Ramon Artagaveytia’s story is a poignant narrative of human resilience and tragedy, marking him as one of the few individuals to have endured the sinking of not one, but two ships. His first experience with maritime disaster occurred on December 24, 1871, when he survived the fire and subsequent sinking of the ship “America” near the shore of Punta Espinillo, Uruguay. In an era where steamship travel was becoming increasingly popular, the “America” had been racing another vessel into Montevideo harbor when high boiler pressures led to a catastrophic fire. Out of the 164 passengers aboard, only 65 survived, and Artagaveytia narrowly escaped death by leaping into the sea and swimming to safety.
Despite the emotional scars left by the “America” disaster, Ramon Artagaveytia continued to lead a successful life, eventually taking over a farm in Guaminí, Argentina. However, 41 years later, he would find himself once again aboard a ship fated for tragedy—the RMS “Titanic.” Before his fateful journey, in a letter to his cousin Enrique Artagaveytia dated February 9, 1912, he revealed the deep impact of his previous ordeal, writing, “At last I will be able to travel and, above all, I will be able to sleep calm. The sinking of the America was terrible!… Nightmares keep tormenting me. Even in the most quiet trips, I wake up in the middle of the night with terrible nightmares and always hearing the same fateful word: Fire! Fire! Fire!…I have even gotten to the point where I find myself standing in the deck with my lifebelt on…”
Yet, he also expressed faith in modern technology, particularly the ship’s wireless telegraph, which he believed would prevent a repeat of the communication failures that had exacerbated the “America” tragedy. “Now, with a telephone on board, that won’t happen again. We can communicate instantly with the whole world,” he assured his cousin.
On April 10, 1912, Ramon Artagaveytia boarded the “Titanic” in Cherbourg, embarking on what he hoped would be a peaceful transatlantic crossing. However, the “Titanic” struck an iceberg on the night of April 14, and sank in the early hours of April 15. Artagaveytia, along with fellow Uruguayan passengers Francisco M. Carrau and his nephew Jose Pedro Carrau, was observed on deck during the sinking. Second-class passenger Julian Padro y Manent recounted that Artagaveytia and the Carraus did not take the situation seriously at first, even jesting about the cold that one might catch at sea in a lifeboat. In stark contrast, first-class passenger Elmer Zebley Taylor recalled a different atmosphere entirely, noting the palpable fear and distress among passengers who were unable to speak English, like the Carraus brothers.
Regrettably, Ramon Artagaveytia’s hope for a safe crossing was not to be. His body, along with those of other victims, was recovered from the North Atlantic by the recovery vessel “MacKay-Bennett.” He was identified by his initials “R.A.” marked on his clothing and personal effects, including a watch, chain, and medals. His remains were transported to New York and later shipped to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he was laid to rest in Cemeterio Central on June 18, 1912.
Relevant articles:
– A Harrowing Tale of Survival: Ramon Artagaveytia’s Two Shipwrecks, the “America” and the “Titanic”