- Original Article
Surprises and emotions surface at Titanic exhibit
Wednesday 29th April 2009By Monnie Nilsson : The Denver Post
Posted:04/24/2009 12:30:00 AM MDT
Updated:04/24/2009 11:08:38 AM MDT
The story of the Titanic is a schoolhouse staple and one of the great cautionary tales of hubris.
It has spawned countless books, award-winning documentaries and memorable movies, notably the Oscar-winning blockbuster starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, with its memorable image of the couple standing with arms outstretched on the ship's bow.
So it's tempting to think you know all there is to know about the doomed liner, which sank on its maiden voyage 97 years ago this month. What possibly could be left to learn? Apparently, quite a bit.
Over the next several days, RMS Titanic Inc., the sole entity that can legally recover objects from the site of the shipwreck, brings its mobile exhibit, "Titanic: Treasures From the Deep," to area history buffs.
To better understand what the exhibit offers, we spoke with Titanic expert and exhibit guide Lowell Lytle, a.k.a. "Captain Smith."
Q: How did you get involved with Titanic research? And what's your role in this exhibit?
A: I got involved 10 years ago, through RMS Titanic Inc. I just happened to look like the old man (Titanic captain Edward Smith). I'm a little better looking, actually. Then they let me dive in 2000 to the (Titanic recovery) site. It was during that dive that we recovered items. Then, when (exhibit sponsor) Country Financial decided to put on this program, they felt that perhaps it would be good for me to introduce the program and be a guide.
Q: The exhibit is billed as "unlike anything seen before." Fill us in.
A: You'll be seeing over 50 artifacts from the ocean floor. One of the unique things for me on the dive in 2000 was that I was there when we opened up a suitcase on the ocean floor, and in that suitcase were two pairs of shoes, men's size 12, one dress pair and one work pair. There was also a suit, a vest, a tie, two shirts, underwear, a pair of socks and a cravat. Everything was very neatly folded. When we opened that up, it was almost like we felt the soul of that individual coming into that room. Nobody had seen that in 88 years.
The cravat from that suitcase is on display for the first time in this exhibit. Also found monogrammed on the inside of the shirts were the letters "WA." We looked on the manifest, and there was one William Allen, a third-class passenger from England. He didn't make it.
Q: Is RMS Titanic Inc. still recovering items from the ship's resting place?
A: Yes, they have to. The judge ruled that they have to continue recovery in "a timely manner" or they lose rights to recovery at the site.
By the way, you're not allowed to take things from the Titanic. That's a memorial site. You're only allowed to take items from the ocean floor, not from the boat itself.
Q: What is your favorite part of the exhibit?
A: That you're going to see a real piece of the Titanic. I think some of the jewelry is interesting, but for me, to see the cravat, which was part of the recovery from my dive, that's special. I have an emotional tie to that. Another thing that I think is interesting is that every visitor receives a boarding pass with the name of a passenger on it. At the end of the tour, they can look at the memorial board and see whether that person survived. It's amazing to watch people's reactions. People will actually jump up and down and say, "I lived!" To watch people identify like that, to take that on, it's just magical. Then others say, "Oh. I didn't make it."
Q: Why do you think the Titanic still draws interest?
A: I'd have to say that it's because you couldn't write this story. You couldn't make it up. You've got the poorest people and you've got some very wealthy people, people from all different walks of life. They were all in it together. It took two hours for it (the sinking) to happen. I think it's because everyone can identify with someone on that ship. Everyone can ask, "What would I do in a situation like that?"
Q: Do you have any tips for getting the most out of the exhibit?
A: Everybody brings something different to it. There was a man in Chicago who was 100 years old and alive when the Titanic went down. He had tears coming down his face and said, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for bringing these items up." He knew about it and felt a connection to it.
I think those that study it and know it will bring more to it and have a better understanding of what they're seeing.
Others come to the exhibit and know about Jack and Rose (the 1997 movie characters) and the blue diamond. They ask me, "When you were down on the Titanic, did you look for the blue diamond?" I hate to bust their bubble and tell them that was just a story.
Recently, one of the Titanic divers was asked to speak to a group of elementary school third-graders. Before he went, he told his wife that he didn't know what to say to them, so she suggested that he begin by asking the children some questions. So he did. "Does anyone here know how long the Titanic was?" he asked. One kid immediately threw his arm up. The diver thought it was amazing that this kid (might know) the answer - 882 feet. So he asked the child, "How long was the Titanic?" The boy replied, "Two whole videotapes!"
Monnie Nilsson: 303-954-1049 or mnilsson@denverpost.com
Titanic: Treasures from the Deep
Mobile museum tour. FlatIron Crossing, Nordstrom parking lot, 1 Flatiron Circle in Broomfield, today-Sunday; Park Meadows, Dillard's parking lot, 8401 Park Meadows Center Drive in Lone Tree, Thursday-May 3. Hours at both locations: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Free. countrytitanic.com
Posted:04/24/2009 12:30:00 AM MDT
Updated:04/24/2009 11:08:38 AM MDT
The story of the Titanic is a schoolhouse staple and one of the great cautionary tales of hubris.
