A letter that went down with the Titanic is going up for auction. It was written by first-classed passenger Alexander Oscar Holverson who wrote to his mother, giving her his impressions of the gigantic, palatial, ship. The letter is dated one day before the ship hit the iceberg. Holverson was a successful American business man and he traveled with his wife. The couple boarded the Titanic in Southampton on their way back home to New York.
His wife survived the sinking of the Titanic and also the letter eventually made it to his mother. It was found inside a pocket book of Mr. Holverson´s jacket when his body was recovered from the ocean. In the letter he talks about the good music and food on board the ship and also how he met the then richest man with his wife. It is the only known letter that bears the Titanic letterhead.
The letter is highly sought after because of the date, the markings, the observations in it and of course the fact that it went into the Atlantic. It is very valuable for people collecting items from history. It still bears the water mark of the White star shipping line and stains from the sea. That makes it one of the most iconic objects from the Titanic ever offered on an auction. The letter fetched a world record price of 126,000 £ (146.816,96 €).
passenger (ˈpæsənʤəʳ) – der Passagier, Reisender
impression (ɪmˈpreʃən) – der Eindruck
palatial (pəˈleɪʃəl) – prachtvoll, prunkvoll
successful (səkˈsesfəl) – erfolgreich
to travel (ˈtrævəl) – reisen
to board (bɔ:d) – etw besteigen, an Bord gehen
to survive (səˈvaɪv) – etw überleben
eventually (ɪˈventʃuəli) – schließlich, letztendlich
to recover (rɪˈkʌvəʳ) – etw zurückbekommen, etw bergen
to bear (beəʳ) – etw tragen, aufweisen
letterhead (ˈletəʳhed) – der Briefkopf
marking (ˈmɑ:kɪŋ) – die Markierungen, Kennzeichnungen
observation (ˌɒbzəˈveɪʃən) – die Beobachtung
valuable (ˈvæljʊəbl̩) – wertvoll, kostbar
water mark (ˈwɔ:təʳ mɑ:k) – das Wasserzeichen
stain (steɪn) – der Fleck, die Verfärbung
to offer (ˈɒfəʳ) – etw anbieten
to fetch (fetʃ) – hier: etw erzielen