A Conversation for Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain
mark twain
crazy.liverpool.lass Started conversation Aug 6, 2001
his name was derived from his job on the riverboats...to measure the depth ov the water they wer travelling in, they inserted a pole into the water and read the markings...mark twain was the measure for 2 fathoms deep!...am i right in thinking his middle name was leghorn???
mark twain
McKay The Disorganised Posted Sep 4, 2002
2 fathoms is 12 feet. Thats a lot of pole to wave about. I heard something very similar. The leadsman stood on the front of the boat whirling a weighted lead which he threw over the side, as he pulled it back onboard he counted the knots.
Mark Twain was a single knot - very shallow water.
Isn't it funny how we pick up a story and assume it to be true (both of us - I have no claim to certainty - its just a nice story. Imagine a foggy night on The Mississippi, lights drift slowly past beyond the trees and voice calls out - basso profundo - Maaaaaaark Twaiaiaiain.)
mark twain
BigAl Patron Saint of Left Handers Keeper of the Glowing Pickle and Monobrows Posted Sep 17, 2006
Yes, I remember being told this at school40 years ago!. Oddly, not a lot of people seem to know this.
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