Love Letters Across the Atlantic

3 Feb at 10:05 pm

The Story of Howard Irwin & Pearl Shuttle

Howard Irwin, a young American from Buffalo, N.Y., had fallen deeply in love with Pearl Shuttle, a spirited Canadian woman. Though they were kept apart physically, their hearts remained entwined through tender love letters exchanged across the ocean.

Howard had initially planned to sail on Titanic but changed his mind at the last minute, unknowingly sparing his life. He had been on a loosely planned round-the-world trip with his friend Henry Sutehall Jr. when he received word that Pearl was languishing with typhoid fever. Knowing his time with Pearl was limited, Howard dropped everything and rushed to be by Pearl’s side.

An obituary for Pearl Shuttle, published in a newspaper. — A newspaper notice published in The Hamilton Spectator on October 26, 1911, shares the tragic news of young Pearl Shuttle’s untimely death.

Some of Howard’s luggage, though, went on Titanic with his traveling companion, Henry. The letters Howard had written to Pearl—filled with dreams of their future—went down with the Ship. They were recovered in a 1993 expedition by RMS Titanic, Inc. Once RMST artifact specialists conserved the letters, the astonishing, globetrotting love between Howard and Pearl unfolded for the first time in almost 100 years. Their story is a testament to the power of words in keeping love alive, even when destiny has other plans.

A Valentine’s Day postcard from the 1910s. There is an illustration of a young girl embracing a young man. A poem, “To My Valentine,” appears on the front. There is a good deal of damage to the postcard as it was recovered from the wrecksite, and not everything is legible. — A Valentine’s Day postcard from Pearl Shuttle to Howard Irwin. On the back, she wrote: Hello Squijuins, haha, still waiting for a letter here in a pleasure trip (ed. note: girl?) Pearl. It was recovered in a 1993 RMST expedition. This item is on view at TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition in Orlando.

A postcard from the early 1900s. It shows a dimly lit scene of a woman sitting in front of a fireplace in a home. There is a good deal of damage to the postcard as it was recovered from the wrecksite. — This postcard, recovered in a 1993 RMST expedition, shows a woman in front of a fireplace with a roaring fire. In the margin, Pearl Shuttle wrote, “You have kindled it” to Howard Irwin, a play on her romantic interest in Howard. Postcards like this were very popular in the early 1900s as they were very affordable to purchase and send.

A Love That Defied Death