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The Lake Charles
American-Press, February 16, 1917, p 4.
Daniel
Goos
Pioneer
Lumberman
Born March 23, 1815 on Schlesweg-Holstein
Island--
Located Here in 1855
The history of a section or community is so
interwoven with the lives of the people who made it, with
their problems and struggles, their joys, ambitions, hopes and
fears, that the American-Press has decided to give articles
from time to time bearing on the people of Calcasieu and Lake
Charles in pioneer
days.
These
events concern the actual history of this immediate community,
with romantic sidelights on the people who cast their fortunes
of brain and brawn on an undeveloped country. When ministers
ride from fifty to one hundred miles over desolate roads, with
infrequent stops for food and sleep, to attend the bedside of
some weary soul passing into the great beyond, or perhaps
christen the new baby who first looked into a material world
with none of the surroundings now visible on every side;
sentiment played a great part in everyday life. Commercialism
had not stamped the country for its own in those days, and
neighbors rowed in pirogues miles up and down the river to
visit one another, and often made these visits by moonlight,
enjoying the beauties and splendors of nature in their
primitive state, a privilege few could claim in this
day.
The parish
of Calcasieu has so much of tradition, folk lore and
historical legend interspersed with its development that its
development that a review of these interesting themes will be
found well worth while, and the American-Press believes that
the scrap books of its readers will be richly enhanced by the
collection of charming stories of real people who made our
present civilization possible.
As search is made for the material with which to construct
these hasty sketches of the men whose names should be
household words, one becomes more and more impressed with the
frail tenure on which these life stories hang: the fugitive
scrap of paper, the occasional record in an almost forgotten
book or the lingering recollection stored away as was thought
forever, in some fond
memory.
This
thought was brought forcibly to the writer's mind as he sat in
a cozy room of one of Lake Charles' splendid homes, and
listened to the reminiscences of two sweet-faced silver-haired
ladies as they looked backward through the long vista of years
to those dim days of joys and sorrows, of struggles and
success, while the portraits of a splendid father and noble
mother looked kindly on from the wall. Smiles once in a while,
as some nearly forgotten incident was recalled, but the
laughter was very near to tears; and so the afternoon waned as
the story found
form.
Daniel
Goos was born March 23, 1815, on the island of
Schleswig-Holstein. America lured him on, so at the age of 20
he touched United States soil at Philadelphia, where he
remained but a short while before turning his face southward,
landing in New Orleans. It was here that his fortunes reached
their highest point because it was here he wooed and won his
life partner, Miss Katherine B. Moeling to whom he was married
March 26, 1846. Shortly afterwards Capt. Goos and his
sixteen-year-old bride moved to Biloxi, Miss., where he
engaged in the business of supplying with wood the tow-boats
which plied between Southwest Pass and Biloxi. He moved to
Ocean Springs and engaged in the mercantile and shipping
business until the autumn of 1855, when he came with his
family, goods and servants to Lake Charles and established his
home in what is now the northern end of the city which is
known locally and perhaps will always be known as Goosport.
Here he lived in the great old family mansion till his death
on May 19, 1898, his good wife having preceded him to the
golden beyond on March 11,
1884.
His
children grew to man and womanhood, established beautiful
homes and prospered in this world's goods, but despite their
entreaties to live with them the old patriarch would never
desert the spot where his little ones were raised and the room
where his wife gave up her life. To one of his daughters he
said: "I am not lonely. I sit by my fire with book and pipe
and as the wind blows through the trees I can hear again my
children's romping feet and laughing
voices."
