![[R.M.S. Titanic] A collection of letters and post cards from survivors recounting the final hours on board. 1969 and later Various.. 27 letters and 7 postcards, along with ancillary information.](http://images2.bonhams.com/image?src=Images/live/2012-03/08/8515786-1-4.jpg&tmp=web300&top=0.000000&left=0.000000&right=1.000000&bottom=1.000000&dt=zoom_image "[R.M.S. Titanic] A collection of letters and post cards from survivors recounting the final hours on board. 1969 and later Various.. 27 letters and 7 postcards, along with ancillary information. Estimate: US$ 30,000 - 50,000 £20,000 - 33,000 €23,000 - 39,000")
Property from the Andrew J. Cannata Collection
[TITANIC SURVIVOR] An archive of letters and post cards from 20 survivors from the Andrew J. Cannata Collection
1969 and later
1969 and later
including the following survivors:
1. F. Philip Aks; 3rd class passenger – departed in lifeboat 11 at 1:25am with his mother, 55 minutes before the ship went down. A hand written single sided note on stationary from his wife saying they would be happy to meet Mr. Cannata when he came to Norfolk, Virginia, and a signed response card. One of five infant survivors, Mr. Aks provided Mr. Cannata with a stirring oral account (typed by Mr. Cannata) based on his mother's recollection.
2. Lilian W. Bentham; 2nd class passenger – departed in lifeboat 12 at 1:25am, 55 minutes before the ship went down. Two hand written letters on lined stationary, the first 3 pages, the second one page, each signed; she comments "...that after 57 years that I can never forget that dreadful night. To this day I can hear the calls for help..."
3. Edith Brown; 2nd class passenger – departed in lifeboat 14 at 1:30am, 50 minutes before the ship went down. Two single spaced typed letters, each signed; in the first she comments "My father unfortunately went down with the ship, but as he was putting us in the life-boat about 1:45 am he said "Do not worry I will see you in New York."". In the second she speaks about the proposed salvage of the wreck (signed by her husband), She was the only Titanic survivor to visit wreck site.
4. Reginald C. Burgess; Crew, extra third baker in 2nd class - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A two page, handwritten single-sided letter on lined stationary, signed. He was the last Titanic crewmember to retire from merchant marine service in 1955. In his letter he comments, "...there was not any panic whatsoever."
5. Albert F. Caldwell; 2nd class passenger - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. 2 letters, typed on stationary and a 2 page single space detailed account entitled "They Said That The Titanic Could Not Sink" from the time Titanic departed until the rescue by the Carpathia. He says "Here we were, in the middle of the Atlantic, with no food, water or lights."
6. Katherine Gilnagh; 3rd class passenger - departed in lifeboat 16 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. 2 pages single-spaced typed, with a hand written note at the end, along with a Christmas card from 1971 and a Titanic post card telling of her passing. She was told by a crewmember to jump into the lifeboat after it had already started to be lowered.
7. Frank J. Goldsmith; 3rd class passenger - departed in lifeboat collapsible D at 2:05am the last boat to leave before the ship went down. A single sided hand written letter dictated to his wife who responded on his behalf. The letter tells of his being lifted onto the Carpathia by a "Captain's chair sling" and his mother climbed the ladder.
8. Renee Harris; 3rd class passenger – departed in lifeboat collapsible D at 2:05 am the last boat to leave before the ship went down. A double-sided hand written letter on stationary, the letter tells the story of how 3rd class passengers were kept back by a rope and "...with ship officers holding guns...". Also a returned letter with a hand written note, and another note.
9. Eva Hart, 2nd class passenger – departed in lifeboat 14 at 1:30am - 50 minutes before the ship went down. A single typed blue Airmail letter, unsigned. In her letter she talks about the shortage of boats. Miss Hart was the only survivor to be given British MBE, and she was the last English Titanic survivor at time of death in 1996.
10. Juliette Laroche; 2nd class passenger - departed in lifeboat 14 at 1:30am - 50 minutes before the ship went down. A page and a half handwritten on plain stationary, in French, speaks about her 2 daughters and expecting a third child after loosing her husband. She was the wife/mother of the only African-background passenger Joseph Laroche.
