A letter written by a steward on Titanic in which he told how he feared the doomed voyage would not be its “crowning trip” is tipped to fetch £18,000 at auction. Edward Stone penned the prescient note on White Star Line-headed paper to his “darling wife” Violet shortly before the liner left Queenstown in Ireland bound for New York on April 11, 1912. He also referred to a near-miss with another liner, SS New York, in Southampton earlier which almost curtailed its maiden voyage. Edward, 30, a second-class cabin steward, told Violet: “I don’t think this will be the crowning glory.”
Titanic steward Edward Stowe mailed the letter to his wife from Queenstown (now Cobh). His body was recovered and interred in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The letter and the envelope that it came in were preserved and is now being auctioned off by a relative. The auctioneer is Henry Aldridge. At the time of this writing, word has not been received how much was raised at the auction over the weekend.
Lucy Christiana, Lady Duff Gordon(circa 1916 or earlier by Arnold Genthe) Photo:Public Domain (Arnold Genthe Collection,US Library of Congress digital id agc.7a15137)
Titanic survivors Lady Duff Gordon and her husband Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon were criticized when it was learned the lifeboat they were in had only twelve people. There were unsubstantiated allegations they had bribed the crew not to go back and get survivors. It was disproved in the British inquiry.
George Beauchamp was a lucky man. As fireman stoker on Titanic, he survived and testified at the British inquiry. Then he signed on Lusitania which was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915. After that, his family says, he had enough of big ships. He worked on trawlers and other ships after that. His family is paying tribute to him 75 years after he died.
“His great granddaughter, Susan Norton, said she’s proud of him and the “part he played in saving the lives of some passengers.”
Postcard of the Titanic found in a book donated to Books for Amnesty, 103 Gloucester Rd, Bristol UK Source: Bristol Post Date: 20/07/2016 Photographer: Michael Lloyd/Freelance Reporter: Lewis Pennock Copyright: Local World
1. Rare Titanic Letter Offers Insight (Fox News, 10 April 2018) A rare letter written onboard the RMS Titanic is going up for auction, detailing what life was like during the final days of the ill-fated ship. The letter was written by Second Class passenger and survivor Kate Buss on April 10, 1912, after she left Southampton, England, according to auction house Henry Aldridge & Son. “It’s a superb letter and it has been in the possession of the family since Miss Buss posted it on the Titanic,” explained Henry Aldridge & Son auctioneer Andrew Aldridge, in an email to Fox News.
2.The Mayborne Museum Will Present Titanic The Artifact Exhibition (kwbu.org, 10 April 2018) Titanic the Artifact Exhibition is coming to Waco on June 2nd and it’s the Mayborne Museum’s first blockbuster exhibit. With 9 galleries and more than 150 artifacts pulled from the ocean floor, the Titanic exhibit is one of the biggest events ever held at Baylor University’s Mayborne Museum. Rebecca Nall says the museum was looking for a great event and this one fit the bill. “Titanic sunk more than 100 years ago but we know that it still holds a fascination for so many people.” she said.
Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition will run from 2 June 2018-6 Jan 2019. For tickets, hours of operation etc go to https://www.baylor.edu/mayborn/
3. Century-old black and white photos tell the heroic story of how a modest ocean liner the SS Carpathia was thrust into history by rescuing more than 700 Titanic survivors (Daily Mail,11 April 2018) Dramatic photos of the ship that rescued survivors of the Titanic as the liner went down after hitting an iceberg have been unearthed. The UK-US Carpathia achieved worldwide fame when it heeded a distress call on April 15, 1912, and raced 58 miles to rescue hundreds of people from the Titanic. The photos have emerged on the 106th anniversary of the day the Titanic set sail from Southampton for its first and only voyage.Pictures from the collection show the view from the deck of the Carpathia as lifeboats from the Titanic approached, while another shows the officers from the ship posing for a picture. Other shots show several survivors of the Titanic, including Maggie Brown who was later nicknamed the ‘Unsinkable Molly Brown’ for her courage in standing up to the sailor in charge of the boat who refused to turn back to look for survivors in the water.
Public Domain( John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Australia)
A handwritten note written by a first class passenger is up for auction at Henry Aldridge & Son reports The News. The note was recovered from the body of Titanic first class passenger Alexander Oskar Holverson.
“It is oversized, hand written on Titanic letterhead by a victim just a day before the ship hit the iceberg, mentions the food, the music and the elite on board, contains an ominous message with regards to the fate of the ship, was carried by its author into the Atlantic and, thence, on to the body recovery ship and shows evidence of its submersion in salt water.”
The note is expected to fetch £80,000 ($106,050 USD) when it comes up for auction on 21 October.
