Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-27
SOME INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES
OF MARK TWAIN'S RIVER EXPERIENCE

| The Waterways Journal prints lit
de interesting gossip about Sam Glenn
ems, or Mark Twain, that will be read
able in the river cities, of which Mark
told in his first notable work, his story
of early day plotting on the Missis-
sippi river.
About the only man that ever
knew to leave the river and go to
writing books said the man at the
wheel directing his observations to
the usual crowd that gathered about
him in the pilot house, was Sam
Clemens. They say he's pretty rich
now, but | understand he never runs
across an old chum without swapping
"a few lies with him and paying for
all the drinks. Sam never got to be
much of a pilot himself, but he used
to know all of them, and write them
up in the papers better than anybody
ever could. He was about as green
looking creature as ever came from
Pike county. when he was on the old
Blue Bird way back in the sos, and
TO look at him you would have thought
he wasn't worth sweeping up; but he
could write then till you couldn't rest,
and some of the funniest things that
ever was printed about the river were
gotten up by Sam.
The first thing that | remember of
his, that set everybody talking and
wondering who that boss yarn-teller,
Mark Twain, was. was that account
about the great flood in the Missis-
sippi in early times. when the water
was over everything and Vicksburg
and NatcheZ were the only dry spots
between Cairo and the gulf. At New
Orleans the boats landed alongside of
the top story of the st. Charles hotel.
Well of course, that was the boss
flood and nobody could talk of old
time boating like that; and so Glenn
ems got TO be too big a man 10 stay on
the river, and, as | said, he quit and
went to writing books.
But he wasn't much of a pilot, any
how. His mind didn't run that way.
and when he was at the wheel he was
always running over something and
getting the boat into trouble. He
would just as like as not go sound to
sleep on watch. and run the boat into
the bank. head on, if he didn't keep
a watch on him. and if there was a
snag TO be found, he would 90 miles
out of his way just to get whack at il,
and he was never happy unless he was
bouncing something. Why. you would
think he was getting the biggest kind
Of wages from the government just TO
clear the river of snags, if you'd see
how he hustled them out of the way.
But that wasn't the worst of il. for
sometimes he would loose his bearings
and get lost in the side streams.
was just flying through tn: woods,
and Sam. he was a sweating like a
bound boy at husking. AMI the
wheel, You just ought to have seen il
spin you'd have thought. to look at
Sam. that he was at least doing so:Ae
diamond breastpin plotting. And !
reckon for spell he thought he was,
but. in about two hours the mat. he
comes on deck. for. as it was the sec
Ond watch. the captain was asleep anG
said to Sam as how he thought the
Bird was going to Memphis trat trip.
THAT'S where were gOin.' says
Sam, as soon as he could gather wind
enough TO speak
Taking a side run to Jackson
port. eh?' says the mate.
Haven't heard of it says Sam.
Haven't. Ell, said the mate. look
ing at him curious like.