SS Columbia Cabin Passenger List – 4 October 1924 | Anchor Steamship Line

Front Cover, Cabin Passenger List from the TSS Columbia of the Anchor Steamship Line, Departing 4 October 1924 from Glasgow to New York via Moville, Commanded by Captain William Gemmell. GGA Image ID # 20d058d37e

Voyage Overview

On 4 October 1924, the TSS Columbia of the Anchor Steamship Line set out from Glasgow bound for New York via Moville. Commanded by Captain William Gemmell, this voyage carried a varied group of Cabin Class passengers — a blend of business travelers, families, emigrants returning to the United States, and those journeying for leisure or seasonal visits. The Cabin Class of the 1920s represented an appealing mix of comfort and affordability, offering many amenities without the opulence (or price) of First Class.

⚓ Ship Profile – TSS Columbia

• Launched: 1902 by D. & W. Henderson & Co., Glasgow
• Operator: Anchor Steamship Line (later Anchor-Donaldson Line)
• Route: Primarily Glasgow–Moville–New York
• Capacity: Approx. 1,200 passengers across all classes
• Key Features: Twin-screw turbine steamer, known for reliability and solid mid-range speed
• Service Role: Served both as a transatlantic liner and as a key link for Scottish emigrants and business travelers to North America
• Voyage Date: 4 October 1924

Senior Officers and Staff

1. Commander: Captain William Gemmell
2. Chief Officer: Thos. W. Hawley
3. Chief Engineer: Matt. Nairn
4. Surgeon: D. Murphy
5. Purser: A. MacGillivray
6. Chief Steward: G. Morrison

▓▓▓ "A" ▓▓▓

1. Mr. Herbert Abernathey

▓▓▓ "E" ▓▓▓

95. Miss Annie Early

▓▓▓ "I" ▓▓▓

156. Mrs. Susan Innés

▓▓▓ "Y" ▓▓▓

378. Miss Anna S. Young

Notable Passengers & Context

While this passenger list includes many individuals without recorded titles, several stand out for social, historical, or cultural reasons:

Dr. P. B. Maskrey – The sole titled medical professional on the list, whose presence suggests either personal travel or a professional engagement in North America. Shipboard doctors were often prominent figures in their home communities.

Mrs. Mary Garden & Miss Johan Garden – The Garden surname raises an intriguing possibility of connection to Mary Garden, the celebrated Scottish-American operatic soprano active in the 1910s–20s, famous for roles in French opera. While confirmation would require further genealogical research, their simultaneous travel in Cabin Class suggests a family of cultural standing.

Mrs. Elizabeth Cheatham, Miss Arline Cheatham, Master V. Cheatham, Master Robert Cheatham – A family traveling together, possibly part of the well-known Cheatham line in the United States, with military and political connections in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Mrs. E. McPhee & children (Arthur, John, Samuel, Elizabeth) – Large family groups in Cabin Class were less common than in steerage, suggesting relative affluence or sponsorship.

Multiple Craig family members (James, Agnes, Anne, Thomas, George) – The presence of multi-generational passengers indicates extended family travel, possibly for reunions or to manage transatlantic property or business affairs.

Mrs. Agnes King Herd & Miss Jean Ewing Herd – The “Ewing” middle name may indicate connection to the prominent Ewing merchant family, active in Scottish-American trade.

Information For Passengers

Additional Passage Money or Freight paid on board—passengers should obtain a receipt on the Company's form for such disbursements.

Baggage. —Enquiries regarding baggage on board ship should be addressed to the Second Steward. Trunks, Wraps, etc., will be stored and re-shipped by the Company for the return voyage.

To facilitate examination and identification of baggage on landing, all packages should have an official label affixed; these labels are supplied on board on application.

Baggage Insurance. —Passengers are recommended to ensure their baggage, as, in the event of loss or damage, the Company cannot accept liability beyond the limit specified on the Steamer Contract Tickets. Rates and particulars on application.

The bar closes at 11 p.m.

Barber's Shop. —Barber's shop is situated on board for the convenience of passengers. The barber will attend to the ladies by appointment.

Clothes Pressing. —Application should be made to the Barber, from whom rates, and other particulars can be obtained.

Complaints. —Complaints of incivility, carelessness, or inattention on the part of any of the ship's staff should be immediately reported to the Commander.

Confectionery and Souvenirs. —Confectionery and Souvenirs are on sale at reasonable prices on application to the Deck Steward.

Copyrighted books and music are forbidden and will be confiscated by customs authorities.

Deck Chairs and Rugs may be hired for the voyage at the Company's offices or from the Deck Steward. A printed receipt is to be obtained by passengers for this hire.

Divine Service may be held in the Saloon (weather permitting) every Sunday between 11 and 12 noon.

Dogs. —Returning passengers are notified that Dogs cannot be landed in Great Britain unless a license has been procured from the Board of Agriculture, London. License forms can only be obtained by direct application to the Department before the dog is taken on board.

Dogs can only be carried by special arrangements made with the Company before embarkation. Whilst on board, they are not permitted in public rooms or staterooms.

Drafts are issued, free of charge, payable in currency at any of the Offices of the Company in the United States and Canada, and similarly, drafts are issued in the United States and Canada payable at any of the Company's Offices in the United Kingdom in sterling or at the Company's Offices in Europe in the currency of the country on which they are drawn.

Library. —Library Books may be obtained on application to the Deck Steward.

Lights are on in the Saloon until 11 p.m. and in public rooms until 11:30 p.m.

Lifebelts. —Lifebelts must not be removed from staterooms except in extreme danger and necessity cases.

Meals—

• Breakfast, 8 to 10 a.m.
• Lunch, 1 p.m.
• Dinner 7:30 p.m.

