^\^/ \L ( , ( > r r vy -"^■ji '.^ ■1 // NEW OLD OR.LEANS a ^ NEW PUBLISHED BY CONVENTION AND TOURIST BUREAU NEW ORLEANS ASSOCIATION OF COMMERCE -m^ ) COPYRIGHT, 1914, WM. ALLEN. MANAttR ■^> ^ n New Orleans Sky Li O U T H W A R D the course of American commercial, ■^^ industrial and agricultural progress is rapidly and ij ,f surely wending its way. New Orleans, because of '";; its geographical position, thus becomes the logical heart and center of this new Southland, whose magnitude of prosperity no one can foresee, yet it takes no veiled vision of the prophet to predict that the little hamlet founded on the banks of the Mississippi, by Bienville, the intrepid and farseeing French soldier of Fortune and explorer of 171S, is within a few years to become, in wealth, commerce and size, one of the first great cities of the Western Hemisphere. New Orleans of to-day is a city of 400,000 population, lying 110 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi, and occupies an area of 196 j square miles. It already ranks as second port in the United States in combined exports and imports, yet it bids fair with the opening of the Panama Canal to rank first. For New Orleans stands practically on the very threshold of this stupendous monument to the skill, ingenuity and perseverance of the American engineers — The Canal — through which the passage of the first self-propelling vessel from ocean to ocean was effected on the morning of January 7, 1914, being hundreds of miles nearer to it than any other practicable American port. Continuati t^ JUL 2U 'oi. A.'} 772 7 9 wing Crescent Bend New Orleans is the gateway, not only to this great waterway, which is soon to revolutionize the commerce of the world, but the gateway to all South American commercial opportunities of which so much is expected. No description of New Orleans is complete without reference to its being a city of social brilliance, the home of the world-famous Mardi Gras, and a veritable land of romance. The city is replete with evidences of the old French and Spanish civilization and ante-bellum days, fascinatingly blended with the charming features of southern life. Yet, withal, it is a busy, modern city, teeming with industrial and commercial progress that offers a bewildering and wide panorama of material things. It is the greatest factory city of the South, the value of manufactured products exceeding $125,000,000, annually. Broadly speaking, the external features that make New Orleans delightful to the visitor are the genial, semi-tropical winter climate; its semi-public social functions as epitomized in the balls of the carnival season and the F"rench Opera; its beautiful residential district, and its la\ish, natural floral and scenic beauties. New Orleans is one of the healthiest cities in the country, borne out by statistics which show that the average resident white death rate is less than fifteen per thousand. With many beautiful parks as breathing spots, and being practically surrounded by large bodies of water, New Orleans is not only healthier, but, in actual fact, much cooler in summertime than most cities of the North. The breezes from these bodies of water are constant, and particularly at night they are cool and refreshing. cy Line "P^^ "^im Old Spanish Cabildo Cloister Alley TURNING BACK THE PAGE OF TIME Jackson Square, five minutes' walk from Canal Street, is geographically the central point, and, chronologically, the beginning in a sketch of historic New Orleans. The stranger should walk down Royal Street (Rue Royal, in Colonial Days) to Orleans Street, which comes into the rear of the cathedral, thence through St. Anthony's Alley to Jackson Square, formerly Place d'Armes. New Orleans, the provincial capital of Louisiana, was laid out in 1718 by Bienville, and this spot was the site of the first settlement on the lower Mississippi River. The "Vieux Carre," extending on either side of the "Place d'Armes" for eleven squares, and back towards the lake for six more. In front of the "Place d'Armes," or parade grounds of two hundred years ago, was located then the parish church, on the site of the present cathedral. Alongside was the Presbytere, and the "corps de garde" and prison. Later, during Spanish times, and after the great fire of 1788, were erected the present cathedral, the Cabildo, and the old court building on the lower side. The St. Louis Cathedral ranks as one of the best-known churches in the United States. The site was selected by Bien\'ille for a cathedral when the city was laid out in 1718, but it was not until 1724 that the first brick church was built. The church was repaired and added to from time to time, and is to-day firm and substantial. Many distinguished P'renchmen and Spaniards rest in the crypt. In the rear of the cathedral is a small garden in vvhich many duels were fought in colonial days. The Pontalba buildings, flanking either side of Jackson Square, were built by the Baroness de Pontalba in the early part of the last century, and at the same time the Jackson equestrian statue, by Clark Mills, was dedicated. The entrance to the old French Market is just off the northeast corner of the square. The Louisiana State Museum, created by act of Legislature in 1906, is now domiciled in the Cabildo and Presbytere, the most historic buildings in the Mississippi Valley. The Cabildo (museum of history) is on the upper side of the cathedral. It was erected during the Spanish regime of Governor Corondelet by Don Almonester y Roxas. Here the laws were made and here sat the executive officers of the Spanish Province, Louisiana. In the Sala Capitular (main chamber of the Cabildo) was enacted the scene of the actual transfer to the United States of the "Louisiana Purchase," from which were formed some fourteen states of the Union, by representatives of Napoleon and Thomas Jefferson. The Louisiana State Historical Society holds its deliberations in this room. The entrance to the Cabildo is quaint; the Spanish wrought-iron door and the old marble stairway have welcomed many distinguished visitors. Louis Philippe, Aaron Burr, John J. Audubon, Marquis de Lafayette, the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Zachary Taylor and many other presidents, foreign potentates and distinguished visitors have all helped wear away the much indented stair steps. This building contains the famous Lami painting of the Battle of New Orleans. The Napoleon death mask in bronze by Bonaparte's physician, Antommarchi, who himself pressed the matrix to the Emperor's dead face and later presented it, in this room, to the city of New Orleans, is here; also in this room are the famous elephant folio volumes of Audubon's "Birds of America," subscribed to by his native State, Louisiana, in 1827. The building farther along, similar to the Cabildo, was known as the Presbytere, or house of the Capuchin Priests. It