The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia has been housing the “Titanic: Artifact Exhibit” for the past few months. From the second one enters the exhibit, he or she is transported back to the early 1900s. Everyone is handed a boarding pass upon arrival; this pass has all the information about an actual passenger on the Titanic. From their cabin numbers to their class ranks, visitors learn everything about the passengers and have to follow their stories until the very end to see if they survived or died. My passenger was Leila Saks, the heiress of the now-famous department store, Saks Fifth Avenue. Boarding the ship, along with her husband, she was on her way back to New York City for her father’s funeral and to begin running the company.
The RMS Titanic tragically sank on April 15, 1912. The wreckage was not found until Sept. 1, 1985. The ship, along with everything it carried, sat at the bottom of the Atlantic for 73 years. Surprisingly, most of the ship’s materials could be salvaged. Some of the materials saved were currencies from around the world, a few articles of clothing, and some of the silverware used in the dining halls. Among these artifacts, there were a few objects that made me scratch my head. There was a champagne bottle that still had a few ounces of champagne in it. There was also a light bulb. How did these items not crack under the water pressure? It is almost like these objects did not break so that they could help tell the stories of the deceased passengers. For example, one passenger was on his way to New York in hopes of starting a successful fragrance company; divers were able to find a set of perfume tubes that still contained perfume.
The exhibit was able to replicate the grand staircase, the first class hallway, and the bedrooms of the ship’s workers’. Just from the movie “Titanic,” everyone is familiar with the grand staircase where Jack Dawson waits for Rose. We all watched in awe as Rose cascaded down the steps to Jack. The replication of the steps is everything one could imagine. With the distinguished clock at the top and the chandelier hanging over the scene, it had every detail to make you feel that you were truly a passenger.
The Titanic was one of many ships that sailed under the White Star Line. It was surprising to learn that half the passengers on the Titanic were not originally scheduled to ride the Titanic. Most passengers had tickets for other White Star Line cruise ships but due to the coal strike of 1902, they were moved to the Titanic. Because of the last-minute switch, most of the passengers were placed in third-class rooms and did not survive the sink. The exhibit displayed a handful of letters from the passengers informing loved ones in America about the switch. One letter said, “I do not think that the Titanic will allow me to step on New York soil.” Words such as that run chills down my back. I cannot help but think it was fate.
At the end of the exhibit, there is a giant board full of the names of every passenger and whether he or she survived. I searched for my passenger and learned that she survived but her husband did not. I could not help but feel a connection to her. The exhibit told the story of the “unsinkable” ship and the passengers that boarded it in hopes of fulfilling that motto. Unfortunately, the ship was sinkable and 1,517 of the 2,223 did not make it to America. The Titanic: Artifact Exhibit is a way for the passenger to have their stories honored. The exhibit will continue to run until April 7, 2013. I would recommend this to everyone. It truly is an amazing learning experience.
Anjelica Finore is a first-year student majoring in communication studies. She can be reached at AF780271@wcupa.edu.