The Portland daily press., 1872-03-08
Mark Twain's First Literary Production.


A correspondent of the Cincinnati Com
mercial, writing from New Orleans, repro
duces the first literary production of 'tMark
Twain" 1t was written in 1859, while
MARK was pilot on Mississippi river
steamboat, and was published in the New
Orleans Crescent under the signature of
Sergeant Fathom." The squib may be new
to some of the admirers of Mr. Clemens, and
therefore we give it:
X. r. STEAMER TROMBONE,
VICKsBURG, May s, 1859.
The river from New Orleans up to Natchez
is higher than it has been since the niggers
were executed (which was in the fall of 1881
and my opinion is, that if the rise continues
at this rate, the water will be on the roof of
the st. Charles Hotel before the middle of
January. The point at, Cairo, which has not
even been moistened by the river since 1918,
is now entirely under water. However, Mr..
Editor, the inhabitants of the Mississippi
Valley should not act precipitately and sell
their plantations at sacrifice ON account of
this prophesy of mine, for shall proceed to
convince them of great fact in regard to this
matter, viz: That the tendency of the Missis-
sippi is to ri'e less and-less higher every year
with occasiOi al variation of the rule y that
such has been the case for many centuries and
finally that it will cease to rise at all. There
fore, would suggest to the planters, as we
say in an innocent little parlor game common
ly called "draw," that if they can only ''stand
raise' this time, they may enjoy the COM
Portable assurance that the old rivers banks
will never hold s'fulp' again during their
natural lives. In the summer of 1853 Games
down the river on the old first "Jubileep'
She was new then, however; a singular sort
OF a single-engine boat with Chinese Cap
tain and Choctaw crew, forecastle on her
stern, wheels in the centre, and the jackstaff
nowhere" for steered her with a window
shutter, and when l wanted to land we sent a
line ashore, and rounded her to'' with a
yoke of oxen. Well, sir, we wooded off the
top of the big bluff above Selma-the only dry
land visible-and waited there three weeks,
swapping knives and playing "seyen up''
with the Indians, waiting for the riuer to fall
Finally it fell about hundred feet, and we
went on.
One day We rounded to, and got in
horse-trough which my partner borrowed
from the Indians up there at Selma while
they were at prayers, and went down to
sound around No. s, and while / was gone
my partner got around on the hills at Hick-
man. After three days labor we finally sue
ceeded in sparring her off with capstan bar
and went on to Memphis. By the time we
got there the river had subsidized to such an
extent that we were able to land where the
Gayoso House now stands. We finished
loading at Memphis, and engaged part of the
stone for the present st. Louis Court House
(which was then in process of erection) to be
taken up on their return trip. You can form
some conception by these memoranda of how
high the water was in 1763. In 1773 it did
not rise so high by thirty feet; in 1870 it miss
ed the original marks at least sixty-five feet;
in 1897 one hundred and fifty feet, and it 1903
nearly two hundred and fifty feet. These
were ''high water years. The ''high wa
ters" since then have been so insignificant
that have scarcely taken the trouble to no
tice them. Thus, you will perceive, that the
planters need not feel uneasy.
The river may make an occasional spas
modic effort at flood, but the time is ap-
preaching when it will cease to rise alto
gether.
In conclusion, sir, 1 will eondescend to
hint at the foundation of these arguments.
When me and De Soto discovered the Missis-
sippi, could stand at Boliver Landing (sey-
eral miles above Roaring Waters Bari and
pitch biscuit to the main shore on the 9TH
er side, and in low water we waded acros, at
Donaldsonville. The gradual widening and
deepening OF the river is the whole secret of
the matter. Yours, &C.,
SERGEANT FATHOM.
A few days after the appearance of the
above, in answer to q correspondent, the
Crescent announced the name of the au-
thor.