Titanic passenger's letter with "prophetic line" sells for almost $400,000 at auction
In the note, written to the seller's great-uncle on April 10, 1912, first-class passenger Archibald Gracie wrote of the ill-fated steamship: "It is a fine ship but I shall await my journeys end before I pass judgment on her."
The letter was sold to a private collector from the United States on Saturday, according to auction house Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire, England. The hammer price far exceeded the initial estimate price of 60,000 pounds.
The letter is believed to be the sole example in existence from Gracie from onboard the Titanic, which sank off Newfoundland after hitting an iceberg, killing about 1,500 people on its maiden voyage.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described it as an "exceptional museum grade piece."
"Not only is it written by one of the most important first-class passengers on Titanic, Colonel Archibald Gracie, [but] the letter itself contains the most prophetic line: 'It is a fine ship but I shall await my journey's end before I pass judgment on her,'" Aldridge said in a statement.
This undated handout picture provided by the auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son, England, shows a lettercard, penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship days before it sank, which has sold for 300,000 pounds ($399,000) at auction.
Henry Aldridge & Son / AP
Gracie, who jumped from the ship and managed to scramble onto an overturned collapsible boat, was rescued by other passengers onboard a lifeboat and was taken to the R.M.S. Carpathia. He went on to write "The Truth about the Titanic," an account of his experiences, when he returned to New York City.
Gracie boarded the Titanic in Southampton on April 10, 1912, and was assigned first-class cabin C51. His book is seen as one of the most detailed accounts of the events of the night the ship sank, Aldridge said. Gracie did not fully recover from the hypothermia he suffered, and died of complications from diabetes in late 1912.
The letter was postmarked Queenstown, Ireland, one of two stops the Titanic made before sinking.
Henry Aldridge & So put up dozens of Titanic items up for auction this month, including a pocket watch and a third-class ticket belonging to two passengers who both died in the disaster.
Pocket watches previously owned by Titanic passengers have sold for huge amounts at Henry Aldridge and Son's auctions before, with a bidder in November claiming one of them for $2 million. The price of that item had broken a record set earlier in the year, when the same auction house sold a different gold watch for about $1.46 million. In that case, the 14-carat object belonged to the wealthiest passenger on the Titanic, John Jacob Astor, whose net worth was around $87 million when the disaster happened in 1912.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
To the Mom With a Teen Who Just Doesn't Seem to Care
I watched my son walk to my car last Friday after school. I love picking him up; there's something about seeing him with his friends and the visceral relief you see in their smiles. It's nostalgic since I remember feeling the same way, but I love watching him and seeing him in a space different than the one he's in when he's with me and when he doesn't think I'm paying attention. My son doesn't care how he dresses and his room is a mess As he gets closer, I notice something smeared all over his white T-shirt. I have no idea what it is, but I'm sure he doesn't care. He slept at his father's last night, and as I ask him what's all over his shirt, his brother and sister chime in. 'He went to school like that,' they tell me simultaneously. Of course, I could say something to his dad about it and fault him for letting his son arrive at school in such a state, but I don't. I know how their morning went well because I've had many confrontations with him about his clothing if he's taken a shower or done his homework on time, and he doesn't care. Not even a little bit. It doesn't bother him if he walks into school with stained clothing, an oversized whitehead on his nose, or the same pants he's worn the last three days in a row. I don't understand it, and we had many throwdowns about this and other subjects at a very early hour. He keeps his room looking like a nightmare, and when I tell him to clean it up, it consists of him bringing down a sink full of dirty dishes and throwing everything else under the bed. He doesn't try hard in school He doesn't try hard in school despite being an intelligent kid who is excellent in math and science. At 15, I can't read his penmanship, and he doesn't put any effort into projects — he doesn't care. I've tried; I've taken him to counseling; I've loved him hard, and I've backed off. And then… There have been moments I've screamed at him, trying to get across how much I want him to care, how much I want him to live up to his potential, but it doesn't help. Nothing does. If your teen doesn't seem to care, you're not alone I'm