Dream River and Dream Laura – Disaster Forewarned – A Pounding in the Pilot House - Henry Dead from Pennsylvania Explosion – More Steamboats, More Work
January 14 Thursday – Sam may have made the return trip on the New Falls City, an 880 ton side-wheeler freshly built that month, with Captain Montgomery. The licensed pilots at this time were Chauncy Cable and Zeb Leavenworth. Sam possibly offered his steering services in exchange for passage [MTL 1: 75].
January 20 Wednesday – New Falls City arrived in New Orleans.
February 6 Saturday – The Pennsylvania, now repaired and refitted, left New Orleans with William Brown as pilot, George Ealer as co-pilot, John Simpson Klinefelter (1810-1885) as Captain. Sam had procured a job for Henry as “mud clerk,” so called because the job required leaping to shore in places where there was no pavement or dock. The job did not pay, but was a way to rise in the ranks. Henry Clemens was nineteen, and would make six trips with his brother Sam [Powers, MT A Life 84].
February 14 Sunday – Pennsylvania arrived in St. Louis.
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 19 Friday – The Pennsylvania reached Cairo, Illinois in the afternoon. Other boats had either elected to stay in St. Louis or were aground.
February 25 Thursday – Pennsylvania arrived in New Orleans.
February 27 Saturday – Pennsylvania ,left for St. Louis
March 9 Tuesday – Pennsylvania arrived in St. Louis. Sam wrote to Orion and Mollie about the difficult trip of Feb. 17, which took twenty days, six or seven more than usual for the round trip.
March 11 Thursday – Pennsylvania left for New Orleans.
March 17 Wednesday – Pennsylvania arrived in New Orleans.
March 19 Friday – Sam gave a deposition in a lawsuit (Klineflelter, et al, vs. Vicksburg) over the collision between the Pennsylvania and the Vicksburg on Nov. 26, 1857. See that entry. Sam was a steersman on the Pennsylvania at that time [Marleau, “Eyewitness” 18]
March 20 Saturday – Pennsylvania left for St. Louis.
March 27 Saturday – Pennsylvania arrived in St. Louis.
March 31 Wednesday – Pennsylvania left for New Orleans.
April 6 Tuesday – Pennsylvania arrived in New Orleans.
April 10 Saturday – Pennsylvania left for St. Louis.
April 16 Friday – Pennsylvania arrived in St. Louis.
April 20 Tuesday – Pennsylvania left for New Orleans.
April 26 Monday – Pennsylvania arrived in New Orleans.
April 30 Friday – Pennsylvania left for St. Louis.
May 5 Wednesday – Pennsylvania arrived in St. Louis.
May 10 Monday – Pennsylvania left for New Orleans.
May 16 Sunday – Pennsylvania arrived in New Orleans. While there, Sam met fourteen-year-old Laura Wright (1845-1932). They spent most of the three days together. Sam was then twenty-two, but the age difference was not unusual in those days. Laura was with her father, Judge Foster P. Wright of Warsaw, Missouri, visiting her uncle, William C. Youngblood and her cousin Zeb Leavenworth on the John J. Roe. Sam went to visit Zeb and Beck Jolly, old mates from past trips. In his Autobiography Sam described Laura: