Round the World Cruise 1926-1927 [Log Book]

Round the World Cruise logbook owned by the great-great-grandson of Albert Gallatin.

This sumptuous leather-bound logbook was published in 1926 by the Raymond & Whitcomb Company, a Boston-based travel agency founded in the late 1870s. The blank volume was issued to the distinguished passengers aboard the Cunard liner RMS Carinthia, ready to catalog the details of a special five-month ‘Round the World’ cruise. Based on the gilt lettering on the front cover, this example reflects the experiences of “Master Thomas G. Gallatin,” great-great-grandson of Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Jefferson and Madison.

Thomas Gerry Gallatin (1914-1984) was about 12 or 13 years old at the time he took the epic voyage, in company with his sister Beatrice (Bea), mother (Edith), and father (Goelet). Goelet was a Columbia law graduate and veteran of both World Wars who made a fine living cattle ranching and raising thoroughbred horses. A healthy income would have been necessary to afford the trip – a 1925 advertisement for a similar cruise by Raymond Waters quotes rates as $2,000 and up (over $36,000 today).

Money well spent, at least from young Tommy’s perspective. His handwritten entries (which sadly only cover about half the trip) describe a myriad of foreign delights and pleasures (as well as some mundane observations). As might be expected from an adolescent boy, he was particularly keen on the topless natives of New Guinea. Other adventures of notable interest include escaping a hurricane in Cuba, dining with American military officers in the Philippines, and an extensive trip throughout Japan.

Sources: Find A Grave; AZ Archives Online; SS Maritime;