The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-24
CAPT. BIxBY,
Whom Mark Twain Made Famous,
Is still In Active Service.

Is still In Active Service.
From the st. Louis Globe Democrat.
Every one who has read Mark
Twaih's Life on the Mississippi"
knows who Horace E. Bixby is The
man who took Sam Clemens as "cub"
and learned him the river-old pilots
never say taught-and whose name oc-
ours in nearly every page Of the most
interesting volume of river yarns ever
written still lives in ST. Louis, and
II ON all appearances is still ten years
the junior of his former pupil. A lit
tie, wiry man. with sharp twinkling
eyes and thin. iron gray mustache
and chin whiskers. rudy cheeks and
general glow of health and happi-
ness, is Capt. Horace Bixby today A
reporter for the Globe Democrat found
him yesterday at the headquarters of
the Pilots association. Fourth and
Chestnut streets, where he was sur
rounded by a crowd of his old cronies
The captain usually stops at the Euro
pean hotel 515 st. Charles street, when
in the city. He Is still in active serv-
| ice, being in charge Of the United
States snagboat Horatio G. Wright.
Il began steamboating in 1886" said
| Capt. Bixby. "as second clerk on the
Olivia. running from Cincinnati to NAL
| den. Va. The latter place is On the
| Kanawha river. You see we went up
the Ohio about 200 miles to the mouth
of the Kanawha, and then up that
| stream about 100 miles to Maiden [
| first came to St Louis in 1849 as second
clerk on the Mary Stevens, and have
| been here pretty much ever since At
| the time Of my first visit the big fire
| on the leVee, In which many steam
boats were destroyed, had just oc-
| CURED. In fact, the ruins were still
smoking. In 1852 l began as pilot on
the Crescent, under Capt. Young, run
| ming from Cincinnati to New Orleans
about Mark Twain? Well, you will
i find in his book how he started from
| Cincinnati to New Orleans, intending
| to go to South America for his health,
Or something of that kind, and how
| he decided to become a river pilot, and
then met Horace E. Bixby, who learn
| ed him the river. / was on the Paul
Jones at that time, as I think Clemens
mentions III his book. Clemens ran with
me off and on then until the break
ing out of the war. He was a big,
| shaggy-haired youth, with a slow,
| drawing speech that was very pro-
| voking to any one that happened to be
| IN a hurry. 1t was twenty years after
| we parted before 7 saw Sam again, and
| then-we ran upon each other in New
| Orleans by chance. He says in his
| book that he met at New Orleans the
man whom he most desired to meet
| at tnat time, winch was me, and that
he was surprised to find that a man
who had been tnirty-five years old
twenty years before should still be
only thirty-fve.' He made a trip with
me to st. Louis, and that's the last
| time | ever saw him. He sent me a
copy of his book, Life on the Missis-
slppi," and also of a later book, Jour-
! neying Toward the Equator which I
| found very good
| Comment was made on the we'll pre-
served appearance Of Capt Bixby, in
| spite of his sixty-seven years, where
| upon he delivered himself thus:
Yes, 1 have taken care of myself.
| that's the reason. 1 have never been
a beerhouse hummer, like good many
people l have met on the river. When
| want drink 1 go and get it. When
[ go into saloon 1 go in with a gen
| tleman. drink with him and then go
out with him. My advice to a man is
| that if he wants a drink or two to
take them late at night and then go
| to bed; don't stay around drunk if YOU
| want to live long. When am I going
to quit the river? Well, not until it
| quits me. I've been in the government
work four years now, and, as 1 like
the job, l intend to hold it as long as
| I can"
Old rivermen say that Capt. Bixby
Is one of the most successful pilots and
captains on the Mississippi, and that
So long as he may desire a berth there
| Will be one open to him.