[On ladder railroads in Switzerland] | 05 July 1892
Luxemburger gazette. [volume] (Dubuque, Iowa), 05 July 1892. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84027101/1892-07-05/ed-1/seq-7/>
This article is an excerpt from Mark Twain's travel letters which were eventually published under the title “Switzerland, The Cradle of Libert.” in the collection What is Man? (1917, 193-208).
Key to annotations on German translations of Mark Twain's original texts
| Transcription | English Translation / Original Text |
|---|---|
| Der Humorist Mark Twain schreibt über die schweizerischen Bergbahnen: „Es ist viele Jahre her, daß ich nicht in der Schweiz gewesen. Damals gab es nur eine Zahnradbahn. Jetzt hat aber jeder Berg ein oder zwei, die ihm wie Hosenträger über den Rücken laufen. Bald wird der Bauer auf jenen Höhen, wenn er des Nachts ausgeht, eine Laterne mitnehmen müssen, um nicht über eine Bergbahn zu stolpern, die gebaut worden, seit er das letzte Mal ausgegangen ist. Ein Bauer, durch dessen Kartoffelfeld deine [keine] Bahn geht, wird einst so berühmt werden wie Wilhelm Tell!“ | {The humorist Mark Twain writes about the Swiss ladder railway:} It is a good many years since I was in Switzerland last. In that remote time there was only one ladder railway in the country. That state of things is all changed. There isn't a mountain in Switzerland now that hasn't a ladder railroad or two up its back like suspenders; <indeed, some mountains are latticed with them, and two years hence all will be.> In that day [translated as "soon"] the peasant of the high altitudes will have to carry a lantern when he goes visiting in the night to keep from stumbling over railroads that have been built since his last round. And also in that day, <if there shall remain> a <high-altitude> peasant whose potato-patch hasn't a railroad through it, it will make him as conspicuous as William Tell. |