December 8 Thursday – A.B. Chambers left for St. Louis.
Sam Clemens on the Mississippi: Day By Day
December, late – Sam no doubt spent the holidays with his family before returning to New Orleans [MTL 1: 75].
February 1 Tuesday – The Aleck Scott left for New Orleans.
February 1 Wednesday – A.B. Chambers left for New Orleans.
February 11 Friday – The Aleck Scott arrived in New Orleans
February 11 Saturday – A.B. Chambers arrived in New Orleans.
February 14 Sunday – Pennsylvania arrived in St. Louis.
February 14 Tuesday – A.B. Chambers left for St. Louis.
February 16 Wednesday – The Aleck Scott left for St. Louis
February 16 Saturday – The Alonzo Child arrived in New Orleans.
February 17 Tuesday – The Paul Jones was “heavily loaded with ordnance for the Baton Rouge arsenal” [Branch, “Bixby” 3]. As the boat neared Louisville it ran onto rocks near Dick Smith’s wharf and stuck for more than 24 hours.
February 17 Wednesday – Pennsylvania left for New Orleans. The Mississippi was choked with ice, but Captain Klinefelter thought the boat could handle it. They went aground several times.
February 18 Thursday – Due to ice, the Pennsylvania had only managed to reach Rush Tower, some 40 miles south of St. Louis.
February 18 Monday – The Alonzo Child left for St. Louis. The committee on petitions for the Polar Star Lodge Number Seventy-nine of St. Louis reported favorably on Sam’s petition for membership. Sam was recommended by John M. Leavenworth (b.1835?) brother of Zeb, and John T. “Tom” Moore. Sam Clemens was duly elected to receive the Masonic first degree [Jones 364; Strong 88].
Note: Moore was a “mud clerk” on the Roe; see July 6, 1859 and Feb. 18, 1861; also letter from Karl Gerhardt of May 5, 1909 mentioning Moore.
February 19 Thursday – The Paul Jones left Louisville [Branch, “Bixby” 3].
February 19 Friday – The Pennsylvania reached Cairo, Illinois in the afternoon. Other boats had either elected to stay in St. Louis or were aground.
February 23 Monday – The Paul Jones reached Memphis [Branch, “Bixby” 3].
February 24 Friday – A.B. Chambers arrived in St. Louis.
February 25 Thursday – Pennsylvania arrived in New Orleans.
February 25 Monday – The Alonzo Child arrived in St. Louis.
February 27 Saturday – Pennsylvania ,left for St. Louis
February 27 Sunday – The Aleck Scott arrived in St. Louis
February 27 Wednesday – The Alonzo Child left for New Orleans. Sam took his mother, cousin Ella Creel (b. 1840), and Miss Castle of St. Louis on a pleasure trip from St. Louis with 20 or 30 other couples to New Orleans aboard the Alonzo Child [MTL 1: 118n4].
February 28 Saturday – The Paul Jones reached New Orleans [Branch, “Bixby” 2]. In his Autobiography:
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