Unique Titanic Memorabilia Sold at Auction

 

Henry Aldridge and Son held their latest auction of Titanic and White Star Line memorabilia on October 29th. The sale was heavily publicised prior in the weeks running up to the auction with television crews from organisations such as National Geographic and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation travelling to England from North America to film the sale. In addition other media outlets such as the BBC, New York Times, Sky News Australia and New Zealand Herald covered the auction.

 

The sale had many stars, the highest prices of the day were for a set of keys to a First Class toilet on Titanic’s D deck which sold for £43000 and a small stamp booklet relating to the Titanic made £33000. But two of the most visually impressive were the sister plan to the 32ft enquiry profile offered in May and an extremely rare plan of First Class Accommodation for the Titanic that was used onboard by a Titanic survivor.

 

On Monday, 22 April, 1912, Sydney Buxton, President of the British Board of Trade, requested Lord Chancellor Loreburn to appoint a Wreck Commissioner to investigate the disaster of the Titanic. The Enquiry began on 2 May 1912 at the London Scottish Drill Hall, Westminster, and continued until 3 July 1912 having taken the testimony of nearly 100 witnesses over a period of 36 days, and considered the written depositions of numerous others.

 

This longitudinal mid section plan of Titanic was prepared by the Naval Architects Department of White Star Line with the help of builders Harland & Wolff, Belfast for use at the British Enquiry. The plan was prepared in Indian ink and hand-coloured. Drawn on paper and mounted to linen, the plan measures an astounding 6ft. 2ins. x 4ft. 8ins. It is headed "SECTION S.S. TITANIC". It is drawn in graphic detail to a scale of ½ins. to 1 foot and was painstakingly hand-captioned throughout in very large and bold lettering in an apparent attempt to assist the members of the commission in understanding the complexities of the ship. Each deck is noted by its official designation as well as its nautical designation beginning from topside as follows: "Boat Deck", "A Deck-Promenade", "B Deck-Bridge", "C Deck-Shelter", "D Deck-Saloon", "E Deck-Upper", "F Deck-Middle", "G Deck-Lower", "Orlop Deck". Below the Orlop Deck is the "Tank Top" with 14 water tight compartments shown in blue.

 

Two of the lifeboats in the forward part of the ship were smaller (40') boats often referred to as "emergency" boats which were held at the ready, kept swung out on their davits, to assist in man-overboard situations, though they could be, and were, also available for use in evacuation scenarios. It may have been these boats which, for some reason, were not included in the count. This would account for the two "missing" boats but would not explain why they were not counted in the first place.

 

This lot represented a unique opportunity for a collector to purchase a fascinating element from the British Titanic enquiry and it sold for £20000.

 

Another offering was a small group of documents relating to the SS Birma. The star of the archive was a Unique and highly important log page of wireless calls from Titanic and other ships on April 14th - 15th 1912 from onboard S.S. Birma. The messages were recorded by Joseph Cannon and include three messages from the liner Californian whose failure to go to the aid of Titanic is well documented. One message supported the claim by Californian's Captain, Stanley Lord, that his ship stopped in ice was 19 miles from Titanic when she hit the iceberg, a claim which was rejected by the inquiry into the disaster.

 

The log records "6..MWL proceeding for Boston", informs she is only 15 miles away from the position given by Titanic, Birma 22 miles. This log documents how Titanic's first distress call broke into a message from Newfoundland which was giving a summary of the day's news. "CQD - SOS DE MGY (Titanic code letters) we have struck iceberg sinking fast, come to our assistance, position lat 41° 46' N, long. 50° 14' W - MGY". Birma answered "We are 100 miles from you, steaming 14 knots, be with you by 6.30, our position lat 40° 48 N, long 52° 13' V - SBA".

 

The log continues and the entry for 2.30 is "several ships calling MGY no reply. Fear it is serious", the archive sold to a collector for over £30000

 

The second plan offered was an original double-sided detailed deck plan for First Class passengers of Titanic, dated December 1911, original printing. Headed "White Star Line. Southampton-Cherbourg-New York Service (Via Queenstown Westbound, and Via Plymouth Eastbound) R.M.S. Titanic.…One of The Two Largest Steamers in The World…" Additional headings on both sides, each pertaining exclusively to Titanic. The plan shows the layout of every First Class cabin over various decks; plus First Class Smoking Room, Lounge, Gymnasium, Restaurant, Staircases, Elevators, Turkish Baths, etc. with 7 vignettes of photographs of rooms and a painting of the ship at sea. Includes additional details of the amenities offered.

 

The plan depicts Titanic in extraordinary detail and identifies First Class cabins by stateroom number, complete with washbasins, wardrobes, beds, dressing tables; revealing such minute details as the shape of individual washbasins and the position of vaulting horses in the gymnasium. The layout of public areas on A,B,C,D,E, and F decks are painstakingly detailed in a manner consistent with the unparalleled standard of service associated with the White Star Line. These plans were an official issue of the steamship company and were distributed exclusively to First Class passengers, and originally folded into booklet form to make it easier for passengers to carry while on board.

 

The plan is embellished with the White Star Line house red burgee and is printed in black and red on translucent paper. Written in pencil at the top of the plan twice on one side is "Office Copy Keep" and "C-97." C-97 refers to a cabin on C Deck which was purchased by Isidor Straus, the New York City icon associated with Macy's department store, New York politics and philanthropy. He and his wife, Ida, boarded Titanic as First Class passengers along with Mr. Straus's valet and Mrs. Straus's maid intending to return to their home in New York. Cabin C-97 was occupied by Mrs. Straus's maid, Ellen Bird, who survived. Her survival may well explain the existence of this deck plan as it was likely with her during the voyage and her rescue in Lifeboat No. 8. Indeed, not only is Cabin C-97 marked on the plan twice with an "X" in pencil, but a rectangular dining room table has been circled in the D Deck dining saloon, indicating where the plan's owner sat for meals.

 

Original material relating to the Straus party's time on board Titanic is practically non-existent. All in that party except Miss Bird were lost. There was competition from several bidders for the lot, it sold for £25000 with a photograph of Mr Straus selling to the same collector for £15000. Other star lots included two photographs of Titanic being launched in 1911 that sold for over £20000, a third class passenger brochure £7000 and a small archive of material relating to Third Officer Herbert Pitman £23000.

 

Henry Aldridge and Son’s next auction of Titanic and White Star material will be the 100th anniversary sale on March 31st 2012. Please contact either Alan or Andrew Aldridge on 0044 1380 729199 or visit www.henry-aldridge.com for further details.