IN MEMORY OF THE GREAT SHIP AND THE WORST ACCIDENT OF ITS TIME (1912) ☆ CONTACT ☆ LINKS
Online Display Of Titanic Related Items From Private Collection
Scarce & Special ☆☆☆☆☆
UNSEEN UNUSUAL UNEQUALLED ARTIFACTS & OTHER TREASURES !
TITANIC BOMBSHELL !!!
ONLY HERE ON SSTITANIC.ORG !!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE MOST INCREDIBLE UNKNOWN UNSEEN TITANIC ARTIFACT YOU HAVE EVER SEEN !
TO THIS DAY NOT DOCUMENTED IN ANY BOOK, NOR MUSEUM, NOR COLLECTION !
YET ANOTHER MIND BOGGLING TITANIC RELIC PICK EXCLUSIVELY BY SSTITANIC.ORG !
IT'S THE LIFEBOAT ROPEITOOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!
TITANIC BOMBSHELL !!!
Postal clerks heard of Titanic's maiden trip delay only after stamping 'Titanic'. Then mail went on another ship.
Danish cover marked TITANIC: rerouted due to maiden trip delay
Size: 9.5 x 11.0 cm (3.75 x 4.35 in), initial width: 12.0 cm (4.75 in) ☆
23 KNOWN TO EXIST ! NO OTHER KNOWN WITH THIS 'DENMARK' HANDSTAMP !
Try find another ! Amazing scarce unprecedented specialty collectible !
Olympic setbacks caused Titanic's first sailing to be postponed 21 days !
Up until this day, a total of 23 envelopes handstamped "Titanic", all postmarked in March 1912, are known to still exist. Mail cargo pieces processed in April however – many expectedly likewise handstamped "Titanic" – were all lost in the sinking: roughly 7 million cards, letters and packages. In August 2015 this cover in my collection was the 16th and then latest known envelope marked "Titanic" and, still today, the single one known not addressed to "M.A. Winter Company" in Washington DC. Furthermore it is the only one known sent from Denmark (to Cape Nome, Alaska) and with this "Titanic" handstamp in a "roman serif" typeface ("font") style. Possibly this even is the only surviving Denmark sent "Titanic" cover, respectively with this specific handstamp. Truly a spectacular historical artifact. An incredible significant oddball find. Outright philately bliss. Sheer awesome. Ecstatic.
This is about a very extraordinary, not widely known episode in the history of Titanic. Initially her maiden voyage was scheduled for 20 March instead of 10 April, 1912. This delay of exactly 3 weeks was due to an incident with her elder sister Olympic. On 20 September 1911, starting her 5th voyage, closeby Isle of Wight (UK), Olympic collided with Royal Navy ship Hawke. Olympic suffered 3 vertically aligned holes at the rear's starboard side, but was able to return to Southampton for temporary patching up. Hawke however was damaged maybe even more extensively: her bow was completely squashed. In the aftermath Olympic, captained by E.J. Smith (!), was blamed for a bad steering maneuver, and White Star Line suffered huge costs and claims. Financially it became much worse, as Olympic was taken out of service many weeks for repairs in Belfast. For speeding up and getting Olympic back in service sooner, her damaged starboard propeller crankshaft (and also starboard propeller blades?) was replaced by that of Titanic, however at the cost of delaying Titanic's completion date and maiden voyage. The patching up in Southampton and subsequent permanent repairs in Belfast had taken 2 months in total. Olympic was back in service 29 November but in February 1912 lost a port side propeller blade after hitting an unidentified object while returning from New York. Again for speeding up repairs, resources of Titanic (a propeller blade) were used for Olympic. (Yet already in October 1911, the month after the first incident, the one with Hawke, it was decided by White Star Line to postpone Titanic's completion date and maiden voyage by 3 weeks.) ... more
At a 1986 philately fair in the state of New York a collector found, in a "Better Junk" box, an envelope (cover) stamped "Titanic" (see 2nd cover in last image) and paid $10. (Later, auction results have varied from $1,000 to $4,000.) As a noted philatelist, this Thomas M. Fortunato was and is very active in local and international philatelic organizations (also in leadership positions). After his purchase he started a quest for other known "Titanic" envelopes, wrote several articles on the subject and in 2012 set up a website on these covers. Earlier, by the year 2000, only 3 envelopes were known to exist, by 2008 this had increased to 9, and then 13 in 2012. Until this amazing and sensational "Denmark" find of mine in 2015, only 15 envelopes had been documented. During mid 2016 a set of 3 covers, sent from France, had surfaced. All covers plus related articles etc. can be viewed at Tom Fortunato's informative website titaniccovers.com (of course including this article's cover from Denmark!).
