The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-11-06

ST. Louis Globe Democrat.
Hundreds perhaps thousands, Of the poo
pie of st. Louis have read Mark Twaln's
equally graphic and humorous sketches Of
the experience of a cub pilot without an
idea that the mysterious Mr. r. who
trained him in his knowledge of the river
is and for many years has been a resident
of this city. over half century mas
elarSed since Marks education on the river
hogan. aud nowadays the world moves so
FAST and goes so far in u single decade that
things which happened htty years ns0
seem as far removed in time as the age of
NC hadneZZar. To the Younger genera
ton indeed, now TO many IN middle ute.
anything that happened before the war.
Is ancient history, and Mark f"ah S river
career began In 1890.
The great humorlst has given q very ant
mated account of his early ionglngs to be
something or do something on the river,
AT one time he decided that he would ne
cabin hoy so he could come out In Il
white apron ana shake tablecioth over
the side Of the boat when 1t landed at his
town; ut another he preferred the cnvied
emlnence of the dcckhand, who stood at
the end of the gangpank with n coil OF
rope on his arm when landing was TO ne
made, but at last, after sober dcliberation,
he decided that the line of true Grea tncss
lay either through the engine room or the
pilot house. Before his ambition was rcal-
lied. however, he was destined to period
of work at the printers case; then, applr-
entity disguised with 50 prasalc an employ,
/ N
and started down the river TO New Orleans
on a venerable Tub called the Paul J0neS
OF this ancient craft the pilot was Mr.
Horace r.. BlXhy, and better never
turned wheel on the Mississippi or its
| tributaries.
Mir. Bizby had noticed among the, few
passengers the youth who, quiet aud un.
obtrusive. said little, while he seemed 10
see everything that went on, but PAID 10
him no more attention than To any other
passenger until one day, happening to look
round during his watch he saw the youth
| standing behind him In the pilot house
| The ordinary salutations were briefly rN-
chunged then in drawing tone The vas.
/ itor explained to the magnate OF the Wheci
| his ambition TO become n pilot lie was ht
! FIRST given little encouragement. MI BiNpy
curtly explained that there were already
too many pilots, but seeing that MS Visitor
was much in earnest, and rather pleased
with the young man, ne hnally consented
| 20 teach him the river" for and in con,
sideration of the sum Of $500 to be paid
I'm instaIlmentS out Of Marks wages after
lie became a full-aedged pilot.
The trimming began. not on the Iaul
Jones' however for IL seems, according
TO Mark that this bargain was concluded
either ia New Orleans or 1ust prior 10 tus
arrival there but on n much larger anu
dner boat and on the Upward Trip lhaI
is Three.mil Point" said the tutor, sup
plementing this information with similnr
remarks relative 10 SlX-miie Point anu
| Nine-milc Point The pupil, suppoSing
that these statements were made simply
for the purpose Of entertaining visitor,
pad no attention. huN iillllthldi'l9 A@iS"A
both the points aud their names; few
DAYS later when questioned as 10 the names
| of the first points out OF New orleans;
! he WAS forced to admit his ignorance, aud
then compelled to listen TO lecture ~
/ tcrspersed with river slang ana eNpletlNcS
! on his stupidity In surprising that leBulHf
| pilot would ever condesccnd TO enterialn
anybody except one Of MS peers. on
! must get q memorandum book ana When
! / tell you anything write IL down ana eet
/ It by heart That Is ne way 20 learn.
J n tr,ut tGp
/ ton of the "cub" began. In "Old Times on
! tho MlsslsSppi." Marx has given pc
| lurcSgue account Of his trou0sas III lgaFh-
/ lug tie river The mserles OF Dickens
| lcarning shorthand were tribes compared
! to she suforugs OF Mark In acquiring 4!
! knowledge of the 1900 miles OF crooked
| stream which lay between 81. Louis and
| New orleans After he had acquired the
names Of ill the towns points. ISLANDS,
bends and bars going M ne was aisgus'el
! 10 md that on coming down ne had 10
! revIea ali his knowledge for a point or
headland presented quite n different Ep-
| pnaraucq when viewed from the opposite
/ dlrrctlon, and he began 10 despair OF ever
heing n pilot. His heart went stu lower
! wagn he learned from his nreceptor itat
! most of the information which was va!u-
able nj one stnge OF the river was quite
4 Ia,Synjipble when tho stream was at n diff
ferant height; that the river mad many
/ phases and each must he thoroughly
learned; that i was constanily changl l l Z
| and that the pilot mSst note every chanse
| and store Il for future reference
He further discovered that the river must
day ana that nj night no will-o'- the Ylsp
| ms ever more chnngeabr than the MIS-
! slsstppi In the words Of his tutor. as
Z oUotrd nv Mark "a clear starlight night
throws such heavy shadows that II you
9idn't know the shape " a shore perfectly
YOU would claw away from every bunch
Of timber because you would take I'M
Hack shadow of II for solid cape and
vou sec you would be getting scared 2
death every fifteen minutes by the watch
the time when you ought 10 be within
twenty feet Of II You can't sec q snag II
che Of those shadows, bqt y9n know sX
river tells you when you are conilng to Il
Then there's your pitch dark night tn,
river Is q very different shape on pltcl