The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-11-06
PILOT WHO TRAINED MARK TWAIN.
"reminiscences of the Famous Hunoris by the Man Who
Taught Him How to Steer Steamer.


dagls Eight from what It Is On a starlight
MINT All SaoF0s seem 10 he Straight lines
then, sN& mighty dim ones, too, ana yon'd
run them FOR attnlght lines, only you know
iAto what seelus TO be eoliq, straight wan
lyou knowing worry well that In reality
there Is curve thcrcl ana tlat wall tnlis
back and makes way for you
rAus, little oy little, by day ana night
10 fair weather aud foul. 10 mist ana rain,
the training went ON, untll finally MARX
knew every point and bond, every stump
aud suBE aud cut OF, every chute IN hiEh
water aud bar IN low water between tue
Mound and the Crescent cities He knew
how to run Hat island IN the darkest night
and hob much water ne would IND on
horsetai when he spw a particular stump UNI,
during the course OF his training ne ar
rived OF the conclusion tBst he had learned
/ every thing that could possibly be known
about the river and Its ways and moods,
but whenever he exhibited signs of know
ing rather more than falls to rho LOT OF
cub he was taken n hand by MS vlBliqnt
tutor and promptly shown that his training
was only beauH.
Captdin Bi&by remembers Mark as a
rather tail. somewhat prepossesAing youtb,
! moi particularly good looking, and yet not
/ ill-favorcd He dressed fairly well, though
| never dudlshly, nor In the extreme OF tash'
lon WIS y faVorlte among hot.S passengers,
officers and crews Of the boats on which ne
I was employed. His most obvious peculiar!ty
| was the drawing tone In which he SPOKE:
What makes you pun your words SO
/ Captain BiXby asked him one day. 'Guu u
| have to AJAX mother" was the answer, she
! pulls them the same way" Mark spent Two
| years In learning tho river, theu TWO
! more us a pilot afterwards drifting On into
! Oiher employment He liked plotting, as ne
! snys IN one of his books. better thah auy
| pther Grade he has practicCd stree aud tron
| various hints aud illusions In his WRITINGS,
| seems TO have regretted that he ever letL
The wheel. lie gave up the business al tao
beginning of the war, but even at thAt tlmt,
me handwriting ON the wnll had appeared
to those who followed the river, the extern
sion OF railroads in every direction mad he
gun ana with every mile OF rhllIOad DUN
parallel with the course of the Mississippi
mere was a decline in the business OF the
Captain Gould IN 'Flfty Years on the Mis-
sissippp takes Issue with Mark Twain In
regard to the privileges and powers OF the
pilot In the old days when the phot5 as
ISOLATION was in It's glory. Mark says, In
substance. that the only absolutely free,
uncontrolled and uncomfortable person on
the face OF the earth WAS the pilot. The
captain might exercise n little eyanescent
authority at the landings aud while the
| boat WAS discharglng or taking on cargo,
but as soon as the vessel swung into the
stream the source OF all authority was
the pilot house. The pilot could run the
boat as he pleased, taking commands from
no one, he used his own judgment and
when he chose would tie the boat to the
| bank and stay there as long as he thought
proper II he deemed II inadyisahle 10
run at night be laid the beat up without
! asking Anybody'S advice or permission and
| his authority was uuquestoned All this
looks well on paper, hut Captain Gould
: declares that there Is good deal Of imng'
/ iuatiOn In these and other statements
! made by Mark with regard TO the pilots
/ preroGatiyes. He admits that there may
| have been dominaerlng pilots who scorned
advice and resented suggestions hut also
| claims that the majority Of the brother
hood were conservative aud conslderAtc,
! that they consulted the captains ina emer-
gencies, particularly with regard to the
! proprlcty Of tying up at night, MS this, Of
/ course Involved loss Of time, then as now
an important factor. On the whole, Cap
! tain Gould seems TO think Marks picture
| drawn. but takes the charitable view that
| am author writing for effect may easily
J lead into extravagance OF statement with
/ out any intention OF deceiving or mlslead
, Ing his readers.
Captain BIxby although man Of 20,
would easily pass for so He is OF medium
size and weight. why and active, quick OF
I word ami gesture, and although here and
there white lines appear in his dark haiI
indications Of maturity Of age He is still
IN active service. and, like most pilots, IL
/ coming and going all the time, so that his
length Of stay In one place and his move
His talent. as pilot is well known to all
the profession. Mark speaks OF him IN
I variablJ with profound respect and gives
one stirling Illustration Of his qulekness
cf apprehension. At one time the wages
~ Missouri river pilots were very high.
Captain BiXhy went up on the Missouri
and. after passing over the whole river
once by dBy and once BY night he took out
day llcense.' and after one or two trips
more n full license. enabling bin to run
either BY day or night, Ills license nos
empowers him TO conduct Steamboat from
the month Of the Missouri a distance Of
300O miles toward It's headWaters. covers
the Mississippi from ST. Louis 20 New Or
leans Che Ohio river and the Red river. He
occasionally hears from his former pupil
who has given him such publicity In anee
dote aud Renaissance. and IN a reccng let
ter Marx made humorous reference "a
Plum Point and ia other ways indicated
not only his recollection az the river but
his appreciation Of the friendship Of the
man who had taught him its mysteries.
WASHINGTON. Major William q. Heel.
or Eighteenth infantry, has been ordered
TO Join his regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas.