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USA Today
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Ominous 113-year-old letter captures famous Titanic survivor's thoughts before voyage
Ominous 113-year-old letter captures famous Titanic survivor's thoughts before voyage The 113-year-old letter was written by Colonel Archibald Gracie on April 10, 1912, the first day Gracie was aboard the Titanic. Show Caption Hide Caption New Titanic documentary sheds light of ship's final moments After nearly two years of research, a team of experts is providing new analysis on the tragic sinking of the Titanic. "It is a fine ship, but I shall await my journey's end before I pass judgement on her." When Colonel Archibald Gracie penned this line 113 years ago, he could not fathom the days that would lie ahead of him. The letter written by Gracie, one of the most famous survivors of the Titanic, sold for about $399,000 at auction on Saturday, April 26, according to Henry Aldridge and Son Managing Director Andrew Aldridge. Preserved for more than a century, the letter was written by Gracie upon his first day on the ship. The letter was sold via online auction by Henry Aldridge and Son, an auction house based in Wiltshire, England. The auction house estimated that the letter would sell for between £40,000-60,000 (about $53,000-$80,000), as shared in a news release. Aldridge told USA TODAY that the letter was purchased by a private collector based in the U.S. What does the letter say? Dated April 10, 1912, the letter actually made it to its intended recipient. It was postmarked on April 11 and April 12 and received by an acquaintance of Gracie's at the Waldorf Hotel in London shortly after, according to Henry Aldridge and Son. In part, the letter reads: "It is a fine ship but I shall await my journeys end before I pass judgment on her. The Oceanic is like an old friend and while she does not possess the elaborate style and varied amusement of this big ship, still her sea worthy qualities and yacht like appearance make me miss her. It was very kind of you to give me this kindly send off, with best wishes for your success and happiness. Archibald Gracie" The letter was sold by the great nephew of the man who received the letter from Gracie in 1912. Who was Colonel Archibald Gracie? Archibald Gracie IV was 54 years old when he boarded the Titanic on April 10, 1912. He is known for authoring "The Truth about the Titanic," which details his experiences surviving the shipwreck. For seven years before boarding the Titanic, Gracie wrote a book titled, "The Truth About Chickamauga" about the Battle of Chickamauga, which occurred during the American Civil War. After the book's publication, Gracie traveled to Europe, sailing there on the Oceanic, according to Encyclopedia Titantica. For his return back to the U.S., Gracie booked a passage on the Titanic. He was assigned first-class cabin, C51, Henry Aldridge and Son stated in a news release. While aboard the Titanic, Gracie reportedly spent much of his time chaperoning unaccompanied women and reading books from the ship's first-class library. On the evening of April 15, 1912, after a night of socializing, Gracie retired to his cabin early, as he had plans to wake up to exercise, Encyclopedia Titantica states. But in the middle of the night, Gracie awoke to a jolt and shortly after making his way to the deck, learned that the ship had struck an iceberg, a Henry Aldridge and Son news release states. Gracie was fortunate enough to find an upturned lifeboat to cling to with a few dozen men. As dawn broke the next morning, Gracie returned to New York City aboard the rescue ship Carpathia. He was one of 706 people to survive the fatal incident. Almost immediately upon his return, Gracie began writing "The Truth about the Titanic." Gracie's health began to rapidly decline shortly after, as he had suffered hypothermia and other physical injuries from the night. He died on Dec. 4, 1912 after slipping into a coma. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
CBS News
28-04-2025
- General
- CBS News
Titanic passenger's letter with "prophetic line" sells for almost $400,000 at auction
A lettercard penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship, days before it sank, has sold for $399,000 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.
