Category Archives: Titanic Miscellaneous

NBC Says Las Vegas Exhibit Flooded, RMS Titanic Wins A Legal Round, and Celine Dion Says Not To Play Titanic Song At Her Funeral

water pail1. Mystery Solved? Titanic Exhibit That Closed Due To Water Damage Was Atlanta Or Las Vegas
The Huffington Post reported earlier this week on the shutdown and said it was at the Atlanta exhibition. They claimed to have spoken to someone in the ticket office that confirmed it had been closed for less than a day and water damage not serious. However NBC Nightly News ran a report that night saying the exhibit involved was the Luxor in Las Vegas. So which one is correct? Only the mummy knows for sure.
Sources:
1.Titanic Exhibition Temporarily Closed Due To Water Damage(7 Nov 2013,Huffington Post)
2. Water Damage Closes Titanic Memorabilia Collection-Video(7 Nov 2013,NBC News)

2. Celine Dion revealed in an interview that she initially did not want to sing “My Heart Will Go On” and did not like it much. She only made one recording of it, a demo, that was used in the movie and on the soundtrack. Of course she adds she has sung it “three million times after that live.” Although she has had many other hits, the song has been identified with her. But she has one request: not to play it at her funeral.
Source Celine Dion: Please Don’t Play The Titanic Theme Tune When I Die(8 Nov 2013,Radio Times)

3. Thomas Zaller, a former employee of Premiere Exhibitions that currently runs Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition, is being sued alleging he used protected information and some of Premiere’s materials to create a copy of its exhibition in Macau, China. “Premiere said Zaller used underwater videos owned by Premier and photos of Premier’s Singapore exhibition to promote its competing exhibition on the Internet, in the media and at trade shows in the United States.” Zaller sought dismissal of the suit against him and his companies claiming the federal court lacked jurisdiction and not the right venue. U.S. District Judge William Duffey Jr. ruled that the court had jurisdiction over the trademark infringement claims against Zaller and the U.S. entities, but dismissed Zaller’s Singapore-based company as a defendant, finding that it had acted outside the United States and had no interaction with U.S. consumers,” reported Courthouse News Service.
Source: Titanic Exhibit Creators Pick Up Steam in Court(7 Nov 2013,Courthouse News Service)

Titanic News For 5 Nov 2013

trials2
Photo courtesy George Behe

1. Luggage Belonging To Survivor Of Titanic And Rohilla Disasters Resurfaces(4 Nov 2013,Northern Echo)
A museum planning to mark the centenary of the sinking of the hospital ship Rohilla off the North Yorkshire coast has stumbled across luggage belonging to one of its passengers – who also survived the sinking of the Titanic. Mary Roberts amazingly survived both the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the Rohilla, which sank heavy seas and gales off Whitby on October 30, 1914. Now a trunk belonging to the resilient seafarer has come into the possession of Whitby Lifeboat Museum, which is to mark the centenary of the Rohilla disaster next year. Amazingly, the trunk – presumed lost long ago to the North Sea – still has faded card luggage labels glued on, bearing the names Mary Roberts and SS Rohilla.

2.  Titanic Lives On Through Louisville Artist’s Work(3 Nov 2013,CantonRep.com)
In the 101 years hence, the doomed ship has continued to fascinate people such as Douglas Girton. The self-taught artist from Louisville estimates that he has drawn “thousands” of detailed pencil and watercolor images of the ship, and its artifacts.  “It’s putting the story of the Titanic on paper,” he said. “One thousand five-hundred and twelve lives perished that night. There are 1,1523 stories to be told.” Girton said his interest in the Titanic was piqued in the third grade, when he saw a cover of the late Walter Lord’s 1955 bestseller, ” A Night to Remember.”

