies, while essentially commercial, is varied and extensive enough to fulfill the requirements of modern education.
The number of its professors and the wise provision of a director of studies have rendered possible the establishment of an almost perfect grading of pupils.
The system of govennment, though strict and uniformly requiring compliance with the established discipline, is mild and parental. Every means suggested by the enlight- ened experience of modern methods of teaching is availed of to promote emulation among the pupils, to foster ambition in literary pursuits, to nourish a desire for excellence, and to arouse the instinct of honor.
A most satisfactory communication between parents and professors is provided for
St. Alovsius Coi.i.EiiE.
by means of a Report Book, which is marked up weekly informing parents of the conduct and progress of their sons.
The terras for tuition are moderate, and there are no extras. At the present session ^1895-6 — a classical course was added to the curriculum-, from which great results are expected.
The college has had the greatest success in bringing out the latent energy and the self-reliance of its pupils and the high character of its alumni, who are among the city's most generally esteemed young business and professional men, is the bsst criterion of the success that could be afforded or desired by any institution of learning. These are attached to the college to a remarkable degree.
The college buildings and campus are situated on the northwest corner of (irove and Ist North streets, an elevated and Ijreezy location. The grounds comprise half a square, ample room for all purposes of exercise.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
97
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S ACADEMY.
This institution, one of the most flourishing in Viclvsburg, includes three large brick buildings, known as the Convent, Boarding School and Academy of the Sisters of !Mercy, covering the block on Crawford street, between Cherry and Adams, and extending along Adams to Clay. The institution was chartered in 1S60, and its popularity has contin- ued to increase with its years, until it now takes rank among the leading educational institutions of the South, having been awarded a diploma and medal at the Columbian Exposition.
The classes were originally conducted in the Convent building, but in 1884, the num- ber of pupils had so much increased, as to necessitate more ample accommodations, and an Academy was erected on the corner of Cherry and Crawford streets, adjoining the board- ing school building.
Tlie Academy is a two story structure, 140 by 60 feet, and contains eight class rooms, two music rooms, one studio, a library and an exhibition hall 130 by 60 feet, and 24 feet high, with handsomely fitted stage, drop curtain, and all necessary stage apparatus. The class rooms, too, are furnished with all the modern teaching apparatus, and the plan of studies pursued, is according to the most approved modern methods.
There are three departments in the institute, each comprising two grades, and each grade including two classes. The Junior Department includes a thoroughly equipped Kin- dergarten for girls and for little lioys under seven. This forms a very special feature of the Academy, and is one of its most interesting departments. The curriculum of studies fol- lowed in the Jliddle an<l Senior grades, embraces a full classical course, Latin, French and German languages, modern literature, higher mathematics, bookkeeping, stenography, type-writing, free-hand drawing, elocution and physical culture.
The library which is devoted entirely to the use of the pupils, contains about 700 volumes of standard works, including histories, miscellanies, books of travel, encyclope- dias and poems, as well as the be.st magazines of the day.
View of St. Francis Xavier Academy From Crawford Street.
98 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
The discipline of the Academy is gentle but firm, and special attention is given to the manners and morals of the pupils, as also to their physical development, to secure which, there are regular drill and calistlienic exercises daily.
An examination of classes is held on the last Friday of each month, at which musical selections, and recitations by the elocution classes give the teachers an opportunity of judging tlie progress of the pupils during the month.
Music has always been a specialty in the Academy, and the musical department comprises a regularly graded course on piano, violin, guitar, mandolin, banjo, etc.
The music department comprises four grades, with two classes in each grade. The First Grade embraces verbal instructions in tlieory. New England Conservatory. First Grade, Students Primer. Major Scales in octaves, with occasional pieces, etc.
The Second Grade — N. E. Conservatory Second Grade. Student's Primer, comple- ted. Major and minor scales. Studies in Czerney, Kohler, Loeschhorn, KuUah's Sona- tines, pieces, etc.
The Third Grade — N. E. Conservatory Third Grade. Lobe's and Palmer's Lessons in Theory. Scales. Arpeggios, Broken Chords, etc. Mozart, Mendelssohn, Haydn, Cra- mer and Clementi's Studies, Mozart's Sonatos, Chopin, Weber and Schumann, etc.
The Fourth Grade — Advanced Exercises concluded, embellishments, etc. Peter's Thorough Base.
The violin course also includes four grades, similarly arranged.
Vocal Culture, First Grade — Art of Breathing, Tone Placing.
Second Cirade — Bassihi's New Method, Essay Ballads.
Third Grade — Bassini's New Method, Songs of moderate difficulty.
Fourth CTrade — Bassini's New Method completed. Classical Selections.
Ripley and Tapper's Sight Singing taught in the Jliddle and Senior Grades.
The Art classes are at par with the other departments of the institute, and include drawing in crayon, cliarcoal, ink, pastel, etc. Painting in oil and water colors, china and glass painting, etc.
The boarding school which enjoys the patronage of the neighboring States, as well as our own, is most carefully conducted, and the pupils, while enjoying all the comforts of home, receive every possible attention in regard to health, moral training, etc.
The graduates of the institute may be found holding positions of trust, all through this and neighboring States.
WALKS AND DRIVES.
To the lover of pedestrian exercises, Vicksburg oflers many attractions. The side- walks are almost invariably good, and every residence street affords a pleasant promenade, as beautiful shade trees are abundant, and afford even in the hottest weather ample pro- tection from the too brilliant sunshine. Cherry street is the prominade pur excellence and during the greater number of the evenings of the year is thronged with persons tak- ing their constitutional exercise or simply walking for pleasure's sake. Their patliway, lying anud verdant lawns on either side with many parterres of rarely beautiful liowers or niagnilicent foliage plants, is sufficiently enticing to tempt the visitor to a mure extended stroll than he may have originally had in contemidation. If so. Grove street oflei's almost equal attractions, or lie may wander on southward to Drummond, in Speeil's .\ddition, or in tlie contrarv direction," may visit old Vicksburg — commonly known as Springfield — where the sanie lovely flowers and shrubbery and views quite as picturesque await his coming. .Main street "is one of the quaintest streets in the town and was among the first built up by the early settlers. There are many others worth seeing, and indeed that will well repay a visit.
The City Cemetery.
In a sequestered and quiet valley, a mile northeast of the city, surrounded by the highest hills of the Vicksburg range anil occupying a series of undulating slopes trending in a southerly direction, lies the City Cemeterv. chosen many years ago on account of the beauty of its scenery and surroundings by the founders of the place. A more beautiful situation could scarcely be imagined and of late years art has done much to heighten the efl'ect of natural charms. On the north the hills overhang the cemetery like battlements, as if to guard the sleepers below. Half a mile away, to the south and soutlieast, rises an opposing range, similarly crowned with trees incluiling many evergreens, and between these lies the smiling valley, through the midst of which runs a shallow stream, in stormy weather a mountain torrent. A gravel road extending from the city limits gives access to tlie cemetery, which covers more than a hundred acres of ground and has some fine drives. Up to a few "years ago, wlien the city put the grounds in order at considerable expense, the exuberant vegetation gave the cemetery an appearance highly picturesque indeed but not appropriate to its uses. These tendencies were checked, however, a vast amount of super-
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
99
flous timber and shrubbery removed and a task begun, for it is still in progress, that will make the place one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the South.
Tlie notable monuments of the city are those in memory of the dead of Louisiana, erected in Monument Square, Monroe street — an ornate marble shaft, the offering ol surviv- ing coniratles, and the Confederate Monument, which adorns the last resting place of three thousand victims of the seige, a sunny slope in the Cemetery. The latter is of white mar- ble, ornamented liy a tine statue of a Confederate sentinel, carved in Italy. This was erected by the Ladies Confederate Memorial Association, and is valued at three thousand dollars. Including the statue, it is twenty feet in height. Its design is massive and simple. An- other monument, occupying an inconspicuous site in a churchyard on the corner of First East and Monroe streets, preserving the memory of the city's proto-martyr, the gallant Dr. Hugh Bodley, killed by the gamblers in 1835. These desperadoes had congregated here in sucli numbers, had grown so emboldened by long impunity, that life was insecure and no woman was safe from insult. Dr. Bodley headed a part}' of four hundred citizens, who rauled their dens, and was shot down by some gamblers who had barricaded themselves in the noted " hell " of the period. The house was stormed by the outraged people and five of the defemlers led out to execution. All were hanged to a tree which stood near the intersection of Clay and Fanner streets. This act of summary vengence completed the victory of the friends of order and had a most salutary effect. The monument is a pyramid of Italian marble resting on a base of same, with inscriptions testifying the people's grati- tude to their champion.
ClIERKY Stkeet.
The site for the Jewish cemetery, which lies east of the city, is the almost circular summU of an elevation on the Grove street road. With commendable pride and liberality the population attached to the Hebrew faith purchased it several years ago, surrountlcd it witli a substantial wall of coping and sviitable enclosure, and converted the spot into lian<l- .some and exceedingly well kept grounds. The situation is a commanding one, the view of the city from tlie summit being especially fine. Here the lines of the opposing Federal and Confederate intrcnchments approached each other more closely than at any other point, except on tlie Jacl-son road — within less than a stone's throw in fact — and it is stated that very frequently the hand-grenades hurled by the besiegers into the Confederate lines were picked Uji and throw'n back again before they had exploded. The entrenchments were leveled long since and where the muskets once rang out on the sultry air scarcely a sound is heard but the song of birds and at intevals the bells of the distant city. White monu- ments dot the closely mown sward that was once scorched by the cannon's breath "and many a time you there might pass, nor dream that e'er that conflict was," if a paraphrase of the poet's language is admissible.
100
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
The city's drives are also highly attractive, wliether one chooses to confine himself to the limits of the corporation or to go further afiold. That afTorded by the National
Cemetery road and tiie matrniticent grounds ol the ceme- tery itself, is pre-eminent in many respects ; but Grove and Clierry and Clay and Washington streets, all well graveled tlioroughfares, afi'ord several nnles of excel- lent drives, whil.' every elevation oflTers some attractive scene to catch and delight the eye of even one to the manner born. .Still finer, although the roadway is rough and unpaved, is tlie route over the great ridge of hills to the National Cemetery, from whose heights may he seen tlie valleys of tiie Yazoo and the Mississippi, spread out like a ma|) many miles in extent and bordered in the foreground by the blue waves of Lake Centennial, while the Father of Waters runs across the scene like a liand of silver in the distance. About mid- way of this road is the boldly projecting spur of the bluflfs overlooking the lake known as the Devil's Back- bone, near which the celelirated cannon, "Whistling Dick" was mounted. Should it ever be deemed advis- able to fortify Yicks- burg again, these heights, guarded b y modern guns and com- manding the river for miles in either direc- tion, could concentrate a weight of metal upon an enemy's decks that no vessel could hope to escape unscathed.
The drive out Wash- ington street and the Warrenton road, is also noted for the beauty of its views of both hill and valley scenery, and the same may be said of the Jackson road, famil- iar to visitors as being the route to the gun monument that marks the scene of the surren- der of the city. This road for the greater part of its course, winds along the summit of a ridge of considerable height from wduch tlic passer looks down uj)on long slopes of green fields in the valley be- low on each side. There are a succession of hills and valleys in every di- rection, each clothed in verdue. Even the most rugged peaks of these hills display the same vivid green, for the abundant rains enable all sorts of plants to grow, even in the most unpromising localities. Bluffs are festooned with honeysuckle, from the trees graceful vines depend, and I in short
CONFEDER.\TE MoNU.MEXT.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
101
there is scarcely an acre within miles of the city that would not afford spoil of the rich- est kind for the landscape painter. In fact, a New York artist of some repute, who visited Vicksbiirg some years ago ami went away with his portfolio enriclied with some hundreds of sketches, was wont to say that an artist could spend a month pleasantly and profitably in a single ravine which he indicated.
YICKSBIIRO AS A BATTLE-FIELD.
As the scene of one of the most des])erate sieges in history and of some of the most important military events that decided the fate of the Confederacy, Vicksl)Urg has long been a place of patriotic pilgrimage. Tlie Northern visitor is naturally anxious to view the theatre of one of Gen. Grant's greatest triumphs, the Southerner takes a natural pride in the fact that the defense was characterized by a heroism and a stubborn endurance rarely paralleled in modern warfare, while veterans of either army return at frequent intervals to re-visit their old battle-ground. This forty-seven days' struggle is as fresh in their memory as ever and the vistages of tlieir old works .nre eagerly traced out by these survivors of a conflict that has left beiiind it no bitterness. In the city proper there are few evidences
N.\Tiox.\L Cemetery.
that such a conflict ever was. Tlie march of improvement long since eraced such intrench- ments as existed witliin its limits and but one or two of the bomb-proofs excavated by the citizens as a refuge from the rain of sliot and shell that poured down on the devoted city, are still to be seen. The old lines, however, occupied by the hostile. armies and surround- ing the city on the north, east and soutli are fairly distinct in many places and in some it would scarcely be believed that 32 years had passed since they were deserted by the legions tliat once held them so tenaciously. Where the Federal and Confederate intrenchments were nearest each other, on the Jackson road — only those most intimately acquainted with the ground can say that the scene of conflict was here. Since " Picturesque Vicks- burg" was planned and partially executed, an attempt has been begun, and, havingsecured the powerful indorsement of the Grand Army of the Republic is likely to prove successful, to induce the Federal Government to designate by permanent monuments the sites of
102 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
principal interest, and the points occupied during the siege by the various commands en- gaged on eitlier side. This work, if neglected much longer, cannot be accomplished, as those who are alone able to indicate them are rapidly passing away.
Among the fortitications still conspicuously perfect may be mentioned a fort in the field known as the Lane pasture, about one and a half miles southeast of tlie city, which has been carefully preserved by the owner of the property. Many others are also pointed out in the circuit of thirteen miles — the inner or Confederate works were over eight miles in extent — comprised in the intrenchments.
The story of the siege has been told too often to bear repetition. Tlie endurance dis- played on both sides has macle Vickshurg a monutnent to American valor and as such it will be visited for generations to come.
THE NATIONAL CEMETERY.
" How sleep the brave, who sink to rest, By all their country's wishes blest ! When spring, with dewy finger's cold, Keturns to deck their hallowed mold. She there shall dress a sweeter sod - Than fancy's feet have ever trod."
A little more tlian a mile north of Vicksburg on the east side of tlic Yazoo Valley road, on wliich it fronts, is one of the most magnificent graveyanls ever ilevoted to the interment of the dead soldiers of any nation. Here is a masterpiece of landscape engin- eering, and troiu the imposing entrance arch, to the verdant heiglits, and wondrous dells, this splendid burial ground is a grand memorial to those who dietl for the Union.