And
many were the people both black and white who sought the old
man for his wise counsel and substantial aid. Capt. Goos' life
was one of tireless energy and work, beginning at the age when
the modern child is entering school. At seven years he
commenced tending cows on his native island of
Schleswig-Holstein, for a neighboring farmer; for seven
months' unwearied attention he received as pay in pffennings
or groschen or some other named coin what would amount to the
munificent sum of one dollar in American money; in addition
the good wife of his employer gave him a cheese which the
sturdy lad struggled home with to give to his mother. Once as
he sat in life's sunset Mrs. Fitzenreiter (one of his
daughters) asked him to recall the happiest moment of his
life. Without hesitation he answered, "The day when I put
before my mother that cheese as the result of my first work,
and saw her smile. "When Capt. Goos established his saw mill
on the very spot where its immense successor, the Calcasieu
Long Leaf Lumber Co.'s mill now stands, he was building in a
wilderness; where now are streets and bridges and cozy homes,
wild deer and turkey, yes, and inquisitive bear were no
uncommon sight. Can you, who read this, imagine a home
surrounded by a high and close pieux cypress fence in order to
protect the little folks from these same bears! And that in
the city limits! and still 'tis
true.
And when
Capt. Goos reached Lake Charles it boasted of the houses of
Jacob Ryan and the Bilbo, Pithon and Hodges families. Jacob
Ryan built the first dwelling place for Capt. Goos and it was
considered a long way out indeed. Indians were plentiful and
became extremely so when they discovered that they were never
allowed to depart hungry. They called him in their tongue "The
Good Man." The Goos mill did its share in building the town:
the old upright saw sliced the logs into strips with the bark
adhering to both edges, which the carpenters could remove at
their leisure. This kind of lumber brought $18 gold per
thousand feet and as the only chance to reach the outside
world was by water, it was natural that the old pioneer should
extend his activities to ship, or rather schooner building.
Sea ways were established and a large force of carpenters
found steady employment. First and last the Goos fleet of
schooners, steamboats and tugboats was a large one, and many
now living remember the Lehman, the Emma Thornton, the
Winnebago, the Cassie and others. When Capt. Goos made America
the land of his adoption, he embraced all its institutions; no
Fourth of July went by without a salute and some of his
children recall one occasion with a little laugh, when his
patriotism put them to some inconvenience. The place selected
for the celebration was on the lake shore where the J. A. Bel
saw mill now stands, and the captain put his family in a big
wagon in order to attend; he also took along two heavy anvils,
and a quantity of gunpowder to properly salute the flag. The
flag was saluted all right, but the unpatriotic horses went
for home the nearest way, leaving the family to follow on
foot. Another anecdote of how really primeval were those days:
A man named Clendenning established a ferry across the
Calcasieu river at what was afterwards known as the Nix ferry
and where the mill of Powell Lumber Co. now stands. A wedding
took place at the Clendenning home and the Goos girls were
among the especially invited. The bride's gown (in those days
they called it a dress) was a pretty flowered swiss, very nice
but badly rumpled. Miss Goos (now Mrs. Capt. Lock) suggested
that appearances would be much improved if an iron was
applied, and when it came out that such an instrument had
never been heard of a halt was called, a negro sent post-haste
to the Goos residence, the smoothing iron brought and in a
short time the proud and happy bride, thoroughly ironed out,
was ready to say the words which put irons of another sort on
her life. This is not
romance.
When
the civil war distracted the land and this section was almost
denuded of men, then Capt. Goos found another opportunity of
doing good. A corn mill was added to the lumber mill and upon
every Saturday meal and grits were manufactured and a fat beef
was slaughtered. This was put in wagons and under the
supervision of one of the Goos boys, was distributed far and
near wherever the pinch of hunger was felt.
The Goos fleet
of schooners became blockade runners going out with lumber and
returning with flour, coffee, sugar, clothing and drugs. It
was a gamble with the odds against them as the federal fleet
was vigilant. It became a custom with the young ladies of the
family to make a flag for each schooner as it started on its
dangerous trip and Mrs. Lock recalls with a little pride that
no schooner flying one of her flags was ever
captured.
Drugs were concealed in barrels of provisions and
at times were the means of saving life. One instance is
recalled where chloroform smuggled through in a barrel of
flour was most efficacious in an amputation
case.