was built a few years after the Cabildo. In later years it was used by the Civil Courts of New Orleans and now it contains the exhibits of Natural History and of Agriculture and Industries of Louisiana. The building has been restored to its Colonial condition and from an architectural stand- point is very interesting. [ I'fiii '-i^Mn II- & i= French Opera House Typical Old Courtyard IN THE FRENCH QUARTER To the visitor the French Quarter (Vieux Carre) is naturally the most interesting. It is that part cjf the city which was developed under the French and Spanish regimes, where one may wander in a region of narrow streets lined on either side with time-worn, old-fashioned, low, stone buildings that are so dis- tinctively of the old world as to make it seem improbable that the tourist is in modern unromantic America, the land of the sky-scrapers and twentieth century progressiveness. In this district are found the greater portion of the historical buildings, sites and landmarks. Here are the visual evidences of a past which is easily traceable, step by step, through the various epochs in the history of continental United States. It is truly a land apart; a pictorial wonder book abounding in an inexhaustible supply, innumerable views, traditions and historical narratives. Here are also found the beautiful undefaced courtyards, embowered in tropical vegetation a^nd flowers, in which are set quaint mansions, interesting antique stores, famous restaurants, odd shops presided over by odd people, who nearly all speak French in preference to English. Nothing is more fascinating th^n a special journey to watch the little characteristics, customs and manners of the residents of this transplanted niche from the lands across the sea. There the tourist will see, tacked upon the corner-post, the antiquated, black-bordered, printed death announcements, the milk vendors, in their odd-looking two-wheeled carts, with two big shining nickel milk cans in front. This is the domain of the picayune (a nickel) and the quartee (half a nickel) and the lagniappe, or gift that each storekeeper must make to each purchaser. These are old Creole words, for the patois of the quarter is still very much in evidence. Then, too, there are the unique little shops, always a source of entertainment. In them one can find many a little novelty, which it is claimed is to be had nowhere else in the country. Here lovers of old books, antiques and curios may revel in their fads. Closely associated with the traditions and social life of New Orleans is the French Opera, and the opera house in which each winter a brilliant season of opera in French is given — the Mecca of all society folk and music lovers who are winter tourists to the city. Among the older buildings in the French Quarter, none are endowed with a greater wealth of tradition and mystery than the Old Absinthe House. It was one time the headquarters of Jean Lafitte, the "patriot-pirate," of whose valor, prowess and wealth volumes have been written. Within a few minutes' walk of this pirate's den is to be found the Haunted House, made famous through the writings of Geo. W. Cable. Its traditions are also fascinating and weird. One should not forget in his strolls in this wonder part of the city to watch for tunnel-like entrances, as they ofttimes lead to characteristic courtyards, whose plain exterior give no hint of the beauties and quaintness hidden behind the outer walls. Perhaps through some of the arched ways vistas may be had of one of the well-kept courts of some of the old wealthy Creole families, who still keep up their residence in this quarter, or it may be a court in a partial state of delapidation, but still fascinat- ing in its aspect. One should look up, too, in these rambles and see how fond the architects were in those days of exterior decoration, for the white cornices under the eaves are usually richly carved, and the tiny windows with carved stone or wooden balustrades are sunk artistically into the walls across the window space. Indeed there is nothing more noteworthy than the windows of the houses. They are round, peaked and oddly decorated with lattice work. The Old Absinthe House (1823) MARDI GRAS IN NEW ORLEANS New Orleans' Carnival Season originated in 1827, when a number of young gentlemen, some of them just returned from finishing a Parisian education, organized the first grand street procession of masquer- aders. One more splendid still, and still larger in numbers, took place on the Mardi Gras of 1837; another still more brilliant in 1839. From 1840 to 1845 several of these brilliant day displays took place. The lapse of years and changes of fortune brought many changes also in the social characteristics of New Orleans, and the celebration of Mardi Gras lapsed into oblivion. The last, most brilliant and successful of all, delighted and amused the town after several years of quiescence and neglect, on Mardi Gras, in 18.52. The idea of presenting scenes on floats moving around the streets was inaugurated in 1857. The Carnival celebration in New Orleans of late years has surpassed, in extent and grandeur, all similar events occurring cither in Europe or this country. Beside it the carnivals of the Corso of Rome and the canals of Venice are tame affairs, lacking the exquisite order and organization with which the Americans have endowed it. Though frequently described, it has to be seen to be appreciated, and few enjoy that privilege once without thereafter making an annual pilgrimage to the Crescent City during its festive season. The Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras day, is both the climax and end of the Carnival Season. On the preceding Thursday, the Knights of Momus give their street parade, followed by tableaux and ball. On Monday Rex arrives. Coming up the river on his private yacht, he is greeted by a naval and military escort, by his knights and retinue, and after parading the streets, receives the key of the city. At night the Krewe of Proteus hold their parade of brilliantly lighted floats, followed by a magnificent ball and tableaux. On Tuesday (Mardi Gras day), early in the morning, the maskers begin to appear from all parts of the city. They come on foot, on horseback, and in every conceivable sort of conveyance; Dressed in garish costume they congregate for many impromptu frolics. There are myriads of gray, green, blue and red devils, monkeys, ghosts and ghastly skeletons. Colonial gentlemen pace the streets with masked ladies who appear to be from the chorus of some light opera. Silent horsemen — night riders, cowboys, jockeys — ride slowly through the streets. Clowns and harlequins make merry, and demure ballet girls and Spanish dancers reply tartly to impudent advances. The streets are thronged with visitors and tourists, and the day is one of gayety always long to be remembered. Undoubtedly