Rarely seen items recovered from the Titanic reveal woman's tragic twist of fate
After the Titanic tragically sank, some precious items were salvaged and stored safely inside a warehouse in a secret location.
All that is known is that they are somewhere in Atlanta, Georgia, and the artifacts include things like a bathtub, intricate glassware, tiny buttons and small vials of perfume that still have a scent.
But it is a particular item - an alligator skin handbag - that reveals one woman’s tragic twist of fate.
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The bag spent decades at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean before it was recovered from the site of the shipwreck by US firm RMS Titanic Inc.
The company has the salvage rights to the ship and has been able to recover 5,500 items over the years.
The things inside the handbag have been perverse and tells the story of a woman named Marian Meanwell, who was a third-class passenger onboard the ship.
Speaking to the BBC, Tomasina Ray, who is the director of collections for RMS Titanic Inc, said: “She was a 63-year-old milliner and she was traveling to the US to be with her daughter who was recently widowed.”
There were a number of items found in Meanwell’s bag, including a faded photograph which is believed to have been of her mother.
She also had some paperwork in order to start her new life in America, which included her medical inspection card and a reference letter from her former landlord back in London.
The handwritten note stated: “We have always found Miss Meanwell to be a good tenant, prompt with payment.”
All third-class passengers were required to provide proof that they weren’t carrying disease overseas, which is why Meanwell had a medical inspection card.
But it’s this document that uncovered a cruel twist of fate for the woman.
On the card it can be found that she was originally booked to travel on the Majestic, which was another White Star Line ship.
However, the boat never set sail so on the document, Majestic is crossed out and changed to the Titanic.
This transfer onto the doomed ship as it embarked on its maiden - and only - voyage, sealed Meanwell’s fate, making her one of the 1,500 people who tragically lost their lives when the Titanic collided with an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
Ray added: “Being able to tell her story and have these objects is really important.
“Otherwise she’s just another name on the list.”