There are walks and drives about these grounds as delightful as any in tiie more pre- tentious parks of our Xorthern cities, and the visitors who neglect to spend a few hours in this charming retreat will miss one of the most pleasini; experiences of their visit. A tine graveled drive twenty feet wide extends trom tlie entran<'e, in the southeast corner, along the south side, overlooking the ravine, once peopled with thousands of armed men, near the river ; then turns north and winds around below the terraces to the Yazoo Valley road on the east, and about one hundred and tilty yards north of the iiiain entrance, near the lodge. A similar drive begins at the main entrance, and, winding around tlie plateau to the southwest, passes through the terraces, and connects with the main drive near a large natural mound in the southwest corner of the groumls circumscrilied b}' the main drive. A series of terraces encircles the summit of the once forbidding Ijliiti", now leveled into a charming plateau on three siiles— south, west and north. Lonv avenues of trees, mostly .Spanish oaks, lead in and out among these terraces, and these are supplemented everywhere with tropical plants and picturesque po^^TrfS of blooming flowers. Cosy nooks are here, where the tired visitor may rest, and drink in tlie vast panorama that stretches before him across the peninsula away to the Louisiana shores ; delightful shades, where with book or sketch one may beguile the fleeting summer hours.
The pathetic roll of the unknown dead who sleep here lengthens out until 12,7Ul are entered, with 3,889 known ; a total of 16,018 soldiers who lost their lives in the storming of the '■ Gibralta of the .South" and a<ljacent fields, iluring the-memorable siege whicli resulted in Vicksburg's capitulation to tien. Grant, July 4th, 18G1, after a contest begun in November the previous year. This cemetery is on high ground overlooking " Lake Cen- tennial," and it would be difficult to find another location so fitting for tlie use. The grad- ing, the drainage, the landscape gardening, in every respect, are admiralde. and the effect in details is beautiful ; as a whole, imposing. On the plateau above the terraces is the Lodge, Flag Staff and Rostrum.
From the top of the " Indian Mound," on which stands the Grant-Pemberton Monu- ment, a landscape view unequaled in grand variety and extent, is presented — Lake Cen- tennial encircling DeSoto Island at its foot, while, like a silver band, the broad Missis- sippi, fringed with its forests of emerald hue, in the distance following a serpentine course, divides the valley below. Full view is also had of the forts and fortifications on Fort Hill, and the formidable redoubts that once formed from oft' the ridge as far as the eye can reach.
The main avenue, known as Grand Avenue, Indian Mound Avenue, and Chinaberry Avenue, are broad, cleanly-swept walks and drives, overhung with supurb shade, and bor- dered with leafy foliage, that vie with the most pretentious avenues of Alount Auburn or Greenwood. Mound E., the site of the officers's graves, contains an elegant liasin of water with fountain, and affords a delightful view of the river, that is unsurpassed even in this wonderful Southern clime.
The cemetery is visited at all seasons of the year by tourists and travelers, as well as the general public in the immediate vicinity, who never seem to tire enjoying its lovely drives, and the imposing effects of the trees, shrubbery and flowers that are here in luxu-
RlvSIDRXCK OF GeX. E. S. Bl'TTS
Residence of Mbs. Bettie D. Willis.
104 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
rious abundance. The record ot interments of tlie various National cemeteries, show tliat the one in Vickslmr^ is the hir<;est in tin- country. Wlien it is considered that the num- ber is equal to the jiresent popidation of most ol the smaller cities ol the I'nion, and ex- ceeds any town in ilississipjji or Louisiana, e.xcepting Vicksburg and New Orleans, some idea may be formed of the magnitude of this veritable "city of the dead," which no visitor should omit to visit.
" By fairy hands the knell is rung Hv forms unseen Iheir ilir^e is suri^ There honor comes a pilijriin gray To bless the turf that wraps their clay ; And freedom shall a while repair To dwell a sleepini; hermit there."
vicKSBrKirs .military uompames.
YieUsburg has always taken the deepest pride in her military organizations and the fact that slie sent no less than eighteen companies to swell the Confederate forces in the civil war is sufficient evidence of the martial spirit of her people. This, however, had already been displayed on earlier fields, for the city's oldest military organization, the Volunteer Southrons, is the lineal successor of two companies, the Vicksburg Volunteers and the Vicksburg Southrons, which as portions of Col. JeUerson Davis' First JIi8sissii)pi Regiment shared the perils and glories of the Mexican war and the laurels that fell to the lot of that gallant command on the bloody field of Buena Vista. When the civil war begun the Vicksburg Volunteer Southrons, under command of the late Col., then Captain, D. N. Moody, went to tlie front in May, ISlil ; and in the array of Northern Virginia as a part of the Gritfith-Barksdale-Humphreys brigade, McLaws division, Longstreet's corps, dared all that man might dare in the bloody four years' struggle that ended at Appomattox. It is needless to say more. The present command was organized as a portion of the National Guard of the State, with ilr. John A. Klein as captain and has since won an honorable reputation by its proficiency in military evolutions, as displayed on many a competitive field. Its captain is D. S. Corapton, and its roster numbers about 100 men. The company has a commodious armory on South Washington street, where it entertains visiting military. It is well equipped, both with arms and accoutrements.
The WarrenLight Artillery, whose armory is situated on North Walnut street and is owned by the company, is another historic command and one whose past glories would be an incentive to daring deeds, should need arise. The original command, better known from its commander, Maj. Chas. Swett, as Swett's Btittery, was organized at the outl>reak of the war and entered the conflict one hundred strong. Attached to the Army of Tennessee, its historj' is one of the brightest though most terrible pages in that of the forces led in succession by Albert Sidney .lohnston, Bragg, Joseph E.Johnston and Hood. Distinguished service was rendered by it on every field, but especially at Chickamauga and at its last terrible fight, Jonesboro, Ga., in ISil-t, where after a hand to hand struggle its few survivors were killed, wounded or captured, its guns lost and the command practically annihilated. The battery was frequently recruited, its losses being extremely heavy. Nine of its original members are still alive, of whom Surgeon T. G. Bitchett is now serving in the same capacity with the present command. The latter was organized shortly after the war, with .Major Sweet as commander. Years ago Capt. J. J. Hayes was chosen commander, a post which he still holds, with honor to himself and to the great benefit of the battery. The other officers are: First Lieutenent G. R. Moguin ; First Junior Lieutenent, J. W. Musgrove; Second Lieutenent, Alex. Musarove; First Sergeant Allen .idams ; Surgeon, T. G. Bircbett and Assistant Surgeon, J. A. K. Bircbett. The company has SO men on its roster, of whom some forty are thoroughly drilled and equipped. The company's proficiency in drill and in firing lias been frequently comidimented by military men, and its men display a most laudable i^ride in the organization. Its arms consist of two three inch rifles and a gatling gun, besides the customary side-arms.
FRATERNAL SOCIETIES AND CLUBS.
The quality of gregariousness, as well as its higher development which is the foun- dation of all the benevolent .nssociations known to humanity, is strongly displayed in Vicksburg, and few towns of its size are the seat of so many fraternal or purely social organizations. The Masonic Order is represented by a Blue Lodge, Chapter, and Coni- mandery, each of ancient foundation and each strong in numbers, meeting in a temple whose architecture and furnishings are meritorious in design and execution ; and few of the younger orders are unrepresented. There is a large following of Odd F"ellows, com- prising tlireo lodges, besides the F.ncampuient and the lodge of Daughters of Eebekah,
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
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with some three hundred members all told; and the six hundred Pythians of the city boast that the local Endowment Rank, Section 34, is the largest in the world. The Ameri- can Legion of Honor has a strong council ; the Knights of Honor are a numerous band ; the Ancient Order of United Workmen is one of the city's fraternal institutions ; the Woodmen of the World have two strong lodges, and a Senate lately founded by the Essenic order is in a flourisiiing condition, nor should the I. O. B. B. and I. O. S. F. I., "similar insti- tutions of the Jewish citizens, be forgotten in the list of these powerful agencies for pro- moting the welfare of mankind by relieving the necessities of the sick, the widow and the orphan, for both have a numerous membership and are doing a great work in their sphere of action.
Of a character more strong- ly social yet not without its conspicuously benevolent fea- tures, is the Order of Elks, which has a superbly equipped lodge room, parlors, etc., and more than a hundred mem- bers, and is noted forits charm- ing entertainments. The Elks have a penchant for entertain- ing strangers, and their refined and elegant hospitality is one of the city's chief attractions.
The Belmont Club, organ- ized a year or two since, is an- other flourishing organization, and is about to fit itself up new and enlarged quarters to accommodate its rapidly in- creasing memliership ; the Catholic Young Men's Club has a large mendiership and is noted for its excellent orches- tra, as well as for its well equipped gymnasium. The Yicksburg Cotillion Club is conspicuous in leading society circles, the Idlewild Club also gives a number of handsome balls annually and many others might be mentioned, which are wholly devoted to . the promotion of social pleas- ures. The Phantom Club is now fitting up rooms, and has a large membership.
The Germania Club, organ- ized in ISiH with Wm. Renter as President, is designed ex- clusively for citizens of Ger- man nativit}' or extraction ani club-house on Soutl placing it upon a
B. 11. Lrii;i;Ai:"i L'l.i i:.
has a handsome list of members, las demonstrated
is the first club of this character. It ^Monroe street and has already a considerable most prosperous basis. Young as it is, this club its strength and influence by taking the initiative with the most gratifying success in organizing the Yicksburg German-American Immigration Association, an organization which has on its list of members many of the city's foremost Ijusiness men, and which has begun an active campaign in the Northwest in the interest of promoting immigration to this county and section. This association has lor its presiding officer, President B. W. Griffith, of the First National Bank.
The Corresponding Secretary is Mr. Wm. Renter, who may be addressed for any in- formation that would-be immigrants may desire. The association was organized for the public good, not for private gain ; in fact there is no possible way in which its members, individually or collectively, can derive pecuniary profit from its work, except indirectly and througli the advancement of the well-fare of the cominunity.
The club, par e.rci'Heitce. however, in that it provides tor the entertainment of an entire community, young and old, grave and gay, is the B. B. Literary Association, occu- pying its own elegant building on the northwest corner of Clay and Walnut streets, imme- diately opposite The Carroll, and representing an investment probably in excess of $50,000.
106
PICTtTRESQTJE VICKSBURG.
The Association was organized in 18!S6, wlien it leased and jiroceeded to furnisli superlily, the Balfour mansion, on the southeast corner of Cherrj' and Crawford streets, now owned and occupied 1)\' Mar\-e Dabney, Esq. Here it prospered exceedingly until the members determined to have a home of their own, built expressly for club purposes, and having decided u]ion this step they purchased the present very eligible site and commissioned Architect William Stanton to plan the Tiuilding. The elegant structure shown in the engraving, was the result of this commission, and is a monument to his genius and to the taste and lil)erality of the club. The building is of Vicksburg pres.sed brick with stone trimmings and was completed in Oct., '92. It rests upon foundations of the most substantial
Staircase and Dining Room of B. B. Literary Club.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
107
character, and is in all respects a model of solid elegance. The first floor, which is above an excellent cellar or basement, is occupied by two stores, midway between which is the grand entranci' to the club rooms in the second story. The stairway, an easy ascent, ends in the reception room, on either side of which are the parlors, which are large and airy, and magnificently furnished. Across the way, on the west side of the building, is the banqueting hall, running the full length of the building, or 150 feet, where five hundred guests maj- be and frequently have been seated without crowding. This floor also con- tains the Ijilliard and library rooms, besides some of the rooms devoted to the use of the caterer. The third'fioor is occupied by the auditorium of a private theatre, the stage — a commodiously large one and fitted up with handsome scenery — and the dressing rooms. The auditorium is also tlie ball room, and has been tlie scene of many pleasant entertain- ments, nearly all the social functions of the Jewish community taking ])hice at the rooms of the club. Considered from an architect's point of view, this auditorium is one of re-
IIali, of B. B. Liteuauv Club.
markable beauty. The ceiling is of polished ash with grained arches supporting the root, in fact, native ash is the predominating feature of the interior of the entire building, and no handsomer material could be desired. The great size of this hall, added to its tasteful finish, makes it probably the finest auditorium in the State.
The Association now has a membership of eighty, comprisinga large j)roportion of the Jewish population of the city, of all ages, to whom its charmed portals are a second home. Here are given the balls and parties of the children as well as ot mature belles and beaux, nor do these festive events interfere with the quieter enjoyments of the older mend>ers of the club, so ample are the accommodations at the disposal of the members. Wedding receptions and banquets are also distinguished features of the club's vie intime and some of the most superb events of the kind have taken place here that have ever distinguished the city's annals. In fact, the club and clul> house is known all over this part of the Mis- sissippi valley, as the centre of the most lavish, yet refined, hospitality, while its cuisine under the direction of its accomplished caterers, past and present, is no less celebrated.
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PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG
The officers of the Association at tliis time are: President, Joseph Hirsh, re-elected at every term since its foundation ; Adoljih Kose, Vice-President ; C. E. Beer, Second Vice-President ; Laz Hirsch, Secretary; Leop Schwarz, Treasurer.
To these jrentleuien the Association is indebted not only for its plan of interna.1 ope- rations, wliich is so perfect that its every detail is accomplished without tlie slighte!?t fric- tion, though it need scarcely be said that the organization is of the most complex nature ; hut for an attention to matters financial and an ability in their direction which lias made the club a model to founders of similar institutions. How to conduct an enterprise of this character so as to afl'ord its members the maximum of j>leasure and satisfaction at the minimum of cost is a problem that might tax the ingenuity of the most successful man of business, or of any number of them. This has been done, and that without laying any appreciable burden on the membership such a splendid club house should have been con- structed, is an achievement which will be an enduring monument to the men who planned and executed the sclieme.
BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS.
In the last few years the demand lor homes occasioned liy the growth of population has been so great as almost to assume the proportions of a boom, though without the re- action that naturally follows feverish speculation. Cottages and more pretentious build- ings are continually being built in all parts of the city, and the demand is now greater than ever. The building associations iiave been great factors in promoting the building up of the city. One of the largest in the South, and the pioneer association in the State, is the
The Vicksburg Building Association.
This Association was organized in 3871, and its charter approved June 12th, 1871. Its charter members were S. Spengler, Geo. Klein, John B. Harris, George W. Hutch- eson, Wm. H. Jewell, John Edelman, H. B. Bruser, R. F. Beck, Wm. A. Faircliild, Win.
French and Joseph L. Herman ; who elected the fol- lowing as its first officers; S. Spengler, President ; George W. Hutcheson, Treasurer, and John B. Har- ris. Secretary.
Its phenomenal growth and handsome returns to its stockholders, especially during the fourteen years of John F. Halpin's incumbency as Secretary, have been satisfactory to all interested.
Since its organization it has matured sixteen se- ries of stock, and has jiaid to its stockholders for matured and cancelled stock, over a million dol- lars.
The liun- d r e d s o f homes that its aid has enabled its borro w i n g memljers to erect a n d own, has not only jiroven its necessity and useful- ness but has redoun d e d to the city's growth, re- venue a n d prosperity, and in tiie language of a distinguished orator " has dignified human nature, as when a per- son sets out a tree he has a new interest in this world, and when he owns a little tract of land and home he feels like Jehovah and himself are part- ners, all of which tends to the creation of the high- est type of citizenship."
It has now in force nineteen series and 4.1.")l^> shares, 1,700 shares being borrowed upon. It has ,, -.r y -\i,.,vih,tt Cpp
a capital of $391,443.28, consisting of $340,000.00 i»iR. iu. J. -ullmhill, oec.
of loans and real estate, cash and collectible assets amounting to $.51,443.28.