this feature of Mardi Gras is the most unique entertainment on the continent. The crowds are unusually gay and orderly. Good humor abounds, and since Rex holds the keys to the city, the streets belong to the maskers and the visitors. At high noon the streets are cleared and the King rides through the crowds in his Royal Chariot, followed by a long line of beautiful floats. After the Royal Floats disappear, the maskers and crowd again take possession of the streets, where the revelling continues until the setting of the sun. Rex's Ball is held in the evening. The Mystic Krewe of Comus illumine the night with their most beautiful procession of floats, followed by a gala ball and tableaux at the old French Opera House. The magnificence of these street parades cannot be imagined. For an entire year these secret organizations have been planning and working on the floats that appear, which number from eighteen to twenty-five for each parade. They are all designed by artists who have given years to this work, and put together by craftsmen who have had long experience. Year after year they have grown in splendor and magnificence. The dates upon which Mardi Gras will fall for the next few years are: February 16, 1915, March 7, 1916, February 20, 1917, February 12, 1918, March 4, 1919, February 17, 1920. Headquarters of General Pakenham, Battle of New Orleans, 1815 St. Roch's Chapel HAUNTS OF OLD ROMANCE Perhaps the most picturesque shrine in New Orleans is St. Roch's chapel. This was erected in 1871 by Father Thevis, with his own hands, in fulfillment of a vow that if none of hi& parishioners should die during ___ the epidemic of 1866-67 he would build a chapel in thanksgiving to God. Stone by stone the old priest built the chapel on a site that he called "Campo Santo" or "Holy Field." Soon from all parts of New Orleans pilgrims sought out the chapel, and it became a favorite shrine for the suffering and afflicted. In time it acquired the prestige of the miracle-working shrines of Europe. Tapers, the offerings of devout pilgrims, are always burning before the altar. This shrine is surmounted by a statue of St.Roch, and at his side is the good dog which fed him miraculously, when he lay afflicted with the plague and abandoned in the forests near Bingen, many centuries ago. The chapel is designed in the fashion of the old mortuary chapels still extant in German and Hungarian countries. Each morning the bell hanging in the quaint belfry is tolled in accordance with the Hungarian custom, and every Monday morning mass is offered in the chapel for the repose of the souls of all those interred within the consecrated grounds. St. Roch's is in that section of the city formerly known as the German Quarter. As the German Catholics had no cemetery of their own. Father Thevis converted the ground around the chapel into a burial spot, where the children of the Fatherland might rest side by side. There is a tradition that the young girls of the city pray for husbands at St. Roch's. The devout young girl who wishes to marry well will perform a "novena" in the orthodox manner — that is, for nine days in succession she will walk barefooted from her home to the shrine, bearing a lighted taper. There she will make her prayer to St. Joseph, patron of marriage. However, a fleeting glimpse of pink toes through the tiniest bit of a slit might be almost as effective as bare feet. The traditions of the old Spanish fort embrace the whole history of the foundation and settlement of New Orleans. Beginning with the landing of Bienville at the mouth of the bayou, which he named St. Jean, and his resting with his wearied followers on the high ground on which the remnant of the fort now stands, preparatory to his ascent of the bayou, in pursuit of the shortest line between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River, and tracing down through the century and a half which have since passed, the most vivid and interesting incidents of that history will be found to group around this old fort. During the Spanish dominion the fort was kept in good condition and repair, and well fortified. It was regarded as the principal protection of the city against any sudden assault and raid of the Indians, or of the pirates, who then abounded in the Gulf of Mexico. Thus the old fort was always garrisoned and held ready to defend the only practicable approach to the city at that time. After both Spanish and French dominions had ceased in Louisiana, Andrew Jackson and his staff, hurrying from Pensacola and Mobile, found the Spanish fort, with its very ancient guns in position and an effective garrison of artillerists, prepared to repel an invader far more formidable than the Indians and freebooters of the Spanish main. The British cruisers were then engaged in a close survey of all the approaches to the city, preparatory to the great expedition which had been long contemplated against it, and which a few months subsequently met with so disastrous a conclusion. To-day Spanish Fort is maintained by the New Orleans Railway and Light Company as a pleasure resort. A few miles below the city, reached by rail or roadway, is the scene of the Battle of New Orleans, where, on January 8, 1815, General Jackson, with mixed troups composed of 2,131 men, met and defeated the British Army of Invasion, led by General Pakenham, and composed of 14,450 armed men. The ruins of the house at which General Pakenham had his quarters are picturesque and interesting. Another Residential View THE GARDEN DISTRICT From the old-world side of New Orleans the tourist naturally gravitates into the far-famed and beautiful Garden District, as it is so aptly termed. This is the residential portion of the city and its distinct southern characteristics are all new to the northern guest. In it are located many of the public buildings of note and palatial mansions and homes of the New Orleans aristocracy and people of wealth. Here set in lovely, velvety lawns, bowercd in a wealth of tropical plants, are homes that for elegance, artistic treatment and comfort have few equals on the American continent. Wide, cool verandas — or galleries, as they are called in the southern vernacular — draped with fragrant yellow jessamine, wistaria, and cloth-of-gold rose vines, add to the picturesqueness of the New Orleans residence — a touch of beauty which leaves a lasting impression. Its principal residence street is St. Charles Avenue, a broad, wide, asphalted boulevard, seven miles long, beautifully shaded, lined with estates representing the highest type of the architect's art, and the landscape gardener's skill; opening into the street are a number of residence parks, where costly houses, surrounded by great gardens, are grouped into charming pictures. Innumerable walks of a delightful character abound in this section, the charm of each being distinct and typical. The