Category Archives: Titanic

Titanic News:Telegraph Reports On Loraine Allison Controversy, Titanic II is a “Floating Mausoleum” and Outrage Over The Chinese Sinking Titanic Simulator

Mystery1.Jasper Copping writing for The Telegraph reports on the Loraine Allison/Helen Kramer controversy. As reported in another blog posting  Helen Kramer claimed back in 1940 that she was Loraine Allison and did not die in 1912 when Titanic sank. She claimed her father had given her to a Mr. Hyde on a lifeboat. Hyde took her to England and put her in boarding schools. The claim was never substantiated and was later picked up by her granddaughter. However a recent DNA test has proved that Helen Kramer was not Loraine Allison. Nancy Bergman, who is a Allison descendant stated:

These DNA results have uncovered a colossal fraud that has haunted my family for years. It was all about the money …. Debrina wants to write a book and no doubt there are others out there who want to profit from our story. It is our story. Leave us in peace.

Source: Lost Child Of The Titanic And The Fraud That Haunted Her Family(19 Jan 2014,The Telegraph)

2. Cahir O’Doherty writing for IrishCentral.com is not for Clive Palmer’s Titanic II. O’Doherty is particularly unhappy about how Third Class (or steerage as it was called back then) will be recreated. If Palmer goes through with it, those who book in this class will bunk up much like those that did back in 1912 (which means many bunking together in rooms and sharing bathrooms). Palmer intends to go through what used to be a required delousing of Third Class passengers before disembarking but using confetti cannons to have the same effect. To this Cahir writes:

Do we think we can re-write history by having a doppelganger complete the original voyage? It’s hubris as objectionable as calling the original ship unsinkable. We should have learned the hard lesson. It’s a floating mausoleum, not a ship.

Source: Sink The Titanic II, Insensitive Obsession Goes Too Far(18 Jan 2014,IrishCentral.com)

3. The Daily Mirror reports on negative reaction to the Chinese theme park Titanic simulator. Rudi Newman of the British Titanic Society states: “This is in incredibly poor taste and frankly deplorable. Whatever next, the Pompeii experience?”

Source: Relatives Of Titanic Victims Criticise Theme Park Ride With ‘Shake And Tumble’ Simulator That Recreates Disaster (17 Jan 2014,Daily Mirror)

Friday Titanic News:White Star Flag To Fly Over Albion House, New Brittanic Book and Brittanic Artifacts for Titanic Belfast, and Titanic Artifacts to China?

White Star Flag Image:Yar(Wikimedia)
White Star Flag
Image:Yar(Wikimedia)

1. The Liverpool Echo reports that for the first time in 80 years, the flag of the White Star Line will fly over the former headquarters in Liverpool. Albion House, which was last opened to the public in 1898, will be open to the public on 1 Mar 2014 to mark the 80th anniversary of White Star Line’s demise in 1934 when it was merged with Cunard. The flag will be flown above the James Street entrance and was donated by Titanic historian Paul Louden-Brown, who paid for the flag as a goodwill gift to the company’s former headquarters.
Source:White Star Flag To Fly Again Over Titanic Hotel(17 Jan 2o14,Liverpool Echo)

2. Simon Mills has published a new book on Brittanic, Unseen Britannic: The Ship in Rare Illustrations, the shows the wreck of the ship. While Brittanic sank faster than Titanic (possibly due to a German mine), she sank mostly intact and is the most complete Olympic class liner. According to News Letter, an excavation is being planned for this summer. Paul Louden-Brown states the idea is to bring up artifacts and display them in Titanic Belfast. Bringing up the  propeller blades and a 16-ton anchor is being considered and would be put on the slipways at Titanic Belfast.
Source: Taking A Fresh Look At Titanic’s Sunken Sister(16 Jan 2014,News Letter)

3. A commenter at the financial site The Street writes that Premiere Exhibitions the company ought to consider selling the artifacts to the Chinese theme park that will house the Titanic replica that will simulate the sinking. Chris Katje writes:

Before you criticize whether this theme park or boat should be constructed, think about the possible winner in Premier Exhibitions. Premier has more than 5,500 artifacts from the actual Titanic that it has been trying to sell for years. Last year, the company called off a possible deal to sell its Titanic artifacts. Premier executives should be on the phone with Seven Star Energy Investment Group CEO Su Shaojun to make a deal happen. Imagine a life-size Titanic with real artifacts and authentic items from the maiden voyage.

