A letter written aboard the Titanic by Colonel Archibald Gracie, one of the ship’s most notable survivors, has shattered records by selling for $399,000 at auction, far exceeding its original $75,000 estimate.
Penned on April 10, 1912, the day Gracie boarded, the letter reflects his early impressions of the ship and was successfully sent during Titanic’s final stop at Queenstown, Ireland, before later reaching its recipient in London.
Just hours before the sinking, Gracie played squash, swam in the ship’s pool, attended a church service, and mingled with fellow passengers. Later that night, he was awoken by the sudden silence of the engines and rushed to assist women and children into lifeboats.
Gracie survived by finding refuge on an overturned collapsible boat, and later wrote a book about his experiences.