News18
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
‘Prophetic' Letter From Titanic Survivor Sold For Over Rs 3 Crore At UK Auction
Last Updated: The letter, penned by Colonel Archibald Gracie, was expected to sell for around £60,000 (Rs 68 lakh). A letter written by a Titanic survivor before the ship's tragic end has set a new record at a UK auction. The letter, written by Colonel Archibald Gracie, sold for £300,000 (approximately Rs 3.41 crore) at the Henry Aldridge and Son auction house in Wiltshire. Initially expected to fetch around £60,000 (Rs 68 lakh), it ultimately sold for five times that amount, as reported by The Guardian. Colonel Archibald Gracie was travelling first-class onthe Titanic's maiden voyage. He later became known for writing The Truth About the Titanic, in which he recounted the events of the disaster that claimed 1,500 lives. The letter has been described as 'prophetic" due to Gracie's remark: 'It is a fine ship, but I shall await my journey's end before I pass judgment on her." Gracie boarded the Titanic in Southampton on April 10, 1912, and wrote the letter from cabin C51. The ship made a brief stop in Queenstown, Ireland, on April 11, where the letter was posted. It was later postmarked in London on April 12. Gracie had addressed the letter to an acquaintance, who received it at the Waldorf Hotel in London. Henry Aldridge and Son described The Truth About the Titanic as 'one of the most detailed accounts of the events of the evening." 'It is impossible to overstate the rarity of this lot, it is written by one of the highest profile survivors, with excellent content and on the rarest of mediums, a letter card. A truly exceptional museum-grade piece," The auction house mentioned, as quoted by The Guardian. The letter, written on four sides, also mentioned another ship, the Oceanic. Gracie wrote: 'The Oceanic is like an old friend, and while she does not possess the elaborate style and varied amusement of this big ship, still her sea-worthy qualities and yacht-like appearance make me miss her. It was very kind of you to give me this kindly send off, with best wishes for your success and happiness, Archibald Gracie." During the journey, Gracie spent much of his time helping women travelling alone. He stayed close to a woman and three sisters who later survived the sinking. On 14 April, Gracie played squash, swam in the ship's pool, attended a church service and spent time socialising. Late that night, around 11.40 PM, Gracie woke up to realise the engines had stopped. He helped women and children into lifeboats and brought them blankets. As the Titanic sank into the North Atlantic, he managed to climb onto an overturned collapsible lifeboat along with a few dozen others. Gracie later wrote that swimmers in the freezing water begged for help, but those already on the lifeboat feared that letting more people on could sink them. He recalled, 'In no instance, I am happy to say, did I hear any word of rebuke from a swimmer because of a refusal to grant assistance." One man's response was, 'all right boys, good luck and God bless you." He mentioned that more than half the men who had reached the overturned lifeboat did not survive the night. They died from cold and exhaustion. At dawn, Gracie made his way back to New York City aboard the rescue ship Carpathia, where he began writing about his harrowing experience. Although Gracie survived the disaster, his health never fully recovered due to the hypothermia and physical injuries he sustained. He fell into a coma on December 2, 1912, and passed away two days later from complications related to diabetes.