Kotje opines since Premier stock hovers around $1.00 these days, a sale to the Chinese would give the shareholders a lucrative return.
Source:Premier Exhibitions Should Sell Titanic Artifacts to New Theme Park in China(14 Jan 2014,The Street)

Belfast Lord Mayor Calls Chinese Titanic Simulator “Disgraceful”

Titanic Wreck Bow Image: Public Domain (NOAA-http://www.gc.noaa.gov/images/gcil/ATT00561.jpg)
Titanic Wreck Bow
Image: Public Domain (NOAA)

Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers says the Chinese idea of a Titanic simulator is a step too far reports the BBC. He went further stating:

The ship was perfect when it left these shores in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and unfortunately it struck an iceberg, but for people to try and make money out of that is disgraceful and shameful.

According to press reports, the replica Titanic will allow people to experience the collision and will use sound and light effects to simulate water coming into the ship.

We will let people experience water coming in by using sound and light effects … They will think, ‘The water will drown me, I must escape with my life.(Su Shaojun, chief executive of the Seven Star Energy Investment Group).

Actor Bernard Hill, who played Captain Smith in Cameron’s Titanic, says it is not inappropriate but had to admit his expenses in flying to Hong Kong were paid by the Chinese (but he did not receive an appearance fee for appearing at the public event).

At any event, wags are starting to speculate was to which Hollywood celebrity will race over to China when it is complete to stand on it and give an enthusiastic thumbs up. T-shirt makers will probably now have to come up with a new shirt: “I survived Chinese Titanic!”

Source:Titanic Iceberg Simulator In Chinese Theme Park ‘In Bad Taste’(15 Jan 2014,BBC)

Cameron’s Titanic: Could Jack & Rose Both Survive?

Okay for those who did not see the movie, Jack and Rose both initially survive the sinking and cling to a piece of wood. But Jack decides to allow Rose to live by dying since both clinging to the wood might result in both dying. Was this right or wrong? It appears many out there believe that both could have lived. Time to call the dynamic duo! No, not the one with the bat as an emblem, but those clever guys at Mythbusters.

What did they find out when the put it to test (with James Cameron looking on)? Here are two clips from the show from YouTube on what they find out.

Albion House Update:Construction Begins On Rooftop Bar Named For Titanic Rescue Ship

Photo:public domain
Photo:public domain

The Liverpool Echo reports that construction has begun on the rooftop champagne bar on top of the former Liverpool home of White Star Line. The bar will be called Carpathia Champagne Bar & Restaurant. According to the Echo “guests will have breath-taking views along The Strand, overlooking Albert Dock , Canning Dock and the Pier Head’s Three Graces.” Albion House is undergoing a major transformation of the structure that had been derelict for a decade. This transformation includes turning it into a apartment-hotel but the crown jewel will be the Carpathia bar.

Aimed at the weddings market, the first two floors will have a specific Titanic theme including the First Class Lounge. Other floors will be decorated with White Star Line motifs and names. The lower ground floor rooms will be styled as cabins. A swimming pool is being inserted into the basement and the building’s original water tank will be converted into a whirlpool bath. The boardroom in which many White Star ships were conceived, including Titanic, will become a suite’s sitting room.

Sounds great but better bring a credit card with a large credit line. I doubt this place will come cheap for weddings-or for eating at the restaurant.

