Postman almost ignored a glass bottle on the shore — until it revealed a Titanic passenger's last-ditch effort to say goodbye to his family

Many victims of the Titanic accident were identified, but finding their personal belongings or items they carried on the ship later on is both haunting and bittersweet. One such story belongs to Jeremiah Burke, a 19-year-old passenger from Ballynoe, County Cork, Ireland, whose history was later documented in the Encyclopedia Titanica. He was the son of farmer William Burke and Catherine Hegarty and grew up in a Roman Catholic household. One of the seven living children out of nine siblings, Burke was supposed to set sail to America to meet his elder sister, Mary, in Charleston, Boston, but he drowned during the Titanic accident on April 14, 1912. However, 13 months later, a glass bottle washed ashore carrying Burke's last message to his family.

Tragic voyage

Burke's two elder sisters, Mary (later Mrs. Michael Burns) and Ellen "Nellie" (later Mrs. James Hamilton), moved to the U.S., specifically Boston. After Mary's marriage and her first pregnancy, she sent him money to join her in America. He boarded the Titanic along with his cousin Hanora Hegarty as a 3rd class passenger. His ticket number was 365222, and it cost him £6.15 (currently $9.01). Unfortunately, four days after they set sail, the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean, and both of them drowned. As per the Encyclopedia Titanica, their bodies, if recovered, were not identified.

Message in a bottle

After Jeremiah's untimely death, his estate, which was a meager £5 or $6.69, was given to his father. However, 13 months after the shipwreck, a piece of Jeremiah came back home. In the early summer of 1913, a postman/coachman was walking his dog on a shingle beach along Cork Harbor when he noticed a small bottle. Upon investigation, the bottle was returned to the Burkes. Brid O'Flynn, Jeremiah's grand niece, confirmed that it was the same bottle that was filled with holy water, given to him by his mother, before he left home.

She also verified his handwriting and said, "A bottle of holy water in those days that your mother gave you was a reverent thing. It wasn't something you threw out the side as you left Ireland. To me, it senses of panic." The message was handwritten and dated: 10/04/1912. It hauntingly reads, "from Titanic, Goodbye all Burke of Glanmire, Cork."

Sunken relics

Several exploration attempts have been made over the years to learn more about the Titanic. Oceanographers and marine archaeologists have recovered several items from the ship, including a crocodile-skin handbag that once belonged to a third-class passenger named Marian Meanwell, tiny bottles of perfume that still hold potent scents, and champagne bottles. Historians also studied the class division on the ship through the dinnerware designs. The third class used simple cups with a 'White Star' logo, the second class had better quality china with blue floral decoration, and the first class plates had an intricate pattern around the plate with a gold trim.

The message is still on display

Jeremiah Burke was survived by his parents, his siblings, nieces, and nephews. His sister Mary gave birth to three daughters, while Nellie had a baby boy named James. They both never returned home and passed away in Boston. His parents and other siblings, on the other hand, remained at Ballynoe. His mother passed away two years after he drowned due to cancer, and his father died almost two decades later, succumbing to pneumonia. The bottle with the message is now preserved in John Burke's house in White's Cross, Cork.

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