Ml!. ,1. J. ^IrLi.ir.AX, Pres.
3 tf^
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
109
Its present officers are : J. J. Mulligan, President ; 8. Stein, Vice-President ; A. M. Paxton, Treasurer ; T. R. Foster, Attorney ; M. J. Mulvihill, Secretary. The directors are : T. H. Allein, A. L. Jaquitli, Robt. Ernst, Jolin M. Rvan, Jos. Hirsh, V. Piazza, E. S. Butts, A. S. Kuhn, W. H. Bleytliing, M. F. Levy, J. M. A. Brennan, S. P. Metzger, M. Tierney, Sr., Wm. Curjjhey.
As representing the financial, commercial and manufacturing interests of the city, the selection of the aforementioned officials could scarcely have been more happily made. Their direction of tlie Association's afl'airs ha.s been frauglit with advantages of the most sul)stantial nature to its shareholders, and assures a continuance of the long career of pros- perity that has hitherto distinguished its history.
The President, Mr. Mulligan, has held his office by the suffrages of his fellow stock- holders for several terms, and has always administered his trust to their satisfaction. One of the most prosperous business men and manufacturers in the city, he has brought as his contribution to tlie direction of the Association's affairs all the clear-headed ability that has distinguished the management of his own. The encouragement of that thrift in otiiers which personal experience has shown him is most favoralile to the welfare of the individual as of society in general, is to liim a most congenial privilege, as well as liis duty as the head or an organization W'hose very basis is the development of those frugal in- stincts which make nations as well as persons prosperous.
The mantle of Mr. Halpin, the late Secretary, who after serving the stock-holders for years was compelled by the increasing burden of his private affairs, to retire from the re- sponsible post he had filled so ably and so well, is most worthily worn by his successor, Mr. M. .T. Mulviliill. His qualifications for tlie duties, the onerous duties it might be said, of this position were so eminent that all eyes naturally turned towards him when it was known that Mr. Halpin would not lie a cauilidate for re-election. His successful adminis- tration of liis laljorious charge is justly regarded by his friends as sufficient to stamp him as a business man of substantial and brilliant ability.
The Mutual Building and Loan Association.
A new comer in the field, but already giving signs of lusty gi'owth, is the Mutual Building and Loan Association, which was organized in the summer of 1894. It Charter nieml)ers were: J. C. Bryson, B. W. Griffith, John D. Gilland, Jacob Gusdofer, D J Shlen- ker, 0. R. McFarland, Roliert U. Just, A. L. Jaquitli, Robert Sproule, R. C. Wilkerson, David Rice, J. D. Ijaughlin, O. S. Robbius, John J. Mulligan, A. Warner, J. ,M. A. Brennan, R. V. Booth, S. C. Ragan, Laz. Hirsch, Adolph Rose, R. L. Crook, W. S. Jones and J. A. Conway.
The organization was completed July 20th, 1895, bv electing the following Board of Direc- tors, viz : B. W. Griffitli, D. J. Shlenker, A. L. Jaquitli, R. L. Crook, Adolph Rose, Robert Sproule, Joliii 1). Gilland, C. R. McFarland and W. S. Jones.
The following were electe<l officers of the As- .sociation for the first year: B. \V. Griffith, Pres- ident; J. D. Gilland, Vice-President; A. Warner, Treasurer; J. C. Bryson, Secretary and Attorney.
At the end of the first year, W. S. Jones and C. R. McFarland retired from the directorate, and George B. Hackett and J. D. Laughlin elected to fill their |ihices.
The books of the Association were opened for subscription of stock August 1st, 1894. Since tlien, three series have been opened and over seven hundred shares of stock liave been sub- scribed. Tlie assets of the Associatian exceed twelve thousand dollars, and its loans outstand- ing amount to ten tliousand dollars. Mr. B. W. Griffith.
Sl'ICCIAL FEATURES.
The Association sets apart ten percent, of its income to pay off cancelled and ma- tured stock. This is a safe guarantee to the holders of stock that they can convert the same into cash whenever they so desire.
The Secretary and the Treasurer of tlie Association are each required to give bond to the Association to be made by some safe and approved guarantee company in a sum
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PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Residence of Mk. A. Warner.
UlCSIUEMli OK Mics. Lkk Ku hakd.sux.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Ill
exceeding any amount of money they are likely to have on hand at any one time, condi- tioned that tliey each will faitiifuUy perform the duties of their respective offices.
To the end that no officer or director may be unduly retained in office, the by-laws provide that no officer or director shall vote any stock except his own at any election in the Association.
THE MANAGEMENT.
It is the purpose of the management to be conservative at all times, and yet as lib- eral as possible in the bounds of strict conservatism, the object being to offer to investors a safe and remunerative means of investment for their capital, and to borrowers liberal terms, easj' payments, and reasonably cheap rates of interest.
From the day of its organization, the success of this institution has been phenomi- nal. The character of the men who organized it, was a guarantee of success, and the integrity and business capacity of its present management warrant the continuance of its prosperity for many years to come. President Griffith, who is also President of the First National Bank, is one of the most capable and widely known financiers of the State, whose management of the affairs of the institution has been characterized by tlie same solicitude and attention to details which have won him such an enviable rejiutation among the bank- ers of the commonwealth.
Mr. J. C. Bryson, the Secretary and Attorney of the company, a self-made man, a hard student and justly regarded as a rising meralaer of the bar, is also an excellent ac- countant and pi-actical business man. He has acquired the entire confidence of the com- munity during his professional career, and is considered a model secretary.
Dr. H. B. Wilson, City Physician.
H.J. Trowbridge, City Clerk.
Abe Kieksky,
City Assessor.
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Capt. John Gkoome.
City Marshal.
R. \'. Booth,
City Attorney.
Pkof. C. p. Kemper,
Supt, Public School*
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PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Residence of Dk. R. A. Quin.
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Residence of Mr. John Cckphev.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
113
THE PRESS.
The newspaper world has always been an interesting field of activity in Vicksburg and not a few of its editors have attained eminence in their profession. At an early jieriod in the history of the city and before the day of the Associated press and its rivals in the art of news-gathering, Vicksbnrg Ijad journals which were a power in the State and in this respect it is still the intellectual centre of the commonwealth.
The Vicksliurg Printing and Publishing Company, the leading and largest publi.=hers in the State, and proprietors of the Commercial Herald, daily and weekly, occujiies the three story brick building 411, West Crawford street, which is exclusively devoted to its liusiness, embracing the three departments of job and book printing, book-binding, anil the newspaper. The officers of the company are: G. W. Rogers, President; William Groome, Business Manager and Secretary; J." S. McNeily, Editor; T. W. Campbell, Alan- aging Editor. The Directors are: G. W. Rogers, William Groome, T. W. Campbell and C. 0. Willis.
The three de- partments give employment to forty -five i>er- sons, including the newspaper force. A very large business is transacted in each depart- ment, and the company has contracts with many counties of the State for fur- nishing blank l>ooks, station- ery, etc., for whose manufac- ture it has un- surpassed facili- ties, enabling it to compete to ad- vantage with the larirest foreign ]iulilishers.
The Commer- cial Herald is the leading journal of the State, and the only one tak- ing the full Asso- ciated Press dis- patches. (Juite recently, it has ]iut in three .M e r g e n t h a 1 e r lineotype ma- chines, now in successful 0]ier:i- tion,i)reliminary to enlarging the jiaper and adopt- ion of other m o de rn im- jirovements. In this respect it has taken the initiative .among the papers of the State, ami <lem- o n s t r a t e d its progressive n e s s in a most practi-
114
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Residence of Mk. Juiin A. Klicix.
ci=r.i^liiMiiiMiiiiiiiif<nmiiTTWiBlfiWllliniii"i i' ,
Residbnik of Mk. Joiix O. Ca.siimax.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG. 115
cal manner. In politics, the Commercial Herald is Democratic, staunchly supporting the
National Administration, and upholding the principles of the party with vigor and deter- mination. It has also been for years a leading factor in the agricultural and industrial development of the State, lias thrown all its influence toward the encouragement of immi- gration, and is justly regarded as the organ of the progressive element, now so largely in the ascendency, "in promoting material and intellectual growth by the encourage- ment of the manufacturing, financial, educational and religious institutions of the com- monwealth.
Besides the Commercial Herald, Yicksburg boasts a creditable evening daily. The Post, whose columns always afford crisp and interesting reading and which enjoys a very lilieral patronage. Tlie paper occupies handsome and commodious quarters on West Craw- ford street. Its editor, ^Ir. John G. Cashman, is one of the veteran publishers of tlie State and a writer of liold and original views, wielding a pen which is notable for its vigor. Ill politics the Post is Democratic. It is i)ul)lished every day except Sunday.
There are numerous weeklies, among which the Democrat is of chief importance. It is published every Saturday, by Mrs. Clem Davis, and has a considerable circulation in the city as well as the country.
The S juthland, a weekly journal, edited and published by Judge Speed, is devoted to the encouragement of immigration and the fostering of industrial enterprises, a task to which its cultivated and aide editor has devoted great labor and attention.
ppendix.
The ailvantages possessed by Vicksburg, in point of location, climate and facilities of communication, as set forth in the foregoing pages, cannot, it is believed, fail to receive the attention of men accustomed to consider such matters. It has been shown that the city is tlie natural commercial centre of a large and fertile territory within the confines of Mississippi and penetrated by the lines of tlie Illinois Central System, but this is true also of a no less attractive region to the east and, with which it is brought into easy and rapid coiiiiiiuuicationby the Alabama & Vicksburg, and the Vicksburg, Shreveport ct Pacific rail- roads, which are divisions of the Queen & Crescent System. From each of these the city draws a rich triljute.
The fanner, stock-raiser or truck-grower, wdierever he may seek for a location, can find no better country under the sun than the uplands of Jlississippi and the low lands of Louisiana, penetrated for more than three hundred miles by the Queen & Crescent Route.
The town of Edwards, about thirty miles east of Vicksburg, is one of the truck- growing centres of Mississippi, and those who would care to see this pursuit in its perfec- tion, need no better examples than are aflbrded by its thrifty population, whose intensive system of cultivation has jiroven extremely jirofitable. Edwards ships consideralile fruit to the Northern markets, and many varieties of vegetables also, but its specialty is early tomatoes, which are shii)iied in large quantities. One crop succeeds another, however, so rai)idly uniler the system of these wide-awake cultivators that it is difficult to say wdiich is entitled to be of the greatest imjiortance. It is a common practice with them to begin the year with a crop of Irish potatoes, follow this up with corn and fielil peas on the same land, and in the fall set out cabbage plants on the plot, to be followed in January or Feb- ruary with potatoes again. Under this system the returns from an acre of land are surpris- ingly large.
Edwards was the pioneer town on the Alabama & Vicksburg Railroad in this indus- try, Init others are following its example, and all along the route of the road, cheap lands wnere similar results may be obtained when in the hands of experienced men, may be found by the immiirrant. The most liberal facilities of transjiortation are accorded liy tlie railroad, which is fully alive to the importance of encouraging this industry by giving low rates.
The parishes of North Louisiana through which the road passes, are wonderfully adapted to every variety of agricultural enterprise, as well as stock-raising. Since this country was redeemed from overflow by the construction of the present massive levees its development has been much stimulated. The soil of the alluvial parishes through which the road passes, is similar to that of the Delta in all respects, and its topography is of the same character. The climate and productions are practically the same, and cleared land is both abundant and cheap.
116
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
SOCIAL TREATMENT OF NEW COMERS.
^^^*5*OhERE is no country under the sun where strangers are more s J s t » I hospitably received than in the South and it is difficult for a ■■r native to seriously take to heart the fact that a contrary opinion has arisen in some portions of the country. All the instincts of the people tend towards the exercise of the most genial hospitality and this has been experienced by so many Northern visitors that it is surprising that they should have ever been criticised on this score. The fact that in the past many of the most beloved public men of this section were Northern men should count for something it would seem — notably in Mississippi, the celebrated S. S. Prentiss. At the present time many favorite citizens of this immediate section are Northern men and ex-Union soldiers. Among these in the delta may be mentioned Dr. A. J. Phelps, of Sharkey county; who was (ten. Grant's chief surgeon; and Col. F. L. Maxwell, of Madison parish, La.; now president of the Fifth Louisiana lioard of levee commissioners, both of them citizens who are on the most cordial terms with the people of their adopted communities. These are but a few among many who might be named, and it may be taken for granted that in the South, and in this j)art of it especially, other things being eiiual, a stranger from the West is just as sure of a friendly reception as though he came from the next county or fi-om any Southern State. After he becomes known his position in the estimation of the community depends, here as elsewhere, entirely upon himself. If he is a good man lie will be rated accordingly, if otherwise he will find his level. On no other con<litions is association between human beings possible. Here, as in ever)- country, civilized or barljarous, a man to have friends must show himself friendly and may depend upon receiving the consideration he metes out to others. It is taken for granted that every respectible-appearing man is a decent, well-behaved person until he shows himself otherwise and this is quite as much, it would seem, as any self-respecting man would ask. It is very true that letters of introduction count for something, as has been the case ever since writing was invented, and that men of similar views and tastes usually harmonize most rapidly, but neither religion nor politics is a bar to any man's good standing in the community. Some allowance must be made, of course, for ditt'erences in social customs, which are not tlie same in all parts of the United States, it need scarcely be said. In sparsely settled localities visiting is perhaps but rarely indulged in — this is in fact fre- ijuently the case — and the new-comer may imagine that he is being frozen out when in fact there is no difference in his treatment and that accnnled other neighbors who may have been such for half a century, and who are upon the friendliest terms with the entire popu- lation. A little observation will soon demonstrate this to the satisfaction of the stranger and he will discover also that not one of his neighbors but is ready to display, spon- taneously and naturally, the friendliest spirit in those kindly offices that one family may be expecteil to remler to another and such attentions as bespeak and proclaim good-will. It should lie su]>erHous to speak in the loregoing strain, in view of the kindly relations between all sections of the country at the present time, at least, and of the ties of tdood and friendship linking so many of their inhabitants together.
An incident of actual occurence in Vicksburg may be mentioned as indicative of the kindly spirit ol the ]>eople. A year or two since tramps were unusually numerous and arrests for vagrancy became frecjuent. Whether justified in this course or not, the people adopted the idea that these prisoners were nothing more or less than men seeking em- ployment and unfortunate instead of culpalde, and such a protest was made against their incarceration that they were liberated without exception and no more arrests were made. It must be said, however, that these tramps, if tram])S they were, behaved well, very few giving any occasion for arrest for crime or misdemeanor, though some thousands of them must have passed through the city <luriiig the winter.
INDUSTRIES THAT WOULD PAY IN VICKSBIRG.
