The Airline is a Very Long Road

“the list of the lost and the saved will show anybody acquainted with this state that there was gathered upon this little spot in the gulf, at the time of the storm, a large representation of the wealth and intelligence of the best classes of the population of louisiana. they made the barren sand-bank the seat of refinement and hospitality, where in a single day, almost in a single hour, death came in his most hideous form and swept one half of them into a nameless grave, and made the whole place desolate forever. the memory of this storm, which has carried mourning into every parish in south louisiana for the untimely fate of kindred or dear friends, will, for many a year to come, repel with a shudder all thought of last island for a dwelling place. every murmur of the cooling surf, in its quietest mood; and every sign of the summer breeze, in its balmiest breathing, will be a saddening memento of the time when a happy crowd were gathered there for innocent enjoyment, and the storm came suddenly and heaped the waters upon them. the sea and the winds will seem to chant an eternal dirge for the dead.”

glass plate mugshots. new orleans, louisiana. circa early 1900s.