When two sittings are necessary, meals will be served as follows:

• Breakfast, 8 to 10 a.m.
• Lunch, 1st sitting, 12:30 p.m.
• Lunch, 2nd sitting, 1:30 p.m.
• Dinner, 1st sitting, 6:15 p.m.
• Dinner, 2nd sitting, 7:30 p.m.

Passengers may reserve seats at the table for the voyage on application to the chief steward. Meals cannot be served in cabins or on deck without the surgeon's permission.

Children's Meals—

• Breakfast, 9 a.m.;
• Dinner, noon;
• Tea, 5 to 6 p.m.

Ports. —Passengers are requested not to open the ports. The Stewards will do this whenever practicable.

Recovery of U.S. Head Tax. —Passengers can recover this tax if the same has been paid, provided they inform the U.S. Immigration Inspector on arrival at New York of their intention to leave the United States within sixty days (the time prescribed by U.S. Law) and obtain Transit Certificate Form 514 from him.

It is also necessary for Transit Certificate Form 514 to be handed to the transportation company when completed, in time to allow the same to be placed before the Immigration Authorities in Washington within one hundred and twenty days of the Passenger's arrival in the United States.

Unless this regulation is complied with, the Tax cannot be recovered.

Railway Timetables may be consulted on application to the Music-Room Steward.

Smoking. —Smoking in saloons and staterooms is strictly prohibited. Children are not allowed in the Smoke- room. Cigarette smokers are requested to be careful when smoking on deck to see that cigarettes are extinguished before being thrown away.

Storage. —The Company will store Deck Chairs and Steamer Trunks belonging to passengers at the owner's risk until they are required when returning. Chairs and Trunks should have the owner's name painted on them, and they will not be re-shipped without instructions being sent to Baggage Master, Anchor Line, Yorkhill Quay, Glasgow, or in the case of Italian Ports, care of Anchor Line, Genoa, or Anchor Line, Naples.

A description of the articles should be given, as well as the name of the steamer from which they were landed and the date. No shawls, rugs, &c., to be attached to Chairs. No charge for storage is made if the owners return by the Company's vessels. If Chairs or Trunks are forwarded by rail this is done at owner's risk and expense.

Table-Seating. —The Chief Steward has the arrangement of table-seating.

Telegrams and Letters for despatch should be handed in at Purser's 'Office and fully prepaid before arriving at Port. The time of acceptance of same will be intimated at Purser's Office.

Telegraph Forms and Postage Stamps can be had from the Writing-Room Stewards.

The Surgeon is authorized to make customary charges, subject to the captain's approval, for treating Saloon Passengers at their request for any illness not originating on board the ship. In the case of sickness contracted on board, no charge will be made, and medicine will be provided free.

Through Booking to Gibraltar, Egypt, and India. —The Anchor Line Steamers engaged in this service have excellent saloon accommodation. Full particulars as to Fares, etc., on application.

Tobacco, Spirits, etc.—Tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, wines, spirits, and perfumery are liable to duty on being brought into the United Kingdom, and the smallest quantities should be declared to the Customs authorities.

Valuables. —Money or valuables should not be exposed in staterooms. The Company will not be responsible for articles lost or stolen. Valuables may be deposited in the ship's safe, under the care of the Purser, free of charge.

Passengers are warned that they should not on any account with money or valuables to any persons representing themselves as members of the ship's staff.

Wines. —It is requested that Wines be ordered one hour before meals so that they may be cooled and ready for use.

Wireless Telegraphy. —Wireless Telegraphy messages should be handed to the Purser for transmission.

Life Aboard Cabin Class – 1924

Cabin passengers aboard the Columbia enjoyed:

• Comfortable staterooms
• Access to a dining saloon with assigned seating
• Social lounges and smoking rooms
• Library facilities and a barber’s shop
• Onboard entertainments and Sunday divine service

The ship’s passenger information section reveals the structured routines and maritime etiquette of the 1920s — from strict smoking regulations to the hiring of deck chairs and rugs, and the use of the Marconi Wireless Telegraphy system for ocean letters.

📚 Relevance for Teachers, Students, Historians, and Genealogists

Teachers – Can use this list to illustrate the social stratification of shipboard life in the 1920s and transatlantic migration patterns.

Students – Gain insight into post-WWI passenger demographics and the economic accessibility of Cabin Class travel.

Historians – This voyage falls into the interwar period, a transitional era for shipping before the Depression and air travel altered migration patterns.

Genealogists – Multiple extended families are documented, offering rich material for tracing transatlantic family connections.

📝 Final Thoughts – Why This Passenger List Matters

The TSS Columbia voyage of 4 October 1924 captures the heart of interwar transatlantic travel: middle-class accessibility, a mix of returning emigrants and leisure travelers, and the enduring appeal of ocean liners for personal and business connections. The passenger list also reflects family unity, cultural connections, and maritime professionalism — all preserved in an elegant piece of shipping ephemera.

Title Page with Listing of Senior Officers and Staff. TSS Columbia Cabin Passenger List, 4 October 1924. GGA Image ID # 20d062be8c

Anchor Steamship Line Services, 1924. TSS Columbia Cabin Passenger List, 4 October 1924. GGA Image ID # 20d10dbd2a

Anchor Steamship Line Fleet, 1924. TSS Columbia Cabin Passenger List, 4 October 1924. GGA Image ID # 20d111798c

Time at Sea and Ocean Distances - Glasgow to New York. TSS Columbia Cabin Passenger List, 4 October 1924. GGA Image ID # 20d11ca323

Marconi Wireless Telegraph System Including Ocean Letters, 1924. TSS Columbia Cabin Passenger List, 4 October 1924. GGA Image ID # 20d13c4809