Elleda Wilson: 'Enduring appeal'

May 4—One of the more interesting Titanic items, a hand-drawn, highly-detailed graphic map of the ship that was used throughout the British Titanic Inquiry was up for auction at Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd. in Devizes, England, on April 22. The plan was drawn on paper by White Star Line architects and mounted to linen.

The inquiry began on May 2, 1912 and ended on July 3, 1912. Although nearly 100 witnesses testified, along with written depositions being considered, the map was the star of the proceedings, used by witnesses to refer to while describing what happened during the disaster.

Two first class passengers testified, but neither one was Madeleine Astor, widow of John Jacob Astor IV, who went down with the ship. Also testifying were surviving crew members, J. Bruce Ismay, president of the White Star Line, and Guglielmo Marconi, who invented the long-distance wireless telegraph.

Shockingly, there were no witnesses from third class, on the lower decks. More than 25,000 questions were asked during the inquiry; the conclusion was that the Titanic was lost due to "excessive speed."

The map was expected to fetch about $148,287, but sold for a whopping $244,900, according to the independent.co.uk. "We were delighted with the auction; the prices reflect the rarity of the material offered for auction, but also the enduring appeal of the Titanic story," auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said. "She sank 111 years ago, but the memory of those passengers and crew lives on through the memorabilia." (Map Detail: Henry Aldridge & Son Ltd.)