As it seems, many postal workers outside UK were not aware of Titanic's maiden voyage delayed 3 weeks. (All known envelopes bear a postmark date in 1st half of March and a receive date in 2nd half of March 1912.) After mail clerks found out about the departure delay and their subsequent handstamp 'mistake', mail was forwarded to the first next available ship leaving for USA. 20 envelopes origin from France, 2 from Spain, and all these 22 are addressed to "M.A. Winter Company" in Washington, DC (and, by the way, show 2 receive registration marks from this patent medicin company). The French handstamp "Titanic" is a "sans serif" font type (Gothic), whereas the Spanish one is an italic "serif" (nameless). The explanation for 22 out of the 23 envelopes being addressed to M.A. Winter Company could simply be as follows. Typically, an envelope is to be thrown away immediately or soon after the receipt of a letter. However, at M.A. Winter Company all incoming envelopes with letters, seemingly a business correspondence, were apparently archived, and emerged only many decades later, probably following some (archive) clearance. ... more
Now about this 16th recorded envelope, from Denmark. This is the first known specimen not sent from France or Spain, and, moreover, not addressed to M.A. Winter Company, but obviously still kept in 1912 and then surviving until today. The straightline handstamp 'Titanic', violet colored and clearly of very old age, is a very early version of this at the time modern and commonly used font type. After my extensive research as an experienced (typo)graphic designer, I believe the font's design to be from (about) early 1870s or maybe even 1860s. Furthermore, the very long 'arms' of the T and the very wide serifs (the 'feet') are, also for the period 1870-1920, certainly rare and exceptional. What struck me immediately in the serif type 'Titanic.' is the square (!) dot. This is really an oddity, a 'mistake', since classical serif fonts never have a square dot but always a round dot. This now is evidence of the handstamp being made with separate steel letters: hand set type. Following this type setting, rubber would then be poured into a matrix. So, either a square dot had accidentally ended up in another font's section, or a square dot was used by shortage of round dots (for that font). Also otherwise I have thought over, analysed, why the 'Titanic' handstamp can not possibly be considered a later added fake altogether, for many different reasons; however I will not elaborate on that, since this article is already lengthy enough. This Danish envelope is fully genuine beyond any possible doubt!
In addition to the previous: the Danish and Spanish envelopes' 'Titanic' handstamp appear to be of the exact same font type – very old and rare/unusual/outdated for that time-period –, however the Spanish one being italic (slanted) as opposed to roman (straight), and seemingly somewhat thicker although this could be from heavy inking and also from slight shifting. Furthermore, both are of the same length: 35.5 mm / 1.4 in (the Danish envelope's handstamp measurement without the dot is 34 mm / 1.35 in). To me it altogether seems very probable that the rubber handstamps were made at the same printer's or whichever manufacturer, possibly in England, and perhaps following specific instructions by White Star Line on font, size and style. ... more
The Denmark envelope bears a 14 March 1912 "Vester Skjerninge" send postmark. On the back is a 27 March 1912 "Seattle, Washington" receive ('cancel') postmark.