The list of Vicksburg's industries at the present time is a comprehensive one, ranging from the railroad shops, the cotton-seed oil mills and saw-mills and wood-working estab- lishments—previously mentioned— down through lesser enterprises in great variety, to all of which due attention has been paid in these jjages. It is undeniable, however, that many other profitable manufactures, not yet bcgim here, only await the advent of ex- perienced men with a moderate supply of (capital to repay the investor liberal returns. .Vmong these may be mentioned a factory for the manufacture of material for wagons, a
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
117
furniture factory and barrel factory, to proceed no further in the list of industries for which the raw material is in abundant supply while the local demand alone is of considerable im- portance. Lumber for the manufacture of all these articles is close at hand and at low rates. Both hickory and white oak are plentiful for the manufacture of spokes, felloes and the liandles of imidements. The saw-mills are daily lamenting the fact that they have to sell for fuel much tine a.sli timber that would make excellent furniture of staple grades but whicli is too sliort for shijiment, and tlie same may be said of white oak and other excellent lumber. The freight alone on furniture, when brought from Northern factories, is sufficient to amount to a protective tariff' for the benefit of the local manufacturer. Material for the finest quality of furniture is not lacking, as there is much black walnut, cherry, etc., in this section, but reference is made to the style of goods used in the ordinary households, manufactured of oak, ash, poplar — also aliundant in this country— and similar cheap timber. A factory manufacturing such goods would find a profitable demand for its product in every town in Mississippi and Louisiana, to say nothing of other States reached by local lines of transportation.
The demand for barrels for sugar, potatoes, etc., both in this State and Louisiana, is very large and Cottonwood lumber is :ui unexcelled material for their manufacture, being light, strong and very cheap. The timber is in inexhaustible supply within easy reach of the city by water routes, which admit of placing the logs immediately at the mill side. Cypress timber for molasses barrels is (juite as plentiful and besides the" demand for such barrels from the sugar plantations of Louisiana, every yearwitnesses an increased product- ion of sorghum and Louisiana molasses in this portion of Mississippi and North Louisiana.
Boxes are already manufactured on a considerable scale to su]>ply the local demand , for shipping I)acon and dry salt meats, but as yet no one has embarked in the manufacture of shooks, for packing case and canned goods and similar articles recjuiring small packages. Cottonwood is eminently suitable for these uses and there is no better shipping-point in the South for such products.
Last, but of prime importance and heretofore referred to in this publication, may be mentioned the manufacture of cotton goods, for which the city oflTers every length and quality of staple, abundant and intelligent labor, cheap fuel and unsurpassed shipping facilities. The successful mills throughout the South, under conditions in many instances much less favorable, aflbrd convincing evidence that cotton mills would lie profitable en- terprises here.
In connection with the foregoing points it is worthy of rememberance that factories turning nut ;\ finished iimdurt are exempt from taxation in this State.
Residence of Ma.t. T. G. Dabney.
118
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Sketches Auou.nd Vrksbli;g.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
119
OIL ^ND LIJ^IBER i:^DUSTR~^.
THE REFUGE OIL MILL.
The Refuge Oil Mill, owned and operated by the Refuge Oil Mill Company; P.
M.
Harding, president; E. ^l. Durham, secretar}' and manager; was founded many years ago by the late Col. Ed. Richardson and originally occupied a site on his Refuge plantation, on tiie Jlississippi river aliove this city. It was removed to its present location, on the river near Kleinston about two miles l)elow the city, and has since been enlarged and improved, the latest type of macliinery put in, including every imaginable labor-saving device and an exceptionally perfect service for protection against tire, so that it is considered one of the most complete mills in the South. It has a large wharfboat for receiving shipments by
1. iNTKiaoR OF PuEss Koo.M. 2. General View of Mill Lookinxi South.
river and is on a switch connecting it with tlie Yazoo ct Mississippi Valley Railroad and its shipping facilities could not tlierefore be improved upon. It crushes 90 tons of seed daily and its product, through the perfection of its manufacture, ranks very high in the market. The present manager, Mr. Durliam, is considered one of tlie most expert manu- facturers in the Southern States. The Refuge mill is the oldest in tliis section and has a wide-spread acquaintance and connection, and a most enviable reputation, both with pro- ducers of seed and with consumers of its products. It has ample capital, carries a large stock of seed in season and is usually in active operation ten months annually. It em- ploys one hundred men, including its ofhce force.
120
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
THE VICKSBURG OIL MILL.
The Vicksburg Oil Mill, puivliaseil u yt-ar af;o from a local company by Lever Bros., limited ; of London, England, and since immensely enlarged in point of its Imildings and its crushing capacity, is situated on the nortliwest corner of Depot and Levee streets, between the tracks of the Yazoo & JIississiiii)i Valley and the Alabama i*i Vicksburg( Queen & Crescent route) Railways and on tlie lianks of the Yazoo river canal, so that it enjoys the most perfect contiguity to lines of rail and water transportation. It occupies witli its manufacturing department and its warehouses, the latter the largest in the city, nearly the space of a block. The company has just completed a warehouse, chiefly of lirick and well-nigh tire-proof, 75 by 270 feet and has accumulated a very large stock of seed which it is now converting into oil, cake, linters, etc. The present capacity of the mill is easily two hundred tons daily and this vast mass of raw material, it may be observed, is almost ex- clu.sively handled by machinery after it is taken from the sacks, so that the seed is scarcely touclied from the time it leaves these nntil the kernels reduced to meal are sacked again to be pressed. Notwithstanding these labor-saving devices the mill employs 150 hands. It is pronounced by competent judges, who have given it careful inspection, tlie best equipped mill in the South, having all tlie modern machinery. It has also its own trained fire brigade and is, moreover, provided with the automatic sprinkling system. Twelve powerful hydraulic presses, with their full complement of gins, and hulling and crushing apparatus and a magnificent battery of boilers are comprised in the plant, which has been fitted out with a judicious liberality wortliy of the great firm, said to be tlie largest soap manufact- urers in the world, that has it in its possession. An excellent view of the exterior of the mill from which some idea of its proportions may be obtained, is presented in this article. The mill is lighted throughout with electricity, and as oil mills are run night and day and with double crews it is necessary that they should be perfectly illuminated. The installa- tion of the entire plant and the general perfection of every detail of its operation is such as to reflect the utmost credit upon the enterprise of the proprietors and the able management of Mr. Streuby, n ho has modeled the internal arrangements on those of the best and largest mills of the day, with valuable modifications suggested by his matured experience. It is the admiration of all practical mill men and the most gratifying economical results are predicted for it by such experts in the trade.
Tlie entire product of this gigantic plant is shipped to the home company's works at Port Sunlight, Birkenhead, England.
The Mill Looking North.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
121
il.MN StREKT Pl'BLIf S'CIIOOI..
THE HILL CITY OIL MILL.
The Hill City Oil Mill, T. M. Suiedes, president and iiuiiia.ser; occupies the large three-story brick building on tlie nortli-east corner of Wasliington and Jackson streets, as well as the adjacent warehouses immediately on tlje north, and transacts a large business with cattle-feeders and agriculturists in their tinishetl products, which arc of unexcelled quality. The mill is in steady operatfon, night and day, for nine or ten months annually, upon an average, the season varying sliglitly in lengtli according to the supply of seed. It enjoys a large patronage among shiijpers of seed and payiuL' the highest market prices is always able to command a full supply of the raw material. The Imilding is filled with the latest type of machinery and its capacity is second to tliat of no mill of its size. The mill has proven a profitable enterprise for its stockholders, who are among the most prominent business men in the city. Recently the comjiany has made sul>stantial repairs on iis building, while its equipment of machinery for handling and manufacturing tlie seed is of the highest perfection known to the trade. The seed used is purcliased largely from Delta planters, though the company also buys heavily from the country wagons which ply the roads continually during the season botli from tliis county and from points many miles in the interior. This branch of the trade is made a specialty. The mill gives employment to about fifty persons, including a large quota of experienced operatives, to whose skill the success of the enterprise is attributalile in great degree and who have the fullest apprecia- tion of the management, as attested by their long service at the mill.
Some of the largest cattle-feeders in this section draw their supplies from this mill, whicb is one of the oldest in the State, though only a few years under its present organiza- tion and management. It ships large quantities of oil, oil cake, ashes and linters, both to American and foreign markets. The value of cotton seed products as food for man and beast is scarcely fully appreciated as yet, though the demand for all purposes shows a handsome annual increase. To what proportions it may yet attain, in view of the steady increase in the number of cattle fed for the Northern markets, chiefly on cotton seed meal and hulls, and of the growing use of the meal as a fertilizer, it would lie rash to say, but the most experienced feeders and agriculturists have nothing but praises for these pro- ducts and predict that the supply must he largely increased to meet the wants of the country. Thanks to the establishment of such mills as the Hill City, the cotton fields now produce nothing that is wasted, except tlie stalks.
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PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
THE CIRPHEY-WOOLEN LT MBER COMPANY.
TiiK CiKriiEY-AVooLLEN Li.MBER COMPANY, manufacturers of cypress, Cottonwood and liard wood lumljer, and large exporters of quarter-sawed a,*h, occupj- with their mills, which are equipped with machinery of the best modern type, an eligible site on the east bank of Lake Centennial, about one half mile north of the city, and immediately west of the main track of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Kailroad. The advantages of this situa- tion were early appreciated by the predecessors of the present company, as aflbrding ample room for their yards, and deep water at all seasons for storing logs, which are floated directly up to the mill, in a land-locked and currentless lake, lleans of transportation, either by land or water routes, are of course in the closest contact with the plant. The capacity of the mills is .")(),(IU(I feet per diem. The company gives emiiloymeut to a force 01 7.T men, including those employed in cutting timlier, and has Ijuilt up a large traile with the Northern markets for its products, which include the finest grades of white oak and white ash timber. It also supplies a very considerable local demand. Its mana- ger, Mr. William Curphej', is regarded as one of the most experienced and able mil! men in the South, and to his close personal supervision of afl'airs and his deep acquaintance with the tiudjer trade, the company is chiefly indebted for its gratifying degree of success.
Its sources of supply are the immense forests of liard wood and cypress timber of the Delta, which being within easy reach of the Yazoo river and its navigable tributaries, are floated from the stump to the mills, at a minimum outlav for transportation. Cottonwood timber, in which the firm rejiorts an increasing traile. both for local and foreign ((insum)!- tion, is also derivetl from the shores of the Mississipjii river. Large quantities of thi.s timber are converted by the firm into packing cases and 1>oxes for salt meats, for which purposes the tindjer is admirably adapted.
The company's facilities for handling and cutting timber at tlie lowest cost cannot be excelled, and the revival of the timber trade under the stimulus of better times, has created a steady demand for all its output. It has ample capital, and as a live, energetic firm, thoroughly reliable in all its dealings, and jealous of the reputation of its product, is nsponsilde for a large sliare of the increased favor with Northern consumers are regard- ing tile hard wood of this section.
View of Mill From Mississippi Kivek.
CURPHEY & MUNDY.
Inteuiok of Woukshop.
CuRPHEY & MuNDY's MlLL.
124 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
CI RPHEY & MIXDY.
As manufacturers of sash, door and blinds and a great variety of miscellaneous wood work, Curi-hev & Mundy are no less pre-eminent than as master builders and con- tractors, in which capacity they have achieved a most enviable reputation. Reliability is the watchword of the firm, and its honest, durable and thoroughly artistic work has stood every test, including the crucial one of time. Its factor)', of which views are given here, is a hive of industry, supplying a large local and shipping demand for its products, and employing a considerable force of skilled mechanics, including some whose qualifications entitle them to rank as artists. The firm carries an immense stock of selected lund)er, including special and unusual dimensions and all sorts of fine native woods.
Among the edifices which it has constructed, may be mentioned man)- of the most imposing residences in the city, tho.se of Messrs. A. Warner, W. L. Wells and A. Baer, being a few of these. The staircase of Mr. Well's house is regarded as the finest specimen of carved work in the city. It is made of native white oak, exquisitely finished, and was executed in every particular by Curphey & Mundy's workmen. The firm have just com- pleted for the same residence, a handsome Porte Cocherf', unique in its details of press l)rick, Georgia marble caps, encaustic tile floors, and elegant Norman columns, as well as a superb piece of Moorish fretwork in native oak of original design, forming a division lie- tween the dining and ordinary room. Oak and ash office furniture, counters, etc., are also manufactured by this firm, and its products vie in finish with the finest imjiorted cabinet work. Its designs are invarialily unique and tasteful withal, and consequently this branch of operations has attained a high degree of ]>o|uilarity, and has practically termi- nated the importation of such articles. In addition to its manufacturing force, the firm gives employment to a large numl)er of carpenters, and is justly regarded as a bulwark of the building trades.
THE SPENGLER MAM FACTIRING ( OMPANY.
The Spengler ^Manufacturing Company is one of the oldest lumbering firms in this section, dating its foundation back nearly fifty years, and among the largest, its operations (luring the life-time of the founder of the house, the late Mr. S. Spengler, of this city, being on the largest scale, while at present it is even more extensively engaged in the production and manufacture of cyjiress, pine and cottonwooil lumlier. It has a very considerable mill for cutting cypress and cottimwood timber on the east bank of Lake Centennial, within a mile of the •■ity; where the logs are floate<l to the mill side and where it has a railroad switch and ample yard-room ; it also owns a large mill in the yellow pine belt, at Forest, Miss., with a daily capacity of 25,000 feet, that of the home mill being 35,000 daily, and it controls the output of several other mills of considerable proportions, also cutting yellow pine. For some time past the tiriii has been exporting a considerable proportion of its out- put, after supplying a large local demand, but the conjjiletion of its new sash, I)lind and door factory and the installation of a new and improved plant for the manufacture of finished products is rapidly changing all that and in future the major portion of its cut will he converted into tinishing stuff', in wliich the firm enjoyed an immense trade until the destruction of its factory by fire, some years ago. The new factory, the fourth built by the firm, is situated on Washington street, in the extreme northern portion of the city, and is surrounded by extensive yards. Two other yards covering half a Ijlock, are located on Monroe street and are stocked with large supplies of seasoned lumber. The factory plant is a very complete one and contains no macliinery that is not of the most improved type. As an instance it may he mentioned that a door machine is the third of its kind in opera- tion in the United States and the first in the South. The capacity of this machine when in full operation will be eight hundred doors a day and members of the firm say it will reduce the cost of making a door to about one-fourth the present expense. The sash and blind machines, however, are no less perfect and the production of the factory will far exceed those of one employing as many or even more liands and equipped witli ohl- fashioned machinery.
