One such letter, from Confederate colonel and Titanic disaster survivor, Archibald Gracie, has particularly seized the popular imagination. It went for a jaw-dropping £300,000 at sale in Wiltshire! This price then shot up well over the projected £60,000. Because of this, it has become one of the most valuable pieces of correspondence from that ill-fated voyage. An unnamed bidder picked up the letter from auction house Henry Aldridge and Son. This purchase draws attention to the continued interest in the Titanic’s legacy.
Titanic passenger Colonel Archibald Gracie survives the sinking. They were all on board for its maiden voyage to New York. Written on the morning of April 10, 1912, from the ship’s first-class cabin C51. He was one of the last to board the Titanic in Southampton on this day. Just five days after making this statement, the ship would infamously strike an iceberg in the North Atlantic.
Described as “prophetic,” Gracie’s letter captures his reflections on the ship and his assertion that he would “await my journey’s end” before passing judgment on the “fine ship.” This strategic foresight sounds like the 1950s history that would soon play out in real life.
Gracie recounted the horrific ordeal of their ship’s sinking. He reported that the majority of the men who made it to the lifeboats succumbed to either fatigue or the icy seas. Because he was an animal rescuer, his experiences during that disaster are among the most well-documented. After the tragedy, he wrote *The Truth About The Titanic*, where he reminisces on his terrifying experience aboard.
Although she survived the disaster, Gracie’s health soon began to decline from extensive hypothermia and acute trauma incurred during the disaster. Despite the doctors’ efforts, he fell into a coma on December 2, 1912 and died two days later of complications from diabetes.
Here’s the good line from the brilliant auctioneer that completed the impressive sale. Gracie’s letter set a record price for Titanic correspondence, the highest of any letter written on board the doomed ship. His words are some of the most consequential in all of American history. They reveal our ongoing obsession with the unfortunate fate of the Titanic.
Gracie published his letter when the ship anchored in Queenstown, Ireland, on April 11, 1912. Long may its place in history be remembered. They postmarked it on April 12 in London, thus guaranteeing that its place in history would be forever remembered.