Alfred A. Benitz Page last modified:

Safari in British East Africa (Kenya)
plus Travels in Europe & the U.S.

June, 1910 — May, 1911
(age: 51 years)

Pages:  1: Maps, Diary, Photos2: Game  3: Ships & Hotels4: Supplies, etc
——— <♦> ———

Travel: Arg. — England — B.E.A.

Alfred was not shy of spending his money on himself, always travelling first class.  He sailed on the “R.M.S.P. Aragon”, leaving Buenos Aires on June 10th and arriving in London on July 2nd.  On board he was accompanied by his brother Johnnie and wife Marjory, as well as several aquaintances, amongst them we can identify: Miss Dawney, Mr. Lambert, Charles Jewell and son, and Mrs. Bischoff (a fellow teacher of Clara E. Allyn, wife of Alfred's older brother Willie).

On the 12th September, 1910, Alfred and Todd sailed from Marseilles on the “R.P.D. Adolph Woermann”, booked to Kilindini, the port of Mombasa (British East Africa, today Kenya); where they arrived after 19 days.  They took the train from Mombasa to Nairobi, a five hour ride.

Buenos Aires — London

R.M.S.P. “Aragon”
Travelled: June, 1910

Marseilles — Kilindini

R.P.D. “Adolph Woermann”
Travelled: Sept.12 - 30, 1910

Missing image.

Passenger List — 19 June, 1910
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Missing image.

Passenger List — 12 Sep., 1910
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Missing image.

Built: 1905 (9,588 t.), sunk: 1917
(Source: Simplon Postcards - click here for other ship cards.)

Missing image.

Built: 1906 (6,268 t.), scrapped: 1938
(Source: New Zealand Maritime Record)

Kilindini — Mombasa — Nairobi

Uganda Railway
Travelled: about Oct. 1st, 1910

Missing image.

Uganda Railway, B.E.A. — General Map, 1910
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Travel: B.E.A. — England — US — Arg.

Alfred returned to England on about January 20th, 1911, having travelled from Kilindini (the port of Mombasa) to Marseilles on the “R.P.D. Prinzregent”.  He spent less than ten days in England, some of them at Todd's home, Mereside, Bromfield, Cumberland (see the letterhead on Alfred's comparison of taxidermist rates).

On January 28th, he sailed on the “R.M.S. Lusitania” from Liverpool, arriving in New York on February 3rd.  He most likely went to the States to see Willie, his older brother.  Willie was staying with his in-laws, the Allyn family, in Corsicana, Texas. He had been feeling poorly for some time and was there seeking medical treatment.  He died there April 1st, of kidney failure.

Per Alfred's list of hotels, it seems he did not sit around Corsicana waiting for Willie to die.  Restless as usual, he took a tour out west, visiting Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fort Ross, and the Grand Canyon.  It is very likely he took an excursion out to Santa Catalina Island - why else would he have kept the brochure (see below).  He also took the time to visit some of the major cities: Washington, New Orleans, Boston, and New York.

On April 20th, Alfred sailed from New York on the “S.S. Verdi”, arriving in Buenos Aires in mid-May, 1911.  He stayed the night of May 18 at the Savoy Hotel in Rosario, Santa Fé.  He had been gone almost a year, of which at least 75 days were spent at sea.

 

Kilindini — Marseilles

R.P.D. “Prinzregent”
Travelled: about Jan. 1 - 20, 1911

Missing image.

Passenger List — 1 January, 1911
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Missing image.

Dinner Menu — 17 January, 1911
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

   

Liverpool — New York

R.M.S. “Lusitania”
Travelled: Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, 1911

Missing image.

Saloon Passengers
Handbook & List
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Missing image.

Built 1906 (31,550 t.), sunk: 1915
(Click here for more about the Lusitania.)
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Missing image.

Abstract of Log
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

   

Santa Catalina Island

California, USA

Missing image. Missing image.

Panorama of Avalon, c.1910
Back of Brochure
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Brochure, c.1910
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

 
   

New York — Buenos Aires

S.S. “Verdi”
Travelled: April 20 to May 15, 1911

Missing image.

Cabin Passenger List
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Missing image.

Programme of Sports
April 27 - May 3, 1911
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Missing image.

South America
Lamport & Holt Line

— Brochure, 1911 —
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Missing image.

Built: 1907 (6,578 t.), sunk: 1917
(Source: Blue Star Line.)

   

Rosario

Savoy Hotel
May 18, 1911
Missing image.
   

Hotels stopped at on travels 1910 — 1911

During his year of travel, Alfred stopped at many hotels, near 30 per his list alone.  He most likely compiled the list after his return for it is written on the stationary of a livestock auction company with facilities in the provinces of Santa Fé and Córdoba.  In the absence of a diary, the list tells us where he travelled, but probably not all of the places - for example, the list does not tell us if he travelled to Corsicana, Texas, where he was likely put up by relatives.

Note: The Gran Hotel Central in Rosario was still in business in the early 1950s.  It had two lion statues, one each side of the foyer.  The lions were at rest, staring regally at the entrance - very impressive to a child (me).  My parents stayed at the Central whenever in Rosario: weddings, polo tournaments, my tonsils (great chocolate icecream), etc.

Missing image.

Alfred’s list
(Source: Stuart Pryor)

Hotels stopped at on travels 1910 - 1911

Grand Hotel Central Rosario    
Grand Hotel Buenos Aires good  
Hotel Victoria London    ”  
   ”   Lille at Albion Paris poor  
   ”   Inglaterra Caen    ”  
Grand Hotel Paris good  
Russacks   ” St Andrews.-    ” web
Londres     ” Ostend poor  
Palace       ” Brussels good  
Victoria      ” Rotterdam poor  
Bristol        ” Berlin good web
Regina       ” Dresden poor  
Grand        ” Vienna good  
Oldens House Dublin    
Metropole Hotel Mombasa good  
Norfolk         ” Nairobi good web
Blue Past     ” Thika R falls    
Waldorf Astoria  ” New York good web
New Willards Washington good web
St Charles New Orleans good  
Lankershim Los Angeles regular web
St Francis San Francisco good web
Sea View Hotel near Fort Ross regular  
Overton Santa Rosa    ”  
El Tovar Grand Canyon good web
Park Avenue Hotel New York regular  
Youngs Hotel Boston good web

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© Peter Benitz (Benitz Family)