Thursday 27 March 2014

Letter by Titanic Survivor Sparks Interest on Reddit

We’ve had compelling Titanic survivor accounts from the likes of Molly Brown and Elizabeth Shutes and, of course, Kate Winslet’s fictional (though adored) onscreen character. Now comes one from French passenger Rose Amélie Icard, whose letter containing eyewitness details of the disaster has emerged on Reddit, causing a stir among history lovers.

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“I’ve always been fascinated by the Titanic, ever since my dad took me to an exhibit on it when I was 13 years old. It really struck a chord with me,” Mike Delgado, the owner of Icard’s letter, which is penned in French, tells Yahoo Shine. He posted images of the pages on Reddit on March 20 with the request, “I would love to have it translated so I could have them framed.” The post generated more than 44,000 views, hundreds of comments, and a page-by-page translation written out by multiple users.

Delgado, a 29-year-old U.S. Marine based in Florida who also owns Icard’s passport, purchased the letters at a 2012 Titanic online auction. The $6,300 sale was confirmed for Yahoo Shine on Wednesday by RR Auction house spokesperson Bobby Livingston, who says the letters were sold fully translated. However, Delgado explains, when he recently took the pages out of their packaging to finally get them framed and hung, he saw that the auction house neglected to include the English version. “I could have easily called the auction house,” he admits. “But I was on Reddit and decided to just try it that way. I thought other people would appreciate it and enjoy it.”
Source Yahoo!

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