Passenger logbook from AQUITANIA

booklet

A logbook from the AQUITANIA, meant for passengers to track the details of their voyage. This one seems to have been filled out by a child, E.A. Rauchfuss. He departed from Cherbourg, France on September 11, 1920, arriving in New York on September 17, and he reports that the captain was Sir James Charles. Details of the weather, location and distances traveled are recorded in his handwriting and in another, more adult, handwriting. The booklet has an image of the four-funneled AQUITANIA on the front cover and, on the back, an illustration comparing its size to famous buildings around the world. There are other views of the ship and its interiors inside the booklet, as well as a map showing the route. This was an exciting time to be a passenger on this ship. On its last trip from New York to Cherbourg earlier in September, the AQUITANIA had beaten the travel time of the OLYMPIC, after wealthy passengers on both ships had allegedly placed bets on this unofficial "race." The news of the race (though denied by both the Cunard and Red Star lines) was reported around the world, and the excitement made the AQUITANIA especially popular. For the trip of September 11, the ship carried film star Dorothy Gish and two well-known opera sopranos, and it was packed so full that a group of American athletes returning from the Antwerp Summer Olympics complained that they were put in steerage.