As to the addressee: there does not appear to be, or have been, a "Cape Nome House" in Seattle, WA. Very most likely it was meant as "Cape Nome ROADHouse", Alaska. A roadhouse was, somewhere along the trail to a mining location, a stopover where travelers could eat, drink, sleep, buy products, make phone calls, possibly pick up mail, and the like. Nome, 19 km (12 miles) north of Cape Nome, was (is) a town halfway the westcoast of Alaska which in 1899 had developed from a rapidly growing gold mining settlement ('Nome gold rush'). In the course of years/decades this roadhouse from 1900 has been expanded and rebuilt significantly, and became a USA protected historic site in 1976. The envelope's recipient in/via Cape Nome is a mister Laurety Nielsen. On the back is the sender with address: Afsendt [meaning: 'sent (by)'] frud. [untranslated, however 'fru' means 'mrs'] M.C. Nielsen, Pavegaarden i Ollerup ['i' means 'in'], p. V. Skerninge ['p.' is untranslated; 'V.' is short for 'Vester', meaning 'west(ern)'], Fyn. Danmark ['Fyn' was/is a large local region], Europa ['Europe']. Ollerup is a small village east of the bigger town Vester Skerninge, and east of both lies the city of Svendborg. Pavegaarden is the name of a farm/ranch, still existing today, with address Nielstrupvej 2 / Skovmarksvej 2 (hence at a T-junction), in Ollerup (its northern area), Denmark.
Possibly this envelope received its 'Titanic' handstamp already in Denmark, or, otherwise, in transit on a train or on board a ship or in another European country. Altogether it yet remains unclear how this mailpiece was routed and transported exactly. ☆
Any salesman sample for retail stores etc. was produced in a limited amount, making them super rare today.
Capitalizing on the Titanic disaster: salesman sample postcard
Size: 8.8 x 13.8 cm (3.5 x 5.5 in) ☆
UNIMAGINABLE RARITY ! PRODUCED JUST 2 OR 3 DAYS AFTER THE SINKING !
Try find another ! Amazing scarce unprecedented specialty collectible !
[ Article text still to come.] ☆
Crude engraving. Belfast shipbuilders' name Harland & Wolff is shortened: H"and W". (RMS: Royal Mail Ship.)
1911 launch: 8" brass propeller inscribed by shipyard worker
Diagonal: 20.0 cm (7.9 in) ☆ Height: 4.3 cm (1.7 in) ☆ Weight: 0.7 kg (25 oz) ☆
NOT YET SEEN ANOTHER ! 1911 SOUVENIR REMEMBERING TITANIC LAUNCH !
Try find another ! Amazing scarce unprecedented specialty collectible !
31 March 1909 the building of Titanic had started. 31 May 1911, after 2 years and 2 months, the steamship was launched. As construction then was not yet finished and fitting out still was required, it would take 10 more months for completion. Of course the 1911 launch was a proud, special and cheerful event, but one must realize it was virtually a repeat of the launch, 7 months prior, of Titanic's sister ship Olympic. With a vessel's launch, shipyard workers and local entrepreneurs would produce and sell a variety of souvenir objects.
This propeller of solid brass (not bronze), at the size of a spread hand, appears to be such souvenir object made by a Harland & Wolff shipyard worker, either just before or soon after the launch. If sold on launch day, which attracted many people, it obviously was crafted on the day(s) before. The simple and spontaneous, not to say clumsy or amateuristic looking inscriptions are engraved with an electric mechanical tool and read: R.M.S ; Titanic ; H"andW" (Harland and Wolff) ; Belfast May,31,1911. There is no maker's mark or any other mark to be found. On the back a square brass plate is soldered onto and then punched, obviously for easy wall hanging, so behind that plate may be a mark. Apparently this propeller was made to serve as a wall or desk decoration or possibly a lamp fixture base. It shows irregularities, pittings and traces of polishing (mainly at the axis), probably as a result from the sandcasting production process. However, maybe some of the pitting is from aging. ... more
This object can be traced back to an antique shop in Llangollen, North-East Wales (UK), where it, together with several other nautical objects, had just been acquired at a Liverpool auction; this was in the 1980s. As it was told, the propeller was very heavily tarnished, read: very dirty, the inscriptions partially impossible to read, and subsequently the brass was carefully cleaned by the previous owner without additional polishing. Remnants of the white Brasso polishing fluid are still visible in the engravings and pittings. At the base of the blades, the underside, there are larger areas still showing the very dark, almost black original patina. It is a shame that the antique dealer (mind you!) chose to clean the brass propeller, ruining its patina from natural aging.
