﻿in] 
  The 
  Five 
  Islands 
  : 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  241 
  

  

  day.* 
  The 
  salt 
  was 
  quarried 
  from 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  large 
  open 
  pits. 
  

   This 
  was 
  a 
  scene 
  of 
  great 
  activity 
  until 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  

   works 
  by 
  the 
  Federal 
  forces 
  under 
  General 
  Banks, 
  April 
  17, 
  i863.t 
  

   The 
  amount 
  of 
  salt 
  taken 
  out 
  is 
  estimated 
  between 
  10,000 
  and 
  

   30,000 
  tons. 
  

  

  Present 
  period 
  : 
  i86j-i8gg. 
  — 
  After 
  this, 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  work 
  was 
  

   done 
  in 
  mining 
  the 
  salt 
  till 
  1867 
  when 
  Chouteau 
  and 
  Price 
  sunk 
  

   the 
  first 
  shaft 
  8x8 
  feet 
  and 
  83 
  feet 
  deep 
  ; 
  a 
  depth 
  which 
  was 
  

   afterwards 
  increased 
  to 
  90 
  feet. 
  Of 
  this, 
  58 
  feet 
  were 
  in 
  solid 
  

   salt. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  Hilgard's 
  visit 
  (Nov. 
  1867), 
  galleries 
  eight 
  

   to 
  ten 
  feet 
  high 
  and 
  25 
  feet 
  wide 
  had 
  been 
  driven 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  

   to 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  150 
  feet 
  each 
  way. 
  Work 
  was 
  finally 
  abandoned 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Chouteau 
  in 
  1870 
  upon 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Price. 
  

  

  In 
  1879 
  the 
  mines 
  were 
  leased 
  to 
  the 
  Galveston 
  company 
  and 
  

   in 
  1880 
  were 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  Salt 
  company. 
  The 
  

   American 
  Salt 
  company 
  occupied 
  Chouteau's 
  90 
  foot 
  shaft 
  and 
  

   fitted 
  up 
  a 
  mill 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  shaft 
  for 
  crushing 
  the 
  salt. 
  

   In 
  order 
  to 
  secure 
  transportation, 
  a 
  canal 
  was 
  cut 
  across 
  the 
  

   marshes 
  from 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Petite 
  Anse 
  bayou 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf. 
  

  

  *Supplement 
  a 
  la 
  Geologic 
  Pratique 
  de 
  la 
  Louisiane. 
  He 
  Petite 
  Anse. 
  

   Bull. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  France, 
  2d 
  series, 
  vol. 
  20, 
  1863, 
  p. 
  543. 
  

  

  f 
  This 
  date 
  of 
  occupation 
  is 
  taken 
  from 
  extracts 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Orleans 
  Era 
  

   of 
  April 
  19, 
  1S63 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Times 
  April 
  27. 
  This 
  is 
  quite 
  

   interesting 
  as 
  giving 
  a 
  very 
  early 
  newspaper 
  discription 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  and 
  as 
  

   showing 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  mining 
  operations 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  

   " 
  For 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  months 
  it 
  " 
  (the 
  Steamer 
  Cornie) 
  " 
  has 
  been 
  constantly 
  

   employed 
  in 
  carrying 
  salt 
  from 
  the 
  mines, 
  seven 
  miles 
  southwest 
  of 
  New 
  

   Iberia, 
  to 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  Teche 
  and 
  Cahawba 
  Bayous. 
  From 
  this 
  point 
  

   the 
  salt 
  has 
  been 
  transported 
  to 
  Alexandria, 
  and 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  Red 
  River, 
  to 
  

   Vicksburg, 
  Port 
  Hudson 
  and 
  other 
  places 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  rebels." 
  * 
  * 
  

   * 
  * 
  * 
  " 
  Seven 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  New 
  Iberia 
  and 
  near 
  Vermillion 
  bay, 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  a 
  mud 
  lake, 
  thick 
  grown 
  with 
  flag 
  and 
  cane, 
  rises 
  a 
  ledge 
  of 
  solid 
  

   rock, 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  depth 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  discovered. 
  From 
  

   this 
  mine 
  thousands 
  of 
  dollars' 
  worth 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  salt 
  has 
  been 
  daily 
  sent 
  

   away 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  rebel 
  army. 
  Negroes 
  were 
  employed 
  to 
  blast 
  and 
  

   iDteak 
  it 
  up, 
  some 
  being 
  ground 
  at 
  the 
  mine. 
  It 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  rebels 
  

   paid 
  four 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  cents 
  per 
  pound 
  for 
  what 
  they 
  took 
  away. 
  When 
  our 
  

   troops 
  reached 
  Iberia" 
  (April 
  17) 
  " 
  a 
  regiment 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  destroy 
  all 
  tools 
  

   and 
  machinery 
  there. 
  " 
  

  

  See 
  also 
  Annual 
  Cyclopaedia, 
  1863. 
  Appleton 
  and 
  Co. 
  New 
  York 
  p. 
  

   70, 
  1867. 
  P 
  

  

  