The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-05-13
HOW MARK TWAIN BECAME A PILOT
AND THE PILOT A HUMORIST.
of Old Days on the Mis-
sisstppi River as Told by n Vet-
eran SteambOatman.
[From Times-Democrat, 7th.

tory, or the manner in which he intro
duced himself to the steamboat frater
nifty of anti-bellum days.
In order to obtain an account of how
Mark Twain became pilot, I'D
reporter yesterday made inquiries
among old steamboatmen, and was re
warded by receiving information to tht
effect that the great humorist had frs
served as pilot under Capt. II. f
Bixby, who is now the popular com
mander of the Anchor Line steamer
City of Baton Rouge.
AS soon as the reporter heard this he
turned his footsteps in the direction OF
the levee, and boarding the City OF
Baton Rouge found Capt. Bixby seated
on the boiler deck with his little blue
eyed daughter in his lap, and engaged
in assisting her to arrange number of
picture blocks which were scattered
over the bottom of Il chair.
When the reporter approached and
stated the object of his visit the old cap
tain's eyes frightened with the recol-
lection of former days.
"Well, sir" he said, "the first time
that met Mark Twain, or knew that
such person existed, was in 1857. At
that time I was the chief pilot on the
Paul Jones, a boat that made occasional
trips from Pittsburg to New Orleans.
One day, while we were coming down
the Mississippi, long, angular, hoo
sier-like young fellow, whose limbs ap-
peared to be fastened with leather him
ges, entered the pilot house and in a
peculiar, drawling voice said: Good
mawnin', sir. Don't you want TO take
er piert young fellow and teach Jim
how to be er pilot p"
"No, sir, there is more bother about
it than it's worth.''
"I wish you would, mister. I'm er
printer by trade, but it don't pear to
gree with me, and Pm on my way to
Central America fur my health, L
believe I'll make er tolerable good pi
lot cause / like the river.''
"What makes you pull your words
that way?"
"I don't know, mister; you'll have
to ask my ma. She pulls hern too.
Amt there some way that wo can fix
it so that you'll teach me how to be er
pilot?''
ssThe only way is for money"
"How much are you going to
charge?"
"WelI, I'll teach you the river for
$780,"
"Geewhillakens he he! Iain't got
$500, but I've got five lots in Keokuk,
Iowa, and {, 900 acres Of land in Ten
nessee that is worth two bits an acre
any time. You can have that if you
want it,"
told him that did not care for his
land, and after talking awhile he
agreed to pay 800 in cash, $50 in ~
and the balance when he be-
came pilot. He was with me for
long time, but sometimes took occa-
sional trips with other pilots. At the
breaking out Of the war he was a regu-
lar pilot on the Alonzo Childs, and re-
manned on that boat until she was
(urneO into a COOleucrate ram, When |
he got through the lines, and going to
Mo-, his native town, enlist
ed as three months volunteer in the
army, under Gen. Price.
At the expiration of the time of his
he went out to Nevada,
where his brother, Orion Clemens, was
iliing the position of secretary of the
Territory. Out there he drifted into
and gradually developed
The humor which has since made him
famous"
"Did you ever hear from him after
he went out West ?" cnquired the re-
porter.
eyes, he used to write, and let me
know of his whereabouts. On his re-
turn from the Holy Land, he sent me
a letter which contained his wedding
card. The wording of the letter, as
near as I can remember, was as fol-
lows Thirty tons of paper have been
used in publishing my book, Inuocents |
\ abroad. 1t has met with greater |
sale than any book ever published ex-