Although there is no history, document or any resource available on this object, and a number of specialists have been clueless, I have no doubt about its authenticity, purpose and origin. Everything just seems to make sense for this being an authentic 1911 souvenir item made by a shipyard worker. A conman, or whoever else, would have created it just quite differently: more neatly and calculated, and much rather inscribed with wordings like WSL or White Star Line and/or WSL's five pointed star, as opposed to the shipbuilder's name Harland & Wolff, let alone this quite awkward abbreviation H"andW". Furthermore such maker would much rather create a souvenir item with referral to the 1912 sinking as opposed to the 1911 launch. Lastly, it would seem pointless for a forger to fake a layer of very dark, almost black patina, as such making the inscriptions partlially almost impossible to read, this even to the point that someone later decided to clean the propeller for proper readability of the inscriptions. To my conviction herewith the pride and the "signature" of a H&W shipyard worker are very much present and evident. ☆
Extra large image (3456 x 3456): Front Back Side Blade (each max. 1.5MB)
(will open in new window, then click again for full size)
English/White oak wreckwood fragment, 9.3 cm (3.65 in), supposedly from First Class 'aft' Grand Staircase.
Wreck wood fragment from flotsam salvaged in Apr / May 1912
Size: 9.3 x 3.0 x 2.0 cm (3.65 x 1.2 x 0.8 in) ☆ Weight: 17 gr (0.6 oz) ☆
TOUCHING TITANIC ! SUPER SCARCE & SPECIAL1912 DEBRIS FIELD ARTIFACT !
Try find another ! Amazing scarce unprecedented specialty collectible !
Exactly one week after the Titanic tragedy, cable ship (C.S.) Minia departed from Halifax for body recovery. After 4 days, on Friday 26 April 1912, thus 11 days since the sinking, she arrived at the scene as 2nd of in total 4 ships sent out for recovery. During a week of searching, Minia found only 17 human bodies. Furthermore, the ship recovered an array of floating wreckage from the debris field. William J. Parker, carpenter on Minia, transformed much of the wreck wood into ornate utilitary objects, such as boxes, tables, cabinets, chess boards, picture frames (one larger picture frame was gifted by Parker to Minia's first officer James Adams).
Traditionally it is believed that all or most of the salvaged hand carved wood originate (predominantly) from the First Class "aft" Grand Staircase, stretching from A- down to C-deck and located between the 3rd and 4th funnel. However, the area where the ship broke apart during the sinking was just before the 3rd funnel. This is a more recent insight, following the deep sea explorations; prior to that it was believed that the breaking occured between the 3rd and 4th funnel. So, in my view the wood debris could possibly just as well have originated from some other location(s) than the staircase. (There was also an almost identical looking First Class "fore" Grand Staircase, stretching even much further down to F-deck.)
Over time, many of the aforementioned crafted utilitary objects have been sold through auction and/or have ended up in museums. At one point, a number of rectangular carved wood sections measuring some 7.5 to 12.5 cm (3 to 5 inch) were auctioned by several international auctioneers, amongst which Guernsey's and Aldridge & Son. This particular specimen from my collection is such piece, however not really rectangular shaped as the others but seemingly a diagonally split leftover. The wood type should be either English oak or White oak. When looking very closely, the sandpaper's scratches from the finishing (smoothening) still show very distinctly. These hand carved wood pieces all display the same pattern of leaves and berries, and according to the auctioneers' descriptions these wood fragments were part of the "aft" Grand Staircase's (and balustrade's) handrail moulding.