11. Arthur E. Lewis; Crew, 2nd class steward - departed in lifeboat collapsible D at 2:05 am the last boat to leave before the ship went down. A double-sided, handwritten letter. He enclosed with a photocopy of his story, which he told in an interview to the Southampton Echo.
12. Mary C. Lines; 1st Class Passenger – departed in lifeboat 9 at 1:20am one hour before the ship went down. A two and half page hand written letter. A rare letter, she rarely spoke or wrote of Titanic. Here she mentions how helpful the passengers were on the Carpathia.
13. Madeleine V. Melleinger; 2nd Class Passenger - departed in lifeboat 14 at 1:30am - 50 minutes before the ship went down. A four page, hand written letter on blue "Canadian Pacific - Empress of England" Air Mail stationary, and a card with her signature. Marked across the top "NOT FOR PUBLICATION" but containing interesting details such as Captain Rostron of the Carpathia in the rigging of the ship (in New York) ordering that no one come on or off the ship.
14. Helen Mockler; 3rd Class Passenger – departed in lifeboat 16 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A single page typed and signed on "Sisters of Mary" stationary. She was so traumatized by the tragedy that she abandoned seeking her fortune in America and became a Roman Catholic nun.
15. George W. Moran; Crew, 1st Class Steward – slid down a rope, and was picked up by a lifeboat. A two page hand written letter, signed. Telling about confusion on the boat deck, and that few of the crew knew their boat station.
16. Frederick Ray; Crew, 1st Class Dining Room - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A two page handwritten letter, signed. Detailing which passengers he was servicing and how they all had a chance to get into boats. He was the last crewmember to pass away. He gave testimony at U.S. Senate Subcommittee hearings into the wreck of the Titanic.
17. Edith Rosenbaum; 1st Class Passenger – departed in lifeboat 11 at 1:25 am; 55 minutes before the ship went down. Two letters, each on "Embassy House Hotel" stationary, typed front and back and signed, along with a Christmas card and another postcard. Colorful and eccentric fashion buyer who went back to her stateroom to retrieve her toy pig music box.
18. Edward Ryan; 3rd class passenger – slid down a rope after all lifeboats had left ship, and was picked up by lifeboat 14. Three letters, the first a single sided hand written letter on blue airmail stationary, signed; the second two pages, single sided on white lined paper, signed; the third, single sided on a plain white piece of stationary, unsigned but referring to the two previous letters he had written. He describes getting off the ship: "I went to the peak of the stern after I heard people shouting below. There was a rope here and I could barely see a boat below. I got hold of the rope and slid down to the boat below. I jumped onto a woman's shin bone and took all the skin away but she did not mind."
19. Edwina Trout, 2nd class passenger - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A single sided, hand written letter on "Princess Cruises" stationary, signed and a signed postcard. She writes that the "...ceasing of the vibrations caused me to be alarmed."
20. Walt J. Williams, Crew, 2nd class dining room waiter - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A double sided, handwritten letter on lined stationary, signed, along with a copy of five legal page account entitled "The Sinking of the Titanic by W.J. Williams". He speaks about returning on the S.S. Lapland.
Along with a letter from Walter Lord (one page typed, single spaced, two sides), author of A Night To Remember relating to Mr. Cannata's research, and other research information and details about the collection and the survivors.
Various sizes.
(28 letters and 7 postcards, along with ancillary information.)
1. F. Philip Aks; 3rd class passenger – departed in lifeboat 11 at 1:25am with his mother, 55 minutes before the ship went down. A hand written single sided note on stationary from his wife saying they would be happy to meet Mr. Cannata when he came to Norfolk, Virginia, and a signed response card. One of five infant survivors, Mr. Aks provided Mr. Cannata with a stirring oral account (typed by Mr. Cannata) based on his mother's recollection.
2. Lilian W. Bentham; 2nd class passenger – departed in lifeboat 12 at 1:25am, 55 minutes before the ship went down. Two hand written letters on lined stationary, the first 3 pages, the second one page, each signed; she comments "...that after 57 years that I can never forget that dreadful night. To this day I can hear the calls for help..."
3. Edith Brown; 2nd class passenger – departed in lifeboat 14 at 1:30am, 50 minutes before the ship went down. Two single spaced typed letters, each signed; in the first she comments "My father unfortunately went down with the ship, but as he was putting us in the life-boat about 1:45 am he said "Do not worry I will see you in New York."". In the second she speaks about the proposed salvage of the wreck (signed by her husband), She was the only Titanic survivor to visit wreck site.
