Auction house believes it has Titanic bandleader’s violin: report

 In this April 10, 1912 file photo, the Titanic leaves Southampton, England on her maiden voyage to New York City. Five days into her journey, the ship struck an iceberg and sank.

British auctioneers say they have discovered the violin played by the Titanic's bandleader as the doomed ship sank into the Atlantic.

The instrument was found strapped to its owner, Wallace Hartley, when his body was recovered after the ship went down on April 15, 1912, according to reports.
Hartley and his eight-piece ensemble famously played on as the ship slowly slid into the frigid North Atlantic waters after striking an iceberg during its maiden voyage from England to New York.
The violin's fate has been a mystery for a century, but British auctioneer Henry Aldridge & Son claims they've got the real thing, and they are spending thousands of dollars on forensic tests to determine its authenticity.
“We are waiting the results of further laboratory tests," Henry Aldridge said, according to the Daily Mail. "When I first saw it five years ago I was amazed."
"If I did not think that the probability was there I would not have bothered."
The violin's owner has not come forward, but is not thought to be a descendant of Hartley.
He or she claims to have proof the violin was sent to Hartley's fiancée, Maria Robertson, after his death, London's The Telegraph reported.
Along with the violin, the auctioneers say, there is a letter from Robinson thanking authorities for sending her the instrument and a case carrying the bandleader's initials, "WHH."
There is also said to be an inscription on the violin's tailpiece that reads, "For Wallace on the occasion of our engagement, Maria," the Telegraph said.
If put up for auction, Aldridge predicted the piece would shatter records set for artifacts recovered from the ill-fated ship.
A set of keys to the ship's post office sold for nearly $160,000 in 2007, according to the Mail.
"The owner has not made up their mind if they would want to sell it but I think it is more likely it will go on exhibition if it is proved to be genuine," Aldridge said.
"We hope to have a definite answer some time this year. We cannot rush the scientists."

 

 http://www.nydailynews.com/