William Dobbyn (1876-1939) was Astor's executive assistant for many years. He assisted Astor with day-to-day business activities but also acted in a domestic capacity, and was a close personal confidant.
Dobbyn used the plan as part of his arrangements for the Astors' return from honeymoon aboard the Titanic in April 1912. Dobbyn himself did not make the journey on the Titanic.
On the plan, Dobbyn has made two significant annotations.
Firstly, he has circled two cabins separated by a bathroom, part of a suite of three staterooms. And noted:
C-74 and C-76 — 1225usd Apr. 10 from Cherbourg
He has also added the following note at the top of the plan:
Jan 23/12
Archer[?] said would write Paris office to hold these rooms for Col. A who I said would take the matter up in Paris.
The matter of which cabins the Astors occupied has perplexed historians for years, and many combinations have been suggested, none with any firm documentary evidence. This deck plan may be the only available contemporary source mentioning specific cabins.
Although a major contribution to the debate, the notes on these plans do not constitute proof that these were the actual cabins that the Astors finally booked or ultimately occupied, but it seems likely that these were the ones that they intended to reserve.
The rare plan was one of over 250 Titanic and other maritime-related items sold at auction on 27 April 2014 by Henry Aldridge & Son.
Comment and discuss