4. Reginald C. Burgess; Crew, extra third baker in 2nd class - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A two page, handwritten single-sided letter on lined stationary, signed. He was the last Titanic crewmember to retire from merchant marine service in 1955. In his letter he comments, "...there was not any panic whatsoever."
5. Albert F. Caldwell; 2nd class passenger - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. 2 letters, typed on stationary and a 2 page single space detailed account entitled "They Said That The Titanic Could Not Sink" from the time Titanic departed until the rescue by the Carpathia. He says "Here we were, in the middle of the Atlantic, with no food, water or lights."
6. Katherine Gilnagh; 3rd class passenger - departed in lifeboat 16 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. 2 pages single-spaced typed, with a hand written note at the end, along with a Christmas card from 1971 and a Titanic post card telling of her passing. She was told by a crewmember to jump into the lifeboat after it had already started to be lowered.
7. Frank J. Goldsmith; 3rd class passenger - departed in lifeboat collapsible D at 2:05am the last boat to leave before the ship went down. A single sided hand written letter dictated to his wife who responded on his behalf. The letter tells of his being lifted onto the Carpathia by a "Captain's chair sling" and his mother climbed the ladder.
8. Renee Harris; 3rd class passenger – departed in lifeboat collapsible D at 2:05 am the last boat to leave before the ship went down. A double-sided hand written letter on stationary, the letter tells the story of how 3rd class passengers were kept back by a rope and "...with ship officers holding guns...". Also a returned letter with a hand written note, and another note.
9. Eva Hart, 2nd class passenger – departed in lifeboat 14 at 1:30am - 50 minutes before the ship went down. A single typed blue Airmail letter, unsigned. In her letter she talks about the shortage of boats. Miss Hart was the only survivor to be given British MBE, and she was the last English Titanic survivor at time of death in 1996.
10. Juliette Laroche; 2nd class passenger - departed in lifeboat 14 at 1:30am - 50 minutes before the ship went down. A page and a half handwritten on plain stationary, in French, speaks about her 2 daughters and expecting a third child after loosing her husband. She was the wife/mother of the only African-background passenger Joseph Laroche.
11. Arthur E. Lewis; Crew, 2nd class steward - departed in lifeboat collapsible D at 2:05 am the last boat to leave before the ship went down. A double-sided, handwritten letter. He enclosed with a photocopy of his story, which he told in an interview to the Southampton Echo.
12. Mary C. Lines; 1st Class Passenger – departed in lifeboat 9 at 1:20am one hour before the ship went down. A two and half page hand written letter. A rare letter, she rarely spoke or wrote of Titanic. Here she mentions how helpful the passengers were on the Carpathia.
13. Madeleine V. Melleinger; 2nd Class Passenger - departed in lifeboat 14 at 1:30am - 50 minutes before the ship went down. A four page, hand written letter on blue "Canadian Pacific - Empress of England" Air Mail stationary, and a card with her signature. Marked across the top "NOT FOR PUBLICATION" but containing interesting details such as Captain Rostron of the Carpathia in the rigging of the ship (in New York) ordering that no one come on or off the ship.
14. Helen Mockler; 3rd Class Passenger – departed in lifeboat 16 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A single page typed and signed on "Sisters of Mary" stationary. She was so traumatized by the tragedy that she abandoned seeking her fortune in America and became a Roman Catholic nun.
15. George W. Moran; Crew, 1st Class Steward – slid down a rope, and was picked up by a lifeboat. A two page hand written letter, signed. Telling about confusion on the boat deck, and that few of the crew knew their boat station.
16. Frederick Ray; Crew, 1st Class Dining Room - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A two page handwritten letter, signed. Detailing which passengers he was servicing and how they all had a chance to get into boats. He was the last crewmember to pass away. He gave testimony at U.S. Senate Subcommittee hearings into the wreck of the Titanic.
17. Edith Rosenbaum; 1st Class Passenger – departed in lifeboat 11 at 1:25 am; 55 minutes before the ship went down. Two letters, each on "Embassy House Hotel" stationary, typed front and back and signed, along with a Christmas card and another postcard. Colorful and eccentric fashion buyer who went back to her stateroom to retrieve her toy pig music box.
