Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1875-07-22
MARK TWAIN.S BIG FRIGHT.
4 storv of Old Times ON the Mississippi,
not i'm the atlantic MOnthly.'

4 Story of Old Times ON the Mississippi,
not i'm the ''Atlantic Monthly.
While sitting in front Of the Southern
Hotel talking to future great citizen about |
the old steamboat days of st. Louis, when |
CAPTAINS, clerks and pilots ran the town, ami
ran it under full head of steam, an ancient
mariner let up ON whiting the arm or the !
next chair, turned towards us, and remarked,
You was speaking Of the Cid river days:
eve was" replied. ''Perbaps, EoW, you
have been reading some of Sam Clemens =
yarns?" held up a copy ot the -1No5s3c,
opened at Mark Twain>s article, which had
really brought about the conversation. Yes,
/ thought so; we'll, he don't tell ell he knows,
said the social riyerman, reaching over Tor
tobacco-pouch which q gentleman was pass
ing to friend. ''There's one little affair he
aint worked into print yet, and it amt likely
he will.
The social stranger quit Off on his rem
inscence at this point and talked generally
about the bad outlook Of the crops and the
universal disadvantage of dryness. Seeing
that nothing but gin and sugar would start
him anew, he was persuaded into conven-
lent barroom, and after hoisting in three fing-
ers (hcld verlically,) a handful Of crackers
and several chunks of cheese, he proceeded
with his anecdote, interrupling himself Il
number Of times to remark t. the barkeepes,
1.-The same, pard.'
II was first engineer of the -Alerandsr Scott
when Sam Clemens Mark Twain) was cub
in her pilot-house. He was chipper young
chap, with legs no bigger casting line, ana
fuller of tricks than mule colt tie worked
off jokes on everybody aboard, from me
skipper down to the roosters (darkey deck
hands.) but they were all taken ia good part,
but lay 10y two or three to pay back. About
the time Sam got the run Of the river enough
to stand alone at the wheel, the Scott went
into the lower river trade, carrying cotton
from Memphis to New Orleans. Perhaps,
now. 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 engine steamed up, but if spark OF
fire touches cotton, enough to nil to0th,
your boats a corpse. It's quicker'n than
| gunpowder to burn, and no pilot can reach
the lower deck from the texas in time to save
| himself, let alono Lio 0"ratOga, So you see,
everybody in that trade is on the watch, ana
| an alarm of fire in a boat loaded with cotton
will turn u mans hair gray qulckern an ALL
gator can swallow nigger.
..Sam, being young pilot, and new to the
cotton trade, was told over and over again
how the profession would lose promising
cub if ever fire broke out on the Scott, and
the boy got nervous. My striker and NE al
ways managed TO be in the lunch-rOom when
Sam came off watch, and as he came in we
would talk about the number OF cotton boats
that burnt in such q year. and how such cub
would have made lightning pilot, il he
hadn't got burnt up in the cotton trade; and
we always noticed that San y appetite failed
him after that, and instead Of going TO bed he
would go prowlng around the lower deck
and peering about the hatchways, smelling Al
every opening like pup that had lost It's
| master.
Zone day when we backed out Of Memphis
with big cargo of cotton, complained, III
| Sans hearing. that the mate had loaded the
boat too near the engines. The boy followed
me into into the engine-room, aud, without
seeming to notice him, l told MY striker
would do my level best to keep that cotton
from catching fire, but that il was slim
chance with bales piled right up before the
furnace doors. Sam got within bulkhead,
and went up to the texas, where he packed
his Saratoga, ready for any business that
might come before the meeting. When he
went on watch posted the second clerk t.
keep an eve on him. He hid behind smoke
stack and saw Sam alone in the pilot house
his hair on end, his face like corpse's, ane
his eyes sticking out SO far you could have
knocked them off with a stick. He danced
around the pilot house, turned up his nost
like he was smelling for u polecat, pulle(
every bell, turned the boats nose tor tht
bank, and yelled Fret like Cherokee
Indian on the war path. That yell brough
everybody on deck. We had Il big cargo o
. passengers, and the women screeched, tht
men rushed for cork pillows, and the crew
yanked the doors off their hinges and rushed
to the guards. ready to go overheard at th'
first moderation of the weather. The skippe
, had hard work to make the crazy passenger
believe that there wasn't any fire, but h
brought them to reason finally. lpaid no at
tentiOn to Sans frantic yells, so the boa
3 didn't run her nozzle against the bank b.
: aimed for.
''The captain and pilot and lot OF passen
gers, after hunting all over the boat, couldn'
find sign of fire anywhere outside the fur
naccs, and then they went for Sam. Il
, swore up and down that he smelt cotton burn
| ing; no use talking to him-he knew til
9 smell of burning cotton, and, by thunder, h
, had smelt it. The first pilot said, kind o
I soft and pityingly to Sam, MY boy, it yout
8 told me you was SO near the jim-jams IL
8 stood double watch for you. Now, you g
, and soak your head in bucket of water an
y take good sleep and you II be all right b.
: tomorrow. Sam just billed over at this, an
e when pretty young woman passenger sal
j. to the skipper, loud enough for Sam to hear
t so young and nice looking, too-how sad
e would make his poor mother feel to hear hoF
o he drinks he fairly frothcd at the mouth
f You never see fellow 80 toned down as Sar
was after that. and though the boys neve
Quit running him, he never talked back. bu
i looked kind Of puzzledas though he wa
inv hot 0f rOtf n