July 19 Sunday – Rufus L. Lackland arrived New Orleans.
Left For the Amazon – New Orleans - Change of Plans – Bixby’s Influence - Official Cub Pilot – Learning the Big Muddy
1857 – Sometime during his stay in Keokuk Clemens saw Henry Clay Dean (1822-1887), eccentric philosopher who inspired Twain’s 1905 “The War Prayer.” In Ch. 57 of LM, Twain described Dean:
Keokuk, a long time ago, was an occasional loafing-place of that erratic genius, Henry Clay Dean. I believe I never saw him but once; but he was much talked about when I lived there. This is what was said of him:
He began life poor and without education. But he educated himself—on the curbstones of Keokuk. He would sit down on a curbstone with his book, careless or unconscious of the clatter of commerce and the tramp of the passing crowds, and bury himself in his studies by the hour, never changing his position except to draw in his knees now and then to let a dray pass unobstructed; and when his book was finished, its contents, however abstruse, had been burned into his memory, and were his permanent possession. In this way he acquired a vast hoard of all sorts of learning, and had it pigeonholed in his head where he could put his intellectual hand on it whenever it was wanted. [Note: see also Rasmussen 107-8].
[Editor Note: There seems to be a problem with the term "The Big Muddy". This name is generally applied to the Missouri River. Using this name for the Mississippi River is probably incorrect and Sam did not learn the Missouri River, only the Mississippi River]
July 23 Thursday – Rufus L. Lackland left for St. Louis.
August 3 Monday – Rufus L. Lackland arrived St. Louis.
August 5 Wednesday – Sam, cub pilot, was now under Zebulon “Zeb” Leavenworth (1830-1877) and/or Sobieski “Beck” Jolly (1831-1905) on the John J. Roe (691 tons). Bixby wanted to work the more lucrative Missouri and Sam had chosen to stay on the Mississippi run. The steamboat left St. Louis this date for New Orleans. It was a freighter and not allowed to carry passengers. Sam, about the Roe:
August 14 Friday – John J. Roe arrived New Orleans.
August 18 Tuesday – John J. Roe left for St. Louis.
August 29 Saturday – John J. Roe arrived St. Louis.
September 2 Wednesday – John J. Roe left for New Orleans.
September 10 Thursday – John J. Roe arrived New Orleans.
September 15 Tuesday – John J. Roe left for St. Louis.
September 24 Thursday – John J. Roe arrived St. Louis.
October 9 Friday – Sam, cub pilot, now under Horace Bixby again with co-pilot, possibly Isaiah Sellers (1802-1864) on the William M. Morrison (662 tons). On this date the steamboat left St. Louis [Schmidt].
October 16 Friday – William M. Morrison arrived New Orleans.
October 19 Monday – William M. Morrison left for St. Louis.
October 26 Monday – William M. Morrison arrived St. Louis.
November 2 Monday – Sam was now under the infamous William Brown, co-pilot George Ealer (1829-1866) on the steamboat Pennsylvania (486 tons). The ship left this date for New Orleans. In Chapters 18-19 of Life on the Mississippi, Sam recounted the conflict with Brown: “…a middle-aged, long, slim, bony, smooth-shaven, horse-faced, ignorant, stingy, malicious, snarling, fault-hunting, mote-magnifying tyrant.” From their first meeting, nothing Sam did was right for Brown. Cub Sam would lie in his bunk at night thinking of creative ways to kill Brown.
November 8 Sunday – Pennsylvania arrived in New Orleans.
November 10 Tuesday – Pennsylvania left for St. Louis. With Brown gone, George Ealer was most likely the pilot.
November 16 Monday – Pennsylvania arrived in St. Louis.
November 18 Wednesday – Pennsylvania left for New Orleans.
November 24 Tuesday – Pennsylvania arrived in New Orleans.
November 26 Thursday – Pennsylvania left for St. Louis. About thirty miles above New Orleans it was struck by the Vicksburg and lost its wheelhouse. The boat was laid up for repairs near New Orleans for eleven weeks. Some accounts say the two boats were racing, an illegal but common activity for steamboats. On Mar. 19, 1858, Sam would give testimony for a lawsuit in the matter. His remarks include observations of the boat:
November 27 to December 12 Saturday – Sam worked as a night watchman on the freight docks from seven in the evening until seven in the morning. He earned three dollars a night [Neider 100].
November 30 Monday – Sam’s 22 nd birthday.
December 13 Sunday – Sam was a steersman under Joseph Edward Montgomery (1817-1902) on the D.A. January, which left New Orleans on this date. The captain was Patrick Yore. Montgomery would later serve as a commodore of the Confederacy’s river fleet, which was destroyed in June 1862 at Memphis.