30 James Street Hotel, the former home of White Star Line offices in Liverpool (formerly known as Albion House), will open its doors to everyone on 15 April. All 63 rooms will be opened up so that people can tour the entire hotel. Additionally those who proven connections will be allowed to stay overnight–for free.
To earn that special treat, you have to submit stories that prove the connection. And the most interesting will get a free overnight stay for two and an invite to the gala dinner. Lawrence Kenwright, one of the owners told the Liverpool Echo:
We want these people to share it and enjoy it with us and that is why we’re doing this. The occasion will be extra special too because 15 April will mark the 103rd anniversary or the Titanic disaster and with Liverpool having a rich maritime history, we’re extending the offer to those who have worked in shipping or on Liverpool’s docks. We want to hear the best stories and we’re looking at putting them into a commemorative book about the building too.
France is not happy about this. Belfast Live is reporting that Titanic Belfast received the coveted title of Europe’s Best Group Visitor Attraction in Berlin at the European Group Travel Awards on Thursday. Sacre´ bleu! No doubt this will spark unrest in France over this obvious snub. Forget about their dislike of American fast food. It has been replaced by their contempt for all things Irish. Of course one might remind them that the last surviving White Star Line tender sat for years neglected in France until brought to Belfast and restored to present glory.
Source: Titanic Belfast Beats The Eiffel Tower To Be Named Europe’s Best Group Visitor Attraction(6 Mar 2015, Belfast Live)
So you have tired of the usual discussions about Titanic and that very famous movie and are looking for something new. In a Castle like moment, it happens! Jack Dawson was a time traveler sent back in time to prevent Rose from committing suicide. Shazam! The Internet goes ablaze as people discuss its possibility and offering proof. Like the famous cursed mummy, it is sure to last a long time.
If we follow the logic of its believers, if Rose had fallen overboard Titanic would have stopped to look for her. This would take time and quite possibly prevented Titanic from colliding with the iceberg. History would have been changed but for good or ill we do not know. Like all such theories, it opens up a lot of possibilities for alternative history writers. If Jack came back in time to save Rose though it could only be for one reason–that something very bad will occur as a result. Unless of course there was something very personal he wanted to change but it likely would be the first reason.
And Rose is the key. If she lives, history will be changed as Titanic will sink. Some point to the manner of his death as another indication he was a time traveler. Or that he references places he will take her that do not exist yet. Well it is certainly interesting and even entertaining to think about. Which makes her more important than Indiana Jones was in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In that movie, as those guys on Big Bang Theory realized after Amy pointed it out, Jones was not central to the story at all. If he had never been in the story, the exact same ending would have occurred with all the Nazi’s being killed in the end just without Marian and Indy tied up nearby with their eyes closed.
1. Update on Tinian Casino:Radio New Zealand is reporting that approval has been granted to the building of a Titanic replica that will be a casino and hotel. No date of construction has been announced.
Source: Green Light For Titanic-Themed Casino On Tinian(23 Feb 2015,Radio New Zealand)
2. $4.75 million will get you a six-bedroom home that was once owned by Titanic survivors in Wayzata, Minnesota. According to the news report:
The two-story, stucco home now has six bathrooms, four fireplaces, two powder rooms on the main floor, two staircases, a library, a wine cellar, a billiard room and a recreation room. The 12,939-square-foot property is on 2.16 acres. Out back there’s a New York bluestone terrace, a tennis court and nearly 100 feet of shoreline on the north side of Lake Minnetonka with a dock.
Titanic Helps Out A Theatre Group
1. The Maysville Players in Maysville, Kentucky will be auctioning off a replica of a White Star Line deck chair. Local furniture maker Joe Brannen crafted the chair from looking at a design in Popular Mechanics. It has taken just about month to get it done and now in its final stages. It will be used in a Titanic-themed mystery called Scotland Road. And then in March raffled off to benefit the Maysville Players.
Source: Players Raffling Replica Of Titanic Chair(28 Jan 2015,Ledger Independent)
2. Titanic Exhibition At Discovery Park
Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition is at the Discovery Park of America in Union City, Tennessee from 31 Jan 2015-2 May 2015. For details and admission prices. go to discoveryparksofamerica.com.
RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912.
3. Boy Remembered In Local Library With Titanic Bookshelf
Ben Marks loved Titanic says his brother Eric. And he loved the Titanic movie and its famous line “I’m king of the world!” But sadly he was killed in a car accident in July 2012. He was 8-years-old. Robin Sargent, his second grade teacher, spearheaded the project.
Sargent, with a vivid pink face, occasionally chokes back tears as she speaks, with both hands gripped together clinging to the upper part of her chest as if to hold up her head if it were to drop, recalled Ben as a bright young man devouring every scrap of knowledge in his path.
The Titanic themed bookcase memorial was set up in January in the library of Shepherd Elementary School in Shepherd, Michigan. It has a replica life preserver hanging in the front with a replica suitcase at the bottom. There is a plate that reads “Ben’s Bookcase” at the top. The project was aided by donations from teachers, school staff and others. A fitting tribute indeed to a small boy who loved Titanic.
Source: Shepherd Boy Remembered With Titanic-Themed Memorial(26 Jan 2015,Morning Sun)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) is a classic movie that still enchants young and old alike. And Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow is a perfect Sunday treat. Enjoy and have a great Sunday.