Two
federal gunboats, the Granite City and the Wave, ventured into
the Calcasieu river where they were suddenly attacked and
captured by Green's brigade after a sharp battle. The two
boats containing a considerable number of wounded and sick men
of both sides, were brought to Lake Charles. Some of the
people of the town objected to the landing of the federal sick
and Dr. Ver Meulen, the physician of the gunboats, was firm in
his refusal to have his sick separated. Capt. Goos cut the
knot in characteristic fashion: he ordered every man who was
sick or ill, Yank or Reb, taken to Goosport where a long cool
room was thoroughly cleansed and whitewashed, cots placed in
rows, clean bedding supplied and all made
comfortable.
And
there for long months they remained, the conquerors and the
conquered side by side, the ladies at the "big house"
preparing broths and soups while Mrs. Goos, her noble German
mother-heart tender with love for some other mother's boy,
spent her time with the sick. When they could be moved it was
Capt. Goos' money that found them
transportation.
Dr. Ver Meulen was invited on one occasion to enjoy a dinner
with the family and made his appearance with his uniform
buttoned to the chin with military precision; the weather was
extremely warm but the doctor declined to make himself
comfortable; he afterwards confessed to Capt. Goos that his
only shirt was on the wash line and the temptation of a square
meal was too great for resistance. His wardrobe was
replenished.
When the war closed, Capt. Goos was among the first to see
that the problem of labor would have to be solved along new
lines: The negro was completely upset, and unsettled with his
toy of freedom and the native whites were busier than busy on
their farms and homes; he turned his thoughts to the splendid
men and women across the Atlantic and before long, many began
to arrive; in consequence this section now boasts' a citizenry
unsurpassed, and for it may thank the far seeing man who made
it possible.
Another problem that confronted mill owners was to secure a
regular and steady supply of logs and here again Capt. Goos'
knowledge of men stood him well in hand. A man of particular
ability to handle this complex situation was required and that
man was found in the late A. J. Perkins who brought order out
of confusion, brought the timber market to perfection and
incidentally laid the foundation of his own fortune. At the
risk of causing a run on the Hardware stores for spades an
incident should be recorded here. A house is still standing
near the old Drew mill site which was built with lumber
furnished by the Goos mill for the late Miss Severine Sallier.
Now tradition has it that this estimable lady had a trunkful
of gold coin amounting to about $60,000, and that this fortune
still lies concealed somewhere near this house. Go after it,
ye money
hunters!
In
religion Daniel Goos was of the Lutheran faith, and was one of
the founders of the church in Ford street. He was prominent in
Masonic circles, and while living in New Orleans helped to
establish Germania Lodge F. & A. M. No. 46, chartered
April 18, 1846. When he removed to Calcasieu he occupied the
same relationship to Lake Charles Lodge No.
165.
To complete
this hasty and rambling sketch it is proper to enter the names
of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Goos, Daniel J., Christian,
Fred, Walter S., and Albert E. Goos. Barbara K. wife of
Charles Fitzenreiter, Ellen M., wife of Capt. George Lock,
Rosalie A., wife of Capt. Harry Wachsen, Medora M., wife of
Conrad Funk, Emma M., wife of Richard Richards, Frederica wife
of Reese Perkins, Georgiana, wife of Ernest Timmins,
Katherine, wife of W. W. Flanders, Delphine, wife of J. A.
Bel, Anna Marie, wife of J. Lockwood Williams. A splendid roll
call as all who know them will
attest.
After
Capt. Goos disposed of his milling interest he spent his
declining years quietly at the old home place. On one occasion
when he was planting some pecan trees, a friend passing by,
very strongly intimated that he was planting without hope of
reaping: Said the old veteran "my boy, I know of a stone house
in Germany built by a man of eighty-years, and over the door
is deeply cut these words. "This house is not built for you or
me but for those who will come after
us."
The
objector saw the application and passed on. It is pleasant to
add that the Captain gathered pecans from these same trees. It
might be well to remember that the Goos park lying in the
northern part of the city, consisting of four great squares
was the free gift of this quiet unostentatious man, those
thoughtful eyes was always on the future and whose firm belief
was that the day would come when the suburbs would be thickly
populated. Who knows what the lap of the future may
hold?
It is not
only a wish but a prediction that the day is still far distant
when the memory of Daniel Goos will become dim. |
