The OLOF called at the Port of Antwerp, Belgium on at 3 of the 5 trips it made to New York with passengers.  It is unlikely that Wilhelm Rauenhorst and the other Westphalia emigrants just decided to show up in Antwerp and take the first available ship.  It is likely that given the small number of ships going to New York from Antwerp, that the passengers had made prior arrangements to take the OLOF.  Thus it is likely that the Wilhelm Rauenhorst used some kind of shipbroker system in Westphalia and signed a contract for passage to New York.  Antwerp had significant regulations for passenger saety and accommodations and coupled with quick access to the Atlantic and the OLOF’s recent construction resulted in an attractive alternative to other ports of embarkation.