The 1997 James Cameron hit movie “Titanic” started a trend that still has an impact even today. Philadelphia is keeping the trend alive with their new Titanic Exhibit at the Franklin Institute. Since early July, a special exhibit has been featuring real Titanic artifacts, audio tours and an IMAX
movie starring an actual Titanic survivor. After this exhibit you will definitely look at the movie in a whole new light.The main feature in the 1500 square foot exhibit, includes 300 artifacts that have been recovered from the wreckage site. These items include a pocket watch, a bank note, a steam whistle, and the bow of the ship, just to mention a few, and have been hidden under the Atlantic Ocean over
two miles from the surface for nine decades. The pressure is an amazing 6,000 pounds per square inch at that depth. Together Russia, the United States and France have taken six expeditions to recover artifacts over a span of about 15 years. It takes about two and a half hours to get to
the site and divers usually spend about 13 hours under at a time.
Replicas of first class state rooms and third class living quarters are also on display, as well as some of the people who stayed in them, to show how different economic classes lived for their short time aboard the enormous ship. They even replicated the Grand Staircase made famous by the movie.
A tour starts at the design of the ship and through the building of it, to the maiden voyage. Another feature is an IMAX movie which stars Eva Hart, who survived the disaster. The movie follows an international
expedition team along with Eva to the wreckage site and shows life size images of the wreckage itself.
It is quite amazing to see the replications of how the ship used to look and what has become of it. An audio tour provides facts about the exhibit
as you are seeing it, while allowing you to peruse the items at your
leisure. The narrator provides true stories about passengers and crew members, along with commentary from survivors, rescue workers, offi-
cers and crew members.
Additional features include a real iceberg that you can touch. The point of the iceburgs is to give visitors a fraction of an idea of just how cold the water really was for the victims. Information is presented about the aftermath of the disaster such as the relief funds and the search for the lost victims. A total of 1,500 victims were considered lost in this tragic disaster.
The Franklin Institute is located at 222 North 20th Street in Philadelphia and this exhibit lasts through Jan. 2. Tickets cost about $22 with an additional $4 for the IMAX film and $5 for the audio tour. The IMAX film lasts about 40 minutes and the audio tour lasts about 33 minutes. To find out more information about the Titanic Exhibit and the Franklin Institue, visit their Web site at www.fi.com.