floral display in the many beautiful and pretentious gardens in this portion of the city is in itself a sight-seeing factor well worth many an extended ramble. Winter or summer the Garden District is very near to Nature. Roses are to be seen blooming there in January, while the riot of color and prodigal abundance of flowers, in the warmer months, makes of this side of New Orleans a veritable Garden of Paradise. FAMOUS HOTELS AND DINING PLAGES New Orleans is especially fortunate in the matter of hotel accommodations. All of her principal hotels in appointment and service rank with the best to be found anywhere and are a never-ending delight to the tourist from other sections of the world. New Orleans hotels in the past few years have spent several millions of dollars in keeping pace with the growing reputation as the most charming winter resort in America. Convention after convention has been secured for the city. Few cities entertain a greater number of National conventions each year. To accommodate this augmentation of visitors the Cosmopolitan, De Soto, Grunewald, Alonteleone, St. Charles, and other hotels, have been compelled to make additions and improvements that involve large expenditures. Accustomed as they are to handling the great influx of tourists that comes with the annual carnival season, the guests of the city at this time ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 persons. New Orleans' hostclries are necessarily well-equipped and qualified to handle any gathering that may select the "Crescent City" as a meeting place. This country can boast of no more famous or attracti\e dining-places than "The Cave" and "The Forest Grill," at The Grunewald, or the beautiful Italian Garden of The St. Charles, the Ivory Room of The De Soto, the Bourbon Restaurant of The Cosmopolitan, and the beautiful dining rooms of the New IVIonteleone. New Orleans is famous for her chefs. Within a stone's throw of her sumptuously appointed hotels, offering every comfort, and noted the world over for their cuisines, may be found little old restaurants that seem to have been lifted bodily out of the nooks and corners of the Old World. Here the Creole dishes vie for favor with thfe concoctions of Marseilles, of Genoa, and of Barcelona. Here is the best coffee in the world — the delicious "French drip." Here the master chefs of the Old World have foregathered because Nouvelle Orleans was a city that warmed the cockles of their hearts like the home port over seas. 13 Howard Library New Orleans Public Library BUILDINGS AND PUBLIC PLACES As a fitting and vivid background to the old part of the city, the modern or twentieth century side is representative of the best in the latest architectural skill and building construction. Most of the public buildings, department stores and ofifice buildings are located in this section. It is the connecting link between the old French Quarter and residential section or Garden District, and is the center of industrial, commercial and civic activity, befitting in size and importance this metropolis of the Southland. Several of the most consequential office buildings are of the sky-scraper type. The department stores, distinctly metropolitan in character, size and allurements, are grouped together on Canal Street, the main artery of travel, whose unusual width is noted the world over. Many of the banks are housed in artistic and expensive structures, and of the modern section of the city the native Orleanian is justly proud. Numerous public buildings face on attractive parks, occupying a full city square, which adds greatly to the impression which the visitor gets of them. This is especially true of the City Hall, and the new Postoffice, both of which face beautiful Lafayette Square. The latter building is a marble structure, now in the last stages of construction and, when completed, will have cost about $3,000,000. Another notable building of recent construction is the new Courthouse, a splendid modern, white marble building in the very center of the Old French Quarter, on which $2,000,000 was spent. New Orleans is rich in libraries and museums. Near the Lee Circle, in which stands a handsome bronze statue of General Robert E. Lee, by Boyle, the sculptor, is the New Orleans Public Library, an imposing building of gray stone. This building and three branch libraries were built from a donation of $27.5,000 made by Andrew Carnegie. It contains a collection of 100,000 volumes, 7,000 of which are in foreign languages. Two buildings of great interest to all lovers of history and historical research are the Howard Memorial Library, on Camp and Howard avenues, and the Confederate Memorial Hall, on Camp Street. The Howard Memorial Library contains many peerless historical works and books of reference, dealing with the colonial, ante-bellum and Civil War days, amounting in all to 50,000 volumes, including copies of the original works of Audubon and an unrivaled collection of Louisiana maps. The Confederate Memorial contains a wealth of historical relics relating to the conflict between the North and South. Many of the articles shown have been gathered from all parts of the South, and the effects of Jefferson Davis, on exhibition there, have a romantic fascination which draws thousands of visitors within its portals every year. Artistically nestled among the stately trees of City Park, the Delgado Museum of Art is one of the show places of the city, where, both inside and out, naught but artistic charm meets the eye. It contains a splendid collection of paintings, friezes, bronzes and other work of art, by far the most pretentious and valuable in the South. In 1748 Don Andres de Almonastcr y Roxas, the wealthiest citizen of Louisiana, contributed some $114,000 toward building a hospital. This first hospital, founded by the munificence of that generous Spaniard, was the father of the Charity Hosi)ital of to-day. The original building of the present hospital was erected in 1S32. Many wings and additional buildings have since been added, until the buildings and grounds to-day cover about four and one-half acres. The New Orleans Charity Hospital ranks as one of the best-equipped and most efficient institutions of its kind in the country. It is supported by the State and city, and receives patients from exerywhere. 't'.w^ ' wyi-aigswitfwe The New Orleans Parks are famed for their beauty and historic interest. Within the limits of City Park are handsome conservatories, golf links and polo field, while rowboats may be obtained for a little excursion on the lake. Near by a grove of live-oak trees lift their leafy heads high in the air, many of them draped in moss. This grove is generally regarded as the finest in the world. Audubon Park is to the residents of the American section what City Park is to the French Quarter. The park covers 247 acres, and DELGADO la was originally the plantation of the French patriot, Masan, who was condemned to imprisonment in Morro Castle for resisting the cession of the colony to Spain. West End and Spanish Fort, two beautiful parks on Lake Ponchartrain, are favorite resorts for those who enjoy the water, with its attendant sports of yachting, boating and bathing. There are a number of smaller parks and playgrounds throughout the city. With green- swards and spraying fountains they afford ample breathing spaces for rich and poor alike. 