Ramón Artagaveytia
{{short description|Uruguayan businessman and shipwreck survivor}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ramón Artagaveytia
| image = Ramon Artagaveytia.webp
| birth_date = July 14, 1840
| birth_place = Montevideo, Uruguay
| death_date = April 15, 1912 (aged 71)
| death_place = Atlantic Ocean
| death_cause = drowning
| burial_place = Cemeterio Central, Montevideo, Uruguay
| citizenship = Uruguay
| occupation = businessman
| mother = Maria Josefa Marcisa Gomez y Calvo
| father = Ramon Fermin Artagaveytia
}}
Ramón Artagaveytia was a Uruguayan businessman who survived the sinking of the America in 1871 and did not board another boat for 41 years until he boarded the Titanic.{{cite web|url=https://www.linerdesigns.com/voices-of-a-tragedy |title=Voices of a Tragedy: Letters from the RMS Titanic |last=Brady |first=Michael |access-date=16 January 2025}}{{Cite book |last=Brewster |first=Hugh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GQLZHO0RjhwC |title=I Am Canada: Deadly Voyage |date=2012-01-01 |publisher=Scholastic Canada |isbn=978-1-4431-1927-6 |language=en}}
Life
Ramon was born in Montevideo, Uruguay to Ramón Bernardo de Artagaveytía (1796-1852) and María Josefa Gómez (1806-1870).{{Cite web |date=2006-04-04 |title=Ramon Artagaveytia : First Class Passenger and Titanic Victim |url=https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/ramon-artagaveytia.html |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=www.encyclopedia-titanica.org |language=en}} On Christmas Eve of 1871, Ramon boarded the S.S. America while it has harbored in Punta Espinillo, Uruguay. Newspapers reported that the America had been racing another ship into Montevideo harbour and high boiler pressures had led to a fire.https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/328029353.pdf"South America". The Times. No. 27287. London. 31 January 1872. col D, p. 5."Marine Intelligence". Newcastle Courant. No. 10284. Newcastle upon Tyne. 2 February 1872. There were 114 first class, 20 second class and 30 "popular" class. Only 65 passengers survived. Ramon escaped by jumping into the sea and swimming for his life. Many of the passengers were horribly burned, and the event left Ramon emotionally scarred. Ramon moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1905 to take control of a farm where he lived until 1912.{{Cite web |title=Voices of a Tragedy |url=https://www.linerdesigns.com/voices-of-a-tragedy |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=Oceanliner Designs & Illustration |language=en-US}}
RMS Titanic
41 years after the America incident, Ramon traveled to Europe to visit his cousin who was the head of the Uruguayan Consulate in Berlin. He then boarded the RMS Titanic at Cherbourg-Octeville on April 10, 1912 to visit the United States before returning to Argentina.{{Cite book |last=Brewster |first=Hugh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qgPhFzG5tKQC&dq=%22Ram%C3%B3n+Artagaveytia%22&pg=PA4 |title=Titanic: El final de unas vidas doradas |date=2012-02-16 |publisher=LUMEN |isbn=978-84-264-2087-9 |language=es}} According to a survivor named Julian Padro y Manent, On the night of the sinking, Ramon was observed with two other Uruguayan passengers, Francisco M. Carrau and his nephew, Jose Pedro Carrau; the three men were joking about the situation.(1912) Record of Bodies and Effects (Passengers and Crew S.S.){{Cite journal |last=Chiarelli |first=Stefania |date=2019-11-04 |title=Gabriela Aguerre - O quarto branco. São Paulo: Todavia, 2019 |url=https://www.scielo.br/j/elbc/a/mXKL8BCVpP6Dcm6kSBvFrXH/?lang=pt |journal=Estudos de Literatura Brasileira Contemporânea |issue=58 |language=pt |pages=e5819 |doi=10.1590/2316-40185819 |issn=1518-0158|doi-access=free }} Ramon's body was discovered by the CS MacKay-Bennett. The following is the description of Ramon's body.{{Cite web |date=2010-02-15 |title=El último viaje de Artagaveytia en Deia. Noticias de Bizkaia |url=http://www.deia.com/2010/02/10/sociedad/euskadi/el-ultimo-viaje-de-artagaveytia |access-date=2025-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215102414/http://www.deia.com/2010/02/10/sociedad/euskadi/el-ultimo-viaje-de-artagaveytia |archive-date=15 February 2010 }}Western Times (13 May 1912) THE ASTOR MILLIONS{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=Nova Scotia |date=2020-04-20 |title=Nova Scotia Archives - RMS Titanic Resource Guide |url=https://archives.novascotia.ca/titanic/fatalities/archives/?ID=22&Page=201010106 |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=Nova Scotia Archives}}{{Cite book |last=Hormaetxea |first=Josu |title=Passengers of the Titanic, the last voyage of Ramón Artagaveytia |date=2010}}{{Cite news |date=April 30, 1912 |title=List of Identified |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn99068086/1912-04-30/ed-1/?sp=7&q=%22ram%C3%B3n-artagaveytia%22&r=0.184,0.534,0.205,0.088,0 |work=The Dakota chief |page=7 |language=English}}
{{Quote box
| quote = NO. 22 - MALE - ESTIMATED AGE, 60 -HAIR GREY; BALD
CLOTHING - Blue overcoat; blue suit; white dress waistcoat;black boots and purple socks; two vests marked "R.A."; pink drawers alsomarked "R.A."
EFFECTS - Watch, chain and medals with name on; keys; comb;knife; eyeglass case; 27 pounds in gold; $20 gold piece; $64 in notes.
Remains delivered to Uruguayan Consul at Halifax
NAME RAMON ARTAGAVEYTIA
}}
After Ramon's body was discovered, he was transported to Argentina and buried on April 18, 1912. A letter he wrote to his brother Adolfo and his gold swiss pocket watch were sold at auction for around $15,000 and $25,000.{{Cite web |title=Titanic passenger's letter to be auctioned in Uruguay |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1083193-titanic-passenger-s-letter-to-be-auctioned-in-uruguay |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Watch recovered from the body of a Titanic victim, hands frozen in time |url=https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/watch-recovered-from-the-body-of-a-titanic-victim.html |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=www.encyclopedia-titanica.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2006-04-04 |title=Ramon Artagaveytia : First Class Passenger and Titanic Victim |url=https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/ramon-artagaveytia.html |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=www.encyclopedia-titanica.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=Nova Scotia |date=2020-04-20 |title=Nova Scotia Archives - RMS Titanic Resource Guide |url=https://archives.novascotia.ca/titanic/fatalities/archives/?ID=22 |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=Nova Scotia Archives}}The Inter-Ocean (18 April 1912) Uruguay's Richest Man a victim{{Cite web |date=2023-07-01 |title=Letter sent from Titanic fetches $12,000 at auction in Uruguay |url=https://report.az/en/interesting/letter-sent-from-titanic-fetches-12-000-at-auction-in-uruguay/ |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=Report News Agency |language=en}}