Holiday Auction Closing December 7 ,2019
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/7/2019
The most famous maritime disaster occurred on April 14, 1912 when a British Ocean liner, the RMS Titanic, at the time the World’s largest ship, struck an iceberg, buckling part of her hull and causing her to sink in the early hours of 15 April. Only 706 of her 2,224 passengers and crew survived as the other 1,518 disappeared into the frigid waters during the wreckage.
The Titanic was touted as being unsinkable because of its system of watertight compartments and doors, which of course proved to be just a myth. At 11:40 PM the ship struck a reported iceberg and the ship quickly began taking on water. Just 15 minutes later, the Captain order crews to prepare lifeboats and get the passengers and crews on deck. After the last lifeboat was lowered into the freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean, more than 1,500 people were still aboard the deck of the sinking ship. At 4:10 AM, the Carpathia, which was about 58 miles southeast of the Titanic at the time, heard the distress call and picks up the groups of the survivors aboard the lifeboats and headed back to New York around 8:50 AM. The Carpathia arrived in New York with 705 Survivors after a three-day voyage on the sea.
This black leather medic bag shows definitive signs of wear with a rusting handle and name, “F. Blackmarr” still visible amidst the leather that has clearly seen signs of Oceanic decay the last 100 years. This one of a kind Doctors leather medical bag measures 18 inches wide by 9 inches deep and 12 inches tall and was owned by Dr. Frank Blackmarr. The bag is reported to have been used for giving medical treatment and aid for the surviving passengers in the Titanic disaster while on board the rescue ship R.M. S. Carpathia during April 15th - 18th 1912. His name appears in white lettering on the bag. The bag is accompanied by its original receipt of purchase from the most renown Oceanic expert Ken Schultz. The bag is truly one of a few remaining artifacts from the rescue voyage of the Carpathia and surely belongs in a Museum or on public display. The bag was originally purchased several decades ago by or consigner, who’s name appears on the purchase receipt.
About Ken Shultz: Mr. Schultz was regarded as a pioneer and leader in the field of ocean liner memorabilia. He was featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and several books on ocean liner collectibles. His Oceanic Catalogs are still used as references and he was a world-renowned antiques dealer. As an expert in ocean liner memorabilia, he was a highly regarded consultant and sought-after speaker and often quoted in leading media publications such as Antiques and the Arts Weekly. He also served as an advisor on the film Titanic and was curator of the Hoboken Historical Museum’s “Destination Hoboken: The Great Ocean Liners of Hamberg-American and North German Lloyd” in 2002.