3. Titanic Sails Again (2 Nov 2013,DeSoto Times Today)
The elegance and manners of a long-past era came to life on Friday in the activity room of Pleasant Hill Elementary School in Olive Branch as third grade language arts students had a formal lunch in a re-creation of the dining room of the Titanic. The youngsters entered the room on a red carpet and were greeted by “waiters” with towels over their arms. They were directed to three long rows of tables and a captain’s table that had white table cloths and decorations. Their lunches were waiting for them on the tables. The students were organized in boy-girl, boy-girl sets and the boys pulled out the chairs and seated the ladies. It was the culmination of a study unit on the Titanic, which involved reading, research and a lot of other activities, said teacher Carol Smith, who had the lead on the unit, one of six units being covered in language arts classes this year.

4. Model Of ‘Ship Of Dreams’ Centerpiece Of Titanic Family Evening (2 Nov 2013, HeraldMailmedia.com)
Little was willing to exhibit the model at the museum. But first, Byers said, they would need to knock out a wall in the Hagerstown facility to accommodate the massive, intricate structure. Today, the model is on display at Discovery Station, along with numerous related artifacts and a full-scale third-class cabin. Byers said the extensive and still-growing display has become “a major attraction for our museum.” On Saturday, the museum honored Little for his contribution at Titanic Family Evening at Discovery Station.

water pail5. True or not? Various internet postings report that the Titanic exhibition at the Luxor in Las Vegas was recently shut down by water damage. The sign posted states: Attention. Titanic The Artifact Exhibition is closed due to water damage. Our Apologies For Any Inconvenience. Now strangely when I tried to track down the source, there were not any local news articles but either blog postings or reporting of the blog postings.  A quick search for actual news reporting shows nothing recently about the Luxor Titanic exhibit closing for water damage. That does not mean it did not occur, it just did not get any reporting. Some said it was in Belfast, then it was changed to possibly the Luxor in Las Vegas. So far I have not found any confirmation of this yet.  So until we have a bit more proof I put this into the Not Proven category.


Shop Amazon – Countdown to Black Friday in Movies

Update On Albion House/Titanic Hotel Plans

Albion House,Liverpool
Photo: public domain

According to Liverpool Echo, the city planning committee has given its okay for the former home of the White Star Line to be developed into a apart-hotel with 35 apartments, wedding facilities, fine-dining restaurant and rooftop bar. Built between 1895-1896, the building housed White Star Line offices until the line was merged with Cunard. It has been used as private offices but remained mostly empty.The bar, the Great Hall for weddings, three accommodation floors, and the rooftop bar hopefully will be open by April 2014.

Source: Liverpool Titanic Hotel Gets Go-Ahead From Planners (30 Oct 2013, Liverpool Echo)

Titanic Themed Haunted House

Scary Pumpkin
Photo: Carole Pasquier

The Pageant of Monsters, an occasional event of Festival Of Arts in Laguna Beach, California, will be including in their spooky family-friendly haunted house a tour of a sunken luxury liner inspired by Titanic. Actors will be made up as ghosts as you pass through rooms converted to look those on the sunken liner. Inspiration, reports the Coastline Pilot, came from a Titanic memorial a few years ago. So it was decided to include Titanic in this years haunted house. In addition to the haunted house, the event includes live music, fortune telling, wandering zombies and even surgeons conducting an alien autopsy.

The Pageant of Monsters will be at the Festival of Arts, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach from October 24-31 from 6 t0 9:30 p.m.. Cost is $15 for adult, $10 for children 12 and younger (kids under 5 not recommended). Further information is at Festival of Arts or by calling 1-800-487-3378.

Source: A Titanic Twist On Halloween (23 Oct 2013, Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot)

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime – Start Free Trial Now

Halloween Titanic: Is Titanic Attraction Haunted?

Ghost Stories
Photo: Public Domain

Pumpkins are starting to appear along with scary and sometimes funny Halloween décor. And to go along with the season we have a Titanic themed Halloween story. Now this is something we hear about regularly here at Titanic News Channel. Stories of Titanic ghosts have been around a long time. Sometimes connected to things once owned by Titanic victims, hauntings where they once lived. One person claimed that spectral voices would be heard out in the area where Titanic sank. Titanic exhibitions are also places where ghosts, possibly of Titanic victims, seem to hang out.

