Rare Titanic Letter Heads for Auction: Big Pics

WATCH VIDEO: The Titanic sank 97 years ago, and artifacts from the ship have finally arrived at their intended destination.

Oct. 8, 2010 -- A rare, first-person account of the ordeal of one of the survivors of the Titanic disaster will soon hit the auction block.

The letter is a signed affidavit from Laura Francatelli (second from the right in the above photo), a passenger aboard the Titanic as well as the secretary to two controversial figures in the oceanliner's saga, Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon.

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Following the disaster, Sir Cosmo is thought to have paid crewmen for access to a lifeboat. When the ship went down, the lifeboat ferrying Sir Cosmo -- and Francatelli -- to safety didn't bother to return to rescue drowning victims.

The letter, however, paints a different portrait of Sir Cosmo. According to Francatelli, Sir Cosmo initially refused to board a lifeboat, but insisted that Lady Duff and Francatelli immediately evacuate the sinking Titanic. Sir Cosmo left the oceanliner reluctantly only after the insistence of an officer on board.

According to Francatelli, Sir Cosmo did not pay the crewmen for access to a lifeboat, but rather out of gratitude for the rescue.

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Francatelli's terror throughout the ordeal is evident throughout the affidavit, from describing the condition of the lifeboat -- "a small ordinary rowing boat and not too safe" -- to the screams and cries in the darkness as they waited for rescue.

Francatelli and the others aboard the lifeboat were eventually rescued by the Carpathia two hours after the Titanic sank.

The affidavit is set to be auctioned by by Henry Aldridge and Son on Oct. 16. The letter is estimated to sell for between 10,000-15,000 pounds ($15,950-$23,920).

A giant luxury ship thought to be unsinkable, the Titanic struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912. It sank the following morning, claiming the lives of 1,500 people.

See below to read a selection of the letter of Francatelli's ordeal aboard the Titanic.

Photo credits: Henry Aldridge & Son