telling you this because I want you to know that you aren't alone if you have a teen who doesn't give a flip about many things. I know so many teenagers out there are thriving and thinking about college and how many goals they will score in tonight's game, and then there's your kid. They are good and kind and can be sweet, and, of course, you love them — it's guttural and huge. But you wish they would care. You wish they'd shower more and not treat their room like a junkyard. You wish they would live up to their potential in school and play ball because they have skills they are hiding. You've tried it all, and nothing you do works, and it brings you to tears. You wonder if it's something you've done, if you've pushed too hard or not enough. But I have to tell you; it is not just your child. So many moms are feeling this way despite what they post on social media or what they see on the field. Those are snippets from a highlight reel; it's certainly not the whole story. I know my son has gifts; he's found a few but not all of them. I know he will in time; he's not ready yet, and I've realized I can't squeeze them out of him. I'm not giving up on him I'm not giving up; I've committed myself that I'd let him be because what I'm doing now, what his father is doing now, isn't working. We are both baffled; we both did well in high school and couldn't wait to go to college. Honestly, I wouldn't have been caught dead walking around high school in a stained shirt, and if my room looked like his, I'd cry. We raised him to be a good kid and a good adult; you have raised your kid to be a good human, too. I know you have. That doesn't stop because all our efforts are being blatantly ignored, but maybe we can give ourselves a damn break and realize we can't force them to care about things they don't. We want it to happen organically, of course, and I don't think it's going to if I keep shoving cleanliness, organization, working harder in school, and acne pads down his throat. My son is lovely. He doesn't skip school; he gets his work done by the skin of his teeth, and he takes care of me when I get sick since his father moved out. But he doesn't want to play sports; he couldn't care less if he was wearing clean clothes or has deodorant on or if all his friends are in the National Honor Society, and he could be too if he tried just a bit more. He lacks desire and motivation. My son doesn't care about many things right now, and if your child doesn't either, let's try and remember (together because I need support here) there are worse things. As his mom, I've worried other people will notice his nonchalant attitude and think it means I haven't shown up for him. Maybe you're worried about that too. Perhaps you are worried about it at this very moment. But mother to mother, let's let go of that thought and the fact they could be doing so much more with their life right now despite our support and our nagging and focus on the positive things they bring to the table because there are many. Please know, though, you aren't alone; your child is not alone, and I feel they will be just fine. The writer wishes to remain anonymous. More Great Reads Mom and Dad, Please Stick With Me SaveSave SaveSave The post To the Mom With a Teen Who Just Doesn't Seem to Care appeared first on Grown and Flown. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
My youngest is off to college, but I reject the term 'empty nester'
My wife and I will soon be, in the parlance of parenting, empty nesters. It's a term I've decided to reject. I've been rejecting a lot of things lately, if I'm being honest. Things like the fact that my youngest son – who approximately 15 minutes ago was a warm, burping bean slung tenderly over my shoulder – is now an adult human, both prepared for and (rudely) excited to head to college. And the simple fact that I played a small part in raising two remarkable additions to humanity, and the 'they live among us' portion of that job is done. How is that possible? It was a blink. It was a marathon that unfolded like a sprint. Taking my youngest child to college is a chapter's end I want to reject the reality of the moment – a moment I share with all parents preparing to send their last offspring out into the world – but it's a fool's errand. Opinion: On a college visit with my son it hit me. He's leaving. He's ready. And I'm not. This is a moment that should come. That must come. Our kids enter our lives, fabulously and chaotically. They give us more than we could ever imagine while wearing us down to shadows of our former selves. We live for them and through them and around them, all to prepare them to split, to go out and do their own things and live their lives and hopefully – hopefully – find we gave them the tools to live well. So I can't reject the fact that he's grown. He's taller than me, stronger than me. It's all very obnoxious, frankly. And I can't reject the fact that he's leaving. He's ready. I may or may not be, but it's happening. And I'm happy – thrilled, really – for him. Go get 'em, kiddo. I'm