New York Times
27-04-2025
- General
- New York Times
Titanic Survivor's Letter, Written Aboard the Ship, Sells for Nearly $400,000
Days before the Titanic struck an iceberg, a first-class passenger, Col. Archibald Gracie, described the vessel in a letter written while on board: 'It is a fine ship but I shall await my journey's end before I pass judgment on her.' Colonel Gracie's journey on the Titanic had a catastrophic end, but he fared better than most. He was on the top deck of the ship, gripping a railing, as it plunged into the sea. He said he was 'swirled' under water before he got to a raft, where he spent hours floating on icy waters before being rescued. The letter he wrote was sold on Saturday at an auction for $399,000 (or 300,000 pounds), according to Henry Aldridge and Son, an auction house in Wiltshire, England. The auction house said the letter, written in neat, cursive handwriting, was addressed to an unidentified European ambassador, the great-uncle of the seller. The letterhead shows a triangular red flag with a white star and is printed with the words 'On board R.M.S. Titanic.' The letter was dated April 10, 1912, the day the ship set sail from Southampton, England. On April 12, it was postmarked in London, where it was received at the Waldorf Hotel. The Titanic struck an iceberg just before midnight on April 14 and sank the next day. The buyer of the letter was based in the United States, according to Andrew Aldridge, the managing director of Henry Aldridge and Son. The auction house did not publicly identify the buyer or the seller. Mr. Aldridge said in an email that the stories of the ship's passengers 'are told through the memorabilia' and that 'their memories are kept alive through those items.' The auction house had initially expected the letter to sell for up to 60,000 pounds, or nearly $80,000. Colonel Gracie, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, was a high-profile survivor of the Titanic disaster, in which about 1,500 people perished. He died eight months later, in December 1912, of complications from diseases, but his doctors and his family said that the real cause was that he had never recovered from the shock of the Titanic disaster, according to The New York Times. After Colonel Gracie was rescued, he began work on 'The Truth About the Titanic,' a book about his experience that was published posthumously. The New York Times review of the book said 'there is something effective in the very lack of directness and coherency in the narrative.' Colonel Gracie said in an interview with The New York Tribune that he had been on the top deck of the ship when it was hit by a wave that sent other people overboard. He managed to stay on and grabbed a brass railing. 'When the ship plunged down, I was forced to let go, and I was swirled around and around for what seemed an interminable time,' he said. 'Eventually I came to the surface to find the sea a mass of tangled wreckage.' He said he grabbed a wooden grating and then saw a canvas-and-cork raft. He made it onto the raft and began trying to rescue others. They eventually reached a rescue ship, R.M.S. Carpathia. 'The hours that elapsed before we were picked up by the Carpathia were the longest and most terrible that I ever spent,' Colonel Gracie said, according to The Tribune. 'Practically without any sensation of feeling because of the icy water, we were almost dropping from fatigue.' Colonel Gracie was an established figure in New York and Washington society. His father had been an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Colonel Gracie was also a descendant of Archibald Gracie, who built the New York City mayor's official residence, Gracie Mansion, in 1799. After news of the Titanic's sinking reached the United States, and it was not known whether Colonel Gracie had survived, his wife, Constance Schack Gracie, was reported missing for unrelated reasons. Mrs. Gracie had not been on the ship, but had left town to avoid being subpoenaed in the lunacy trial of another society woman, Mary E. Gage, according to The New York Times. In the days after the Titanic disaster, the Gracies' daughter, Edith Gracie, was asked about the whereabouts of her mother, which she said she did not know, and about the fate of her father, The Times reported. She said Colonel Gracie had been in Europe recuperating from an operation and had said in a letter that he would return home with a much stronger constitution. 'It is too terrible to think of,' she said, 'but I am hoping against hope that he has come through the perils of the accident without harm.'
BBC News
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Violin used in Titanic movie as ship sank sells for £54,000
A violin played by the band leader of the Titanic as it sank in the 1997 Hollywood film has been sold for £54,000 at a "record breaking" violin was used to play the hymn Nearer My God To Thee as the ship went a letter written by one of most well-known survivors of the Titanic disaster, Colonel Archibald Gracie, sold for a record breaking £300,000 at the violin, previously, described as a "true piece of movie history", was auctioned by Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire on Saturday. Band leader Wallace Hartley and his fellow musicians were all killed along with more than 1,500 others after the ocean liner hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912. The Oscar-winning film, directed by James Cameron, saw Kate Winslet play upper class socialite Rose opposite Leonardo DiCaprio's third class passenger Jack Dawson on the doomed ship's maiden Hartley, who famously played on in the face of impending doom, was played by violinist and actor Jonathan violin can be seen several times in the film but most famously during the scene where Nearer My God To Thee is played to try and calm passengers as the ship sank. In 2013, Mr Evans-Jones sold the violin at auction and it has been in the possession of a private collector ever Andrew Aldridge said: "The record breaking prices and global participation from collectors are a testament to the enduring interest in the Titanic the world over."The stories of those men, women and children are told through the memorabilia and their memories are kept alive through those items."
