﻿Ill] 
  The 
  Five 
  Islands: 
  Belle 
  Isle 
  221 
  

  

  Belle 
  Isle 
  

   Location 
  

  

  Geographical 
  surroundhigs. 
  — 
  Near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Myrtle 
  bayou, 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  distributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Atchafalya 
  and 
  about 
  eight 
  miles 
  

   from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  that 
  river, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  network 
  of 
  bayous 
  

   and 
  impassible 
  sea 
  marsh 
  is 
  Belle 
  Isle. 
  

  

  Myrtle 
  bayou 
  is 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  islands 
  but 
  two 
  

   little 
  deep 
  bayous 
  pass 
  along 
  the 
  island, 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  

   one 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  side. 
  On 
  the 
  south 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  shallow 
  lake, 
  

   Belle 
  Isle 
  lake, 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  long 
  and 
  a 
  quarter 
  as 
  broad, 
  

   with 
  a 
  tiny 
  little 
  marshy 
  island 
  near 
  the 
  northern 
  end 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  

   mile 
  over 
  the 
  marshes 
  is 
  the 
  shore 
  of 
  Atchafalaya 
  bay, 
  an 
  arm 
  

   of 
  the 
  Gulf. 
  (See 
  plate 
  21.) 
  

  

  Topography 
  

  

  Shape 
  and 
  area. 
  — 
  The 
  general 
  shape 
  and 
  immediate 
  surround- 
  

   ings 
  of 
  Belle 
  Isle 
  are 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  topographical 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  

   island 
  (PI. 
  21). 
  The 
  island, 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  portion 
  above 
  the 
  sea 
  

   marsh, 
  has 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  360 
  acres, 
  barely 
  half 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  

   cultivation. 
  

  

  Position 
  of 
  the 
  hills. 
  — 
  The 
  island 
  is 
  a 
  rudely 
  triangular 
  area 
  

   with 
  a 
  single 
  range 
  of 
  hills 
  along 
  its 
  north-west 
  side. 
  This 
  

   range 
  shows 
  four 
  peaks. 
  The 
  highest, 
  " 
  Lookout 
  hill," 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  Cote 
  Carline 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  one 
  place 
  as 
  300 
  acres 
  and 
  in 
  another 
  9,000 
  acres. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  the 
  elevations 
  are 
  based 
  on 
  barometric 
  readings, 
  though 
  some 
  

   are 
  merely 
  guesses. 
  Belle 
  Isle 
  is 
  given 
  as 
  more 
  than 
  200 
  feet 
  high 
  by 
  Maj. 
  

   Stoddard 
  (Sketches 
  of 
  Louisiana, 
  Phila. 
  1812, 
  p. 
  179); 
  85 
  feet 
  by 
  Hilgard 
  

   (Mineral 
  Resources 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  for 
  1882, 
  p. 
  558); 
  and 
  125 
  by 
  Clendenin 
  

   (Bull. 
  La. 
  State 
  Expt. 
  Stations, 
  1896. 
  On 
  the 
  Florida 
  Parishes, 
  etc., 
  p. 
  240). 
  

   It 
  is 
  regretted 
  that 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  lack 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  instruments 
  it 
  was 
  impos- 
  

   sible 
  to 
  do 
  exact 
  leveling 
  this 
  year, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  results 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  altitudes 
  are 
  accurate 
  to 
  within 
  five 
  feet. 
  Leveling 
  was 
  done 
  

   with 
  a 
  Locke's 
  hand 
  level, 
  all 
  levels 
  being 
  run 
  at 
  least 
  twice 
  from 
  different 
  

   points 
  on 
  the 
  nearest 
  bayou, 
  and 
  repeated 
  if 
  the 
  results 
  showed 
  a 
  discrepancy 
  

   greater 
  than 
  five 
  feet. 
  Locations 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  a 
  3)^ 
  inch, 
  open 
  sight, 
  

   Keuffel 
  & 
  Esser 
  compass. 
  While 
  great 
  precision 
  is 
  impossible 
  with 
  these 
  

   instruments, 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  results 
  will 
  advance 
  our 
  knowledge 
  at 
  

   least 
  one 
  step 
  toward 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  degree 
  of 
  refinement. 
  

  

  