Source: Liverpool’s First Rooftop Champagne Bar Set To Offer Breathtaking Views Over City(10 Jan 2014,Liverpool Echo)

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Titanic News: Exhibits Coming To Toledo & Israel;Titanic II Update;Faulty Rivets and a Kosher Butcher

1. The Blade reports that Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition will be coming to Imagination Station on 15 Feb and runs till 15 June 2014. A number of special events are planned including a visit by Molly Brown’s great-grandaughter Helen Benziger. For information and tickets, go to imaginationstationtoledo.org.
Source: Titanic Display To Dock In Downtown Toledo(7 Jan 2014,The Blade)

2. Shalom Life reports a deal has been struck to bring Titanic artifacts to Israel Trade Fairs Center in Tel Aviv for about three months. Further details as to the date of the exhibition has not yet been disclosed.
Source:The Titanic Sets Sail for Tel Aviv(27 Dec 2013,Shalom Life)

3. Cruise Ship News reports that if all goes on schedule, the keel will be laid for Titanic II in March. So far it has all been model testing and using various companies that will contribute to its construction and outfitting.
Source: Titanic 2 Ship Progress Leap In March(6 Jan 2014,Cruise Ship News)

4. Willamette Week has an interview with Jennifer Hooper McCarty, a metallurgist who helped study 48 rivets pulled from Titanic. In her book What Really Sank the Titanic, her findings were that some rivets contained poor quality iron. These rivets in the bow and stern had excessive slag contributing to weak regions. However this was not detectable during normal safety checks but later resulted in rivet failure.
Source:Voices 2014: Faulty Rivets Sunk the Titanic:Jennifer Hooper McCarty, metallurgist
(31 Dec 2013,Willamette Week)

5. The Coventry Telegraph reports that the last living contact with J. Bruce Ismay passed away at age 100. Agnes Thwaite worked as a cook and kitchen maid at the household of Bruce Ismay in London. Despite the public perception of Ismay, she recalled he was kind and generous to his staff.
Coventry Woman Who Worked For Builder Of The Titanic Dies (31 Dec 2013,Coventry Telegraph)

6.Haaretz reports that the Kosher butcher shop that supplied Titanic will be preserved thanks to funding from late Jewish philanthropist Sir Isaac Wolfson. The iconic green-tiled Galkoff’s had been designated for demolition and building a new research wing for Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Source: Iconic Kosher Butcher Shop That Supplied Titanic To Be Preserved(30 Dec 2013,Haaretz)

An interview with Rob Galkoff about the history of the butcher shop can be viewed at YouTube.

The Titanic Mystery Files: The Case of Loraine Allison/Helen Loriane Kramer

MysteryLoraine Allison was the only first class child to perish when Titanic sank in 1912. Her parents, Hudson and Bessie, died in the frantic search for baby Trevor. Trevor had been taken by the maid, Alice Cleaver, and both her and the baby survived the sinking. That normally would end the tale except that in 1940 a woman by the name of Mrs. Lawrence Kramer of Berkley, Michigan claimed to be Loraine Allison. Needless to say, this caused a stir in the Allison family who long thought she was dead.

According to the Chicago Tribune (5 Sep 1940), Mrs. Kramer notified the U.S. Department of Justice that she had just learned her real name was Loraine Allison and had been rescued by an Englishman named Hyde. Supposedly this Hyde sent her a letter detailing that he had gotten her from the arms of her father that fateful night. Hyde recounted her father said his wife and baby were on another lifeboat. He then went on to say later he learned neither of her parents survived and so raised as his own daughter in England. Mrs. Kramer would also make the claim that while aboard the rescue ship Carpathia she shared a room with Titanic designer Thomas Andrews.

Kramer hired a lawyer to investigate her claim, obtain her birth certificate, and other needed papers. Members of the Allison family were soon in contact with her. Sadly young Trevor, who had survived Titanic, died in 1929 of ptomaine poisoning. Then her attorney suddenly died and when asked about the papers that proved her claim, Kramer said they had been destroyed in a fire. Her claim ended and Kramer was not heard from again. Then her granddaughter alleged she had found a suitcase full of documents that supported the original claim. This suitcase allegedly contains all the documents her grandmother had amassed thanks to her attorney and others. This is apparently to be revealed in an upcoming book.