In addition to its immense production of lumber the Spengler Manufacturing Com- pany turns out large quantities of pine and cypress laths and shingles. It exports north- ward a great deal of cottonwood timber, besides working up almost as large a quantity into boxes, and no firm has done more to firing this excellent, but until recently under-rated timber into prominence and popularity with the tra<le. Its supplies of cypress and cotton- wood timber are drawn wholly from the delta, where the forests, especially of the latter, which is rapidly reproduced from the seed, are practically inexhaustible. Xo mills any- where have better facilities for receiving logs or shipping the finished product and to these advantages, supplemented by a due degree of energy and enterprise, are attributable the firm's success in the trade, which has been such as is creditable to its members and bene-
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
125
ficial to the city by giving employment to a considerable force of skilled operatives. With its large capital, kept actively at work, the development of the city's lumber industry may be reasonabl}' expected to keep pace with, if it does not outstrip, any other productive industry. As yet the bu.siness is in its infancy, a vigorous and progressive infancy, but still a period of immaturity, however hopeful or certain, as the case really is, of phenomenal development. The demand upon Southern forests is increasing daily, however, as the Northern supplies become exhausted or diminished and witli such a magnificent woodland as the Yazoo-Mississippi delta to draw upon and with such firms as tlie Spengler Manu- facturing Co., well endowed witli capital, technical knowledge and energy, to watch every point of vantage and press forward, disregarding tlie old ruts and intent upon pushing Southern timber interests to tlie front, this demand may be confidently expected to ex- hibit a marvelous growth, now that prosperity once more reigns from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the (iulf of Mexico to the great lakes. As stated in another place, the construction of tlie Yazoo river canal will give a great impetus to Vicksl)urg's lumlier trade by facilitating the handling of logs, as well as their storage. The firms having eligible sites on the shores of Lake Centennial will reap an immense advantage from this and none more than the one which is the subject of this sketch.
The present proprietors of the Spengler Manufacturing Co., are practical and thorough mill-men and manufacturers, versed not only in the mysteries of their daily work, but entirely familiar with the wants of the trade, both in this city and section and in the Northern market.--. Tlieir experience constitutes a rich fund upon wliich to draw and the past has shown that it has been freely used and with advantage to tlie interests of all persons concerned.
CONTRACTOR & BUILDER
Dealer in .Sash, Blinds, Mouldings, Dressed Lumber, Shingles, Laths, House Furnishings.
126
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Tl?2 ^oal Industry.
The coal industry of Vicksburg is fittingly represented by Peatross, Cameron & Co., Wholesale and Retail Coal Dealers, and the proprietors of " Vicksburg's First Class Coaling Station," which was established by JIattingly, Flowerree& Co., in IMtiti.
Mattingly, Flowerree & Co., were succeeded in 1879 by Mattingly. Son & Co., who were succeeded by Peatross, Cameron & Co. in 1800.
The firm is now. as it has been for many years, the Vicksburg house of ,Tno. A. Wood & Son, of Pittsl)urg, Pa., who are heavily interested in the nuning of coal, and who have their own towboats to bring their fleets of coal to Vicksburg, Baton Kouge and New Orleans. Peatross, Cameron tt Co., carry constantly in stock large quantities of the very best grades of Pittsburg, Alabama and Anthracite Coal, which is always sold at the lowest market rates. They have their own tugboats and barges, and besides doing the river trade
exclusively at Vicksliurg they have a good business in the towing of raft.s of timber, staves and other heavy freights. They also do the bulk of the city trade in supplying domestic and steam coal to residences, factories, etc. A special item, ahvaj's in the stock of the firm, is a superior quality of Pittsburg coal, not excelled by any other coal for domestic, steam or smithing purposes, which can be promptly shipped on short notice, by the barrel, hogshead, carload, barge or l)oatload.
Capt. John A. Wood, head of these enterprises, is a resident of Pittsburg, of which city be is a native. He is a self- made man, foremost in the business of handling tows and coal Heets, and one of the leading coal ojierators of that greatest of all centers of the coal trade.
Mr. Samuel L. Wood is the oldest son of Capt. John A. Wood. He is also a native of Pittsburg, a?ld a resident there. Although a young man. he is one of the most active and energetic business men of his city, in which lie has made himself a name. Wood, Bodley & Co., of Baton Rouge, and Wood, Schneidau <fc Co.. of New Orleans, are also branches of the Jno. A. Wood & Son concern.
Messrs. A. C. Peatross and John JI. Cameron are the resident partners and local managers of the firm.
Mr. Peatross is a native of Virginia, Viut has been a resident of Mis.sissippi since 1870. He owns valuable propertj' in Vicksburg, also in Louisiana, where he is largely interested in planting. He is a member of the present Legislature of the State of Mississippi and an active member of the Vicksburg Board of Trade. He has been associated with the coal trade of Vicksl)urg since 1889.
Mr. Cameron is a native of Warren County, Mississippi, having been born and reared W'itbin a few nules of Vicksburg. He has been continuously connected in the coal business with the present firm and its predecessors since April of 187:;. In connection with his position in the coal business he has served as Treasurer of Warren County for the past ten years, having been elected to the office for four consecutive terms. His iiresent term of office as County Treasurer expires at the close of the present year. ^Ir. Cameron is the Democratic nominee to represent the City of Vicksburg on the County Board of Supervisors for the next ensuing four years.
Joii.N M. Ca.merox.
THE COAL INDUSTRY.
127
The Tuii Joe Seay. — Peatross, Cameron A Co.
128
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
W. 0. WORKELL k CO.
^ The lonj; established house of \V. U. Wokrhll li Co., having its office at the corner of Washinpton and South streets, and its larfre and commodious warehouse on Levee street, deals exclusively in hay, grain, feed stufTs and buildin-r materials, in which it has developed an immense city trade in addition to a still healthier sliipping business, both to river points and with the interior. Lime, cement, plaster, hair, tire brick, etc., are among its specialties. Its warehouse is situated between the tracks of the Yazoo & Mis- si^ssippi Valley and A. & V. and V. S i<i P. Railroads, also fronting immediately on the Yazoo river canal ; the firm being the first to see and seize upon the advantages accruing to shippers by tliis favorable loc-ation. which enables it to handle its stock at a minimum expense, and consequently to- compete on the most advantageous terms with the largest dealers in any market. Cars are loaded and unloaded at either door of the warehonse,
Vricu (IF W'AitEiiorsE Fro.m the Y. A M. \'. Kaii.koah Tkacks.
stretching from street to street, and steamers in the canal are loaded or discharged with the same facility. Tlie ordinary heavy expense of drayage is thus saved the firm and its patrons. The house is one of the oUlest in the city, and enjoys the confidence of a large and increasing trade. In addition to those alrea<ly mentioned, tlie firm has among its specialties, seed rye and rust proof oats, which are in large demand, as experience has shown tliat seed reliable in other qualities and free from contamination with the germs of noxious or other objectionable plants and weeds is always to be obtained at its hands. By such methods, and in short by the unremitting attention to the wants of its customers, the firm has sustained a most enviable reputation, while its liberality has won it their personal regard.
Mefchants National Bank.
To write the history of the Merchants ^at_,onal Bank s ahnost to write the n.odern Instory ol Mek - Imrk because during the past ten years almos all n the enterprises and institutions which make Yicksbur, the bustling busy little '•>/>• -ts.ejs have been incorporated and tinislied, and Uu; otti- cers- id stockholders of the Merchants J^ational B nk roiu first to last have been identified with He 11 all. Anv grou,. of American citizens who ,1 1 with the laws can easily organize a National a k with one hundred thonsaml dollars capital, but ocarrv that bank safely through the first .le- cade o ts existence, double its ca,ntal, pay its stockholders sem-annual dividen.ls all the time of ten per cent., per annum, and run its deposits up, arti.es to a half million dollars, requires he care- ful si Vew.iness, wisdom and capacity ^yltll which le lanagementof the Merchants National Bank s endowed; the officers an.l clerical force of this ank are imbued with a spirit ol carefu ness and nol teness No detail of the business is allowed to ni it e ri.ut is looked after and " hustled up to as uiiVe its proper share in the aggregate of success The business of Individuals, Merchants and Banks is respectfully solicited.
10
130
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
B. W. GKIFFITH.
President.
J M IMin.T,IPS,
Cashier.
J^EM^T ^^Timm^E. ^^MM^
Capital, $100,000.00 Surplus, 20,000 00
DOES A GENERAL BANKING BUSINESS IN ALL ITS BRANCHES.
Federal, State, County and Municipal
BONDS BOUGHT AND SOLD.
Exchange Sold on alt the Principal Cities of Europe.
DIRECTORS.
AUSTIN WARNER, Merchant, President of Warner & Searles Co.. Clothiers.
M. DABNEY, Lawyer, of Dabney & McCabe, Attorneys at Law.
LOUIS HOFFMAN, Capitalist, President of Louis Hoffnnan Hardware Co.
ROBERT ERNST, Jeweler and Capitalist.
ADOLPH ROSE. Merchant, Wholesale and Retail Dry Goods
R. L. CROOK. Merchant, Wholesale Gtocer and Cotton Factor.
B. W. GRIFFITH, President
R. W. MILLSAPS, of Jackson, Miss., Capitalist ana President Capital State
Bank, Jackson. S BLUM, of Delhi, La., General Merchant.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG
181
E. S. BUTTS, Piesident.
H. C. KUYKENDALL, Vice Prest.
ViCKSBURC Bank.
ESTABLISHED 1866
CONDITION OF THE VICKSBURC BANK AT THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS
JULY 31, 1895.
3 RESOURCES.
LOANS AND DISCOUNTS * 163,9'^ 12
REAL ESTATK • '94+2 >9
U. S. BONDS 57,000 00
SIGHT EXCHANGE 96.43649
CASH BALANCE 73.75° A"
$ 410,598 20
^^ LIABILITIES, e
CAPITAL PAID IN * 7S.0OO oo
UNDIVIDKD PROFITS S.S™ °^
INDIVIDUAL DEPOSITS i 330,078 iS
$ 410,598 20
132
PIOTUREPQUR VTCKSRURG.
P. M. HARDING,
President.
J. HIRSH,
Vice-President.
S. S. PATTERSOX,
Ass't Cashier.
OF VICKSBURG. MISS
Paid in Capital, $100,000.00. Surplus and Profits, $15,500.00. Organized Aug 1st 1889. Paia Dividends in Six Years, $52,000.00.
BANKING IN ALL OF ITS BRANCHES ; COLLECTIONS A SPECIALTY
INTEREST ALLOWED ON SAVINGS DEPOSITS.
State, County and Municipal Bonds, Domestic and Foreign Exchange Bought and Sold.
YOUR ACCOUNT IS RESPECTFULLY SOLICITED.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
133
\V. S.JONES,
President.
J. A. CONWAV,
I Tr. as.
J. n. GILLAND,
Vice-Presii!ent.
PEOPLES SAVINGS BANK AND LOAN COMPANY.
ECOGNiziNG the great need lor a Depository for small sums in this community, a few prominent and successful business men organized in 1889 the institution known throughout this section as THE PEOPLES SAVINGS BANK AND LOAN CO. Beginning with a paid in capital of $50,000.00 and no deposits, the Bank has gone steadily up grade, until at this date its Surplus Fund is ^10,000.00, it has paid Semi-annual Dividends since its organization of S% per Annum, and its Deposits amount to $120,000.00 divided among 320 depositors. The names of the gentlemen con- nected with this institution are sufficient to guarantee its stability, and its abundant success in the past is indicative of a brighter future. Polite and careful attention to small matters is a motto of this bank, and a feature of its manage- ment is that it requires a written approval of a majority of a Financial Committee of five members to make an invest- ment of its funds. The Bank publishes a monthly paper which is devoted to inculcating a spirit of saving among the people.
■^Citizeiis Buildino ^ Loan Association >§<^
ORGANIZED APRIL 1st, 1886.
OPEN BOTH TO WHITE AND COLORED.
OFFICERS.
President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, - Attorney,
F. M. Andrews, James Mundy, H, C. McCabe,
F, M. ANDREWS
S A. COWAN
GEO ANDERSON
E S BUTTS
- H. C McCABE
DIRECTORS.
Geo. Anderson.
S. A Cowan. A. A Trescott M. Dabney
Have 1,260 Sliares of Stocl< in force. $90,000 of Loans.
Opens a Series twice a year, April and October. Have just opened the Twentietti Series
Have Matured Two Series.
The First Series has been paid off, and the Second has just matured
A matured share is §200 00
For further information address the Secretary and it will be cheerfully furnished.
134 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
NEWYORKOFFICE: BOSTON OFFICE:
22, 24, 26, HowAKD St. 122 Summeb St.
ADOLPH ROSE,
ONLY ONE PRICE
Retail Dry Goods House in the City.
WHOLESALE!
pive pioors Devoted to Wholesale Exclusively.
ADOIvPHROSB,
312 CLAY STREET.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
135
LOUIS HOFFMAN HARDWARE CO.,
- T3:e:.^Xj^z2s xxt -
WAMB^-^^AK
mprx, mw
CUTLERY, GUNS,
SADDLERY AND AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS,
Hoffman Block, Vicksburg, Miss.
GUN REPAIRING DONE AND WARRANTED.
136
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
WARREN O. SMITH.
GEO H SMITH.
ESTABLISHED 1881.
SMITH BROS.,
vpyvi^ix'VWWW WW VV'V'^VVVWVWW^ WVVYWW^V%
WHOLESALE
GRAIN, MEAL, FLOUR,
PROVISIONS AND PRODUCE.
CLOSE PRICES ON CAR LOAD LOTS
^^S. SCHA^^^RZ & CO., ^e-^
Wholesale Grocers and Commission Merchants.
SPECIAL ATTENTION PAID TO CONSIGNMENTS OF COTTON. ]
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
137
Allen & Son,
•|"franc\^ f Pamil^f (5Focerie8,4
jio. 224 g. Washington gtreet.
Keep always a full selection of the -
BEST ARTICLES IN OUR LINE.
Fresh Goods — Polite Attention — Prompt Delivery — Everything Guaranteed.
138
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
^L. M. NICHOLSON CO..
<•
Wholesale Grocers, ie>-^ *-^Mi Cotton Factors and j^~* i Commission Merchants. 1*^
; SPECIALTIES::
Bagging, Texas Rust Proof Oats,
Ties, Feed Oats,
Meats, Bran,
Lard, and all Hay, Lime,
Packing House Products, Cement.
Produce, Fruits, Meal, Flour, Sugar, Cofiee and Molasses.
All Mail Order Business treated with Care, Promptness and Close Prices.
s. ;. siiiiiii
WHOLESALE
ANO
■ ->i ♦ — •
Liberal Advances Made on Cotton Consignments.
I07 North Washington Street. VICKSBURC, MISS.
Jno. B. Clarke. D. S. Wkight.
BOOKSELLERS,
*^Aiid Wall Paper Dealers,^
No. 120 Waihington Street. ■ ■ - Vickiburg. Miss
BOOKS
Musical iDstrumeots ^^. Aflist Materials
HOLIDAY GOODS FANCY GOODS
ARTISTIC
Sheet M slZ'^,% Wedding Prese:ts
WALL PAPER
AND DECORATIONS
ROOM
Picture Frames
and Mat> to Order
SPORTING GOODS, BICYCLES, NEWSPAPERS
zTa.
SkND for CAT.VLOliUK .^Xl> PrICE.<.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
139
— ^^HWHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALERS IN-g^^—
STA^PLE AND FANCY aROCERIES,
^CIGARS AND TOBACCO. [>
No 306 NORTH WASHINGTON STREKT.IE
140 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
^y^RNER & gEARLES ^,
MERCHANT TAILORS
■4 CLOTHING I
4^at8 and (^^nt'^ Purnisbiiigg.
SPECIALTIES:
Dunlap and Miller Hats. Fisk, Clark & Flagg's Gloves. Risk, Clark & Flagg's Neckwear. Star Neglige Shirts and Underwear. Patent Elastic Seam Drawers.
