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A document written by Archibald Gracie aboard the Titanic was auctioned for around US$399 in the United Kingdom; the letter is considered a unique item of historical value.
Em April 10th 1912, Archibald Gracie boarded the Titanic bound for the United States.
Installed in a first class cabin, he took advantage of the first moments on board to write a letter to a friend.
What seemed like just an initial reflection on the ship ended up becoming one of the last records before the tragedy that would mark the history of navigation.
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Buy
The letter, sent by Gracie before the shipwreck, was recently sold at auction in United Kingdom.
The document fetched around $399.000, according to the auction house. Henry Aldridge and Son, responsible for the sale.
The auction was held on April 26 in Wiltshire, England.
Writing on board
Gracie wrote the letter while the Titanic was still preparing to cross the Atlantic.
The text was brief, but with a tone that today seems prophetic: “It is a beautiful ship, but I will wait until the end of my journey before judging it."He said.
The content was addressed to AP Brooks, European ambassador, who received her at the Waldorf Hotel in London.
The correspondence was posted on April 11, when the Titanic stopped in Queenstown, in Ireland — today known as Cobh — and sent back again the next day, in London.
The paper still bears the letterhead of the White Star Line, the company responsible for the Titanic, with the words “On board the RMS Titanic".
Henry Aldridge and Son
Rare and symbolic item
For Andrew Aldridge, the auctioneer responsible for the sale, pieces like this help to preserve the memories of the passengers. “The stories of these men, women and children are told through memorabilia”, he said in an interview with NPR.
The buyer's identity was not revealed. The seller was identified as a direct descendant of the letter's recipient.
According to the auction house itself, there is no other known record of correspondence sent by Gracie during the crossing.
This makes the document a “truly exceptional, museum-worthy".
Gracie's Story
Archibald Gracie was born in January of 1858In the city of Mobile, in the state of Alabama, in the United States.
He attended elementary school in New Hampshire and entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, but did not complete the course.
After that, he enlisted in the Army and became colonel of the Seventh New York Regiment.
Before boarding the Titanic, Gracie had traveled to Europe on the Oceanic.
Instead of returning to the American continent on the same ship, he decided to book a cabin on the Titanic, which was about to make its maiden voyage.
In the letter to Brooks, Gracie fondly mentions the previous ship: “Although she lacks the elaborate style and variety of amusements of this great ship, her seaworthiness and yacht-like appearance still make me miss her.".
Activities before the disaster
During the crossing, Gracie enjoyed the comfort offered to first class passengers.
He spent much of his time escorting women who were traveling alone, visiting the library, swimming in the pool, chatting with other passengers and even playing squash on the ship's courts.
On the night of April 14, Gracie went to bed early, but woke up around 23:40 pm to realize that the engines had stopped.
When he left the cabin, he realized the gravity of the situation. He quickly returned to put on his life jacket and led the women he was with to the lifeboats.
Even after that, he remained on board to help evacuate other women and children.
When all the boats were launched, Gracie joined the crew in rescuing them in collapsible lifeboats. Soon after, the ship sank.
Disaster survivor
Gracie was dragged under by the force of the sinking, but managed to return to the surface and climb into one of the collapsible boats, which had capsized.
He shared the space with several other men. Many of them could not resist the intense cold of the night.
Later in the morning, the survivors from the lifeboat were rescued by other lifeboats and then picked up by the ship Carpathia.
In an interview with the newspaper New york tribune, Gracie described the experience as the most difficult of her life.
"The hours that passed before we were rescued by the Carpathia were the longest and most terrifying I have ever experienced.”, he reported. “With practically no sensation due to the freezing water, we were almost falling over from exhaustion."
Last months of life
After the rescue, Gracie returned to New York and began writing a book about what she had experienced.
The title, The Truth About the Titanic, was published the following year. Gracie did not have time to see the finished work.
With health weakened by hypothermia and already suffering from diabetes, he died on December 4, 1912, eight months after the disaster.
The recently sold letter remains one of the last traces of that crossing, a physical reminder of one of the most remarkable episodes in maritime history.
