Hi everyone, today is a journal post. I wanted to share my experience about the Titanic Exhibit that is happening in my hometown. It's been town since October through May 20th. My parents, younger sister and I went yesterday.
I have never seen the movie. Plain as day, I just have never seen it. My sister is a little historian, she's obsessed with Ancient Egypt and the Titantic. She was very excited to hear about the arrival of this exhibit. This was her dream to go, and it was an amazing experience.
The musuem where the exhibit is hosted, has multiple floors. It all added into the experience of the trip. After paying to see the exhibit, we were all given boarding passes of actual passengers who were aboard the ship. You get some information about who they traveled with, age, arrival and intended destination.
The exhibit starts with history of the Titanic. It gives a history of White Star Line, Andrews (the designer), Ismay, and Peirre (White Star Line's two heads). The Titanic was one of the three transatlantic ocean liners White Star intended to design to be bigger than the rest; Titanic, Olympic, and the Britannic. There were two rooms to demonstrate what a first class and third class passengers would have been placed in. Second class was not displayed but it was stated on one of the plaques that it was somewhere in between the two rooms but closer to a first class. There was even a piece of the First Class Grand Staircase and Chandelier on display.
Neither of these things are truly accessible as the staircase has since disintegrated. The Chandelier was not in the debris field. My sister has mentioned that the artifacts on display were in the debris field and not from the actual ships. So, as to respect the lost ship and lives from the tragic accident.
In the next room, just a little ways down, we learned more about April 10th. The days passengers began to board the ship. There was a little bit of information about Captain Edward J. Smith, who had planned to retire in 1911, but was persuaded to captain the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic.
This same room introduced the guests to some of the First and Second Class Passengers, such as John Jacob Astor IV, Ida Straus, and Reverend Thomas Byles were a few. We saw pictures of Cafe Parisian, with the ivy grown walls. A menu for first, second, and third class passengers for April 14th, 1912. In the displays we saw a lot of personal items. Like china, tea cups, money, and pins.
The next part went into the insides of the ship. A mock boiler room was set up with infinity mirrors. The lights were set in an orange red color to simulate heat, even the room felt warmer as well. It was a great way to just experience what went on behind the scenes that the passengers maybe weren't privy to viewing.
Just a little ways down, the hall was dark. And the Ice Warnings that had been sent to the Titanic were displayed on the walls. Along with the times and the ships that sent those messages. The room turned dark with a slight blue hue to it. Cold, as if you were actually in the water. A large piece of ice out on display, for spectators to see and touch. Titanic is doomed. The last words on the wall before you're moved into the next part of the display.
A sadness lingered between me and my sister. The looped video shows a computer generated recreation of the event. I only watched once before I felt sick to my stomach. I tried to hide my tears, I'm not sure if I failed or succeeded.
The discovery of the sunken ship is the next room. Still chilly. In this final room we learned mor about various people some of their identified personal objects. Even the preservation process and the detieration of the ship itself.
We saw William Henry Allen's work shirt, socks and suspenders. Ismay's decision to abandon the ship he had helped create. Margaret Brown's bravery in deciding to go back and grab others. Officer Phillips who sent out the SOS signal. The Straus couple, Ida refusing to leave Isidor. Together, they would die as they lived life...
Finally the memorial wall, where you learned the fate of your ticket. Three of the four of us survived. But one of us was lost in my family. There was a quiet sadness between my sister and I as we gazed at the names and all of those in third class and crew who were lost. More lost than those who lived. Even the story about the lifeboats, not enough or fully filled to capacity. It was heartbreaking to learn that. So many could have been saved. The band played until the very end and Captain Edward J. Smith went down with his ship. Never to return home to his wife and daughter as he had promised.
It was humbling to be able to see the history. My sister was able to elaborate and spout off random bits of trivia to my mom, dad, and I as we walked through the rooms. She was the one who noted that as we traveled through the museum that it felt as if were experiencing the the tragedy. And she was right, we really did.
It was an experience that I won't forget. One that just reminded of the fragility of life even more.
-ADF
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