After the attendant says, “Don’t forget your White Star Line Titanic boarding pass,” a strange foreboding feeling grips me. I glance down at the red-and-white postcard-sized ticket she hands me. “Hold on to it until the end of the exhibit,” she adds. “That’s when you’ll know if you survived or not.”
Today is April 10, 1912, and I am not who I think I am. Instead, I am Miss Ellen Hocking on a voyage with several family members. At age 21, I’m traveling to Schenectady, New York to be married. Having left Southampton, England aboard the Titanic, I’m unaware that my journey will end in tragedy.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Titanic’s historic disaster, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is hosting Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. The Houston museum is one of six museums selected by RMS Titanic Inc. to host the exhibition now through Sept. 3 during the disaster’s centennial.
Starboard view of the White Star Line passenger liner R.M.S. <Titanic> embarking on its ill-fated maiden voyage. April 10, 1912 Near Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
RMS Titanic Inc., a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions Inc., is presenting the historic Houston exhibit. It is also involved with ongoing national and international exhibitions recalling the ship’s sinking. The company was formed for the sole purpose of exploring the wreck of the Titanic, and its surrounding ocean areas.
In fact, on June 7, 1994, RMS Inc. was granted “salvor-in-possession rights of the wreck and wreck site" by a U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Prior to the official recognition of its mission, RMS Titanic had conducted seven research and recovery expeditions beginning as early as 1987. The same year it was granted salvor-in-possession rights, RMS Titanic launched its eighth mission.
“We have eight Titanic exhibitions that travel around the world at any one given time. After the exhibition closes in Houston, it will go to another city and museum,” said Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Public Relations Manager Theresa Nelson.
The exhibition showcases more than 250 authentic artifacts rescued and preserved by experts in the field of oceanography, archaeology and the like. Led by RMS Titanic Inc., the herculean endeavor offers visitors a poignant view at the iconic Titanic and its passengers.
The blockbuster exhibition is designed to ensure visitors become some of the Titanic’s 2,228 passengers. The luxurious cruise ship was destined for New York when it sailed. Passengers included the who’s who of the worlds’ most influential.
Chief among them were, Industrialist Benjamin Guggenheim, Macy’s owners, Isidor Straus and his wife Ida; Margaret “Molly” Brown, women’s suffrage champion; and millionaire John Jacob Astor, Titanic’s wealthiest passenger.
Seconds after entering the exhibition, I find myself peering into one of the ill-fated ship’s broken portholes. I hear a bell tolling and the unmistakable sound of a ship moving through rushing water. As I observe the ship’s building process in detail, I’m wholly immersed in a world I have never known.
After being absorbed by the first phase, I turn my attention to a wooden plank flanked by worn, leather suitcases and mailbags. This is where I’m actually thrust aboard the largest ship of its kind at the time. Titanic was billed as “unsinkable” by shipbuilders and architects alike.
A sinking feeling resurfaces as I come face to face with etched, double-glass doors. I’m in the first-class cabin area blindsided by the floor’s vibrant red carpet. As I inch my way down the narrow hallway, I note the stark, white walls and numbered cabin doors. My boarding pass doesn’t show a cabin number for me, but does reveal I traveled second class.
The hallway leads to an elaborate great room. The wooden floor creaks as I stroll across, drawn to period furniture and artwork. Portraits of wealthy passengers with brief biographies line an entire wall. Nearby, a wooden table holds silverware and fine china. The artifacts, some protected in glass cases, represent the 5, 500 items recovered from the ship during the last expedition in 2010.
Exhibition organizers have painstakingly recreated the ship’s opulent first-class interior. The Ritz, a restaurant where only the privileged dined, is extraordinary. Organizers have attended to every detail in their quest to ensure modern-day passengers embark on a journey they’ll never forget.
Equally unforgettable and gut-wrenching are third-class accommodations at the bottom of the ship, next to the noisy boiler room. As I stand before a humble cabin containing two bunk beds, I am now really Ellen Hocking.
