Support NeoGAF

[Lionel Mandrake]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-21806334

A violin thought to be the one played by the band leader of the Titanic as it sank is genuine, according to a seven-year investigation by auctioneers.

Wallace Hartley and his orchestra famously played on as the ship sank in 1912 and were among the 1,500 who died.

In 2006, Titanic specialist auction house Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire were approached by the violin's owner who wanted to sell it.

Experts commissioned by the auction house confirmed it was Mr Hartley's.

[....]

Wallace Hartley's body was recovered about 10 days after the doomed liner sank but the violin was not listed among the inventory of items found with him.

Several newspaper reports from the time said he had been found "fully dressed with his violin strapped to his body".

There have been various theories about what happened to the instrument which range from it floating away to being stolen by someone involved in handling the bodies of the deceased.

A violin was returned to Wallace Hartley's fiancee Maria Robinson, in Bridlington in East Yorkshire, and a transcript of a telegram dated 19 July 1912 to Canada's Provincial of Nova Scotia was found in her diary.
'Miracles happen'

It said: "I would be most grateful if you could convey my heartfelt thanks to all who have made possible the return of my late fiance's violin."

Craig Sopin, 55, who lives in Philadelphia, US, and owns one of the world's largest collections of Titanic memorabilia, said: "Popular belief is that the violin was lost or ferreted away but sometimes miracles happen and it has here.

"As far as Titanic memorabilia is concerned it is the most important piece that has ever come up and that includes artefacts recovered from the seabed such as the crow's nest bell."

Cool stuff.

 

[Chichikov]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-21806334



Cool stuff.

Nice try Bugs Meany, but everyone knows a violin has 4 strings!

 

[User 73706]

Pretty cool that they managed to string all of that together.

 

[User 100115]

Hnnng.

Okay, so, there are things that I am fascinated with. Violins, wayyyy up there.

Also up there? History! Another top one? Shipwrecks!

This is like, a trifecta of awesome, and I love it.

 

[Bombadil]

Fake.

That thing was in the water for several days? Woods not warped.

Phony.

 

[pants]

Fake.

That thing was in the water for several days? Woods not warped.

Phony.

We should get an expert to go over and check, someone please kickstart this.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Nice try Bugs Meany, but everyone knows a violin has 4 strings!

This is the best fucking first reply ever.

 

[Chichikov]

Fake.

That thing was in the water for several days? Woods not warped.

Phony.

Is that you R. Bruce Hoadley?

 

[Symphonic]

This is especially awesome being a violin player but also especially not awesome because I can only assume that it's completely unplayable.

 

[ComputerMKII]

We should get an expert to go over and check, someone please kickstart this.

There you go.