The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-05-30
view, he gazed upon 1t pensively. Asked
what he thought Of 1t now, he replied:

view, he gazed upon 1t pensively. Asked
what he thought Of it now. he replied:
IT'S very natural, it's the same river"
He seemed impressed with the dignity Of
becoming a Doctor of Laws. which degree
is to be conferred upon him June by Mis-
souri, State University. and he was especial
~ fattered since he did not have to work
for II. THAT is the colossal thing about
it." said he.
Have you ever doctored laws?" he was
asked.
Yes, cab laws" he said.
Further explanation requested, he con-
tinued.
HE DOCTORED LONDON
AND NEW YORK CAB LAWS.
II doctored the cab laws in London and
New York. The Cabbes overcharged and
l simply made them come down by calling
official attention TO the fact.
THE truth is however. that the laws do
not need TO be doctored SO much as the
enforcement of them need to be doctored."
Mark Twain emphaticaiiy denies that he
vas a bad pilot. Asked concerning this re-
port, he said:
wi no is it that claims L was bad pilot
The fellow that said that never was
pilot himself. He don't know anything
about me or plotting. He don't know where
the Missouri empties into the Mississippi.
He don't know a lumber raft from a
packet
The story of Mark Twain's years upon
the river, when he sought to rise high in
the ranks of pilotism, is the story of
man with a sense of humOr who tackled a
tough propC Cstion."
HOW HE STARTED TO
LEARN PLOTTING.
There are more kinks in pilots business
than kinks in the Mississippi itself yet in
addition the pilot must know all these
twists Of the river-which Mark found cut
to his sorrow. He had some notion of the
printing business when he met Captain
BiXby on the Ohio River in 1851. Having
left his Hannibal home In search OF both
a career and adventure he had landed In
Cincinnati, and at Cincinnati had conceived
the idea of voyage to Central America.
or South America. either one, with vision
of ar expedition up the Amazon prospecting
for Eldorado or some more tangible gold
mine.
He set out upon his voyage with $50 cap
ital. He was to go from Cincinnati to New
Orleans upon the steamer Paul Jones.
which many years after he dubbed an
ancient tub" For the sum of SIS said
he, Il had the SCARED and tarnished spien-
dors CT her main saloon principally to my
self, for she was not a creature to attract
the eye of wiser travellers"
Nevertheless. dawdling down to New Or
leans on the Paul Jones' must have
awakened fascination for the great yellow
torrent of mud. which is facetiously named
the Father of Waters" In Life on the
Mississippi Mark Twain explains that
South American fortune seemed farther
away at New Orleans than at Cincinnati.
that hi. $50 capital was almost exhausted,
and that he was forced to look about for
ready money job. Probably for the several
reasons indicated, when he found that his
friend. the Paul Jones'" was about to
start for St Louis, he 'besieged a pilot"
with whom he had scraped up an acquaint-
ance on the down trip. and after three
hard days the pilot surrendered. This
pilot was Captain Bixby.
The Captain has his own way Of telling
of this siege. "A pretty good looking young
fellow said he yesterday, was always
hanging round the pilot house. Said he was
going down in Central America or some
where. But wben We got down to New
Orleans he came round to me and said that
he thought he'd like to learn plotting; didn't
think he'd 60 to Central America after all;
asked If 1 wanted to teach him the river.
1 said that young fellows like him round
were more trouble than use; couldn't think
Of it.
He kept after me anyhow. and finally I
agreed. He wss to nay me $500 for teach