‘She was the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men. In her construction and maintenance were involved every science, profession and trade known to civilization...

Unsinkable, indestructible she carried as few boats as would satisfy the laws’

Wrote Morgan Robertson in 1898 of his account of the greatest civil maritime disaster of all time, fourteen years before the actual disaster happened.

First published as Futility in the United States by M.F. Mansfield in 1898 and the a hundred years later as ‘The Wreck of the Titan’ A Nineteenth ~ Century Prophecy by Pocket Books in 1998.

The existence of Morgan Robertson’s work ‘Futility’ was brought to Simon Hewitt’s attention by

Sarah, a Titanic enthusiast from childhood after seeing the film ‘A Night to Remember’, for many of us that’s the way it happened.

Simon Hewitt carried out extensive research to locate a copy of this work, with visits to special

collectors book shops in Britain and endless visits to libraries in the in the hope of locating an original copy. But to no avail.

He did eventually track down The Titanic Historical Society of America who had copied the work in 1974. Its existence had not been generally advertised out side the inner circle of Titanic fraternity.

The American general public had not been privileged to the work since 1912 and it had never been available in Britain.

After locating an original signed print of the book with the help of the Library of Congress in Washington at the Clifton Waller Barrett Library, Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library.

Using the same techniques used in 1898 to make his copy of the book with the help of the University of Virginia he was able to make an exact copy of the work.

As his book was being published 100 years after the original, he decided to print a limited edition of 125 authentic centenary copies, he was pleased to make Sarah a gift of the first and felt privileged to have Millvina Dean Titanic’s youngest survivor sign his personal copy.

The original story was written by Morgan Robertson, born on the 30th September, 1861 in Oswega, New York, his father a Great Lakes captain. At the age of sixteen he ran away to serve in the merchant marine. He left the sea in 1868 having achieved First Mate status.

His consideration of nineteenth-century ethics and inadequate maritime regulations and shipping policies shows foresight in what was to come.

Only you can decide if his story is a psychic premonition or his theory of could happen if changes weren’t made to antiquated shipping laws ands regulations.

He died on 14th March 1915 in Atlantic City.

It is interesting to note that he was found in front of an open window, gazing out to sea, not realising the controversy his story would cause in the years to come.

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