so proud of you, it hurts. The term 'empty nest' doesn't reflect the reality of a happy home But I can and will reject the oft-used term 'empty nest.' I'm writing this from a chair in our living room, and while no one else is home save the dog, I don't see emptiness. I see, vividly, as if he were there, my youngest's now-long legs dangling off the arm of the couch while he tells me about his day. I see him years ago, on the sidewalk outside, walking to the bus for the first day of middle school. I see him and my wife and his older brother at Christmas, collapsing in laughter. I look into the dining room and can hear the whirr of drones he'd fly around the house, the shouts of 'BOOM!' around the old wood table where we played countless games of UNO and Yahtzee. I see, clear as if they were there, LEGOs strewn about the floor and Hot Wheels tracks twisting and turning up and over furniture from one end of the house to the other. To new and struggling teachers: Don't give up. America's kids need you. | Opinion You fit a lifetime into raising a kid for 18 years This nest isn't empty. Not even close. In his 18 years, we've stuffed this house so full of memories it's a wonder the drywall doesn't crack from the pressure. Smiles and tears and skinned knees and arguments and lectures and hours of football and snacks and movies and long tales and 'Be safe!' exhortations as he had one foot out the door. This nest isn't empty. He will leave, as his brother did, and my wife and I will remain in a nest that, granted, will have more space and be a bit quieter. But those who say 'empty nest' suggest something is missing. They suggest emptiness with a note of negativity. As if the home where we raised our children will somehow become vacant. That I reject. I'll miss my son terribly, but I won't return home to emptiness I will miss my youngest as I've missed his brother. It will hurt like hell at first, I know. Not hearing him rattle around upstairs. Not seeing him surreptitiously toss bits of whatever he's eating to the dog. Not seeing him wave with a goofy grin as he parades through the living room with a pack of cackling friends. Locking up the house at night and knowing he's somewhere else. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. I'll miss him, but whatever room or hallway I pass through in this house will never be empty. This nest, blessedly, will forever be full, brimming with moments and movement and the echoes of our boys, scenes from a monumental chapter of our lives and theirs, with many chapters to follow and more moments and echoes to add. I won't call myself an empty nester. Nope. I reject that. But as I hug my boy and drive back to the home he helped fill with boundless joy, I'll gladly call myself the luckiest man alive. Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Me, an empty nester? No way. I reject the implication | Opinion Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Man Cancels Father-Son Trip at the Last Minute Because His New Wife ‘Felt Left Out'
The Redditor says his dad canceled their plans just days before they were supposed to leave NEED TO KNOW A father-son duo had a trip planned "just the two of them" for months However, the dad canceled at the last minute after his wife said she felt "left out" The son "stopped reaching out or responding" to his dad as a result A son is no longer on speaking terms with his dad after he canceled their trip at the last minute due to his wife's wishes. The Redditor revealed in a recent post that he and his father had been planning a weekend trip together all summer. "Just the two of us, like we used to do before he got remarried," he explains. However, a few days before they were supposed to leave, his dad "canceled." "He said his wife didn't feel comfortable with him going without her and felt left out," he adds. "So instead of talking to me or trying to figure something out, he just canceled the whole thing." The poster notes that he "was really looking forward" to the trip, so when his dad explained the reasoning, "it hit hard." "He didn't even try to talk it through or find a compromise just called and said we weren't going anymore like it was no big deal," he writes, adding that he feels like he isn't "even allowed to spend time alone with my own dad anymore." The Redditor says he hasn't talked to his dad since the incident, but isn't sure he has even noticed. "I haven't told him directly i've just stopped reaching out or responding," he replied to a comment. "I guess part of me was hoping he'd notice or reach out first, but maybe I need to actually say something." In response to other comments, the poster noted that he feels "second place" to his stepmom and that he isn't at the top of his dad's "priority list." "Im not asking him to choose sides, but he needs to realize that trying to keep her happy at my expense is just pushing me away," he noted elsewhere in the comments. "If we don't talk about it soon, I'm scared it'll damage things for good." Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