The Titanic Hotel at Stanley Dock in Liverpool has been open for a while and reviews are coming in. Teresa Machan writing for the travel section of Daily Telegraph gave it high marks. She liked the style and character of the place, the service, the rooms and value for money. Her major ding is its location, the Stanley Dock, which is not exactly a place one finds classy hotels in Liverpool. So it got the lowest mark of 6 out 10. And the service would have been a 9 had not a waiter spilled milk when picking up her breakfast bowl. Otherwise she considers it worth the trip.
In Red Bank, New Jersey the children of Isidor and Ida Straus decided to build a huge estate called Cobble Close in the 1920’s. It was modeled on 18th century Provence and no expense was spared to get the best of everything. Anything that could not be imported was built to on site by French and Italian artisans who immigrated to America for the job. The huge expanse of space-29,000 feet–allowed them to plan a majestic 35-bedroom chateau (not built), orangery, a barn and a caretaker’s cottage. The Great Depression slowed and ended the construction. The Straus family sold it in 1951. The estate buildings were turned into homes and a co-op was created so that the building owners could share use of the pool and other things.
Now it is up for sale, the entire estate. The buildings look really good as do the interiors. The area itself is quite wealthy and rated a nice area to live in. With 29,000 feet, you can certainly find a place to escape from the cares of the world. Just fork over $10.9 million and it is all yours.
Well it is the first week of October and it is pretty warm where I live. It is the time of year that Northern California gets a heat wave. No cooling ocean breeze but a warm offshore wind that drives humidity down. Fire departments are especially nervous this time of year since fires can erupt causing massive damages. But enough of the California sunshine and a week to review.
1)Titanic II
A lot of people were hoping this would come off. Clive Palmer has the money and drive to pull it off. And his effort appeared genuine. He wined and dined not only the wealthy and famous, but put serious money down on actual designs and model testing. Preliminary contracts with vendors were made. And he had discussions with a Chinese shipyard that would construct Titanic II. But something went amiss. The shipyard seemed reluctant to go forward and Palmer, who must have thought he would get Chinese money to help build the ship, got nothing. He has formed an alliance to get Chinese sponsors but so far it has not brought anything to the table as of yet. Worse he is in a spat with a Chinese company and has said unflattering things about the Chinese. If he is going to build this ship, it will be done elsewhere. By now the keel was supposed to have been laid and we would be hearing about its construction. So Titanic II remains just a dream on the drawing board and nothing else.
2) Meanwhile in Tinian
The Titanic project in Tinian Harbor seems to be moving along according to Marianas Variety. The plan there is to build a replica Titanic in Tinian Harbor. The plan is to use Titanic to draw Chinese and others to the casino-hotels that will be built. So the investors are filing their plans about how this will be done. A curious note though at the bottom of the news article is this: “The museum will have original Titanic items.” Interesting. Perhaps they are interested in a certain Titanic collection currently up for sale but so hideously expensive no one can afford it. But perhaps the investors in the Tinian project might have the money to pull it off.
3)From The Titanic X Files: Gypsy Warning
A writer over at the Belfast Telegraph recently learned that Thomas Andrews was warned by an old Gypsy woman that calamity would befall him if he was on Titanic. She learned of this particular warning from an excellent book Titanic: Psychic Forewarnings Of A Tragedy by George Behe which goes through a lot of the many supernatural and otherworldly claims about Titanic. It is a good book and examines each story with known facts. The book was out of print but I think was reprinted for the Titanic centenary. You can try finding copies at Amazon or other book places on the web (disclaimer:I am an Amazon associate). Check your local library system as well.
4)Time Again For Cardboard Regatta
Each year it seems people gather at a local lake to witness a cardboard regatta or something similar. Usually these are handmade crafts and often carry one or more people. At Panama City, Florida the inaugural Great Cardboard Boat Regatta took place recently. According to the News Herald 16 teams entered the regatta. Each boat was made only of cardboard, duct tape, glue and paint. They had to do three trips around a 200-yard course. Water safety crews were on standby. Now this regatta is new for where it is being done at (Porter Park in Lynn Haven)but has been going on for 40 years. And the winner? A cardboard craft named Titanic II. The most spectacular sinking though gets the Titanic Award.
5)Letter Written By Titanic Engineer Joseph Bell To Be Auctioned Off
Titanic engineer Joseph Bell wrote a letter to his son Frank describing the near collision of Titanic with two other ships in Southampton is going up for auction reports the Belfast Telegraph. Bell writes:
We nearly had a collision with the New York & Oceanic when leaving Southampton, the wash of our propellers made the two ships range about when we were passing them, this made their mooring ropes break and the New York set off across the river until the tugs got hold of her again, no damage was done but it looked like trouble at the time, keep well and be a good lad, regards to Mrs Johnston.
The auction is being held by Henry Aldridge & Son on 18 Oct. The letter is expected to fetch between £10,000-£15,000 (about $24,000).
Not Strictly Titanic
For some reason, probably to make some cash, the jacket worn by Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic is up for sale. If you want to buy this bit of movie history, it will cost you £70,000 ($111,765). The auction is at Profiles In History in Calabasas, CA on October 17-20. Cash is king at this place but they will take a check but only release the item bought when check clears.
