Tag Archives: unknown tune for Titanic pig

Edith Russell’s Famous Pig Operable….But No One Knows The Tune

Edith Russell’s musical pig is part of Titanic lore. While aboard the lifeboat, she played it to calm people aboard Titanic lifeboat 11. It also helped distract from the sounds of the dying in the water. It appeared in the 1958 movie A Night To Remember (based on the Walter Lord book of the same name). Walter Lord had possession of it and when he passed away in 2003, it was given to the National Maritime Museum.

However it was broken, when it was no one can say. So they decided to see if they could fix it up. Thanks to modern science, they used a three dimensional X-ray scan to see what was inside. They found the curly tail, which was used to turn the device ,had detached and stuck inside. Using a small brass rod, they turned it to hear the music. While a few notes were missing, it apparently was in good condition.

Unfortunately no one knows the tune it is playing. The National Maritime Museum has released a recording of the music it plays in the hopes someone will identify it. The tune is actually quite nice.

Sources:
1.Listen To Eerie Music From Titanic Sinking, 101 Years On(21 Aug 2013,The Telegraph)

2. National Maritime Museum(Greenwich,England)

3. Edith Russell, her lucky toy pig and her Titanic dress(Encyclopedia Titanica)