And one such place is Titanic:The Experience in Orlando, Florida. Using artifacts and storytellers in costume, it sets a wonderful stage for people to enjoy learning about Titanic. Now according to one news article, they are adding ghost tours in October for those wanting to find out about the supernatural aspects of the exhibit. On a few select days at 5 p.m. in October, people will be guided through the exhibit by actors who portray passengers. They will note areas where alleged supernatural events have occurred.

Jac LeDoux, floor manager and director of the exhibit, reports he has had many ghostly encounters. He does not call them spirits and does not believe they are evil or violent (good to know!). He says a little girl called Catherine haunts the attraction. A Raggedy Ann doll was even put on the shelves behind the register to amuse her by staff members. Most of the ghostly encounters occur in the grand staircase, engine room and outside deck areas of the exhibit. Kimberly Button, writing for Attractions Magazine, said there was a spooky feeling in some of the rooms though nothing was seen or heard by them. One person on the media tour did report feeling like moving on water while on the outside deck area.

Titanic: The Experience is promoting the ghost tours this way(taken from their website):

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GHOSTS?

AT TITANIC THE EXPERIENCE WE DO… COME EXPERIENCE THEM FOR YOURSELF

For the past few years staff members at Titanic The Experience have encountered some strange and unanswerable events within the Exhibition. Some say it is the spirits of passengers and crew of Titanic reaching out from “the other side,” while others speculate it’s their minds playing tricks on them.

To put the debate to rest and finally find answers to these unusual events, Titanic The Experience hosted a paranormal investigation which claimed to find conclusive evidence of paranormal activity generated by those who sailed on the legendary Ship on the evening she met her fate.

Experience these spirits and hear the stories yourself by taking a Titanic The Experience Ghost Tour on Oct. 17th, 24thand 31st at 5pm. Beware of wandering ghosts, whispers, howling winds, shadows and bizarre noises. Reservations are required as attendance is limited.

They are advertising their version of a haunted house, only that instead of manufactured scares, chills, and thrills they are offering the possibility of the real thing. Notice they do not actually promise you will see something supernatural, just that you might. They give a disclaimer of sorts by saying “some say it is the spirits of passengers and crew of Titanic reaching out from “the other side,” while others speculate it’s their minds playing tricks on them.” As for an investigation, one wonders who conducted it.They do not say but if history is any guide, it likely is one of those ghost teams armed with fancy looking devices that measure changes in temperature, fluctuations in energy nearby, infrared cameras to pick up spectral movements, and possibly digital voice recorders to pick up voices from beyond. Perhaps they were accompanied by psychic, who being sensitive to such things could tell them if their exhibit was haunted or not.

Of course some will wonder whether this is just something manufactured to draw in visitors.The article concludes with:

Guests and staff often see and hear weird occurrences during normally scheduled tours. The ghost tour is a chance, though, to learn about the staff’s long-time interactions with the spirits of passengers who sailed on the Titanic and seem to have never left.

If the goal is to learn about Titanic, I applaud the effort. But not with gimmick like this. I doubt they called up anyone like Joe Nickell* to come and examine the stories and determine if there really is any supernatural activity going on.

*Joe Nickell works with a skeptics society and often investigates paranormal claims. He has written books on his investigations and collaborated with Robert Baker on Missing Pieces: How To Investigate Ghosts, UFOs, Psychics, & Other Mysteries (Prometheus Books, 1992)

Source: Is Titanic – The Experience Actually Haunted? Ghost Tours Offer A Chance To Hear Staff Tales(15 Oct 2013,attractionsmagazine.com)

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime – Start Free Trial Now

Titanic Jewelry Goes Live

Jewelry
Photo:publicdomainpictures.net

Titanic Pigeon Forge and Jewelry Television have teamed up to broadcast the museum’s Titanic Jewelry Collection (not to be confused with the touring exhibition of actual Titanic jewelry) from Titanic Pigeon Forge on 4 Oct 2013. This is the first time, the press release states, that Jewelry Television has actually left its studios to broadcast on location. The press release goes on to point out the collaboration between Titanic Pigeon Forge and Jewelry Television has been quite successful.

