The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1875-03-24
OLD TIMES ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
MR.. TwA1N's EDUCATION AS A PILOT
NEARLY C0MPLETED.
The Marvellous Intricncics of the
Scieucc of piiOting, nnd How
They Were MA tered.
Some Profane Encounters With Flat-boat-
men Scenes OF Lite Along the River.
MARX Twain in the April Atlantic |


whatsoever has done me the courtesy
to read my chapters which have preceded
this may possibly wonder that deal so
nnutcIy with plotting us Il science. 1t
was the prime purpose of these articles:
aud AIN not quite done yet. | wish to
show, III the most patient and pains
takihg way, what Il wonderful science it
u. snip channels are buOycd ana Ighl-
cd, and therefore it is comparatively
easy undertaking to learn to run thcm;
clearwater rivers. with gravel bottoms,
'hangp their channels very
gradually, and therefore one
uceus ~ learn them out once, but
plotting becomes another matter when
you apply 1t to vast streams like the Miss
isslppl and the Missouri, whose alluyial
| Uaihs cave and change constantly,
whose snags are always hunting up
hew quarters, whose sand bars are never
At rest, whose channels are forever dodg-
ing and Sinking, and whose distractions
mdst be confronted IN all nights and ali
weathers without the AID Ola single light
mouse or a single buoy for there is ncitli-
n light nor buoy to bc found anywhere
7 ~ all this three or four thousand miles OF
villainous river. | ieel justified in enlarg-
| M upon this great science tlr the REASON
| that | feel sure no one has ever vet writ.
.cn n paragraph about II VINO had pilUtetl
| ! steamboat himself, and 80 had practi-
| al knowledge of the subject. Ii the
,hcme were hackneycd. | should be
obliged to deal gently with the reader I;
out since 1t is wholly new, have felt al
liberty TO take up considerable degree
If room with /.
When had learned the name and po-
'ition of every visible feature OF the river;
when had so mastered its shape that
could shut my eyes and trace 1t from ST.
Louis 10 New Orleans; when had learn
III To read the face of the water us one
would Gull the news from the morning
paper: aud finally. when / had trained
my dun memory to treasure up an end
tess array Ot sOunulngs ami CROSSING
marks. and keep fast hold OF them. |
Judged that my education was complete (;
10 got To fitting my cap to the side ol
my head. and wearing toothpick in my
mouth AT the wheel. Mr.. b had his
eye on these airs. One day he said:
Wv hat Is the height Of That bank yon-
der. at Burge -
"llow can | tell, sir? 1t is three-quar-
ers Of Il mile away
VERY poor eye very poor. Take the
sla:S." took the glass, aud presently
said:
II can't tell. suppose that that bank
l. about II foot and u half high"
Foot and Il half. That's siX-foot
bank: How high was the bank along
here last trip z"
II don't know; never noticed"
You didn't! Well, you must always
10 it hereafter"
"Why"
Because you'll have to know a good
h,I II al.
thing, 1t tells you the stage of the river
Tells you whether there's more water or
less IN the river along here than there
was last trip"
The leads tell me that" | rather
thought had the advantage of him
there.
EYES. Int suppose the leads lie? The
bank would tell you so, and then you'd
81 mos, ptusi,., "a ~, Il uit. lnvrc Na>
tten.ioot bank here last trip, ANA there
- only siX-ioot bank now. What does
hat signify?'
That the river is four feet higher than
1t was last trip"
Very good. Is the river rising or
| Eillingy"
Rising"
mo, il amt"
IL guess am right. sir. Yonder
is some dritt-wood floating down the
stream"
"A rise starts the drift-wood. but then
il keeps on floating awhile after Il c riveris
lone rising. Now he bank will tell Won
about this. Wait till you come to place
where II shelves Il little. Now here; do
YOU see this narrow belt OF fine sediment?
That was deposited while the water was
higher. You see the drllt-wood begins To
sand, too. The bank helms in other
ways. DO you see that stu mp on the
false point.
"a, iy, sir"
"Wcll. tn. water is Just mp TO the
roots of it. You must make a note OF
that"
"Why?"
Because that means that there's seven
feet in the chute OF 1903.
But lO3 is Il long way up the river
yet"
That's where the benefit of the bank
comes III. There Is water enough in l03
HOW. yet there may not he by the time we
get there; but the bank will keep us post
ed all along. You don't run close chutrs
on falling river. upstream, and there
are precious few of them that YOU are al
lowed TO run AT all downstream. There's
n law OF the United States against ii.
The river may be rising by the time we
get to 1903, aud IN that case wen run il.
We ar" drawlng--low much?"
'SiN feet att,-siX and a half forward"
"Neli, you do seem 10 know some
thing"
But what particularly want 20 know
Is, II ! have 10 keep up an everlasting
measuring of the banks of this river,
twelve hundred miles, month in and
month out;'
"Of course"
My emo ions were too deep tor words
for while. Presently said:
And how about these chutes: Are
there many OF thcm?"
Il should say no. | fancy we shan't
run amy OF the river this trip as you've
ever seen II run btore--so to speak. If
lht river begins TO rise again, we'll 90 up
behind bars that you've always seen
standing ont OF the river, high and dry
| IKE the roof OF II house; wen cut ucros,
| low places that You've never noticed M
all. right through the middle Of bars thai
cover my acres of the river: well Green
| through cracks where you've always
| thought was solid land: wen dart
through the woods and leave twenty five
miles of 10 one side; we'll see the hind.
SIDE OF every island between New Orleans
| and Cairo"
Then I've got to 60 to work and learn
llst as much more river as | alread,
just about twice as much more, rs
hcar rs You can come TO it,"
well, one lives to find out. l think
Mas iooi when | went into this bust
sXns tint l.