"Cooling Our Bottom on the Sand Bars": A Chronicle of Low Water Trips on the Mississippi River, 1860

[...]Clemens might have been advised to stay on the upper river in the fifth supervising district, forestalling an investigation of the grounding and its circumstances by the inspectors. [...]the only interruption since Clemens began his notes is between the recorded notes of his first and second hi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mark Twain journal (1954) 2016-10, Vol.54 (2), p.135-157
Main Author: Marleau, Michael H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Evaluation
River steamers
Twain, Mark
Twain, Mark (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) (1835-1910)
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Summary:[...]Clemens might have been advised to stay on the upper river in the fifth supervising district, forestalling an investigation of the grounding and its circumstances by the inspectors. [...]the only interruption since Clemens began his notes is between the recorded notes of his first and second highwater trips. When it was published in the Republican over a month after the City of Memphis had left St. Louis it was only a curiosity and of no use to non-association pilots as river conditions had already changed. Since the "SAM" letter is in the form of a long memorandum it is not lacking in details, yet with the help of additional published memoranda from other vessels traveling in the river an even more complete account of the trip can be documented, J J Tl lhe reference f to "stirring times of succession" was alluding to the upcoming convention in South Carolina to decide the issue of that state leaving the union.10 The following chronicle recounts the adventures of "SAM" with "no money and low water," in navigating the river at that season of the year when it "was never known to be lower."" The St. Louis Evening News stated that the "Crew of the Alonzo Child has left for Cairo." Because of the low water the river had undergone many changes and the Republican commented that "pilots will be under the necessity of learning a portion of the river over again.
ISSN:0025-3499