Latest news with #TheTruthabouttheTitanic
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.
Epoch Times
28-04-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Letter Written Onboard Titanic Before It Sank Sells for Almost $400,000 at Auction
LONDON—A lettercard penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship, days before it sank, has sold for 300,000 pounds ($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.' 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. Related Stories 4/24/2025 3/22/2025 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.
CNN
28-04-2025
- General
- CNN
Letter written onboard the Titanic before it sank sells for almost $400,000
A lettercard penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship, days before it sank, has sold for £300,000 ($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. 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.' 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.
Arab Times
27-04-2025
- General
- Arab Times
Titanic letter sells for nearly $4000K at auction
LONDON, April 27, (AP: A lettercard penned by one of the Titanic's most well-known survivors from onboard the ship, days before it sank, has sold for 300,000 pounds ($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.' 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.
