Mr. Dick,
Thank you for contacting me. I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed "A Suitcase From the Titanic." It was such a pleasure to read about Edgardo Andrew in detail, as well as the background on his family. I was very surprised to learn about Alfredo Andrew's wife as I have had a book for years which has a photograph of her on her world journey in 1909, crossing the Fuji Rapids in Japan. As I mentioned in my email to your publisher I was a very good friend of Edwina Troutt MacKenzie, and in fact was the organizer of her 100th birthday party in Hermosa Beach. She was indeed the lady who called upon Alfredo after the disaster. She recalled an address Edgardo had mentioned and was able to find Alfredo using it. It was she who first told Alfredo that his brother had been on the Titanic as until her visit he had no idea. Your book gives the impression that Edgardo's journey to New Jersey was planned, yet Winnie recalled him saying he had run away from school. I wonder if, when he found out the Oceanic would not be sailing on the 17th, he could not get permission to leave school as early as the 10th, and in that regard had run away. The last time Winnie saw Edgardo he was on his way to the cabin of the two Spanish ladies he had met on board. They spoke no English and he wanted to make sure they knew what was happening. Winnie would have loved to have read your book. It's ironic that they should have found Edgardo's suitcase as she once commented that she would have liked to have seen her own luggage again one day and see again the clothing she was wearing in 1912. I saw the artifact exhibit currently showing here in California in Buena Park, and it has some of the items from Edgardo's suitcase on display, including the towels. It was very moving for me to see these things after having heard Winnie talk about him. Again, please let me say how much I enjoyed your book. Congratulations on such a fine work.
Don Lynch
Autor del libro TITANIC – AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