So if you want to feel like 1912, you can buy historically inspired Titanic jewelry. And with Halloween ahead, you can add a touch of reality to your Edwardian outfit. Meals not included. 🙂

Source: Titanic Jewelry Collection To Be Showcased In Jewelry Television’s First Remote Broadcast, Live From Titanic Museum Attraction In Pigeon Forge(1 Oct 2013,PRWeb.com-press release)

Dramatic Titanic Ilustrations For Sheet Music

BuzzFeed has an interesting post titled “7 Songs About The Titanic That Aren’t “My Heart Will Go On.” It is a compilation of covers for sheet music dedicated to Titanic that came out after the disaster in 1912. Some really neat looking covers. One in particular is My Sweetheart Went Down With The Ship–A Beautiful Song Inspired by the Wreck of the Titanic.

Encyclopedia Titanica has the lyrics to this song (I did not look up the other ones listed at BuzzFeed but they may have them). Like My Heart Will Go On, it is about losing the love of your life when Titanic sank. And in some ways just as haunting:

My sweetheart went down with the ship,
Down to an ocean grave,
One of the heroes who gave his life,
The women and children to save,
Gone but not forgotten….

 

Titanic Newswrap For 3 Sep 2013

Wallace Hartley's Violin1. Hartley Violin Update: The Hartley Violin will be going on display next in Belfast in the replica second class accommodation suite from 18 Sept – 13 Oct 2013. It is scheduled to be auctioned by Henry Aldridge & Son later in October.
Source: Violin From Titanic To Be Exhibited(2 Sep 2013,Belfast Telegraph)

2. Titanic Exhibition Extended:The Grand Rapids Public Museum has extended again Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition one more week until Saturday, 14 Sep 2013.
Source:Titanic Exhibition At Grand Rapids Public Museum Extended A Second Time(3 Sep 2013,mlive.com)

3. You cannot make this up. According to This is Lincolnshire, RNLI lifeboat volunteers responded to a report three inflatable tender boats were in trouble. The found one of the boats was named Titanic and its occupants were trying to start the engine. After that failed, the group then attempted to tow the boat back to the beach as RNLI volunteers watched.
Source:Skegness RNLI Lifeboat Volunteers Involved In ‘Titanic’ Rescue(3 Sep 2013,This Is Lincolnshire.co.uk)

Sunday Titanic Newswrap

1. Titanic II Update: Clive Palmer says he is considering a Tasmanian company, Liferaft Systems Australia, to construct Titanic II’s lifeboats. Clive Palmer said “The exciting thing about his liferaft system is you don’t sell any in Australia, which means it must be good if people overseas are buying it Australians never buy things that are good they only buy things that are bad.
Source: Tasmania Considered For Titanic II Liferafts(30 Aug 2013,ABC-Australia)

2. Mystery Of Edith Russell’s Musical Pig Solved-After asking the public to identify the unknown tune, it has finally been identified as “La Sorella” by Charles Borel-Clerk and Louis Gallini. However there was some confusion over a South American dance song called “Maxixe,” which some thought was the tune. The song La Sorella is also known as La Matchiche which is pronounced the same as Maxixe.
Source: Titanic Mystery Solved: Song Toy Played As Ship Sank Is Identified(29 Aug 2013,Newsmax)

RNLI Tribute, Punch Cartoon(1892)
Wikipedia

3. Captain John Lowe, grandson of Titanic third officer Harold Lowe, recently attended a special dedication service for the Barmouth Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Lowe brought his grandfather’s photograph album containing pictures from the 1914 Barmouth Regatta.
Source: Grandson Of Titanic Survivor Attends Service(29 Aug 2013,Cambrian News)$

$Fee required to view full article