The log book has a textured cover with a heavily raised, embossed, cover plate lettering. The log book contains over 225 paper pages. They are printed with page numbers, a title page, ship staff information, and itinerary. Cruise general information, a list of common nautical terms, shipboard bell times, alphabetized passenger list, and a calendar are also included.
The page decorations are simple, but do exist throughout the log book, as headers footers and section decoration. Personal log pages are included which often have notes, observations, and trip details, which are handwritten, in ink, by Mary and also by her husband. The personal thoughts are more plentiful at the beginning of the trip and stop completely by the end of the trip. Each entry is printed with a date and lists whether the ship was in port, embarking, or at sea.
Over land trip pages at many ports are included. They appear to have been arranged by the International Mercantile Marine Company and American Express, as that endorsement appears with every over land trip. They list times, activities, meals plans, and when general sightseeing was planned. Each port has a page describing the city, area, culture, and customs for that location. Often small amounts of history are told as part of the narrative. Some appear to be factual. Independent auditing of this information would need to be conducted. See an example below:
Forty-fourth Day—Sunday, February 2 Kyoto CAPITAL of Japan, after Nara, for more than a thousand years (until 1868). It is to Japanese what Paris is to the French, or Florence to Italians. Fourth in size of the Empire's cities. When the residence of the Emperor was moved to "Ycdo" in 1868, the latter was renamed Tok-yo (Kyoto's syllables transposed). Kyoto is the art centre of one of the world's most artistic peoples. Its parks, shops, temples, festivals arc dreams of quiet beauty. Many travelers acclaim it the most important art centre outside Europe. It is two hours' train ride from Kobe; an hour from Osaka; and lies on the Yokohama-Shimonoseki railway trunk line.
The log book includes blank autograph pages, as was common at the time. It was a great way to have a casual remembrance of someone you met on a trip. The Cloutmans appear to have at least two of these pages filled with
Finally, although not part of the log book itself, numerous items were tucked into pages of the log book. Mainly advertisements, but also several obituaries and a few news clippings were found.
FHS-Kyle Leach
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