18. Edward Ryan; 3rd class passenger – slid down a rope after all lifeboats had left ship, and was picked up by lifeboat 14. Three letters, the first a single sided hand written letter on blue airmail stationary, signed; the second two pages, single sided on white lined paper, signed; the third, single sided on a plain white piece of stationary, unsigned but referring to the two previous letters he had written. He describes getting off the ship: "I went to the peak of the stern after I heard people shouting below. There was a rope here and I could barely see a boat below. I got hold of the rope and slid down to the boat below. I jumped onto a woman's shin bone and took all the skin away but she did not mind."
19. Edwina Trout, 2nd class passenger - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A single sided, hand written letter on "Princess Cruises" stationary, signed and a signed postcard. She writes that the "...ceasing of the vibrations caused me to be alarmed."
20. Walt J. Williams, Crew, 2nd class dining room waiter - departed in lifeboat 13 at 1:35am - 45 minutes before the ship went down. A double sided, handwritten letter on lined stationary, signed, along with a copy of five legal page account entitled "The Sinking of the Titanic by W.J. Williams". He speaks about returning on the S.S. Lapland.
Along with a letter from Walter Lord (one page typed, single spaced, two sides), author of A Night To Remember relating to Mr. Cannata's research, and other research information and details about the collection and the survivors.
Various sizes.
(28 letters and 7 postcards, along with ancillary information.)
Estimate:
US$ 30,000 - 50,000
£20,000 - 33,000
€23,000 - 39,000
£20,000 - 33,000
€23,000 - 39,000
Footnotes
- For his junior year in high school, when faced with choosing a topic for his Junior Year Thesis, Titanic immediately came to mind but he was faced with having to tie that subject to English literature. Mr. Cannata's accepted thesis statement was: "Was there or was there not panic on board the Titanic the night she sank?" The challenge was where would he find a viable source to substantiate his thesis? He soon came to the conclusion that he had to write to or speak with people who had witnessed the disaster. Mr. Cannata wrote to Walter Lord, author of the bestselling book of 1955, A Night to Remember. He wrote Mr. Lord, and received a response, a disappointment full of restatements of commonly-known lore and closed with a crushing statement that he would not share the survivors names and addresses.
He decided to go to the Boston Public Library in 1969, and started working his way though a collection of current telephone directories of the world in the Humanities Room. As a basis for his research, Mr. Cannata used a copy of the summary booklet of the Titanic Disaster Report of the Committee of the Commerce from United States Senate published on 28 May 1912. It had been lent to him by Mrs. Virginia Raymond of Scituate, Massachusetts. Her parents were 1st class passengers on the Titanic. Her father, Jacques Futrelle, was a popular novelist of the day who perished in the disaster. Forty-three pages of the ninety-two page booklet was comprised of Exhibits A and B; the names of all of the crewmembers (A) and passengers (B) who were traveling on the Titanic. The expedition lasted several hours but he walked out with six names as potential survivor candidates!
He immediately sent out two letters on 19 March 1969 and waited. Five days later he received a detailed four-page letter from Mrs. John Black (formerly Miss Lilian Bentham), three days after that he heard from an elderly Mrs. Henry B. Harris, widow of the theatrical producer who perished on the Titanic. This was success beyond his belief and immediately sent out letters to the remaining four survivors. Two of those survivors responded; Mr. Frank Goldsmith on 7 April and Mr. Albert F. Caldwell on 11 April. In the letters was enough information to substantiate the thesis statement and write his paper. A week after submitting his thesis, his teacher handed them back, his with an A+, and asked Cannata to read it aloud to the class.
In his senior year, the National Honor Society scheduled a seminar day for later in the school year. Mr. Cannata was asked to prepare a presentation on the Titanic based upon his junior year thesis. In order to augment his original paper, Mr. Cannata reached out to additional survivors by means of the Titanic Enthusiasts of America. That autumn he contacted one of the founders and requested the names and addresses of the Honor Members, their parlance for survivors. A few weeks later he received a two page typed blue carbon copy simply entitled Present Survivors of the Steamship Titanic. In it were the names and addresses of the thirty known Titanic survivors still living as of 19 November 1969. From this list he was able to have a correspondence with another sixteen survivors, a total of 20 of the remaining 30 that were still alive in 1970.
Category: Fine Art / Marine Art
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