10 Artifacts that Survived The ‘Titanic’!
In 1912, the RMS Titanic along with around 1500 passengers, collided with an iceberg during its maiden voyage. The sinking of the ship that was recognized as “unsinkable” is one of history’s great tragedies. While the bodies of all those lost perished in the North Atlantic Ocean, thousands of artifacts survived in the shipwreck! Some of them were recovered and each of these artifacts carried a story of its own. Let’s find out the haunting stories behind 10 of the most remembered artifacts that survived the Titanic.
Dr. Simpson’s Letter to his mother
John Edward Simpson was a Ship’s doctor aboard the Titanic. Before the Titanic, he worked as an Assistant surgeon on the RMS Olympic. On 11th April 1912, Simpson wrote a letter to his mother back home in Belfast. He mailed it from the great ship’s last port of call before it made its disastrous turn across the North Atlantic. The content of it is quite mundane. He talks about how someone unlocked his trunks and a stole few dollars. But maybe it was the mundaneness of it, the lack of great goodbyes and the hope to return home, that make it more special.
‘On board R.M.S “Titanic.”
11th April 1912
Dear Mother,
I travelled from Liverpool on Monday by the 12 o’c train & arrived on board at 10pm feeling pretty tired. I am very well & am gradually getting settled in my cabin which is larger than my last. This seems all the time as if it were the Olympic & I like it very much. I am a member of the club now which is an advantage. Be sure to let me know how Father gets on with his club. I was glad to get away from Liverpool as usual & don’t intend to go up for a month or two. I found my two trunks unlocked & 5 or 6 dollars stolen out of my pocket book. I hope none of my stamps have been stolen. Did I leave my old portmanteau when I borrowed the kit bag? I think not.
With fondest love
John.
Last Luncheon Menu
A menu of the last luncheon served to the first-class passengers of the RMS Titanic, the day before its wreckage, was recently auctioned off at 122,000 $. The menu belonged to passenger Ruth Dodge, the wife of Dr Washington Dodge. Stamped with the White Star Line logo, the menu includes grilled mutton chops and custard pudding, corned beef, mashed, fried, and baked jacket potatoes; a buffet of fish, ham, and beef; an apple meringue pastry; and a selection of eight cheeses.
This is one of the two or three such menus to survive the disaster.
Esther & Eva Hart Letter
Esther Hart and her seven-year-old daughter Eva, who both survived the ship’s sinking, wrote the letter just eight hours before the ship hit an iceberg. Esther’s mother in Chadwell Heath was the intended recipient. The letter was in the pocket of Esther’s husband’s coat, where she had given to him to keep it safe from the damp air. The husband later gave the coat to Esther to help keep her warm. He was amongst the 1500 others who perished in the disaster.
My Dear ones all, As you see it is Sunday afternoon and we are resting in the library after luncheon. I was very bad all day yesterday could not eat or drink and sick all the while, but today I have got over it. This morning Eva and I went to church and she was so pleased they sang “Oh God our help in ages past” that is her Hymn she sang so nicely. So she sang out loudly she is very bonny. She has had a nice ball and a box of toffee and a photo of this ship bought her today. Everybody takes notice of her through the Teddy Bear. There is to be a concert on board tomorrow night in aid of the Sailors’ Home and she is going to sing so am I.
Well, the sailors say we have had a wonderful passage up to now. There has been no tempest, but God knows what it must be when there is one. This mighty expanse of water, no land in sight and the ship rolling from side to side is being wonderful. Tho they say this Ship does not roll on account of its size. Any how it rolls enough for me, I shall never forget it. It is very nice weather but awfully windy and cold. They say we may get into New York Tuesday night but we are really due early Wednesday morning, shall write as soon as we get there. This letter won’t leave the ship but will remain and come back to England where she is due again on the 26th.
Where you see the letter all of a screw is where she rolls and shakes my arm. I am sending you on a menu to show you how we live. I shall be looking forward to a line from somebody to cheer me up a bit. I am always shutting my eyes and I see everything as I left it. I hope you are all quite well. Let this be an all round letter as I can’t write properly to all ’till I can set my foot on shore again. We have met some nice people on board, Lucy, and so it has been nice so far. But oh the long, long days and nights. It’s the longest break I have ever spent in my life. I must close now with all our fondest love to all of you.
From your loving Ess.
Heaps of love and kisses to all from Eva
Titanic Deck Chair
Commissioned specifically for Titanic by R. Holman & Co., of Boston, this chair is one of the seven deck chairs to survive the shipwreck. According to later accounts, about 50 of these chairs were thrown into the sea. It was an act of desperation by the staff, hoping that they would act as flotation devices aiding the passengers survive in water. The chair was later recovered by the ship Mackay-Bennett, which was sent to rescue the passengers and to recover the bodies of the dead. The ship, which in addition to locating and recovering 310 of Titanic’s unfortunate victims, also recovered several pieces of the wreckage including at least fourteen deck chairs found floating at the scene.
Launch Day Tickets
Attendance tickets to the launching of the Titanic were issued in two styles. One in “white” with a numbered removable stub, and a “pink” one with no stub. The white tickets granted the pass bearer access to the VIP stands with the best view. The pink tickets granted general access to the shipyard for standing-room-only attendance. A rare VIP ticket still having its perforated stub is on display in the Launch gallery in the Titanic Experience. The recipient of this ticket, Captain Alexander Matier, was unable to attend the launch. It’s the only one of its kind in existence.
Wallace Hartley’s Violin
‘Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight’ in the famous movie Titanic, the lead violinist tells his orchestra as they continue playing as the ship starts her final descent deep into the waters. This character is based on Wallace Hartly, who, along with six other violinists, continued playing until the last moment, knowing well that they are not going to survived. His body was later recovered, and in his possession, the violin that he was so bravely playing at the time of his passing. It was a gift from his fiancee back home, his name engraved on the body. Only the violin made it back home to her, and though heavily damaged by the salt water, stood the test of time. It was re-discovered and was sold at an auction in 2013. Its current owners are unknown.
Carpathia Loving Cup
Titanic survivor Molly Brown awarded the Carpathia Loving Cup to Sir Arthur Rostron, captain of the RMS Carpathia, in recognition of the role that he, along with his crew played in saving more than 700 passengers of Titanic. Carpathia received the distress call of the Titanic and the captain made the brave decision to change the direction of their journey through dangerous waters, in aid of the sinking ship. By the time that they arrived 31/2 hours later, the ship was already below water, but they were able to rescue many lives from the wreckage. The captain’s descendants are now in possession of the cup. The cup is one of the most valuable memorabilia related to Titanic disaster.
Titanic LifeJacket
Only twelve life jackets, out of almost 3500 such specimen created by Fosbery & Co for Titanic survived the shipwreck. The lifejacket on display at the Titanic Belfast museum was recovered from the wreck site by the Mackay-Bennett, the first of four ships chartered by the White Star Line to search for bodies after the sinking. manufactured from linen and cork and the four ties were fastened in the front with bows.
Binocular Box Keys
In an inquiry into the titanic incident at a later date, a sailor working the deck at the time of its collision with the iceberg confessed that they might have seen the iceberg soon enough to avert it, if there were binoculars available on deck. So why were there no binoculars on deck? While they were locked safely inside a box in the ship, the keys were inside the pocket of of the second officer David Blair, who never made it to the voyage. Blair was due to sail with the ship, but was replaced and reassigned to a different ship at the last minute, crucially forgetting to hand over the key when he disembarked. Would this tiny key have prevented this historical tragedy? We will never know for sure.
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