122 WASHIN&TDN STREET.
BIEDEIMHARN CANDY MTC CO.
The engravings on this page represent the three Con- fectionery stores owned by Biedenharn Candy M'fg Co., doing a wholesale and fancy retail Confectionery busi- ness, one of the largest manufacturers of its kind in the State.
Cut No. 1 represents our strictly first class retail Con- fectionery and Restaurant. We make a specialty of ser- ving Banquets for Wed- dings, Entertainments, etc.
Cut No 2 represents our Wholesale Department and Headquarters.
Cut No. 3 represents our South Washington Street Retail Stand.
142
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
J. W. SHORT,
Wholesale and Retail Dealer in
MONTEYALLO COAL,
FANCY LUMP ALABAMA COAL. STOVE WOOD,
ASH WOOD, HARD WOOD,
COTTON WOOD AND KINDLLNG
Foot of Jackson Street,
Vicksburg, Miss.
&
JEWKLKBH
- AND —
•^LOAN BROKERS.'^
•^^J.«
103 NORTH WASHINGTON STREET.
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALER IH
Fancy Groceries,
CIGARS AND TOBACCO.
226 SOUTH WASHINGTON STRfET.
VICKSBURG, - - - MISSISSIPPI.
TEI.EI'HOXE 238.
p. p. Williams.
W. H. Fnz-HuGH.
P. P. WILLIAMS COMPANY,
WHOLESALE GROCERS & COMMISSION MERCHANTS.
A};eiits for Painter's Ties and Ludlow Bagging.
VICKSBURG, MISS.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
143
IS, Hj. d500:EZ cSz: co.,-«-
Wholesale Grocers, I
-<]SIMON STEIN,t>
-PROPRIETOR-
Msburg's I PalatiaU Furniture t House,
Makes Vicks- burg as good and as fine a Furni- ture market as any Southern City. Carries al- ways a large, elegant and va- ried stock of . .
-FUENITURE,.
embrac i n g all woods and fin- isiies. Wholesale trade can find always plenty of goods and lowest prices.
SIMON STEIN,
J 12 Wlihington Siraat.
rirpla&AlaliaiiiCoiilGo.,
MINERS OF
Patton
and
Coal Valley
COAL !
City Trade supplied from
Yard South Madison &. Veto Sts.
C. E. WILLIS,
U4
PICTURKSQrE VICKSBrRG.
DELTA LANDS FOR SALE !
I OFFER FOR SALE TEN THOUSAND ACRES OF FINE TIMBER LANDS ON. AND NEAR. THE LINE OF THE YAZOO & MISSISSIPPI VAL- LEY RAILROAD. IN BOLIVAR COUNTY. MISSISSIPPI. CON- TAINING OAK, ASH. HICK- ORY, ETC. Also a number of Im- proved Plantations and farms.
Prices and Terms Reasonable.
CHARLES SCOTT, Attorney at Law,
Rosedale. Mississippi.
ieeice: <2z cdo.^
Wright Bros.,
HARDWARE, STOVES m CROCKERY,
Vicksburg, - Mississippi^
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
145
S. Waciienheim, I'rcst THE
\V. S. Hanisek, Vice Prest.
\V, O Mhngek, Sec'y & Ireas.
HANISEE & MENGER FURNITURE CO.,^
300, 302 & 310 N. WASHINGTON ITREET.
SPECIALTIES:
Wall Paper, Window Shades, Lace Curtains, Picture Frames, Cooking Stoves.
A Full Line Carried at all
Times of Cheap and
^tedium
^FTTB.ITITTTB.B^
— AND—
Housekeeping (loods.
M BUY FOR SPOT CASH, f^^^j CLOSE PRICES.
A Special Feature Made of the
INSTALLMENT TRADE.
ROB'T ERNST'S JEWELRY STORE,
-^Diamonds, Watcties, Silverware, Pianos, Bronze and Bisque Ornaments.^*
1 CORNER WASHINGTON AND CRAWFORD STS.
146
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
ViCKSBURG Electric Light Company.
|
'^ |
With its New and Most Improved Equipment of Machinery and a thor- ough Reconstruction of its Line Work, is prepared to Furnish Arc and Incan- descent Lights of the Finest Quahty at Rates Low Enough to induce the Lib- eral Patronage that its Large outlay deserves. |
1 |
LIGHT WITHOUT HEAT OR SMOKE.
liH*— ^«- MOST POPULAR STORE IN VICKSBURC. * < »-^'
it
THE FAIR.
J> House Furnishines, China, Cut Glass, Lamps, STOVKS, Babv Carriages, .... BICYCLES, Dolls, Tovs, HOLIDAY GOODS.
= LOWEST PRICES. Wholesale and Retail.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
147
John A. Klein,
Pres't and Treas.
.Tas. Nicholson,
H. C. Sheraru,
\'ice-Pre^'t and Sec.
gl^erard grocer^ @..
INCORPORATED.
♦ * «
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALERS IN
FANCY AND STAPLE
-^
GROCERIES.^
206 SOUTH WASHINGTON STREET.
148
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
nm(fL
^0
Vicksburg
Livery and Feed Stables,
AND =
Vicksburg
Railroad Transfer Company,
Stables
Corner Walnut and China Streets.
Elegant Carriages
For Theatres, Weddings and Entertainments of all Kinds.
Stables^Open Day and Night
-B-l'elephone S5.-H- SPECIAL FACILITIES FUR HANDLING THEATRICAL COMPANIES.
The Only Exclusively Nlillinery Store in the City.
]^iss j^mclia l^azsin^kV.
Kiiie Nlillioerv.
^Wcrk oi Every Description Dene in this Liiie.-^
Orders By Mail Promptly Attended To.
STORE: CARROLL HOTEL.
CLAY STREET.
Hllicksbuvi], _ - _ Mississippi.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
149
LA^3<:K lIOL«i: SU]SI]MER RESORT.
Situated Near Gate of National Cemetery on Lake Centennial. C. DORNBUSCH, Proprietor.
Wm. Stanton, .... architect.
Plans furnished for Pnvaie and Public buildings. Estimates given for all kinds of Structures, Masonry, etc. Designer of B. B. Literary Club House, Hotel Piazza, Temple Anshe Chesed, Hall of St. Francis Xavier's Academy, etc. Thirty years' experience. Correspondence Solicited. 209:"4 South Washing- ton Street.
150 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
C.O.WILLIS. E M. MIOORE
Willis, Moore & Co.
1^ AND -tS/^
Commission - Merchants,
Vicksburg, Mississippi.
|
OFFICE: OYER COTTON EXCHANGE. |
||
|
^H |
||
|
^I |
DVA^NCJilS M^DE I^^ C^^ |
|
|
At thi |
Or Supplies |
) TO US. |
|
: Lowest Market Rates on Cotton Consignei |
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
151
/\rmour Packing Qo.,
■"-^■^aDEALERS IN CHOICE«=->-*
PORK, SAUSAGES, MUTTON, CANNED GOODS,
Sugar Cured
Salt -Smoked
Meats and Butterine » ® m w mm
MESS PORK, BEEF, ETC.
Office, Warehouse and Refrigerators :
COHNER VETO AID MULBEHRY Streets,
Vicksburg, Miss.
Phone 256.
L. R. SHIRK,
' Uocal Manager.
152 PICTURESQUE VKKSRURO.
H. G. sussELL, Jr. RUSSELL & MARKHAM, ''■ ^'- ■''■^f^-^--* "■
<
LIVERPOOL i LONDON A- GLOBK LNSURANCE CO.
SCOTTISH UNION ,t NATIONAL INSLRANCH CO CALEDONIAN INSURANCE CO.
MECHANICS ,V TRADERS INSUIt.WCK CO W
RK INSLK.A.N'CE CO , OK PHlLADEirillA. I ^^^
TRAVELERS ACCIDENT IVSUR.WCE CO., of IlAKTKiKr K
AMERICAN KI
VICKSBUKG. MISS.
RANDOLPH HICK. lllil.ION' DICKSON.
BUCK, DICKSON 8c CO.,
^ GENERAL X INSURANCE, l>
FIRE, MARINE, ACCIDENT, TORNADO AND LIFE. 107* AVasliingtoii St.. - - - Vicksbiirii;, INIiss.
LOAN, INSURANCE and REAL ESTATE AGENCY.
c-*--.-^ LOANS NEGOTIATED. ^^^-^ v-- Insurance written in the leading companies ot the world.
Real Estate boug-ht and sold on reasonable commissions.
o
Personal attention given to the above lines and correspondence solicited.
VICKSBUHG. MISS
^(^eneral i Insurance i AS^tit4
REPRESENTS PHOENIX OF HARTt^ORD, REPRESENTS HANOVER FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY OF NEW YORK.
Give him a call. Personal and prompt attention given to all business
intrusted him
-^-m^^^. MOORE & PRESTON, ^^^^l^^ii^FHT"
FIRE, LIFE AND ACCIDENT INSURANCE,
116': WASHINGTON STREET, VIOKSBURC, MISS. RESIDENT AGENTS FOR ^ — ►
AETNA FIRE INS''RANCE COMP.XNV, of Hartford, Conn. „ „
HARTFORD FIRE INSURANCE CO.\lP.\NV, of Hartford, Conn. [" ^)
NORWICH UNION INSUR.ANCE SOCIETY, of England. w^---r-^^
_ QUEEN' INSUR.\NCE COMPANY, of America. ^^ ^^^
«; PHOENLX INSUR.\NCE tOMPANY", of H.irtford, Conn. fJT T>
.^M'^ NEW YORK UNDERWRITERS AGENCY', New Y'ork. ^ '-'
•!-• ^ .MANCHESIEK FIRE INS. CO.. ENGLAND.
^ EQUITABLE LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY', of New Y'ork.
^ FIDELITY' AND CASUALTY' ACCIDENT INSURANCE CO.MPANY, o£ New York.
-^LARGEST MEAT DEALER IN THE SOUTH,^
Steamboat and City Trade a Specialty,
RETAIL STORES:
The Fulton Market, 213 S. Washington St. (Office and Headquarters) Telephone No 237. The Palace Market, 201 N, Washington St , Telephone No. 220.
ALSO AT 204 Monroe St., Telephone No 97. 229 Jackson Road. 620 Levee Street. 401 N. Washington St. Stalls No. 1, 3 and 5, Market House.
If You Believe in supporting Home Industry, JTJST?
-DUL^l
That's all-!
PROMPT DELIVERY TO ALL PARTS OF CITY DAY OR NIGHT.
Residence
Telephone No. 102.
154
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
Ox exceptionally favorable terms, 80.000 ACRES of Timber Land, in one tract in Jlississippi, containing large yields of Cyjiress. Gum, Ash, White Oak, Red Oak, Hickory and other valuable woods These lands cannot lie excelled for all and any kind of earthly production when brought into proper tillajrc and cultivation.
THESE LANDS ARE SITUATED IN THE DELTA BETWEEN MEMPHIS AND VICKSBURC. IN ISSAQUENA AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES.
FOR INFORMATION apply to
S. L. FINLEY,
Continental Building,
MEMPHIS, TENN.
" -^JUDGE IRA E. DAYIS,^
REAL ESTATE AGENT.
General Intelligence Office, Cotton Brokerage •• *-*s^
>S> 1 ■ . < )»» and General Collecting.
EsiEfiEENCEs—Capital State Bank, Jackson, Miss. ; First National Bank and Delta Trust & Banking Co., Vicksburg. IMiss.
^oltozx. 3a:ix3.<as Co., 3\Xiss.
SPECIAL AGENT FOR S.\LE OF LOTS IN BINGHAMTOX, (MEMPHIS) TENN. AGENT IMMIGKATION SOCIKITY.
J#" Also other Improved Lands, Hinds Counlv, Miss., for Sale Cheap.
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4>W. H. Bi^uscr.^ |
VINCENT UYECCHIA, |
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DEALER IN |
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Tin, Copper |
LIQXJOI^S, |
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and Sheet Iron |
staple fc^^ Fancy Groceries, |
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Worker, |
GICARS AND TOBACCO, |
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PLUMBING AND GAS-FITTING, |
PADUCAH CLUB WHIIKY A SPECIALTY. |
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8IO SOUTH WASHINGTON ST. |
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Machinery |
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Supplies, Pipes and Fittings. |
IVIrs. John Tironi, |
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DEALER IN |
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♦^PLANTATION WORK A SPECIALTY.^ |
OYSTERS, FISH, |
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Mulberry Street, Telephone 264, |
FRUIT, VEGETABLES, ETC, |
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Cigars and Tobacco. |
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VICKSBURC, - MISSISSIPPI. |
I06 EAST CROVE ST. |
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG. 15.5
^HOUSE, SIGN AND ORNAMENTAL^ Decorative Paper Hanging, Glazing and Calsomining,
No. 311 South St., Near Washington.
J. D. Bkazier, Manager. Telephone 210. ,? KjNob.
WUTUMM EtUMMMm ^^M^^NW^
CONTRACTORS AND BUILDERS,
* %\ AND DEALERS IN H» »
Sash, Doors, Blinds, Mouldings, Shingles, Laths, Rough and Dressed Lumber and
House Furnishings.
Dimeoiloii lod Car Loti a Specialty. LgmberTard: Corner Grore ami Malberr; Streets.
JobirL W. Beck,
BUILDER, CONTRACTOR AND
bi^ick:-:m:-a.k:ei?. i
WARRENTON ROAD.
FRANK 1. FISHER,
EMBALMER
— AND — ViclCSbur£ Miss Funeral Parlors and Office, 107 Grove St., Opp. Court House.
ofloSc^t Sp^oti{c^
Tt/L ISJ FL G H A. T>^ T ^.A.
COR. WASHINGTON STREET AND SPROULE AVENUE.
Conducts a Steam Bakery— the Largest in the State. Mr. Sproule has erected Two Fine
Model Ovens, the first introduced in the South. He supplies the surrounding
Country within a radius of one hundred miles of Vieksburg.
156
r^ICTURESQUE VICKSBURO.
'a
&
-x>Ej^x-E:xa iiT-
r.
SALOON AND RESTAURANT WITH FURNISHED ROOMS.
117 S. Washington Street,
W^
-VICirSBURa, - - MISS.
J.B.SMITH
Plumber, Cas- Fitter and Machinist.
COUNTRY WORK A SPECIALTY. 413 W. Clay Street.
205 E. MAIN ST.
FRED. C. TALEN, Teacher.
Terms Per Montli.
Two Lessons a \veek,ol"ouehoureacIi,SS.OO. Two Lessons a week of thirty minutes
eacli, S.5.00. Classes of Four Pupils, two lessons a
week, S:lOO. All ailditional Charge will be made for
I'rivate I>essons outside.
YICKSBURG. MISS.
No I)etluclio[i Minlu- for Tcmpor;irv Ahscnce.