However, both color, design, texture and thickness of these pieces clearly differ from the famous photo frame that was fashioned from Grand Staircase wood by William Parker. As such, and as suggested before, these rectangular wood pieces then should originate from another area of the ship, likely from closeby the "aft" Grand Staircase. (No photos of Titanic's "aft" and "fore" Grand Staircase are known to exist and as such any comparison with surviving artifacts is impossible.) This wood piece and all others were accompanied by a large quantity of color photo prints, historical document prints, and two letters of which one co-signed by Steve Santini of Titanic Concepts when purchasing the photo frame from James Adams' grandson Gerald T. Mullin on 31 July 1998. ☆
Extra large image (3456 x 2592): Front (1.0MB) Back (1.2MB)
(will open in new window, then click again for full size)
Real sea shells and seaweed in/on this decorative piece. This style was popular already in Victorian era.
Shellwork souvenir with Titanic, post-disaster wall decoration
Width: 15.0 cm (5.9 in) ☆ Thick: ± 3.5 cm (± 1.4 in) ☆ Weight: 250 gr (9 oz) ☆
EXTREMELY SCARCE VARIANT OF SCARCE POST-CATASTROPHE MEMENTO !
Shellworks like this one became fashionable already in Victorian time (1837-1901). They do not really have a specific name; mostly they are described as (a combination of): shell work, shell frame, shell picture, diorama, roundel, domed glass, sailors (shell) valentine. They come in different sizes and shapes, amongst which the star, heart, shell, anchor shape, but also as hand mirrors, photo frames, small boxes. This round model has a dome shaped glass with sea shells and seaweed, with, on a cardboard backing, a trimmed postcard showing a drawing of Titanic (see name on ship's bow). Inner hoop under the glass is colored light blue, likely as symbolic for the seawater. The backing's paper coating is printed dark blue (original) and wrapped around the back. On the back is a "wallpaper" in wood pattern. The brass hanger is still there (sometimes seen broken off, hence thin/flimsy).
Initially I thought that this "Titanic" souvenir from Edwardian era was produced while Olympic and Titanic were still being constructed (1908-1911); photos of the completed, almost identical sister ship Olympic obviously were not yet available. Furthermore a Titanic post-sinking souvenir for commemorating would very typically refer to the sinking and also much rather show a photographic image of Titanic or, in any case, Olympic. Ultimately I had to conclude, very regrettably, that this shellwork must be post-disaster! The reason for this is that I know of only one black printed postcard looking like this one, and that particular one is post-sinking hence its memorial phrases. Still, I had never before seen this Titanic shellwork version (but I had seen a large anchor shaped variant, with the same Titanic ship drawing). Much more common is the version showing a photograph of Titanic leaving Southampton, 10 April 1912, with either the caption "The ill-fated Titanic" or the more rare extended caption "The ill-fated Titanic sunk April 15th, 1912". Also the latter is in my collection, I will add it some time later. ☆
Typeface of the 4 largest text lines is 'Cheltenham', released in 1903. Card likely dates to, very roughly, 1910.
Titanic-period cabin/meal card : 6‑day trip on unknown steamer
Size: 10.1 x 12.7 cm (4.0 x 5.0 in) ☆
NOT 'TITANIC' BUT 'RELATED' AND STILL SURPRISINGLY SCARCE & SPECIAL !
Try find another ! Amazing scarce unprecedented specialty collectible !
Although a card for cabin assignment and meal consumptions as this one is seemingly a very common item, you will probably never come across one. Maybe most of these would have been disposed of after usage. This one appears to have been kept for remembrance, mounted in a photo album, hence the slightly creased and blackened corners (see image of back). Apparently in those days lunch could/would be called "dinner" ("Dinner 11.45 a.m."). In the center a "berth" number 112 is filled in with blue pencil.
What struck me in the punching is the first day having smaller holes than the following days. Maybe eating on the first day was still ashore, or on another ship, or maybe there is another explanation? Furthermore, days 1, 4 and 5 have an extra (4th) punching in the section of the day number. Watching the punching course: apparently this voyage had taken 6 days in total, which typically could have been USA-Europe.
