Vol 3 Section 0102
Left Flushing 5.30 p.m.— [NB 41 TS 47-8].
July 14 Wednesday – The Clemens family arrived in Cologne, Germany at 12:30 after midnight. They had to settle for rooms at the Victoria Hotel, discovering there was no “Grand Hotel.” Sam’s notebook gives particulars:
arr. Cologne 12.30 a m—no hotel—went to the Victoria after sending a telegram to the imaginary “Grand.” H–l of a hotel, but cheap, 43 marks for everything, i.e. lodging & breakfast-coffee.
There 12 hours & left at 12.30 p.m.—arr[ived] at Basel 8.24. Left at 9—arr at Lucerne 11 pm. Rebstock hotel. Wouldn’t do. Went to the Union [Hotel].
The official who helped us at Basel—good man.
Paid out in fees these 2 days, goodness knows how much.
At Cologne, 45 m to train time the tribe went off to the Cathedral. (Say [Sue?] missed the train) [NB 41 TS 48].
Note: Locher reports that “most of the guests were British” in the Hotel Union in Lucerne, Switzerland [6]. Locher gives an excellent exposition of Lucerne and Weggis, and of the family’s stay there. He observes that “Lucerne and the surrounding villages had long since adjusted to the tourist traffic. From April until October 1893, for example, …80,000 arrivals were counted in Lucerne alone; about one third of them were American and British…in the second half of July 1897, 1,828 visitors from the United States and Canada were registered in the hotels and pensions of Lucerne [4]
July 15 Thursday – Lucerne, Switzerland. Sam wrote to Henry M. Stanley. Cue: “Professor Levi of
Michigan University” [MTP]. Note: letter UCCL 13296 is currently unavailable at MTP.
The Fremden-Blatt (Visitor’s Register) entry reads: “Mr. S.L. Clemens with family and courier, U.S.A.” Ernst Köppe is referred to by Locher as Sue Crane’s “servant,” and may have acted as “courier.” Bloch points out Sam crossed the Kapellbrucke and entered the Hofkirche, and discovered an “ancestor”—
“This was the holy Clemens Romanus, the legendary pupil of St. Paul and third Pope, and at most related to this Clemens only through Adam and Noah. Still, it was an amusing discovery” [6].
Sam’s notebook :
You climb two flights of wide steps. Queer little church surmounted by a couple of very tall & exceedingly slender & sharp toothpick spires—sharp enough for birds to get impaled upon them. On one leaf of the ancient oaken door is carved an old-time knight in armor in deep relief—on the other a bishop. In the roomy vestibule are life-size statues of 6 saints in niches, with their names labeled underneath them—St. Peter is one of them & has his golden key. One is labeled S. Clemens—just my name, just my initial. It was a proud thing to find an ancestor in such a place & in such company. Still, there have always been saints in our family. If I had my rights I would be one myself. This one had a helmet, probably used to be on the police before he got promoted.
All around the church extends the churchyard; & it was noticeable that there were flowers on graves 50 years old. A quiet reposeful place, the shrubbery well tended.
Went to Cook’s to get some change. Frenchman there talked ½ hour.
He took it for a conversation bureau, perhaps.
————
Lucerne, July 15. Telegraphed Pond at Liverpool. “Have concluded not to lecture.” Went to Gersau by boat; the others went on to Brunnen, en route to Stoos.
Crossed the crooked old covered wooden bridge. Oil painting overhead—150; half of them pious, the other half battles &c of the ancient times. A few of them good (& comparatively modern, I think) the others ancient, dim, & rude. Each picture has some German doggerel under it.
In the church vestibule printed terms for getting your slate wiped clean of sins [NB 41 TS 48-9]. Note: Sam’s NB 42, TS 5 lists Lucerne, the Gletscher Museum.
SLC used mourning border for most letters from Susy’s death on, then from Livy’s death on.