9 Unexpected Tragedy

CHAPTER 9 Unexpected Tragedy In September 1798, New York City was hit with a yellow fever epidemic. Alexander's family was spared this time, but people all over New York were still frightened. Nearly forty-five people were dying each day in the city.

第9章意想不到的悲剧1798年9月，纽约市爆发了一场黄热病疫情。 亚历山大的家人这次幸免于难，但全纽约的人仍然很害怕。 这座城市每天有近45人死亡。

People did not yet understand that yellow fever was spread by mosquitoes. But they did know that standing water and unsanitary conditions made the epidemic worse. Many people drank dirty or polluted water because they had no access to clean water. In 1799, Aaron Burr proposed to do something about this. At that time, Aaron Burr was employed by the government of New York State. He wanted to start the Manhattan Company. This new business would lay pipes to bring clean water to the people living in the lower end—the southern tip—of New York City. Alexander thought this was a great idea and supported Aaron's plan. But the truth was that Aaron Burr had other plans besides bringing clean water to everyone. The real purpose of the Manhattan Company was to raise money by telling people it was for

人们还不知道黄热病是由蚊子传播的。 但他们确实知道，死水和不卫生的条件会使疫情恶化。 许多人喝脏水或污染的水，因为他们没有干净的水。 1799年，亚伦·伯尔提议对此做点什么。 当时，亚伦·伯尔受雇于纽约州政府。 他想创办曼哈顿公司。 这家新公司将铺设管道，为生活在纽约市最南端的人们输送干净的水。 亚历山大认为这是个好主意，并支持亚伦的计划。 但事实是，除了给每个人提供干净的水，亚伦·伯尔还有其他计划。 曼哈顿公司的真正目的是通过告诉人们它是为了筹集资金

clean water, but then only use a part of that money for the job. The rest would be available to the organizers of the plan, men like Aaron Burr. A single clause of the company's charter— the document that set the rules for what the company could do—allowed the Manhattan Company to use any money it wasn't using for water for other kinds of banking business. In New York at that time, there were only two banks. One was the state bank that belonged to the government. The other was the Bank of New York, which Alexander Hamilton had helped to start. Aaron Burr wanted to become an important man in New York. He chose to create his own bank that would lend him money whenever he asked for it. It could also make him a lot of money. The Manhattan Company raised $2 million for its water system, but only used $100,000 to actually provide water! People continued to get sick. Alexander was furious. From that moment on, he knew that Aaron Burr was a dishonest man. So he was not happy when Thomas Jefferson

干净的水，但只花了一部分钱。 剩下的部分将提供给该计划的组织者，像亚伦·伯尔这样的人。 公司章程中有一条条款——为公司行为制定规则的文件——允许曼哈顿公司将没有用于供水的资金用于其他类型的银行业务。 当时纽约只有两家银行。 一个是属于政府的国有银行。 另一家是亚历山大·汉密尔顿帮助创立的纽约银行。 亚伦·伯尔想成为纽约的重要人物。 他选择创建自己的银行，只要他需要，银行就会随时借钱给他。 这也能让他赚很多钱。 曼哈顿公司为其供水系统筹集了100万美元，但实际上只花了10万美元来供水！人们继续生病。 亚历山大勃然大怒。从那一刻起，他知道亚伦·伯尔是个不诚实的人。 所以当托马斯·杰斐逊

was elected president in 1801 with none other than Aaron Burr as his vice president! Alexander and Eliza now had seven children. Their daughter, Elizabeth Holly, also known as Eliza, had been born in 1799. By 1801, their oldest son, Philip, was a handsome, charming

1801年当选总统，副总统正是亚伦·伯尔。亚历山大和伊丽莎现在有七个孩子。 他们的女儿伊丽莎白·霍利，又名伊丽莎，出生于1799年。 1801年，他们的大儿子，菲利普，是个英俊迷人的

young man of nineteen who was very loyal to his father. When a man named George Eacker gave a speech that insulted Alexander, Philip confronted him about it. Eacker called Philip a "rascal." This was a very serious word in 1801. Philip demanded an apology. Eacker refused. Philip wasted no time and quickly challenged Eacker to a duel.

一个十九岁的年轻人，对他父亲非常忠诚。 当一个名叫乔治·埃克的人发表了一篇侮辱亚历山大的演讲时，菲利普当面质问他。 埃克称菲利普为“流氓”。 这在1801年是一个非常严肃的词。 菲利普要求她道歉。 Eacker拒绝了。菲利普没有浪费时间，立即向埃克提出决斗。

Dueling In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, dueling was a popular way for gentlemen to settle their differences. If two men disagreed with each other, they would have friends— known as "seconds"—try to work out a truce between them by passing messages back and forth. Usually this worked. But if it did not, the two men would stand a certain distance apart and each fire a single gunshot at each other. If they were lucky, both walked away uninjured. But often they were not. Dueling was dangerous and often illegal, but wealthy men still met in secret and held duels. Any man who refused to duel would be labeled a coward. When Philip talked to his father about the duel, Alexander suggested that he should "throw away" his first shot. He meant that Philip should not shoot directly at Eacker. When Eacker realized this, he would then also fire his pistol in

在18世纪末和19世纪初，决斗是绅士们解决分歧的一种流行方式。 如果两个人意见不一致，他们会有朋友——被称为“副手”——试图通过来回传递信息来达成休战。 通常这是有效的。但如果没有，这两个人就会站在一定距离之外，互相开一枪。 如果幸运的话，他们俩都安然无恙地离开了。 但通常情况下并非如此。决斗是危险的，而且往往是非法的，但富人仍然秘密会面并举行决斗。 任何拒绝决斗的人都会被贴上懦夫的标签。 当菲利普向他父亲谈起决斗时，亚历山大建议他应该“放弃”他的第一枪。 他的意思是说，菲利普不应该直接向埃克开枪。 当埃克意识到这一点时，他也会开枪射击