F. MELSHEIMER,
DEALER IN
<lGROCERIES J^NJJ F»RODi:"CE.t>
BAKERY AND CONFECTIONERY. No. 301 Washington Street. VicUsburg, Miss-
-^W. H. JEFFERSON,^
ertaker-^Embalmer
108 Grove Street.
Vicksburg, - - - Mississippi.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG
157
Plumbing, Gas Fitting, Tin, Copper and Sheet Iron Worker,
PUNIPS, PIPES AND POINTS,
Corrugated and Iron Roofing. Stove Pipes. Shops: 306 N. Washington St. THE
^RROLL SHAVING PARLORS.
The Finest
in the South
-» ]^ot«- ands- eoId«- Baths. «-
UNDER CARROLL HOTEL.
'^?m\ Laundry Go.,-^
(INXORPORATED. 1
Try our New Process. Long Life to Collars and Cuffs.
NO GLOSS.
Office and Works : 306 China Street.
Vick.sbi.irp:, ^M^iss.
Gilbert's
Parlor
Shoe
Store.
DEALER IN
Artistic Footwear.
ESTABLISHED 1864
•<117 NORTH WASHINGTON STREET, I> Vicksburg, Miss.
— \s Dealer in Fine Kentucky Whisky, Wines, Cigars and Tobacco, j^-
OPPOSITE YAZOO & MISSISSIPPI VALLEY PASSENGER DEPOT.
158
f^icrruKSQUK vicksburg.
JRZOO I^IVER gfE^JVIE^S,
THE Yazoo and Tallahatchie Transportation Co., successors to the Parisot Line, comiiionly known as tlie P. Line, owns the largest fleet of steamers^ having . Mcksliuri; lor a home port, bein<; tlie Blanks Corxwell, HiBEKxiA, Des Aki , Birdie Bailev. John F. Allen, Fifteen, Maggie and Yazoxia, of wliicli t-everal are employed in short trades in the Yazoo and its tritjutariet^. While water per- mitting, the comiiany runs a steamer semi-weekly Ijetween Vickslnirg and Belzoni and another between Vicksburg and Sharkey. The company's vessels connect with all rail- roads in this section and with the Anchor Line and New Orleans and Vicksburg steamers for points up and down the Mississippi river. They are commanded by the most expert navigators obtainable ; are well equipped and besides handling large quantities of freight afford superior accommodations for travelers. A trip on one of the steamers of this excel- lent line offers the visitor an opportunity for seeing some of tlie finest country in the Southern States, a very little of which is seen by travelers along the railroad. The Yazoo and Tallahatchie rivers, comprising the river route from Vicksburg to Sharkey, about 190 miles, are bordered on each side liy fine and well improved plantations, though much excellent land is still unimproved, second in point of fertility to none in the world. There is much besides to interest one taking such a trip, which may be made at very small ex- pense. Those who have made it and who have availed themselves of the lines of trans- portation by land, can alone be truly said to have seen the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. The freight business of the line comprises the handling of cotton and seed in immense quanti- ties, besides a large business in shipments to the towns and jdantatidM?^ along the Yazoo and its tributaries. The otticers of the line are F. M. .\iidrews, i)resident ; ti. C. Meisson- iiier (also viee-i>resid('nt of the St. Louis and New Orleans .\iich()r Line), vice-president and general manager ; .L J. Hays, general freight and jlassenger agf nt ; ('. M. Kain, super- intendent ; ]). Mayer, treasurer; and D. B. Kundle, secretary, who are among the best known and leailing business and river men of this section. The completion of the Yazoo river canal will immensely increase Vicksburg's commerce with the valley of the Yazoo and with it the value of this line of steamers and the extent of its operations.
Edw. S. Butts.
President.
F. M. Haruixg,
Vice-President.
.\. ('. Lee, Sccretarv.
CAPITAL STOCK, SI 00,000.00. Orjranized 1885. Losses Paid to Policy
Holders, $350,000 00.
Joseph Podesta,
4IO CRAWFORD STREET, VICKSBURG, MISS.
Wholesale and Retail Dealer in
FINE FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC
Wines, Liquors,
CIGARS AND TOBACCO.
Hermitage and Old Crow Whiskies.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
lo9
PIAZZA HOIEL
^SHAVINC^
-^ PARLORS.^
Everything First-Class.
WM. REUTER.
Lessee.
J. G. TICHEITOR, Carriage Manufacturer and Repairer,
GrHP<nm.A.ij]
-A-a-ieicTTi-.'x-criB.if^i.
Txro^iz !
304- NORTH WASHINGTON STREET
Is now prepared to execute all orders for work in his line witli neatness and promptness.
Carriage Painting a Specialty.
''^ -^fSSi^M,l/3^,
s l'.:irvels ..f Wli
J. C. Moore's Jug House, Vichburg, Miss,
1 Lived 108 Year.«, Drank ,s l'.:iriels (.f Whisky. nc\er g(jt sick until I dicl, and lionght my liquors at
160 PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
•^W. H. MILLER GROSERY (50.,-^
Office and Store 104 Belmont Street. Warehouse 224 Mulberry Street.
LWholesale and Retail Dealers in:
groceries andJPnocluce, fTruits and V^S^tables.
^FANCY GROCERIES A SPECIALTY.^
G00D.S Delivekei) to anv Part ok Citv Free. Telephone No. 11.
-sVlgKSBURE WATER SUPPLY fiOMPANY.^
te ; non works ipleted in 1S89 and havi> been in successful ope fording an immense volume of water and undersuch pressure that fire engines are dispensed with, exeept in portions of the city to which its mains have not yet been extended, and are merely held in reserve by the municipality, to meet a contingency which is extremely un- likely to occurunder the Company's able management and with itssuperli plant. The source of supply is the current of the Jlississippi river, which is drawn up at a point about two miles sohth of the city, where the Company's pump-house and settling-basins or reservoirs are situated. Theselatter are of substantial brick masonry construction andof a capacity great enough to meet the demands of a city thrice the size of Vicksliurg. The machinery is corres- pondingly powerful and of the best type, and the fifteen milesof mains Vjy which the water is conveyed to and ilistributed through the city are of unusual strength, proportionate to the pressure they must enilure. A stand-pipe 140 feet in height, on the summit of one of the loftiest hills in the city, ^-egnlates the pressure of the water, which is sutiicient to throw a stream on the highest buildings, or if necessary, two from the same hydrant. The water is free from organic matter and its constant use l)y thousands of healthful people is the best guarantee ofits wholesomeness for drinking jiurposes. The cotton compresses and the largest oil mill in the city are jirotected against fire by means of hydrants supplied by this system.
The works wei'e built under a contract with the c'ity, which it may be said has been strictly complied with, in spirit and in letter, at a cost of S2.i0,000.00, the capital being fur- nisheci by New York capitalists, its present owners. (Iwing to the topography of the city, the execution of the plans was atten<led by consi<lerable dillicnlties, all of which were hap- pily surmount<'<l. The ('om|iany's income is derived from private consumers and from llie rental by the municipality for fire jjrotection of 1 Hi fire-plugs at an annual cost of S7,300. Thoroughly reliable in every emergency, the Company's relations with the City and its people, though of the most intimate character, have been distinguished liy a perfection of service rendered and a total absence of friction, which is highly creditable to the manage- ment. This at present, as for four years past, is in the hands of the able ijuperintendent, Mr. C. R. McFarland, whose ability as an engineer is only equalled by his qualifications as an administrator of the responsible trust reposed in him by his principals.
DIRECTORY,
ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
F. G. TALEN, 205 E. Main St.
ARCHITECTS.
WILLIAM STANTON,
203| S. Washington St.
ATTORNEYS AT LAW.
McLAURIN & McLAURIN,
Bonelli Bldg. Cor. Crawford & Wash- ington Sts.
T. G. BIRCHETT, Jr.,
1161 s. Washington St. Over Delta Trust & Banking Co.
BOOTH A- ANDERSON.
101| N. Washington St.
SHELTON & BRUNINI,
Over Merchants National Bank.
T. DABNEY MILLER,
Over Delta Trust & Banking Co.
COLLIER & MOUNGER,
12-2| S. Washington St.
JOHN N. BUSH,
122i S. Washington St.
MAGRUDER & BRYSON,
122| S. Washington St.
W. J. VOLLER,
Bonelli Building.
HENRY & SCUDDER,
Bonelli Building.
T. R. POSTER,
106| S. Washington St. DABNEY & McCABe'
102| S. Washington St.
PEGRAM & BANKS,
lOU S. Washington St. 12
W. E. MOLLISON,
409 W. Crawford St. ROBBINS ct PITTMAN,
Quin Building. A. G. PAXTON,
JOU N. Washington St.
BAKERIES.
ROBT. SPROULE,
Cor. Sproule Ave. & Washington St.
JOHN G. KATZEN MEYER,
Cor. Main it Monroe Sts.
BANKS.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK,
316 W. Clay St.
MERCHANTS NATIONAL BANK,
104 S. Washington St.
VICKSBURG BANK,
102 S. Washington St. DELTA TRUST & BANKING CO.,
116 S. Washington St. PEOPLE'S SAVINGS BANK,
104 S. Washington St.
BARBER SHOPS.
JOHN J. WEIMAR,
Carroll Hotel.
PIAZZA SHAVING PARLORS,
Piazza Hotel. N. A. ANDERSON,
303 N. Washington St.
BLACKSMITHS.
J. G. TICHENOR,
304 N. Washington St. J. B. RYAN,
N. Walnut St.
162
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
• BOARDING HOUSES.
TROWBRIDGE HOUSE,
Corner Grove and Walnut Sts.
CAMPBELL HOUSE,
Cor. Veto it Washington Sts.
BOAKD OF TRADE.
VICKSBURG BOARD OF TRADE, Lons Hoffman, President,
106^ S. Washington St.
BOILER MAKERS.
P. J. FOLEY,
206 N. Mulberry St.
BONNET FACTORY.
BONNET FACTORY,
211 N. Washington St.
BOOT AND SHOE STORES.
THE PARLOR SHOE STORE,
117 N. Washington St.
LEWIS BROS., JOHN WALSH V. ROMANO, A. LEVY,
109 N. Washington St. 109 S. Washington St. 320 S. Washington St. 321 North Washington St.
BOOT AND SHOE MAKERS.
T. M. BROADWATERS,
104| N. Washington St.
Brick Manufiicturers and Dealers.
J. D. TANNER,
J. W. BECK,
South Side Bowmar Ave.
Warrenton Road.
KENNEDY &COXAGHAN, (Dealers.)
Cor. South Madison & Mulberry Sta.
BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS.
VICKSBURG BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION,
106| S. Washington St.
CITIZENS BUILDING AND LOAN AS- SOCIATION,
101| N. Washington St.
MUTUAL BUILDING AND LOAN ASSO- CIATION,
122i S. Washington St.
BUTCHERS AND MEAT SHOPS.
A. A. EHRMAN, FULTON MARKET,
213 S. Washington St.
PALACE MARKET,
401 N. Washington St.; 204 Monroe St. ; 229 Jackson Road ; 620 Levee St. ; Stalls 1, 3 and 5 Market House.
PARLOR MARKET,
101 S. Washington St.
P. SPEYERER,
903 S. Washington St.
ED. JANUARY,
901 S. Washington St.
CANDY MANUFACTURERS.
BIEDENHARN CANDY CO.,
218 N. Washington St.
CHAS. K.THEOBALD,
408 S. Washington St.
Carriage aud Wagon Manufacturers
and Repairers.
J. G. TICHENOR,
304 N. Washington St.
J. B. RYAN,
North Walnut Street.
CEMENT PAYING.
P. PARENT,
At W. O. Worrell & Co.,
301 S. Washington St.
CIGAR DEALERS.
JULIUS RUHMAN,
107 S. Washington St.
BOB. HENDERSON,
Piazza Hotel.
T. P. A. CIGAR STORE,
Will Sartorius, Prop.,
103 N. Washington St.
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
163
CITIL ENGINEERS AND SURVEYORS.
A. L. PIERCE,
Bonelli Building.
JAMES M. SEARLES,
Vicksburg.
W. M. VOSBURG,
714 S. Washington St.
CLOTHING DEALERS.
WARNER & SEARLES CO.,
122 S. Washington St.
H. NAUEN CO.,
212 N. Washington St.
COAL AND WOOD DEALERS.
VIRGINIA & ALABAMA COAL CO.,
South Madison St.
Coiiiiiiissiou Merchants and Wholesale Grain and Provision Dealers.
P. P. WILLIAMS CO.,
: 108 S. Washington St.
Warehouse : 326 S. Levee St.
L. M. NICHOLSON CO.,
107 S. ^\'a.shington St. Warehouse: Elevator Building.
R. L. CROOK A' CO.,
202 S. \Vashington St. Warehouse: 336 S. Levee St.
SMITH BROTHERS,
109| S. Washington St. Warehouse : Pearl & William Sts.
R. C. WILKERSON.
Opera House Building.
COTTON EXCHANGE.
VICKSBURG COTTON EXCHANGE,
419 W. Crawford St.
J. W. SHORT,
COTTON FACTORS.
416 W. Jackson St. '^- ^- METZGER,
PEATROSS, CAMERON & CO.,
306 S. Levee St.
CANDY AND CONFECTIONERY.
BIEDENHARN CANDY CO.,
218 N. Washington St.
LANDAUER CO.,
212 S. Washington St.
CHAS. K. THEOBALD,
403 S. Washington St.
H. A. GABRIEL,
226 S. Washington St.
CONTRACTORS AND BUILDERS.
CURPHEY & MUNDY,
Cor. Clay & Monroe Sts. JOHN W. BECK,
Warren ton Road. C. E. MACKEY,
709 S. Washington St. FUTURE LUMBER CO.,
Cor. Gjove A Mulberr}- St. KENNEDY & CONAGHAN.
Cor. S. Madison and Mulberry Sts.
202i S. Mulberry St.
WILLIS, MOORE & CO.,
417| W. Crawford St.
COTTON BUYERS.
VICKSBURG COTTON CO.,
208i S. Mulberry St.
J. J. COWAN,
42U W. Crawford St.
COTTON SEED OIL MILLS.
LEVER BROS. OIL MILL,
Cor. Levee & Depot Sts. REFUGE OIL MILL,
Office : Delta Trust & Banking Co. HILL CITY OIL MILL,
Office: 212| N. Washington St.
DENTISTS.
DR. J. C. SPIVEY,
Hours S to 12, 2 to 6,
117A N. Washington St. DR. A. G. TILLMAN,
Hours 8 to 1:30, 3 to 5,
lOli N. Washington St. DR. T. 0. PAYNE,
Hours 9 am to 6 p.m.,
108h S. Washington St.
164
PICTURESQUE VICKSBURG.
DRUGGISTS.
KING & CO.
119 N. Washington St.
€. C. REYNOLDS DRUG CO.,
210 S. Washington St.
R. M. BAUM.
201 S. Washington St.
A. G. CASSELL,
101 N. Washington St.
THOS. G. DABNEY,
Cherry St. Crossing.
FURNITURE DEALERS.
HANISEE & MENGER FURNITURE CO. Cor. Grove & Washington Sts.
SIMON STEIN, RICE & CO..
112 S. Washington St.
309 West Crawford St.
GEM'S FURNISHING GOODS.