“I think this exhibit is such a personal experience. I agree that you do feel as if you are really there on the Titanic,” says Amanda Norris, Houston Museum of Natural Science Director of Youth Education Sales.
“This year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and we’re thrilled that the over 2 million visitors who visit the museum each year will have the opportunity to experience this compelling human story,” Norris adds.
When the iconic Titanic collided with a gigantic iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean on her maiden voyage, more than 1,500 passengers died. Of the 2,228 that sailed with the Titanic, built in Belfast, Ireland, only 700 survived after it sank on April 15, 1912.
Who hasn’t read the compelling story that made headlines around the world? Who hasn’t seen Director James Cameron’s Oscar-winning Hollywood movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and actress Kate Winslet? In fact, the box-office blockbuster was rereleased in 3D on April, 5, 2012.
But this exhibition goes beyond the conjuring of those memorable images and chronicles. Here you are immersed in the era. As I move from one area, which boasts a fireplace and an elegant reading room, I encounter another.
This area is roped off but clearly illustrates the opulence of a first-class cabin. I hear violins play an unfamiliar melody as I contemplate a four-poster bed, wooden dresser and velvet-covered chairs. Nearby, a silent black-and-white film shows the ship’s captain.
Titanic’s Captain Edward J. Smith was going to retire in 1912. A quietly flamboyant man, Smith accepted the offer to lead White Star Line’s newest ship on her maiden voyage. Smith, who had won over many affluent passengers, became one of many doomed heroic figures in the Titanic saga.
At another turn, I see a scale model of the ship. I clutch my boarding pass as I step into another room. What I see is unnerving. It’s a giant iceberg similar to the one Titanic struck on the moonless evening of April 14.
A hand-written sign invites viewers to touch a piece of the iceberg. I only hesitate to touch it because the words “don’t touch” are the norm at museums I’ve visited. When I finally do, a chill runs up my spine.
I’m wrapping up my journey when I see a wall lined with the names of the passengers who sailed with the Titanic.
I scour the list of passenger names carefully, hoping that I survived. Suddenly, I feel a profound sense of relief. I see my name-and some family members-among those who survived.
My boarding pass noted that Miss Ellen Hocking was traveling with her mother, aunt, a brother, a sister, and two cousins, ages 10 months and 3 years. The family was from Cornwall, England, and Ellen Hocking had reported hearing a cock crow as she was falling asleep, a sign of danger in Cornish folklore.
I was also drawn to a photograph of Millvina Dean as I left the exhibition. Born Feb. 2, 1912, she was the Titanic’s last living survivor until May 31, 2009. She died in England at 97. Millvina had occupied lifeboat No. 10 with her mother and brother. Her father was among those who perished in the Titanic.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is hosting several events in conjunction with the Titanic exhibition. At one of the events, a Houston chef will prepare a menu that was enjoyed by the first-class guests of the Titanic.
The RMS Titanic will hold a public auction of the precious Titanic artifacts in the current exhibition on April 15, the day in which the famous ship sank. A museum spokesperson said this may be the last chance to experience the Titanic’s history. HMNS is the Houston’s Museum District centerpiece and one of the nation’s most visited museums.
“RMS Titanic Inc. has spent countless hours, dollars and resources to make sure that Titanic was preserved to the best and highest quality for future generations. This was the reason we were granted stewardship. Now we feel it’s the best time to pass the baton to put these unique assets in the hands of a steward who can take care of them for the next 100 years,” said Nelson.
Nelson added that one of the stipulations of the auction is that Premier Exhibitions Inc. and RMS Titanic will uphold all pre-existing museum contracts. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History’s marketing director confirmed that it will host the Titanic exhibition beginning Oct. 13, 2012.
For information on visiting the Houston Museum of Natural Science, contact hmns.org or call: 713 639-4629.
Rosie Carbo is the Lifestyles Editor for Wandering Educators
Photo credit: Ulster Folk and Transport