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Express Tribune
28-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Titanic survivor's "prophetic" letter sells for £300,000 at UK auction
A handwritten letter by Titanic survivor Colonel Archibald Gracie, penned days before the ship's sinking, has sold for a record-breaking £300,000 ($400,000) at an auction in Wiltshire, England. The letter, dated April 10, 1912, was written aboard the Titanic and posted from Queenstown, Ireland, during one of the ship's final stops before it struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Gracie, a first-class passenger in cabin C51, described the vessel as a "fine ship" but said he would "await my journey's end" before giving his full judgment. Auctioned by Henry Aldridge and Son, the letter exceeded its estimated value of £60,000 by five times. The buyer, an anonymous collector from the United States, secured what experts describe as the only known letter written by Gracie aboard the doomed liner. Gracie, who survived the 1912 disaster by clinging to an overturned lifeboat, later chronicled his ordeal in The Truth About the Titanic. Despite surviving the initial sinking, he died in December 1912 from complications related to hypothermia and diabetes. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge called the letter an "exceptional museum-grade piece" and noted it drew significant international interest. The sale marks the highest price ever achieved for Titanic correspondence. The Titanic, bound from Southampton to New York, carried over 2,200 passengers and crew when it sank, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 people. The emotional power of Gracie's words and the historic significance of the artifact contributed to the record-setting auction.
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.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Titanic survivor's rare letter sells for record £300,000 at UK auction
A rare and chilling piece of Titanic history has fetched a record-breaking £300,000 at a UK auction. The letter, written by Colonel Archibald Gracie , a high-profile survivor of the 1912 maritime disaster, offers a haunting glimpse into the days before tragedy struck. Gracie's words, penned on Titanic letterhead from his first-class cabin, contain a prophetic note of caution about the ship's fate. The letter, never before offered for sale, smashed its expected price of £60,000 at Henry Aldridge and Son auctioneers in Wiltshire. Experts hailed the letter as a museum-grade artefact of extraordinary historic significance. What is written in the Prophetic Titanic letter that sold for a record £300,000 Written on April 10, 1912, the day Colonel Gracie boarded the Titanic, the letter conveys both admiration and hesitation. Gracie described the ship as a "fine ship" but added that he would "await my journey's end before I pass judgment on her." The note, mailed after Titanic's brief stop in Queenstown, Ireland, was later postmarked in London on April 12. Gracie nostalgically compared the Titanic to the Oceanic, praising the older vessel's yacht-like qualities. Ending on a warm note, he thanked his acquaintance for a kind farewell, wishing them "success and happiness." A letter steeped in tragedy and survival by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Underground Oddities: Weird Characters Spotted in the Subway Subway Quirks and Curiosities Undo Gracie's experience on the Titanic was marked by heroism and heartbreak. On April 14, he spent his day playing squash, swimming, and attending church services aboard the ship. That night, he was jolted awake as the Titanic struck an iceberg. Gracie spent the final moments of the voyage helping women and children into lifeboats and fetching blankets. When the ship finally plunged into the Atlantic, he survived by clambering onto an overturned collapsible lifeboat. His survival story, later chronicled in his book The Truth About the Titanic, remains one of the most detailed firsthand accounts of the disaster. A historic record broken Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described the letter as an exceptional item, calling it the highest price ever achieved for a Titanic letter. The piece was written on a rare Titanic letter card, making it even more valuable to collectors and historians. The seller's great-uncle, an acquaintance of Gracie, originally received the letter at London's Waldorf Hotel. The emotional weight of Gracie's prophetic words and the rarity of survivor correspondence combined to create intense bidding. Ultimately, a private collector from the United States secured this remarkable window into a moment forever frozen in time.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Titanic survivor's haunting letter written days before sinking sells for record £300,000 at auction; here's what it said
A rare letter penned by Colonel Archibald Gracie , one of the Titanic's most distinguished survivors, has fetched a record £300,000, a fivefold increase on its estimated price, at an auction in Wiltshire, as a new high price for Titanic correspondence was smashed. The letter, dated April 10, 1912, the very day Gracie boarded the Titanic, offers a chilling glimpse into the final days before disaster struck. Written on a Titanic letter card and postmarked in Queenstown and London, it is ominous in tone, with the following ominous words: "It is a fine ship but I shall await my journey's end before I pass judgment on her." Auctioneer Henry Aldridge and Son described it as "a truly exceptional, museum-grade piece," saying it is the record price for a Titanic letter. Survivor letters of Gracie's stature are extremely rare, with this one never previously on the market. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Don't Miss The Top Packaging Trends Of 2024, Enhance Your Brand With Latest Insights (Check Now) Packaging Machines | Search Ads Search Now Undo The four-page letter, written to a family acquaintance who befriended Gracie at the London Waldorf Hotel, is warm in its reminiscence about his earlier crossings on the Oceanic, remembering, "Her sea-worthy qualities and yacht-like appearance make me miss her," while also marveling at the size of the Titanic. Days later, Gracie would be a participant in one of history's most horrific nights. Following an evening of squash, a dip in the ship's pool, and a Sunday church service, Gracie was rudely awakened at 11:40 pm by the abrupt shutdown of Titanic's engines. Without hesitation, he assisted women and children into lifeboats, procuring blankets to protect them from the cold. When the ship finally went down into the Atlantic waves, Gracie crawled onto an upturned collapsible boat with other survivors. In the blackness, frantic swimmers cried out for assistance, but fear of capsizing prevented those on board from taking on more. Gracie remembered with sorrow that over half the men holding on to the upturned boat died before dawn, exhausted and chilled. "In no instance, I am happy to say, did I hear any word of rebuke," Gracie wrote in his later memoir, The Truth About the Titanic, recounting the final moments of those left behind, some offering blessings rather than curses. Col. Gracie's eye-witness account is still one of the most detailed and graphic accounts of the tragedy. The auctioneers titled the letter an invaluable relic, "It is impossible to overstate the rarity of this lot," they added. "Written by one of the most famous survivors, it captures a moment frozen in time."
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.'