Whether this very card was in possession of a regular passenger or perhaps an army or navy soldier is unclear. Also I do not know from which ocean liner company this card originates; maybe White Star Line, or Cunard Line, or some other company. ... more
As to dating it: my guess would be very roughly 1910. Strikingly, the font type of the large capitalized words is exactly identical to that on the Titanic launch ticket of 1911. Apparently, at the time this was a popular font type. Further research learns the font is called Cheltenham, designed in 1896 and released in 1903. The type was an instant success and The New York Times has used it for its headlines from 1906 still until today.
Image nr 3 and 4, found on the web, show a quite similar card, undated, for Carpathia (Cunard Line), the rescue ship to Titanic on 15 April 1912. Size: 7.6 x 11.4 cm (3.0 x 4.5 in). Probably this red colored card dates from the same time period as my beige card, very roughly 1910. The phrase "This ticket must be punched before a meal is served, and no food will be served without it" is exactly identical to the beige card, except for the word "before" as opposed to "when". (So, it seems plausible that also this beige card is from Cunard Line.) Judging by the amount of sections for punching, no less than a maximum of 18 days of traveling were optional. This other, red card was offered for sale in 2015 at Alexander Historical Auctions (USA).
"Keep This Card". Luckily several people have done so for more than a century! ☆
Fabric on back now shows brown, but, also for a striking color contrast, used to be ocean blue (see image 2).
Titanic scroll saw fretwork (Handicrafts Designs No.234), c1912
Size: 45.5 x 35.5 x 4.5 cm (18 x 14 x 1.75 in) ☆ Thick plywood: 0.43 cm (1/6 in) ☆
TOP NOTCH PAINSTAKINGLY LABORIOUS UTMOST SCARCE HOBBYIST PRIDE !
Try find another ! Amazing scarce unprecedented specialty collectible !
As a hobby, people in the past and still today would saw patterns out of (ply)wood with a fretsaw. For each cutout of the design a small hole had to be drilled first, then the thin saw put through and reattached to the fretsaw. Then the small area could be sawn. Such wall decoration would take many many many hours to complete. One could design (sketch) his/her own pattern or simply use a design plan from a (hobby) magazine or a separate paper plan. This design plan named "The Titanic" from "June 1912" and priced "1 Penny" is a product "No.234" by The Handicrafts Designs Limited, 57 Farringdon Road, London. This poster style plan, see image nr 3, is also in my collection.
This scroll saw piece from my collection must have been crafted in 1912 or maybe the year after. The design reads "In Memoriam" and "Titanic". The decorative elements are an anchor, ocean waves, leaves and berries, and the sun with its rays (and/or holiness?). The wood is finished with varnish or lacquer (original). On the back is a glued-on thin fabric in a nice dark blue-green color (ocean!), although faded partially. On the front the fabric color unfortunately has faded completely, now appearing brown. This specimen has two shelfs, obviously for placing small objects. I have seen several of this exact same very rare wooden fretwork, but mostly without these shelfs (detached later?). Furthermore most others were mounted on a thick wooden backing and/or framed with or without glass. Personally I like this free contour version better, although it being more delicate and vulnerable. ... more
Image nr 4 shows photos, found on the web, of other specimen of this very same design. The one at lower right also is unpainted and with shelfs. Most others were painted over (later?) with basic neutral color(s); very unusual and quite terrible looking to be honest! The one in the found image nr 5 is cut or sawn from an unidentified "white" material (possibly waterfall celluloid, an early kind of plastic), measuring only "7 x 6.5 cm" ("2.75 x 2.5 in"). Any of these "Titanic" cutout works really is extremely hard to find, yet quite incomprehensible not too high priced: circa $100-300. The paper design plan however is virtually impossible to find, almost non-existing, it is that stupendously rare. Its design nr 234 might seem to suggest that, early 1900s, at least that amount (234) of designs were produced. Still, I suspect that something else is going on, since the internet provided not even one search result for any of the Handicrafts design plans. Even keyword searching "Handicrafts Designs Ltd" (or "Limited") brought up nothing. This paper plan from my collection is torn and with separations, but then again it is old and the paper stock is thin. The printed pattern bears both a blind tracing and a ballpoint tracing. So, as it seems a fretwork was first crafted circa 1912 and then again at one time after WW2 (the ballpoint pen was not commercially available before early 1940s). ☆
Design Plan extra large image (4420 x 3320): Front (2.3MB) Back (1.3MB)
(will open in new window, then click again for full size)
The caption states the ship in the background to be Titanic, not her elder sister Olympic, but this is dubious.