It has spawned countless books, award-winning documentaries and memorable movies, notably the Oscar-winning blockbuster starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, with its memorable image of the couple standing with arms outstretched on the ship's bow.
So it's tempting to think you know all there is to know about the doomed liner, which sank on its maiden voyage 97 years ago this month. What possibly could be left to learn? Apparently, quite a bit.
Over the next several days, RMS Titanic Inc., the sole entity that can legally recover objects from the site of the shipwreck, brings its mobile exhibit, "Titanic: Treasures From the Deep," to area history buffs.
To better understand what the exhibit offers, we spoke with Titanic expert and exhibit guide Lowell Lytle, a.k.a. "Captain Smith."
Q: How did you get involved with Titanic research? And what's your role in this exhibit?
A: I got involved 10 years ago, through RMS Titanic Inc. I just happened to look like the old man (Titanic captain Edward Smith). I'm a little better looking, actually. Then they let me dive in 2000 to the (Titanic recovery) site. It was during that dive that we recovered items. Then, when (exhibit sponsor) Country Financial decided to put on this program, they felt that perhaps it would be good for me to introduce the program and be a guide.
Q: The exhibit is billed as "unlike anything seen before." Fill us in.
A: You'll be seeing over 50 artifacts from the ocean floor. One of the unique things for me on the dive in 2000 was that I was there when we opened up a suitcase on the ocean floor, and in that suitcase were two pairs of shoes, men's size 12, one dress pair and one work pair. There was also a suit, a vest, a tie, two shirts, underwear, a pair of socks and a cravat. Everything was very neatly folded. When we opened that up, it was almost like we felt the soul of that individual coming into that room. Nobody had seen that in 88 years.
The cravat from that suitcase is on display for the first time in this exhibit. Also found monogrammed on the inside of the shirts were the letters "WA." We looked on the manifest, and there was one William Allen, a third-class passenger from England. He didn't make it.
Q: Is RMS Titanic Inc. still recovering items from the ship's resting place?
A: Yes, they have to. The judge ruled that they have to continue recovery in "a timely manner" or they lose rights to recovery at the site.
By the way, you're not allowed to take things from the Titanic. That's a memorial site. You're only allowed to take items from the ocean floor, not from the boat itself.
Q: What is your favorite part of the exhibit?
A: That you're going to see a real piece of the Titanic. I think some of the jewelry is interesting, but for me, to see the cravat, which was part of the recovery from my dive, that's special. I have an emotional tie to that. Another thing that I think is interesting is that every visitor receives a boarding pass with the name of a passenger on it. At the end of the tour, they can look at the memorial board and see whether that person survived. It's amazing to watch people's reactions. People will actually jump up and down and say, "I lived!" To watch people identify like that, to take that on, it's just magical. Then others say, "Oh. I didn't make it."
Q: Why do you think the Titanic still draws interest?
A: I'd have to say that it's because you couldn't write this story. You couldn't make it up. You've got the poorest people and you've got some very wealthy people, people from all different walks of life. They were all in it together. It took two hours for it (the sinking) to happen. I think it's because everyone can identify with someone on that ship. Everyone can ask, "What would I do in a situation like that?"
Q: Do you have any tips for getting the most out of the exhibit?
A: Everybody brings something different to it. There was a man in Chicago who was 100 years old and alive when the Titanic went down. He had tears coming down his face and said, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for bringing these items up." He knew about it and felt a connection to it.
I think those that study it and know it will bring more to it and have a better understanding of what they're seeing.
Others come to the exhibit and know about Jack and Rose (the 1997 movie characters) and the blue diamond. They ask me, "When you were down on the Titanic, did you look for the blue diamond?" I hate to bust their bubble and tell them that was just a story.
Recently, one of the Titanic divers was asked to speak to a group of elementary school third-graders. Before he went, he told his wife that he didn't know what to say to them, so she suggested that he begin by asking the children some questions. So he did. "Does anyone here know how long the Titanic was?" he asked. One kid immediately threw his arm up. The diver thought it was amazing that this kid (might know) the answer - 882 feet. So he asked the child, "How long was the Titanic?" The boy replied, "Two whole videotapes!"
Monnie Nilsson: 303-954-1049 or mnilsson@denverpost.com
Titanic: Treasures from the Deep
Mobile museum tour. FlatIron Crossing, Nordstrom parking lot, 1 Flatiron Circle in Broomfield, today-Sunday; Park Meadows, Dillard's parking lot, 8401 Park Meadows Center Drive in Lone Tree, Thursday-May 3. Hours at both locations: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Free. countrytitanic.com
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Denver Post (2009) Surprises and emotions surface at Titanic exhibit <http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_12202874> (Accessed 2009-04-29 22:00:17)