17 -; J (Li III V*|\v (linn rtf!i * JLll t^i rfTfrOTT III Courthouse U. S. Court Building and Postoffice NEW ORLEANS — GATEWAY TO PANAMA CANAL Sometime during the present year the first ship will pass through the Panama Canal, marking on its eventful voyage the consummation of the most titanic engineering feat of all history and the realization of the fantastic vision of the Spanish explorer, Balboa, who, just four centuries ago, standing on the Pacific ' ' shores of the Isthmus, saw in mirage the two great oceans of the earth united in a commercial wedlock that should one day bring the peoples of the world into closer communion and make more possible the ultimate fulfillment of man's destiny. More than any other nation, the United States should share greatly in the trade and commerce of this new highroad of the Far East, for it will place her, for the first time, in a position to compete with Germany, England and her other European rivals for the trade of South America and the Orient; in fact it should give a monopoly on all classes of nierchandise on which freight is a consideration. Under existing conditions, a large portion of this country's exports to the western coast of South America and to the Orient are carried by rail to some Atlantic seaport, there by regular ocean carrier to London, Havre, Rotterdam or Hamburg, and from there trans-shipped by steamer to its ultimate point of destination. The opening of the Panama Canal revolutionizes this condition of affairs, for it will mark a saving of 18,000 miles in the traveled highroads of commerce between the American Middle West and the Orient, and necessarily must divert a tremendous portion of this reciprocal trade to the Gulf of Mexico, well called the "Mediterranean of the To-morrow." Indeed the to-morrow might be said with all truth to be already here. No seaports of the world, indeed, have shown such tremendous trade increase as have the ports of the Gulf of Mexico in the past few years. The prow of the tramp steamer, that harbinger of the world's trade, is already pointed gulfward, and in a very few years, at most, the Gulf of Mexico will be as important to the New World as the Mediter- ranean, in the zenith of its power, was to the Old. And of all the seaports of the Gulf of Mexico no one should have a greater future than New Orleans, the recognized gateway to the Panama Canal. Geographically and strategically New Orleans is the Mistress of the Gulf. Situated at the mouth of the greatest of the earth's waterways, with its tributary developed section of the land, it is the logical link between the Middle West and the Far East. Its harbor, embracing some forty-six miles of perfect anchorage, is only a little more than a hundred miles from the open seas, yet just far enough away from it to be free from any danger of storm or tidal waves, is susceptible to indefinite extension, and well able to care for the trade and commerce of centuries to come. From the day Bienville, foreseeing the needs of another day, moved the capital of Louisiana from Biloxi to New Orleans, the Crescent City has always played an important part in the industrial life of the nation. Before the war she was the third city in America, and it is fair to assume that but for that epoch-making era in our history, she would to-day stand second only to New York, with the possibility of even outranking the country's chief metropolis, for the lines of trade would be from north to south, instead of east to west, and instead of thousands of miles of steel rail across the countless desert, the waterways would first have been developed to a point where the mighty Mississippi and its tributaries would have regained their pristine greatness as the common carriers of the nation. As it is. New Orleans is already a seaport of considerable magnitude, standing second among the great seaports of the United States. New Orleans has enjoyed a sustained and healthy growth, attaining her present proud position solely as the result of natural development, a statement borne out by the fact that in the last decade her tonnage and trade have been increased by easy processes from 2,500,000 to 5,500,000, and from $170,000,000 to $250,000,000, respectively. (Continued on page 29) 10 Beauregard Public School e:^ SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES In the matter of education, New Orleans is also moving forward. While the population of the city showed an increase in the last ten years of only 15 per cent., the public school enrollment increased nearly 50 per cent., and the educational appropriations from $600,000 to more than twice that sum. More than two million dollars have been spent in the same period in constructing new school buildings; buildings which are not only architectural monuments to the city, but represent the last word in public school construction. There are now eighty-seven schools in New Orleans, with nearly 2,000 teachers, and an enrollment of nearly 50,000 pupils. There are also three vocation schools and eight institutions of manual training. Altogether, New Orleans' public school system is eminently abreast of the times. Tulane University provides advanced education for more students than any other collegiate institution in the South, with the exception of the State University of Texas. For the session of 1913-1914 there were enrolled 1,564, exclusive of the students in the summer school. In its libraries Tulane has about 63,000 books and pamphlets. In addition, Tulane enjoys the use of the Howard Library, a scholars' library for special work, of the City Library, and of the resources of the Louisiana Historical Society Museum, and other museums and collections, the like of which are not to be found in the small college town. The Medical College of Tulane University, with a standing of Al in the rating of the Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association, has the immense advantage of access to the wards of the great Charity Hospital for study. Tulane has other special facilities in the city. No other city of the South has an art museum in any way comparable with the Delgado Museum, and few have any art collections at all. This museum the Tulane art students use continuously. The city also affords other advantages for practical work. Engineering students visit shops and new engineering enterprises, students of music