Postcards from the Past Featuring Travel to Europe in 1922

Workdogs were very common to haul bakery goods and diary in many parts of Switzerland.
This is when Will was visiting the high alpine region around Interlaken.

Postcards from the Past. 1922. Jungfrau in June. The Lauterbrunnen valley is the door into the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. This is when Will was visiting the high alpine region around Interlocken, and visited the glaciers in the alps.

Background: I found these photographs and postcards from an estate which had items that were being discarded. I was mesmerized from the photos. These are places I had been, now seen from a person that had traveled there almost 100 years ago, by cruise ship and train. I have scanned in the photos and postcards so that they will live forever.

The Wonderful Travels of William McCraken: Will McCracken, a telegraph
operator from Waterloo, Wisconsin took the trip of a lifetime to Europe, including Venice, Rome, Switzerland, Paris, and the UK.

William McCraken: The family was originally from Scotland, some time
in Ireland, and finally branched off to America. The first of the family to cross the pond was Alexander McCracken, whom in 1845 at the age of 17, crossed the Atlantic to work as a carpenter in Milwaukee. He later married Miss Susanne McKittrick and had three children. The family became pioneers in the wilderness of Kroghville (Wisconsin) by first going by rail to Whitewater, then stagecoach to Cambridge. Alexander was a postmaster, then established a grain and general mercantile business. William was born in 1865, and in 1870 the family moved to Waterloo. In Waterloo the family owned a general store, and expanded their grain buying services in the area and commissioned
grain elevators for storage and rail services. The railroad came to
Waterloo earlier in 1859. Robert, the eldest brother was the first in the area to own a steam car in 1902 (gasoline fired boiler and could go 20 mph), and tricycle in 1876, and first high wheeled bike in 1882. William McCracken (1865-1948) was a telegraph operator at the train depot and also worked as assistant station master and ticket agent. He later became a cashier at the Waterloo State Bank. His gardens were
legendary, and he was an avid painter. At the age of 57, Will McCracken took his grand European adventure. The trip of a lifetime back then.

The Lauterbrunnen valley is the door into the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. This is when Will was visiting the high alpine region around Interlocken, and visited the glaciers in the alps.

Background: I found these photographs and postcards from an estate which had items that were being discarded. I was mesmerized from the photos. These are places I had been, now seen from a person that had traveled there almost 100 years ago, by cruise ship and train. I have scanned in the photos and postcards so that they will live forever.

The Wonderful Travels of William McCraken: Will McCracken, a telegraph operator from Waterloo, Wisconsin took the trip of a lifetime to Europe, including Venice, Rome, Switzerland, Paris, and the UK.

William McCracken (1865-1948) was a telegraph operator at the train depot and also worked as assistant station master and ticket agent. He later became a cashier at the Waterloo State Bank. His gardens were legendary, and he was an avid painter. At the age of 57, Will McCracken took his grand European adventure. The trip of a lifetime back then.

Postcards from Zürich and Lugano, Switzerland.

After his European adventure, Will McCracken took the RMS Ausonia back from Europe on Thursday 31 August 1922, to return to Waterloo, Wisconsin.

RMS Ausonia: launched in 1921, one of Cunard Steamship Co Ltd six post WWI A-Class ocean liners for originally intended for England to Canada route. Passenger refrigerated cargo ship. 14,000 tonnes, oil fired double reduction 4 geared steam turbines driving two screws, which developed 8,500 shaft horsepower and could do 15 knots. Registration 145970. Registered in Liverpool. 520 ft long, 65 ft beam and 39 ft draft. 510 cabin class and 1,178 third class passengers. 270 crew.

Meals: Meals were served three times a day. 7:30-8:30am for breakfast, 12:30-1:30pm lunch, and dinner 6-7pm. Bars were open until 11am.

Chairs and Rugs (towels) were available for a cost of 7/6 (about $1). Valuables were kept with the ships Purser in the ship safe (remember Titanic ?).

NOTICE: "Passengers are informed that Professional Gamblers are reported as frequently crossing on Atlantic Steamers, and are warned to take precautions accordingly."

Wireless: Messages were sent via telegraph (dits and dots). Every word is counted. Messages are prepaid prior to sending. Typical rates are 10 pence (d) per word which is 5 cents a word at the time, but in todays dollars, about $3.70 per word. So it was very expensive for the time. Ocean letters are the texting of the time, and cost 5 shilling and 6 pence, or around 36 cents (USD). 100 word maximum for one Ocean Letter. An Ocean Letter is transmitted to a vessel going in the opposite directly, which is then printed out and send via land post upon arrival at the destination.

Currency: in 1922 the currency was based on shillings (s) and pence (d). At that time, L1 (one British pound = 1.31 USD) = 20 shillings. 1 shilling = 12 pence (d)
1 shilling (s) = $.07 and 1 pence (d)= $.005
In 2005, a shilling was worth about $4.42 USD and a pence (d) was about $.37 USD.

Income of the day: a chainmaker would earn (after strike of 1910) about 11 shillings per week, or in 2005 amounts, about L20 or $26 USD.

Will McCracken visited here in his 1922 European tour.
Originally known as the Alpine Hut Building and build of timbers for his father Maximilian II, King Ludwig II used this when he was crown prince for hunting expeditions with his father. Ludwig rebuilt the house and appointed it the Royal Lodge (Königshäuschen) in 1869. The original lodge was clad with stone and expanded to soon become the Royal Villa in 1874.

The Wonderful Travels of William McCraken: Will McCracken, a telegraph operator from Waterloo, Wisconsin took the trip of a lifetime to Europe.

Will McCracken took this steamship between Liverpool and Belfast.

About: Build in the Belfast Steamship Co. shipyard, the Patriotic was launched in 1911. She was 325 ft long, 41 ft wide, had two screws and could do 18 knots. She had a triple expansion steam engine, and was later scrapped when done with service. At 2300 gross tons, she was used as a troop ship during WWI. In 1930 she was overhauled and renamed the Lady Leinster and served the Liverpool-Dublin route.