Titanic Survivor's Revealing Letter Sparks a Stir With History Lovers

I did a search, but didn't see this has been shared, so for all you history lovers, I'm putting this up. I didn't see a forum for history, so I stuck it in general chit chat. If the MODs can move it to a more appropriate area, please do so.

I found this article regarding a 9 page letter from a French survivor of the Titanic, Rose Amélie Icard. Her letter contains eyewitness details of the disaster. It is causing a stir among History lovers.

shine.yahoo.com...
Icard was rescued with her employer, Martha Evelyn Stone, in a lifeboat. In 1955, at the age of 83, she wrote a nine-page memoir.
The translation reads, in part:

By miracle Mrs. Stone and I found each other in the same boat, where we were about 30 people. The officer told us ‘Row hard, you only have twenty-five minutes to save your life.’ I took the oars and rowed with so much energy that I had bloody hands and paralyzed wrists because we had to be quick to escape the immense abyss that the Titanic was going to open while sinking. It is at that time that I noticed that someone was crouched under me. I did not have the strength to reveal his presence. I have never known who [were] the men who saved his life that way. While we were moving away on the nearly calm sea, only slightly lit by the lantern that the officer was holding, I did not keep my eyes off the [Titanic’s] blazing lights. Suddenly complete and impenetrable obscurity, horrible screams, shouting broke in the midst of creaks from the ship, then it was all. I sometimes still dream about it.”

Here is the first page:


If some of you nice French members could translate the rest of the letter for us, it would be great!
I'm curious as to what the rest of it says.
Read the remaining pages here:
imgur.com...

shine.yahoo.com...

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.”

For those who may not know, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, has a Titanic Museum.
The Titanic Museum is a two-story museum shaped like the RMS Titanic. It opened on April 8, 2010. It is built half-scale to the original ship.
I've spoken to many people who have visited it, and they all said it was fantastic!
This place is just "over the mountain" from me, but I haven't been there yet. I have it on my list, though, just as soon as time and money allows.

I can't even imagine the horror of all those people who were about to lose theirs lives and those escaping and witnessing it.
Such a tragic event.

reply to post by Night Star


Same here.
I hope someone who can translate the letter will be so kind to oblige us. I'd love to know the rest of her story.

Amazing find Sled. I have been fascinated with the Titanic as long as I can remember. I have visited the graves at the cemetery in Halifax,Nova Scotia...and I can say with all honesty that nothing prepares you for the emotions you feel as you read the headstones. Some simply read a number,no name. I also saw some of the salvaged items at the local museum and have a photo of me beside the only deck chair from the ship in the world. I would love to know the rest of the letter translation. I'm sure someone here can do it.

reply to post by sled735


Great Post,

I thought you may like to see a few pics of the Titanic Experience in Belfast. Unfortunately no photography was allowed inside

It was a cold day and kinda suited the mood for the tour.









This is the actual launching spot



I grew up in Belfast and my great grandfather worked on the Titanic and others. Some great stories were told

Cheers

Spiro

reply to post by sled735

Wow I want to know more!
Page 2 if somebody can translate it PLEASE!!!

A lasting monument to the ill fortuned idea that some things are too big to fail.

I wonder what she can possibly have written that is revealing .......other than the personal horror of the moment.....
Who was the employer and what was she doing on the ship?
There are a lot of sub plots that will never be known to this story......

reply to post by stirling


that is something, to see a first hand account of what happened....I heard that at the usa memorial museum you can touch a spot on the wall and the temp is what it was on the ship that night....

reply to post by stirling


Those questions are answered in the source link.

reply to post by sled735


here is a link with the transcribed pages www.reddit.com...

double post

reply to post by Spiro


Thank you for the pics. Interesting architecture.

You can see the one I spoke of by doing a google search.

I'm off to get my hair cut. See you all back here soon.

research100
reply to post by sled735

 

here is a link with the transcribed pages www.reddit.com...

OMG!!! Thank you!!

And right as I'm about to walk out the door! I'll check these out when I get back.

reply to post by VoidHawk


I'm trying. The cursive along with the need to translate is making it a pain. Doing my best but ?'s are where I cannot identify the word.

Here's my best shot at it:

Back in Europe, after passing through Paris and London, we embarked on the Titanic on April 10, 1912.

It was Mrs. Stone, who purchased the tickets in London and told me, ?, that we would embark on the very beautiful ?.

The preceding(?) nights, I dreamt of death, of trunks ?, a presentiment (ie. foresight, warning, omen) perhaps, that I should not have chosen the Titanic.

Captain Smith, through his appointment designated by the White Star Line, was to drive this floating palace on its first voyage. (tough one, someone might do better lol). I can still see his ? (vicillard?) beautiful white beard.

It was him who helped me onto the the boat of ?.

After four days of ? ephemeral and splendid transatlantic and the writing/translation combo gets to brutal to read. It seems like she's possibly talking about the trip in those few days. Very ceremonial dinners of a truly royal nature? Something like that. She says something about diamond, worthy of ? Oriental. Basically, really fancy. The writing is just too cramped for me to translate.

Sorry, I tried.

reply to post by sled735


Sigh, lol, I should've just expected Reddit.

In the above transcription the most inportant page is missing, number 3 (unless I missed it) : In which she says that on the Sunday, the french boat "Le Touraine" signaled to the titanic to watch out for the Icebergs, But the President of white star line, Bruce Ismay (a survivor I think ?) said there is nothing to worry about and that the titanic was insubmersible. This happened when the were close to Terre Neuve Island (Ile de terre neuve)


Otherwise the reddit translation is quite ok.

WhiteAlice
reply to post by VoidHawk

 

I'm trying. The cursive along with the need to translate is making it a pain. Doing my best but ?'s are where I cannot identify the word.

Here's my best shot at it:

Back in Europe, after passing through Paris and London, we embarked on the Titanic on April 10, 1912.

It was Mrs. Stone, who purchased the tickets in London and told me, ?, that we would embark on the very beautiful ?.

The preceding(?) nights, I dreamt of death, of trunks ?, a presentiment (ie. foresight, warning, omen) perhaps, that I should not have chosen the Titanic.

Captain Smith, through his appointment designated by the White Star Line, was to drive this floating palace on its first voyage. (tough one, someone might do better lol). I can still see his ? (vicillard?) beautiful white beard.

It was him who helped me onto the the boat of ?.

After four days of ? ephemeral and splendid transatlantic and the writing/translation combo gets to brutal to read. It seems like she's possibly talking about the trip in those few days. Very ceremonial dinners of a truly royal nature? Something like that. She says something about diamond, worthy of ? Oriental. Basically, really fancy. The writing is just too cramped for me to translate.

Sorry, I tried.

reply to post by sled735

 

Sigh, lol, I should've just expected Reddit.

editby]edit on 28/3/14 by WhiteAlice because: added second reply