HENRY BAZSINSKY',
110 N. Washington St.
E. B. BANKS,
DRY GOODS
ADOLPH ROSE,
KUHN & CO., G. A. R. STORE, HENRY MARKS, C. LOWENTHAL, MRS. A. MOGUIN
GENERAL MERCHANDISE.
822 South Washington St. , k .J. BRUZELIUS,
401 N. Washington St.
F. DORNBUSCH,
309 N. Washington St.
D. A. BOVE,
901 S. Washington St. VINCENT LAVECCHIA,
810 S. Washington St.
312 W. Clay St. 124 N. Washington St. 219 N. Washington St. 118 N. Washington St. 208 N. Washington St. 210 N. Washington St
ELECTRIC LIGHT CO.
VICKSBURG ELECTRIC LIGHT CO.,
Cherry St. Crossing.
FISH AND OYSTERS.
MRS. JOHN TIRONI.
104 E. Grove St.
FRUIT DEALERS.
FRANK BOTTINl,
805 N. Washington St.
JOHN PICHETTO, H. A. GABRIEL,
308 S. Washington St.
326 S. Washington St.
GROCERIES.
S. C. RAGAN&CO.,
211 S. Washington St.
ALLEN & SON.
224 S. Washington St.
SOL. FRIED CO.,
206 N. Washington St.
S. SCHWARZ & CO.,
11-5 S. Washington St.
SHERARD GROCERY CO.,
206 S. Washington St.
W. H. MILLER GROCERY CO.,
110 Belmont St.
BROWN & BEER,
122 N. Washington St.
FRANK MELSHIEMER,
301 N. Washington St.
107 X Wasliin^ton St.
D..J. SHLENKER,
D. WALSH,
302 S. Washington St.
FEENEY & CONAGHAN,
418 S. Mulberry St. P. SPEYERER,
903 S. Washington St.
PICTURESQUE VICKSHURG.
165
HARDWARE
WRIGHT BROTHERS,
118 S. Washington St.
REA & JACKSON,
113 X. Washington St.
LEE RICHARDSON & CO.,
114 South Washington St.
Hay, Grain, Feed Etc.— Wholesale.
W. 0. WORRELL ^- CO.,
Cor. South (t Washington Sts. Warehouse: 320 Levee St.
HOTELS.
CARROLL HOTEL,
Cor. Clay iV: Walnut Sts.
WASHINGTON HOTEL,
203 N. Washington St.
TROWBRIDGE HOUSE,
Corner Grove and Walnut Sts,
INSURANCE AGENTS.
KLEIN & STERNE,
B. B. L. Building.
MOORE & PRESTON,
11(_H S. Washington St.
RUSSELL & MARKHAM,
122i S. Washington St.
J. F. HALPIN,
106J S. Washington St.
R. C. WILKERSON,
Opera House Building.
MISSISSIPPI HOME INSURANCE CO., 102A S. Washington St.
BUCK, DICKSON & CO.,
107i S. Washington St.
LAUNDRIES.
PEARL LAUNDRY CO.,
306 W. China St.
MILLINERY AND MILLINERY GOODS
MISS AMELIA BAZSINSKY,
Carroll Hotel.
MONEY LENDERS.
N. O. SHARPE,
202| S. Washington St.
NEWSPAPERS.
VICKSBURG COMMERCIAL HERALD, 411 W. Crawford St.
VICKSBURG EVENING POST,
408| W. Crawford St.
VICKSBURG DEMOCRAT,
417.V W. Crawford St.
SOUTHLAND,
Office: Carroll HoteL
NEWS DEALERS.
CLARKE ct CO.,
JEWELERS.
108 S. Washington St.
106 S. Washington St.
Jackson Road.
102 S. Washington St.
R. C. JUST,
HENRY YOSTE
C. AM BORN,
BEN GUIDER,
ROBT. ERNST,
124 S. Washington St.
GOTTHELF & VOELLINGER,
103 N. Washington St.
BOB. HENDERSON, JULIUS RUHMAN,
120 S. Washington St. Piazza Hotel.
107 S. Washington St.
PRINTERS.
VICKSBURG PRINTING & PUBLISH-
411 W. Crawford St.
ING CO.,
VICKSBURG NEWSPAPER UNION,
Cor. Crawford & Mulberry Sts.
POST PRINTING CO ,
219^8. Washington St.
PAINTERS,
DAVID HOLDEN,
311 W. South St.
PHOTOGRAPHERS,
M. T. FREDERICHS,
1081 S. Washington St.
F. G. HARWOOD,
222i North Washington St.
166
PICTURESQT^E VICKSBURG.
PLUMBERS.
W. H. BRUSER,
J. B. SMITH, C. L. DICKSON,
S. Mulberry St. W. Clay St.
N. Washington St.
PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS.
DR. -J. WALDAUER,
Hours, 8 to 12 m. and 6 p.m.,
117|N. Washington St.
DR. R. A. QUIN,
210i S. Washington St.
DR. A. 0. HARDENSTEIN.
Hours, 9:3011 a.m.. 4-5 p.m.,
303 West Clay St.
DR. H. B. WILSON,
Hours, 12 m , 4 p.m.,
203 W. Crawford St.
DR. G. S. LIMERICK,
Hours, 9 a.m., 2 and 6 p.m.
210+ S. Washington St.
DR. E. C. HUNT,
Hours, 8 9 a.m., 4-5 p.m.,
lOoi N. Washington St.
DR. C. HENRI WOODE,
Hours, 8:30-11 am. 1 3-5-7 p.m.
im N.Washington St.
DR. T. G. BIRCHETT,
206 E. South St.
RESTAURANTS.
DAVE H. HERMAN.
103 S. Washington St.
W. G. BIEDENHARN,
115 N. Washington St.
J. W. HAYES,
117 S. Washington St_
LANDAUERCO.,
212 S. Washington St.
REAL ESTATE AGENCIES.
VICKSBURG REAL ESTATE AGENCY,
lOU N. Washington St.
J. C. BOWMAR,
Over Merchants National Bank.
J. F. HALPIN,
106| S. Washington St.
SALOONS.
L. HIBOU & CO.,
116 N. Washington St.
WESLEY CRAYTON,
317 S. Washington St. DAVID H. HERMAN,
103 S. Washington St. J. W. HAYES,
117 S. Washington St. VINCENT LAVECCHIA,
810 S. Washington St.
SCHOOLS.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER,
Cor. Crawford & Adams Sts.
ST. ALOYSIUS,
Cor. 1st. North it Grove Sts.
SASH, DOOR AND BLINDS.
CURPHEY & MUNDY,
Cor. Clay and Monroe Sts.
S. SPENGLER SASH FACTORY.
North Washington St.
SAW MILLS.
CURPHEY-WOOLEN LUMBER CO.,
National Cemetery Road. S. SPENGLER,
National Cemetery Road.
SECOND-HAND FURNITURE.
M. GOMES,
306 S. Washington St.
STABLE LIVERY.
BAZSINSKY BROS,
Cor. China and Walnut Sts.
TIN AND SHEET-IRON WORKERS.
GEO. WAHL.
Cor. Clay and Mulberry Sts.
W. H. BRUSER,
Mulberry St. J. B. SMITH,
West Clay St.
PICTUUEriQUE VICKSBUIIG.
167
TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES.
ST. LOUIS & NEW ORLEANS ANCHOR LINE,
Office and Elevator, Front St.
VICKSBURG & GREENVILLE PACKET COMPANY,
327 Levee St.
YAZOO & TALLAHATCHIE TRANS- PORTATION COMPANY,
4 West Ciawford St
United States Commissioner.
B. Q BRANCH,
303 North Washington St
UNDERTAKERS.
F. J. FISHER,
W. H. .JEFFERSON,
107 West Grove St.
108 East Grove St.
WHOLESALE MEAT DEALERS.
A. A. EHRMAN,
213 South Washington St.
ARMOUR PACKING CO.,
C'or Veto and Mulberry Sts.
WHOLESALE LIQUOR DEALERS.
JOSEPH PODESTA,
420 West Crawford St.
WATCH MAKERS,
G. W. YOSTE,
120 South W^-ishington St.
WATER WORKS.
VICKSBURG WATER SUPPLY CO., Office, 309^ Crawford St ;
Pump House, South Vicksburg.
INDEX TD ILLUSTRATIONS,
Taue
Steamer Ruth, Mulholland Line i!
Looking Nortli from Court House 10
Looking South from Court House 11
Vicksbnrg in "59
The Court House Looking West 15
The Bodley Monument 16
Cotton Exchange 18
St. Paul's Church 19
View from the Islanil 20
Anchor Line Loading 21
Bayou Bridge 22
From New School Looking South 23
Christ Church 24
Vicksburg Postoffice 25
The Louisiana Monument 26
Holy Trinity Church 27
U. 8. Engineer Office 30
A View of a Clearing 31
An Anxious Moment 33
Improvement of Mouth of Yazoo River. .34
Drilling for a Blast 35
The Blast— and After 35
A Cotton Picking Scene in the Delta.... 41 1 — Home ol a Negro Planter. 2- Chic -
asaw Bayou 43
Yazoo River Bridge 47
Basin of Yazoo River 49
A Page of Snapshots 51
A Planter's Home 52
Coming Into Town for Supplies 55
Starting to Church 57
An Oak Tree on the Road to Redwood... 65 Roustabouts UnloadingSteamer at Lake
Providence Landing 06
Early Morning in a Delta Village 67
Four O'clock Tea on the ilulholland
Line y 68
Refuge Landing 69
A Colored Sport 72
Ruins of an Old Church on Lake Wash- ington 73
A Kitchen Study 74
A Lower Deck Character 76
Taking Coal at (Jreenville 77
Anchor Line Steamer City of Cairo 78
Sunnyside Landing , 79
River Pencillings 80
View of Saloon Anchor Line Steamer... 81
Thirsty Weather 82
Steamer Annie Laurie S3
A View of Washington Street 85
The Citv Government 86
The Board of Trade 88
Transporting Cotton bv Steamer 89
The Carroll, from Clay'street 91
Office, Rotunda and Dining-Room of
The Carroll 92
Captain E. C. Carroll 93
Residence of Captain E. C. Carroll 94
South Vick.sburg Public School Build'g 94
Page
Residence of Dr. S. D. Robbins 95
St. Aloysius College 96
View of St Francis Xavier Academy... 97
Cherry Street "..... 99
Confederate Monument 100
National Cemetery 101
Residence of General E. S. Butts 102
Residence of Mrs. Bettie B. Willis 102
B. B. Literary Club 105
Staircase and Dining-Room of B. B.
Literarv Club 106
Hall of B. B. Literary Club 107
:\Ir. J. J. Mulligan...! 108
Mr. M. .1. JIulvihill 108
Mr. B. W. Griffith 109
Residence of Mr. A. Warner 110
Residence of !Mrs. Lee Kichardsou 110
Dr. H. B. Wilson. H. .1. Trowbridge,
Abe Kierskv, Capt. John Groome,
R. V. Booth', Prof. C. P. Kemper Ill
Residence of Dr. R. A Quin 112
Residence of Mr. John Curphey 112
Commercial Herald Building 113
Residence of Mr. John A. Klein 114
Residence of Mr. John G. Cashman 114
Residence of Maj. T. G. Dabney 117
Sketches Around Vicksburg 118
The Refuge Oil Mill 119
The VicksliurgOil Mill 120
Main Street Public School 121
View of Curphey- Woolen LumVier Mill. 123 Exterior and Interior of Curphev &
Mundy's Mill ". 123
C. E. Mackey's "Workshop 125
John M. Cameron 126
The Tug Joe Seay 127
W. O. Worrell A Co.'s Warehouse 128
Merchants National Bank 129
Vicksburg Bank 131
Delta Trust l*c Banking Co.'s Building... 132
Hoffman Block 135
Interior of .'^chwarz & Co 136
Interior of Allen it Co 137
Sol Fried \- Co 139
Biedenharn Candv Manufacturing Co. ..141
P. P. Williams Co'.'s Warehouse 142
R. L. Crook A Co.'s Warehouse 143
Exterior of Rice I'c Co 144
Exterior Hanisee c*t Menger Furniture
Company 145
Robert Ernst' Jewelrv Store 145
"The Fair," Rea it Jackson 146
Slierard Grocery Co.'s Store 147
Lake House Summer Resort 149
Armour Packing Co. Warehouse 151
A. A. Ehrman's Meat Market 153
M. Fitzgerald's Saloon 157
Piazza Hotel Shaving Parlors 159
J. C. Moore's Nigger 159
I.EE mcIIARDSON, Phes.
m'GlI KICIIARDSOX, Sec'v & Tkeas
ESTABLISHED 1866.
; IN BUSINESS 29 YEARS ! '
INCORPORATED 1889.
HARDWARE
t«" YOUR BUSINESS RESPECTFULLY SOLICITED. "^5*1
VICKSBURG NEWSPAPER UNION.
(Brand) of Atlanta Newspaper Union,)
VICKSBURG, MISS.
ANY CLASS OF MATTER
That you want will be furnished in the READY PRINT SHEETS Supplied by the
Vicksbiirj Newspapor Onion.
A Specialty of Louisiana State Nrws
AUXILIARY PUBLISHERS.
Correspondence Invited. Samples and Prices on Application.
ALL SIZES OF PAPERS
With as many or few pages printed as you desiie, can be furnished by the
Vicksburg Kcwspaper Uniun.
A Specialty of Mississippi State Naws.
Jolifl G. Kalzemeyer,
BAKER
^ A ND IS
+GROCERt
COR. MAIN AND MONROE STS.
FRESH BREAD ANDCAKES
OF EVERY DESCRIPTION •«i CONSTANT! ,Y ON HAND r^^
(iooils Dclivcreii to Anv Part of City.
VICKSBURG
aflo[ Market
Makes
a Specialty
of Handling
^%rfWJ%^*
Cofi Wasliington and Clay Sis,
M. F. Hoffman, M^r.
The
Queen and Crescent Route
THE ONLY LINE
THAT
Is 33 uiiles shortest New Or- leans to New York and Wasli- in;5ton. 07 miles shortest to Birmin>.'liani. 90 miles short- est to Cincinnati.
That runs Solid Vestibuled trains, New Orleans to Meri- dian, Birmingham, Cliatta- noofra and Cincinnati.
Tluit carries Tlirou^li Sleep- ers to Knoxville, Bristol, Wash- ington, Philadelphia and New- York ; over the shortest route and on Quick Schedules.
Special attention paid to the Service between Local Points.
THE ONLY LINE
THAT
Controls a Route, Shreveport to Cincinnati, all under one name and management.
That carries you Shreveport to Chattanooga, Knoxville, Bristol, Wa.shington and New York with only one change of cars.
That runs Tlirough Car from Shreveport to Binuinghani and Chattanooga without cliange. This car is attached at Meri- dian to Solid Vestibuled Train for Chattanooga ami Cincin- nati.
Choice of Routes to and from Texas and California, via Shreveport or via New Orleans.
E. n. G.\PvBETT. A. G. P. A.. 206 St. Charles St.. New Orleans, La.
I. HABDY, General Passenger Agent, New Orleans. la.
IT IS THE Superior Southern Route.
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