August 9 Friday – In Tacoma, Wash. Sam was shaved by the same barber (not named) who shaved him “19 years ago in Wash.[ington, D.C.]” [NB 35 TS 26].

At 12:30 p.m. due to smoky conditions, the R.M.S. Warrimoo of the Canadian Pacific’s White Empress line ran aground at the mouth of the Juan de Fuca Straits. The ship was inbound for Vancouver from Australia, and was in Victoria’s Esquimalt drydock until Aug. 20, delaying the scheduled Aug. 16 sailing until Aug. 23. Sam would spend more time in Vancouver and even lecture in Victoria, a stop not on the original schedule [Allingham, “MT in Vancouver” 2].

From J.B. Pond’s diary:

At Tacoma early this morning Mr. S. E. Moffett, of the San Francisco Examiner, appeared. He is “Mark’s” nephew and resembles his uncle very much. On his arrival “Mark” took occasion to blaspheme for a few minutes, that his relative might realize that men are not all alike. He cursed the journey, the fatigues and annoyances, winding up by acknowledging that if everything had been made and arranged by the Almighty for the occasion, it could not have been better or more comfortable, but he “was not travelling for pleasure,” etc.

He and I reached Portland on time, 8:22, and found the Marquam Grand packed with a waiting audience and the sign “Standing Room Only” out. The lecture was a grand success. After it “Mark’s” friend, Colonel Wood, formerly of the United States army, gave a supper at the Portland Club, where about two dozen of the leading men were entertained for two hours with “Mark’s” story-telling. They will remember that evening as long as they live. There is surely but one “Mark Twain” [Eccentricities of Genius 218].

Lucius “Lute” Pease (1869-1963), cartoonist and reporter for the Portland Oregonian, Aug. 10, 1895 reported on the lecture:

MARK TWAIN AT THE MARQUAM.

Last night a brilliant audience was assembled at the Marquam Grand to hear Samuel L. Clemens, otherwise known as Mark Twain, one of the most noted humorists of the day. Those who had been anxiously awaiting this event were in no way disappointed. In addition to the keen, subtle wit which permeates his writings, his delivery is a most fitting accompaniment. His droll, quiet manner, his peculiar pronunciation, his inimitable drawl, all tend to give the audience the time to see the point which everything he says unquestionably has. His personal appearance, as also his facial expression are of material value to him, and taken altogether, he carried the house by storm, to judge from the applause which greeted every sally.

With more solidity and depth than most of that class of writers, Mark Twain keeps coming to the front instead of sinking into oblivion, and the name is as familiar to the rising generation as it was when he first made his appearance in the literary world. To have accomplished this, there must have been more to his work than simply humor. This humor must have been true to life rather than an exaggeration to provoke mirth. In many cases, it is a question whether his mirth is not rather pathos, and the two are so delightfully blended that it is not hard to conceive why Mark Twain stands where he does today.

The house was one ripple of laughter from the beginning to the end, the only regrettable feature being that Portland only has this one opportunity to hear him. After the fall of the curtain and the house was thinning out, the applause was sufficient to call him before the curtain, and a request was called out from the audience to give the “Stammerer’s Tale,” which he did most graciously.

The audience last night was very fashionable, as well as extremely large. Every seat in both the dress circle and balcony was occupied, with numbers standing, and the gallery was well filled. The lecture consisted of the following original selections from Twain’s writings: “My First Theft,” “The Jumping Frog,” “Character of the Blue Jay,” “A Fancy Dress Incident,” “Bit Off More Than He Could Chew,” “Tom Sawyer’s Crusade,” “Fighting a Duel in Nevada,” and “A Ghost Story.” The entertainment consumed an hour and a half, and at its close the lecturer took occasion to thank his hearers for such a cordial reception on a summer evening, and expressed his sincere gratification that his meeting with the public of Portland was of such a substantial and pleasing character.

Note: the Grand Marquam Theater, built in 1890, was on the north side of Morrison St. between what were then Sixth and Seventh (now Broadway), across from the Hotel Portland.– Oregon Geographic Names by McArthur (1952).

Sam and Pond took rooms at the Hotel Portland, an imposing old hotel that this editor recalls from his boyhood, and now the location of Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland.

Sam also made a supper speech at the Arlington Club in Portland [Fatout, MT Speaking 663]. Note: this may have been the “Portland Club” reported by Pond.