attend concerts at frequent intervals, and there is also close co-operation between the workers of the newspapers and the Tulane teaching of journalism. Tulane differs from most southern colleges, not only in the scope of its work and in its favorable location, but in its organization. It is the only large university in the South unhampered either by denominational control or by politics of any sort. Tulane is, in a sense, a State institution. When the original University of Louisiana was marged into Tulane University of Louisiana, the new institution was made exempt from taxation and gave to Louisiana boys a large number of free scholarships. The Jesuit High School, located in the historic old college building of the Jesuit Fathers in Baronne Street, has been famous for many generations as a seat of learning and culture, where, during nearly seventy years, many of the city's most prominent professional men and most affluent merchants received their education, and within whose walls, in many instances, father, son and grandson have been taught the classics and the sciences; that grand old college still echoes back the lusty cheers of youthful throats that marked the spot sixty-five years ago. The College Department was transferred to Loyola University in September, 1911. This change relieved the congested condition of the school. The Jesuit priest needs no recommendation in New Orleans. His formation, after long years of serious and whole-hearted devotion to the work in hand, gives a finish and refinement that, in the daily routine, is gradually diffused and spread till those who are in the class become, like their professor, true gentlemen and finished scholars. On Lake Pontchartrain OUTDOORS ALL THE YEAR Golf has within the last year or two taken its place in New Orleans as the most important and popular of the outdoor sports. While the Crescent City has per- haps been slow to give the ancient and royal game the recognition it has received in many other sections of the country, developments that have recently taken place insure at least one of the finest courses to be found anywhere, which should prove an everlasting attraction to the tourist, as New Orleans is one of the few places where such outdoor games can be played with comfort every day in the year. Among the older clubs there is the Audubon Golf Club, with an excellent eighteen- hole, 5,940-yard course, with 74 par; the Country Club at City Park, with a beautiful building and a nine-hole course, and the recently organized Oakland Country Club, with a nine-hole course, and exceedingly attractive clubhouse. Organization of the New Orleans Country Club was coinpleted in February and March, 1914; this promises to be the greatest club in the South for outdoor sports; the membership limit of 600 was reached almost immediately after the call was issued; each member is a holder of one share of stock and the fund thus created has been used in purchasing the old Oakland Driving Park, containing 86 acres of high, well- drained land, with a magnificent vista of century-old oaks, fifteen minutes' street car ride from the business center of the city, on the New Basin Canal. More than $300,000 will be spent on ground, buildings and improvements, which will include an eighteen-hole golf course, tennis courts, boat-house for rowing and power- boats, swimming pool and dormitories; $100,000 will be spent on the clubhouse. The Club will be ready for service January 1, 1915. New Orleans is unquestionably without a rival as a playground. All lovers of the big outdoors can count on more sunshine and balmy air out of 365 days than anywhere else. No snow nor sleet to make slush under foot. There are no biting blizzards. No weather is so inclement that the golf or tennis player may not spend a large portion of each day in the open. Lakes Pontchartrain, Maurepas and Borgne, and the many bayous and canals in the immediate vicinity, invite the water-lovers with their sail and motor boats. These water courses may be seen dotted with small craft for twelve months in the year, and it is seldom that they are driven to cover. The Southern Yacht Club, at West End, on Lake Pontchartrain, is the second oldest yacht club in the United States, and some of the fastest sailing boats in the world are entered in its annual regattas, which are social as well as sporting events. The lake front is dotted with smaller boat clubs, for which Bayou St. John and the New Basin canal offer haven. In addition to thousands of yachts and power-boats, there are house-boats, many of them veritable floating palaces of comfort; and the number which find their way down the Mississippi to New Orleans is increasing each year. While their owners enjoy the hospitality of the southern metropolis in its festive mood of midwinter, their boats are tied along shore, a convenient berth overnight. New Orleans has one of the few active and successful polo clubs to be found in the country, and the New Orleans Lawn Tennis Club is one of the strongest organizations of its kind; every month in the year its courts are filled with duck-clad devotees of the racquet. The fact that New Orleans is practically surrounded bv water tends to raise the temperature in Winter and lower it in Summer. Only twice during the past forty years has the temperature risen above 100 degrees, and only three times has it fallen below 20 degrees. In short, it is an ideal climate for the man or woman who prefers being outdoors. It is fast gaining a reputation as a Summer Resort. Whether the northerner is shivering with cold in Winter or sizzling with heat in Summer, New Orleans, with her salubrious climate, is proving more and more irresistible. 23 A Morning's Hunt ^J^:]^g^j^^mm^^,^^j^ Green Trout (Large-Mouth Bass) FINS, FUR AND FEATHERS Nowhere in America have the disciples of Nimrod greater opportunities for a full enjoyment of the pleasures of hunting than are afforded at the very threshold of New Orleans. Louisiana is the winter home of the blue goose. The duck shooting in winter months is unsurpassed and unequaled anywhere in the world. All known American specimens aboimd in great numbers. Quail are plentiful, and the snipe shooting cannot be surpassed. There is big game in this section of the country and those who want to chance it with bear or wolf will find Bruin and his shaggy brother waiting for him. Deer are plentiful and in the open season some fine prizes are bagged. Followers in the footsteps of Izaak Walton find, in New Orleans and Louisiana, the true land of promise and fulfillment. There is only one precept for the visiting angler in New Orleans, "seek and ye shall find," and the harvest is of far greater magnitude than a similar effort would yield in other localities. Amateur and expert alike, here, have a common ground to stand on. The fish are there to be caught. One of the most attractive fishing