Titanic Exhibit: My Bizarre Reaction

posted October 14, 2009 - 5:16pm

Titanic Exhibit: My Bizarre Reaction

While my husband and I were on a trip in Las Vegas a few years ago, “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” opened at the Imperial Palace Hotel. I thought I could quell my odd fascination with the Titanic story by viewing the exhibit. I was not prepared, though, for the bizarre reaction I experienced when I entered the display that morning.

Extremely excited to get to the Titanic exhibit and knowing it would draw a crowd, my husband and I were at the Imperial Palace one-half hour after the exhibit opened in the morning. My idea was to have plenty of time and room (without a trample of visitors) to study and become even more educated about the Titanic saga.

Not wanting to miss any detail, we threw in the extra money for audio wands so I would not overlook any of the fine points throughout the exhibit. I was very surprised when the ticket man handed my husband and I replica boarding passes, which were exact copies issued by White Star Line for passengers making the sea voyage from England to New York.

The man explained; the information listed on the replica-boarding pass pertained to someone who was actually on the Titanic. Each pass had a name and age, a blurb of personal information about the person and the ship’s class for which they paid.

He said we could view a wall at the end of the tour, which had every passenger’s name listed. He instructed us to search the survivors list to see if the person on our boarding pass made it or did not. I instantly felt a potent stab of gloom crawl over me.

Before I could comment about how chilling this feeling was for me; my husband, who was already reading his boarding pass said, “Well, I know this person did not survive…it is the band leader, Wallace Hartley.” I stared at my husband and said nothing.

I read the boarding pass I was issued randomly and told my husband my pass was that of a 21-year-old female, who was voyaging third class to New York to meet up with her husband. He was a bricklayer who had gone ahead to America on a prior voyage to find work and a place for him and his new bride to live.

My husband made his way into the exhibit and I followed, but did not get very far. The moment I stepped through the entryway into the first large room, I stopped because I could not take another step forward. I felt deeply overwhelmed with sadness and before I could get a handle on my feelings, I started to cry. I was quite embarrassed, but luckily, there was no one else in the room with us.

My husband turned to see where I was and hurried over when he saw I was crying. I explained that I was, overcome with sadness for unknown reasons, the moment I walked into the exhibit. I was trying to get my composure, which I did after several minutes and I began to relax somewhat while I studied the exhibit pieces and listened in on the audio wand.

I made it through most of the Titanic exhibit, but that intense, sad feeling never left me. A couple times, I instantly felt heaviness come over me and tears welled up uncontrollably, especially when I was viewing the re-creation of the the third class holding area of the ship.

When I reached the part of the exhibit that contained an actual portion of the wall of the Titanic with a round portal window still intact, I began to shake slightly and almost felt as if I could not catch my breath. It was extremely unnerving and a feeling I will never forget.

I was ecstatic, though, to discover that the young bride on my boarding pass survived the tragic sinking of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean that cold April day in 1912. I am sure, however, that I was not as elated as her husband who was waiting for her in New York. Perplexing how I would feel so deeply about the wellbeing of a total stranger.

To learn more facts about the Titanic, visit, www.titanic-facts.com online.

Photo Credit - dyet2006 / Copyright - SXC.HU.comdyet2006