Eva Hart, survivor at age 7: real signature on facsimile postcard
Size: 9.0 x 14.0 cm (3.5 x 5.5 in) ☆
SURVIVOR SIGNATURE ! "HEAPS OF LOVE AND KISSES TO ALL FROM EVA" !
Try find another ! Amazing scarce unprecedented specialty collectible !
Eva Miriam Hart, born 31 January 1905, was just 7 years old when she and her parents Esther and Benjamin boarded Titanic in Southampton. They traveled 2nd Class. Her father had planned to start a drug store in Winnipeg (mid-south Canada). Her mother had very bad feelings about this ship claimed to be unsinkable. (The family was scheduled for another ship, but, because of the coal strike they, like others, ended up on Titanic.) Esther, now fearing catastrophe, refused to sleep, and indeed stayed awake every night during the voyage. 15 April 1912 was the last day Eva saw her father alive. Soon after she and her mother had reached New York on rescue ship Carpathia they would return to England. Until her early twenties Eva suffered severe nightmares from her Titanic ordeal. On 14 February 1996 she died aged 91. Her mother Esther Hart had died in 1928 at the age of 61.
This "Rembrandt" modern reproduction postcard was acquired together with the two rare original Olympic & Titanic postcards halfway the next web page and is in a similar poor condition (well, that is the back). On the front it shows a small portion of the many thousands Belfast shipyard workers who built the sister ships Olympic (1911), Titanic (1912), Britannic (1915). The steamer in the background must be Olympic (mistrust the card's photo caption). The card's back shows Eva Hart's signature, possibly placed somewhere in the 1970s or maybe early 1980s? Bottom right reveals remnants of certification handstamp and certification signature. Typically these cards were issued in a number of 100 and would state "... of 100". ... more
In April 2014 a letter that Eva, and her mother, wrote to grandmother on the day of the disaster sold at auction for a by all means staggering $200,000 (including premium?). The letter, on Titanic letterhead, had survived only because it happened to be in Benjamin's jacket that Eva's mother Esther wore in the lifeboat to keep warm (image nr 5 shows Eva's addition to the letter):
On board R.M.S. Titanic Sunday afternoon, My Dear ones all,
As you see it is Sunday afternoon and we are meeting 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 Lord Our Help In Ages Past, that is the hymn she sang so nicely, so she sang out loud, 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 ... 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. 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 roughly expanse of water, no land in sight and the ship rolling from side to side is very wonderful tho they say this ship does not roll on account of its size. Anyhow it rolls enough for me, I shall never forget it. It is nice weather but awfully windy and cold. They say we may get into New York Tuesday night but we were really due early on Wednesday morning. Shall write as soon as we get there, this letter won't leave the ship but will remain for me back to England where she is due again on the 26th where you see the letter all of a screw is when 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 one 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 sound 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 and so it has been nice so far. But oh the long, long days and nights its the longest week I ever spent in my life. I must close now with all our fondest love to all of you,
From your loving Esse [Esther]
Heaps of love and kisses to all from Eva X X X X X X X X X X X X X \ X
☆
TOP ↑
© SSTITANIC.ORG 2015 - 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE MAY BE USED FOR PRIVATE PURPOSE
ANY OTHER USE IS ALLOWED ONLY WITH WRITTEN CONSENT FROM SSTITANIC.ORG
LABELS IN IMAGES MUST REMAIN UNTOUCHED AND VISIBLE UNLESS OTHERWISE AGREED IN WRITING