localities, for both visitor and resident alike, lies but forty-five minutes from New Orleans by suburban trains — the far-famed "Gulf Coast;" here is located the fisherman's domain of plenty. Paralleling the shore at various distances are the famous shell keys — the central zone of the fishing grounds. These keys are made up of oyster and clam shells washed up from the sands and ocean's bed and deposited by the tide and eddying currents. These beds are the feeding grounds of the salt-water fish, who get sustenance from the marine growths on the shells. Rare and tasty are these morsels, which the finny inhabitants of the vast expanses of the waters of the Mexican Gulf gather from the encrusted vegetable growths. To avail themselves of these bounties the fish flock there in goodly numbers, thus assuring the angler the presence of what he really most desires in all the world — - FISH. Here can be caught the lordly tarpon. Next to the tarpon the gamiest fish to be caught in these waters is the jackfish. He is an all-summer fish, and is game, stubborn and strong. Another fish to tempt the angler is the leaping shark. They average from three to six feet in length and furnish exciting sport for those who would battle with brain and brawn with these game fish. The red fish in these waters is very game. They are caught principally in October and November. Speckled trout are the most plentiful and easiest caught of the salt-water fish. They run in great schools from April to November. The far-famed Louisiana sheep- head, without a doubt, is as scary, timid and wary as the sheep whose name he bears. These fish are very difficult to hook, and a good catch of sheephead is a triumph of which any angler may justly be proud. He will take only the choicest live bait, his appetite varying with the seasons, and from day to day. This fish is caught at its best in Lake Ponchartrain, between the North and South Shore Clubs. One of the most desirable fish to tempt the angler's skill in these waters is the black fish. Pompano and Spanish mackerel are plentiful in season. Among the fresh-water fish which are to be caught in and about New Orleans, and there are many species of them to be had, the green trout (large-mouth bass of the North) offers the most attractive sport for the visiting angler. Fishing for green trout is particularly popular on account of the pleasures attendant in angling along beautiful shaded streams, whose scenic grandeurs and picturesqueness cannot be found elsewhere in all the world. There are also various kinds of perch, the choicest being the goggle-eye and the sackalay, a beautiful striped fish; there is also the gray, the black and the red-belly perch in endless cjuantities. 25 In the Evangeline Country An Old Plantation Home THE LAND OF THE ACADIANS The region where reigns perpetual summer, Where through the Golden Coast, and groves of orange and citron, Sweeps with majestic curve the river, always to the eastward." " Beautiful is the land, with its prairies and forests of fruit trees; Under the feet a garden of flowers, and the bluest of heavens Bending above, and resting its dome on the walls of the forest. They who dwell there have named it the Eden of Louisiana." From New Orleans the up-river excursion may be made to Bayou Sara through the cane fields and plantations, with negro cabins sprawling in the sunshine, past the old town of Plaquemine, the beautiful college town of Convent, in St. James_ Parish, and the imposing State Capitol at Baton Rouge, set on terraced hills. It is quite worthy of the two days, or perhaps less, that it takes to make the trip. Or one may go down the river by water or rail to Buras, in the very heart of the Orange Country. No more beautiful or prolific orange groves are to be found in Florida or California than those a few miles below New Orleans. Oranges have been grown in the New Orleans area for two hundred years, and grapefruit for the past thirty years. Green foliage-bordered river banks, studded with golden fruit, make a most attractive picture with which to enrapture the eye of the visitor. If one is imbued with the spirit of romance and adventure and does not mind "roughing it" for a few days, he may continue to Grand Isle, a famous old resort, noted for its fine surf bathing. The very atmosphere of Grand Isle, where the sea ever sings a dirge-like requiem, and every breeze from the distant Caribbean is freighted with the perfume of tropic flowers, suggests the romance of a buried past. Many of its inhabitants are descended from Jean Lafittc's pirate crew, and many stirring stories are told of the daring forays and raids of the buccaneers. The tourist encounters a strange population — a population made up of French, Portuguese, Spanish, Filipinos, Chinese and the true type of Creole. Many of these are the grandchildren, or the great grandchildren, of Lafitte's picaroons, and there are family traditions which ring with the booming of cannon and the clashing of short arms, comparing with the darkest legends of mediaeval times. The Lafittcs were long popular heroes in the old city, and as they carried letters of marque from the Republic of Carthagena, they were considered privateers, with the privilege of preying upon ships flying the English flag, by those who defended them. There is an old house in Chartres Street, facing the St. Louis Hotel, where, according to popular story, Jean and Pierre Lafitte met General Andrew Jackson one cold winter night late in 1814, and tendered him their swords for service in the campaign that was being planned against the British. Another delightful excursion may be made through the Bayou Teche Country to Opelousas, and the old town of St. Martinville, where some of the finest sugar plantations in the State are to be seen. This dreamy and beautiful bayou is in the heart of the "Land of the Acadians." "On the banks of the Teche are the towns of St. Maur and St. Martin." 