TITANIC:
A MOVING EXPERIENCE
By J. H. Dama
I clutch the ticket tightly in my hand. I have finally booked passage on Titanic: the Exhibition.
She sails for me on the morning of Friday the 13th from St. Petersburg, Florida.
I pass the security check (no cameras, cell phones or electronic devices allowed) to enter the
world of the famed ship. With an audio tape and the soothing voice of British actor Malcolm
McDowell (of A Clockwork Orange fame) filling my ears my voyage begins.
FUTURE FLASHBACK
A mini-film chronicles Titanic's birth, death and discovery. Grainy black and white news
footage reveals the sorrow and disbelief on the haggard faces of survivors as well as
newspaper boys peddling the disaster. My heart aches for survivor Edith Brown Haisman as
she receives her father's pocket watch (now in the exhibit). She last saw her father, alive on
Titanic's deck from her lifeboat. Her father promised they would see each other soon, as he
watched her lifeboat lower. She waited 81 years before she saw his pocket watch again. It
was given to her on Christmas 1993.
This sets the tone for my journey to follow.
Nearly filling the first room, the large-scale model of the rusted bow section rests on a bed
of sand. Crowds hover around the front of the model to glimpse the gash on her side where
she struck the iceberg and sealed her fate. A propeller hangs suspended on a wall at the end
of the sparse room. Reality sinks in, as more moving rooms await me.
STARRY NIGHT
With the cry "iceberg!" still echoing in my ears my body shivers as I enter the room Starry
Night. I can hear other footsteps lightly clicking on the polished hardwood floor, modeled
after her deck. My eyes search the room to admire its beauty and simplicity with few artifacts
scattered throughout: a lifebelt removed from a lifeless body, with no name given for the
deceased; a jacket, once worn by a steward as he assisted passengers, now yellowed and
tattered in a display case; the portholes on the gleaming white walls of the room representing
the Titanic's.
McDowell beckons me to approach the edge of the railing that runs the length of the room.
I feel a smoothness under my hand as I both grip the railing and caress it. It feels as if I am
touching the rail of the legendary ship and I easily lose myself in the romantic yet tragic
setting. Behind the railing curves a star field that seems to extend forever. I feel the vastness
of the open space while gazing out at the specks of light.
Imagine the last lifeboat has left, the voice urges. McDowell coaxes me into looking down,
at the blackness. Is that what those left on board saw? I can hear the waves of the chilling,
black water as it creeps up the side of the ship, inching closer.
Peering out at the stars, I feel very alone. Is that how it felt surrounded by 1,500 people?
Alone? With just a rail to hold on to, a star field my sole light and cold water lapping at the
side, waiting.
Even though the room doesn't feel colder it chills my bones, all at once breathtakingly
beautiful and tragic. The only thing missing is the tilting of the room to simulate the deck that
night. I abandon the room.
MEMORIAL WALK
Upon entering Memorial Walk I face a mural spanning an entire wall. Built for the crew who
lost their lives that night, the Liverpool Memorial lists their names. Tears well up inside me
once again as I gaze at the pencil rubbings of headstones on another wall.
After reading each one, I proceed down a walkway with five crystal clear pillars on both sides
towering over me. Frosted carvings commemorate certain individuals. A quote they became
known for is underneath each individual: a man who gave his life rather than survive at the
expense of women and children; the etching of Captain Ed Smith, who went down with his
ship, along with his quote relieving the men of their duty and commanding every man for
himself.
The walkway leads me to the end of my journey and to recognition of those on the Titanic.
Two walls list the names of passengers and crew, distinguishing survivor from dead, the
passengers still divided in death by class.
Tears turn to shock to see the families completely lost. So many names, so many dead. A
reminder of my own mortality.
HAUNTING VOICES
Their ghostly voices walk with me as haunting fragments come through the headphones. Over
1,500 souls perished in the tragedy, with only objects surviving to tell some of their stories.
In one display case lay a delicate gold bracelet bearing the name Amy, scrolled with tiny
glistening diamonds. It is noted that the owner could not be identified and the possibilities tug
at my heart. Who was Amy? Did she ever have an occasion to wear it? Was she wearing it
that night? Was it intended as a gift for some one or had it graced the wrist of some woman
or girl on the ship?
Once submerged in the Atlantic Ocean but now on display lay a young man's diary and a love
letter to him, both surprisingly somewhat legible. Although not listed as a passenger, he and
a friend were believed to have boarded the ship only to vanish to loved ones.
One room contains the merchandising, movie posters, novels, and albums dedicated to the
victims, that followed on the heels of the tragedy.
Those looking for the blockbuster's characters of Rose and Jack will not find them, but will
meet the real victims on board the Titanic for her maiden voyage.
In a way I feel as if I have survived and am weary with that thought. Survivor's guilt plagued
some so why not me. I leave the tour not only speechless, but contemplative about mankind
"flying in the face of God," as one of the passengers had remarked about the unsinkable
Titanic.
Throughout the 16 rooms Titanic and her victims are brought back to life, in the form of
models, photographs, murals and schematic diagrams as well as the over 250 recovered
artifacts.
THE EXHIBIT
In the gift shop you can purchase a little piece of the Titanic and her legend: a piece of coal
from the ocean floor, 1912 newspapers announcing the disaster, jewelry from the period,
books, videos, clothing, stuffed polar bear toy and reproductions of dinnerware and glasses
with the White Star Line logo. A recording of the exhibition tour is available on cassette and
CD.
Reservations are needed and visitors should allow adequate time for the journey. Two hours
is suggested. The exhibition departs from the Florida International Museum on May 15, 1998.
Online sites:
Florida International Museum
RMS Titanic Inc. which tracks the expedition:
Virtual Tour: (download
required and available from site)
©Published in the St. Clair College Journal on April 9, 1998.
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