The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-07-16
MARK TWAIN.
An Oil Engineer Who Remembers
Him as n "Cub''-A Plotting
Experience Not Set Forth
in the Atlantic.

-
talking to future great citizen about
the old steamboat days of St. Louis,
when Captains, clerks and pilots ran
the town, and ran it under full head of
steam, an ancient mariner let up on
whiting the srm of the next chair,
/ turned toward us, and remarked: "Yon
was speaking of the old river days?"
"We was" | replied. perhaps, now,
you have been reading some of Sam.
Clemens yarns?''' I held up a copy of
the Atlantic, open at Mark Twain's ar
ticle, which had really brought about
the conversation. "Yes, thought so;
we'll, he don't tell all he knows" said
the social riverman, reaching over for
tobacco pouch which a gentleman was
passing to friend. There's one little
affair he hasn't worked into print yet,
and it isn't likely he will"
The social quit off on his reminiscence
at this point, and talked generally about
the bad outlook of the crops and univer
sal disadvantage of dryness. Seeing
that nothing hut gin and sugar would
start him anew, he was persuaded into
convenient bar-room, and, after hoisting
in three fingers (held vertically, a
! handful Of crackers, and several chunks
of cheese, he proceeded with his anec-
dote, interrupting himself number of
! times to remark 10 the bar-keeper. "The
same, pard."
81 was first engineer of the Alexander
Scott when Sam. Clemens Mark Twain
was a cub in her pilot-house. He was a
clipper young chap, with legs no bigger
than casting line, and fuller of tricks
than mule colt. He worked off jokes
on everybody aboard, from the skipper
down to the roosters (darky deckhands),
but they were all taken in good part.
only ] lay by two or three to pay back.
About the time Sam. got the run of the
river well enough to stand alone at the
wheel, the Scott went into the Lower
River trade, carrying cotton from Mem
phis 20 New Orleans. Perhaps, how,
you never see boat in the cotton trade
burn? Well, you may cover your cotton
from stem to stern with tarpaulins, and
keep your donkey-epgines steamed up,
but if spark of fire touches cotton
enough to FL tooth, your boats
corpse It's quicker'n gnn-pQwder to
burn, and no pilot can reach the lower
deck from the texas in time to save him
self, let alone his Saratoga. So, you see,
every body in that trade is on the watch,
and an alarm of fire in a boat loaded
with cotton will turn mans hair gray
qnicker'n an alligator can swaller mig
ger.
"Sam, being young pilot, and new to
the cotton trade, was told over and over
again how the profession would lose a
promising cub if ever a fire broke out
on the Scott, and the boy got nervous
Ny striker and me always managed to
be in the lunch-room when Sam. came
off watch, and as he came IN we would
talk abont the number of cotton boats
that burnt in such year, and how such
cub would have made lightning pilot
if he hadn't got burnt up in the cotton
trade, and We always noticed that Sam Is
appetite failed HIM after that, and in
stead of going TO bed he would go prowl-
ing around the lower deck, and peering
! about the hatchwayR, smelling at every
: opening, like pup that had lost its
master.
"One day when We backed out of
Memphis with big cargo of cotton,
complained, in Sam.'s hearing that the
mate had loaded the boat too near the
= engines. The boy followed me into the
, engine-room, and, without seeming to
E notice him, l told my striker I would
do my level best to keep that cotton
! from catching fire, but that it was a slim
chance with bales piled right up before
e the furnace-doors. Sam. got whiter'n a
e bulk head, and went up to the texas.
e where he packed his Saratoga, ready for
S any business that might come before the
= meeting. When he went on watch !
$ posted the second clerk to keep an eve
e on him.
0 "He hid behind a smoke-stack and
s saw Sam. alone in the pilot house, his
7 hair on end, his face Ikea corpse's, and
] his eyes sticking out so far you could
C have knocked them off with stick. He
= danced around the pilot-house, turned
$ up his nose like he was smelling for a
# polecat; pulled every bell, turned the
! boats nose for the bank, and yelled
t fire! like a Cherokee Indian on the war
: path. That yell brought every b. dy on
h deck. We had big cargo of passengers
e and the women screeched, the men rush.
e ed for cork pillows, and the crew yanked
IS the doors off their hinges .and rushed to
e the guards, ready to go overheard al
e the first moderation of weather. The
u skipper had hard work to make the crazy
passengers believe that there wasn't any
e fire, but he brought them to reason fin
l. ally. l paid no attention to Sam. i
q frantic yells, so the boat didn't run h.l
e nozzle against the bank he aimed for
% The captain and first pilot and lot o
IS passengers after hunting all over th,
A boat, couldn't find sign of fire any
d where outside the furnaces, and theI
,e they went for Sam. He swore up anC
10 down that he smelt cotton burning; NJ
le use talking to him-he knew the smel
d of burning cotton, and by thunder, h
r had smelt it.
a, "The first pilot said kind of soft an'
N pityingly to Sam: MY boy, If you'c
is told me you was so near the jim-jims IL
e. stood double watch for you. Now yol
,e go and soak your head in bucket o
e. water. and take good sleep, and you'll
h. be all right by Tomorrow Sam jus
N billed over at this, and when n pretty
Is young woman passenger said to tn
h skipper, loud enough for Sam. to hear
a $50 young and nice looking, so-ho'
ne sad il would make his poor mother fee
as to hear how he drinks" he fairly frothe'