Titanic passenger's letter with "prophetic line" sells for $399,000

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A lettercard penned by 1 of the Titanic's astir well-known survivors from onboard the ship, days earlier it sank, has sold for $399,000 astatine auction.

In the note, written to the seller's great-uncle connected April 10, 1912, first-class rider Archibald Gracie wrote of the ill-fated steamship: "It is simply a good vessel but I shall await my journeys extremity earlier I walk judgement connected her."

The missive was sold to a backstage collector from the United States connected Saturday, according to auction location Henry Aldridge & Son successful Wiltshire, England. The hammer terms acold exceeded the archetypal estimation terms of 60,000 pounds.

The missive is believed to beryllium the sole illustration successful beingness from Gracie from onboard the Titanic, which sank disconnected Newfoundland aft hitting an iceberg, sidesplitting astir 1,500 radical connected its maiden voyage.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described it arsenic an "exceptional depository people piece."

"Not lone is it written by 1 of the astir important first-class passengers connected Titanic, Colonel Archibald Gracie, [but] the missive itself contains the astir prophetic line: 'It is simply a good vessel but I shall await my journey's extremity earlier I walk judgement connected her,'" Aldridge said successful a statement.

Gracie, who jumped from the vessel and managed to scramble onto an overturned collapsible boat, was rescued by different passengers onboard a lifeboat and was taken to the R.M.S. Carpathia. He went connected to constitute "The Truth astir the Titanic," an relationship of his experiences, erstwhile helium returned to New York City.

Gracie boarded the Titanic successful Southampton connected April 10, 1912, and was assigned first-class compartment C51. His publication is seen arsenic 1 of the astir elaborate accounts of the events of the nighttime the vessel sank, Aldridge said. Gracie did not afloat retrieve from the hypothermia helium suffered, and died of complications from diabetes successful precocious 1912.

The missive was postmarked Queenstown, Ireland, 1 of 2 stops the Titanic made earlier sinking.

Henry Aldridge & So enactment up dozens of Titanic items up for auction this month, including a pouch ticker and a third-class summons belonging to 2 passengers who some died successful the disaster.

Pocket watches antecedently owned by Titanic passengers person sold for immense amounts astatine Henry Aldridge and Son's auctions before, with a bidder successful November claiming 1 of them for $2 million. The terms of that point had breached a grounds acceptable earlier successful the year, erstwhile the aforesaid auction location sold a antithetic golden ticker for astir $1.46 million. In that case, the 14-carat entity belonged to the wealthiest rider connected the Titanic, John Jacob Astor, whose nett worthy was astir $87 cardinal erstwhile the catastrophe happened successful 1912.