René Gasnier Travel Journal, 1907

Abstract

This manuscript is titled “Villes Americaines: notes d’un accounte de la Coupe Gordon Benett aux Etats-Unis (Octobre, Novembre, Decembre 1907)”. The manuscript is written in French by René Gasnier. The translated title is “American Cities: notes from an account of the Gordon Bennett Cup in the United States”. Gasnier was an aviator who represented France in the prestigious Gordon Bennett Cup (the world’s oldest gas balloon race) in 1907. The notes in this manuscript would lead to the publication of “American Cities” in 1909, in which he recounts his experiences and observations while travelling to New York, and then to St. Louis, to participate in the Bennett Cup. He finished 7th in the race after a 38-hour flight. He then continues on a sightseeing tour, visiting Albany, Schenectady, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, Quebec, Montreal, Philadelphia, and Washington. The manuscript is 100 pages, plus a one-page table of contents at the end of the manuscript.