'Here no hungry winter congeals our blood like the rivers; Here no stony ground provokes the wrath of the farmer; Smoothly the plowshare runs through the soil, as a keel through the water. All the year round the orange groves are in blossom; and grass grows More in a single night than a whole Canadian Summer." NEW ORLEANS- GATEWAY TO PANAMA CANAL— Continued New Orleans' foreign trade for 1912 was greater than that of any other year in her history, her exports and imports aggregating $254,111,700, representing an increase of approximately $17,000,000 in exports and $15,000,000 in imports, over the calendar year of 1911. New Orleans' exports were valued at $170,757,220, and her imports at $83,354,480, practically $58,000,000 of the latter being exempt from duty. New Orleans' trade with Cuba, Porto Rico, Mexico and Central America has grown at an extraordinary rate within the last few years, and promises to increase with even greater rapidity in the years to come. In 1900 the total trade between these countries amounted to less than $13,000,000, while in 1912 this figure had almost reached the fifty million mark, an increase of nearly 300 per cent. What this trade will represent after a revision of the tariff downward has been effected can only be conjectured. But it is not only as a port that New Orleans is moving forward in the march of world progress; in every avenue of civic life she is undergoing a metamorphosis that promises one day to make her one of the mightiest cities of the world. There have been many cities in the last decade that have grown up from the plains themselves, magnificent tributes to our American citizenship, but few that have undergone such revolutionary changes as has the romantic old city of New Orleans, that under five flags has played such a picturesque roie in the history of the New World. Ten years ago New Orleans had no sewerage system whatsoever, now she has one of the most modern in the country; ten years ago she depended on the mosquito- breeding cistern for her water supply, now she has as fine a water plant as can be found anywhere in the world; ten years ago she had few paved streets, now she has over two hundred miles of paved roadways and is each year extending her activities in this direction. Her port facilities, too, are being developed at a rapid rate, and on intelligent lines, New Orleans' municipally owned docks, warehouses, and terminal facilities being greater than those of any other municipally ownecl similar utilities in the United States. Since the city, some ten years ago, by legislative action, gained control of the port of New Orleans, some five million dollars have been expended in construction of steel wharves and sheds, building a belt railroad and in various other ways improving the facilities of the port. At the present time there are approximately six miles of steel docks, affording berth space for seventy steamers from 400 to 500 feet in length. There are over three and a half miles of sheds, having approximately 2,500,000 square feet of floor space. Altogether more than three and a half million dollars have been expended on New Orleans' harbor since the Port Commission was placed in control. Another institution that is doing much to further the development of New Orleans is the Belt Railroad, a municipally owned public utility, which acts as a transferring agent between the various railroads entering the city, the city manufacturers and the public docks. This railroad has a present length of eleven miles, with forty industrial spurs, but it is intended ultimately to entirely encircle the city with a double line and to provide many more miles of emergency switches. The Belt Railroad represents an investment of $500,000 on the part of the city, and is returning an annual revenue of $250,000. However, this is only a beginning, for those who have the interest of the port at heart realize that her trade can be developed only by providing her with the facilities to handle an enormous annual commerce economically and expeditiously. With this end in view, it is now proposed to build a comprehensive system of warehouses, to increase the switching facilities of the port, and to further extend the docks on either side of the river 29 Banana Wharf THE TOURIST'S MECCA Although interesting, unique and replete with marine, commercial and social greatness, New Orleans' principal allurements to the tourist often lies in the city being the great American Mecca, from which myriads of pilgrimages can be made to satisfy bountifully the cravings of each individual seeker's wants, and in infinite variety and plenty. Thousands of travelers come to New Orleans annually for the convenience it presents in reaching foreign lands and climes. The trip to Panama at present bids fair to hold the prestige of popularity with those in whose veins runs the spirit of wanderlust — the longing for strange places and sights to sec. The journey is made in luxurious, superb steamers, where every comfort of modern steamship travel is afforded. ROMANTIC SALT MINING One hundred miles from the "Crescent City" lies Week's Island, where, five hundred feet beneath the surface, veritable Mammoth Caves, cut from the solid, transparent rock, are the great rock-salt mines of Louisiana, prototypes of those mystic caverns that inspired the facile pens of those grand romancers, Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson. With a visible supply of some billion tons of rock salt available, Louisiana can supply the demands of the world for salt, centuries to come. MARVELOUS SULPHUR MINES Within a comfortable day's journey from the city lie the wonderful Louisiana sulphur mines, the largest in the world, where sulphur is brought from the earth above 99 per cent, pure; unique in their operations, because not a single workman ever goes beneath the surface, every operation being carried on above ground. The marvelous method of melting sulphur from the bowels of the earth, by the application of hot water and steam, and pumping it to the surface by compressed air, is one of the wonderful sights not duplicated anywhere else in the world. IN THE OIL FIELDS Li northern Louisiana lie the wonderful oil fields of Caddo Parish, and in the western section the famous Jennings field. Both afford the searcher after the unique and bizarre a wealth of sight-seeing opportunities. THE LOGGING CAMP Louisiana is the second greatest lumbering State in the United States. Jaunts to the hearts of the sweet-scented, life-giving "piney woods," and the cypress forests are easy of access to the tourist. The charm of these back-to-nature trips, and the thrill of excitement attendant on first-hand glimpses of the logging camps, are refresh- ing and inspiring. WHERE THE SUGAR CANE GROWS A trip to the sugar mills and plantations is a panoramic and kaleidoscopic unfolding of man's and Nature's wonders — pleasing, instructive and impressive. THE RIVIERA OF AMERICA The "Riviera of America," the "Gulf Coast Country," a few hours' journey from New Orleans, has been termed. Here the tourists find lavish bounties from out the treasure chest of Nature showered upon them in gorgeous scenic vistas, in invigorating sea breezes from the broad expanse of rippling waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and in the health-giving, life-restoring winds from the celebrated "Ozone Belt" which adjoins it. The Gulf Coast, strictly speaking, is a narrow strip of country running from Chef Menteur, nineteen miles east of New Orleans, to Pascagoula, more than eighty- five miles beyond. Here is situated the pleasure-ground and suburban homes of the city's wealth and culture. It was in this beautiful place President Woodrow Wilson spent his 1913-14 winter vacation. 31 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 497 780 4(