Kramer’s claim back in 1940 was sensational. And like an extraordinary claims, you need extraordinary proof. We know that Trevor survived because Alice Cleaver took him and got on a lifeboat. The Allisons would not leave Titanic until they found the baby. Mrs. Allison did get on a lifeboat with Loraine at one point but got off to race to the other side because she was told her husband was seen there. All three perished when Titanic sank. Only the body of the father, Hudson Allison, was found and buried at the family plot in Canada. Even more sensational was the claim Thomas Andrews survived and returned to England managing to avoid detection by anyone, and becoming Loraine’s adopted father of sorts by bringing her back with him.

A description of Loraine Kramer says she was “a 31 year old woman, former registered nurse and married with 5 children, living in a nice suburb of Detroit, Michigan as Evangeline Kramer, who wanted to go across the river to Windsor, Ontario, Canada to shop.” This would imply someone stable and not prone to fantasy. A high school friend said that in their teens they formed a sunshine club. The Milwaukee Journal (6 Sep 1940) had some interesting information about Hyde. Hyde had brought his 3 year old daughter and lost her in the confusion (she perished) and ended up caring for Lorraine in the end never informing proper authorities he had Loraine Allison. The paper also relates that Lorraine would also be in line for a considerable sum of money from the Allison fortune.

That would be a motive for trying to make such a fantastical claim. However those trying to make such claims generally try to keep it simple and with just enough proof to make it plausible. No doubt the Allisons, if they had good sense, hired their own attorneys to verify her claim. Kramer just had to prove she was Bessie and Hudson Allison’s daughter by producing proof from this Mr. Hyde who raised her about the story she related to the justice department and press. I suspect both the Allison’s and energetic journalists on both sides of the pond tried to locate this Mr. Hyde, who apparently was alive in 1940. Of course Britain was at war with Germany at the time making things more difficult due to wartime restrictions. According to a recent news article in the Chesterville Record (2 May 2012), he is identified as James Hyde and a traveling geologist. He put her in British boarding schools and rarely visited the girl.

The other possibility is that Kramer made it all up as part of a fantasy. It would not be the first or last time someone has believed they are someone they are not. Consider the case of Anastasia, the daughter of Tsar Nicholas II. The Soviets had the family killed in 1918. Stories of her possible survival circulated and several women claimed to be Anastasia, the most famous of which was Anna Anderson. However the remains of the executed royal family was revealed in 1991 which had the remains of the Tsar, wife and three daughters. In 2007 the body of the son and a daughter (either Anastasia or Maria) were found. DNA testing on Anderson’s remaining tissue (she had been cremated) concluded she was not related to Tsar Nicholas or his family.

DNA has now become an important forensic tool to clear up a lot of unsolved crimes and determine paternity in custody suits. And apparently the Allison family decided to do just that using Mitochondrial DNA. Since the main principals are dead, you look for the DNA that is passed down by female line but only the female children pass on this DNA. So one has to look for the proper descendants to test. Once done, you then take a sample of the same DNA passed down through the Kramer line as well. It is somewhat complicated having to determine who is the best candidate but once you have it, you send the DNA samples off to a lab to determine if they are related. And according to the blog Loraine Allison Identification Project the test proved negative. That means Mrs. Lawrence Kramer was not related to the Allisons nor their daughter Loraine.

However this is disputed over at her granddaughters site:
We have also completed our own mtDNA and other separate DNA TESTINGS,
that included much “CLOSER genetic participants” than the
aforementioned opposition complied “TEAM”.

Furthermore, we have always maintained that it is suspiciously, convenient
to many of those on this opposing team’s best interests,TO HAVE
A DETERMINATION of this nature “announced” at this time
in THEIR (so called) FAVOR ….

and we still stand STEADFAST, in our quest and determination to
present the TRUTH to all, disclosed in the volume of documentation
we have so very carefully dedicated ourselves
to compiling, these past two years.

Unfortunately such DNA evidence is very compelling unless you can prove the testing was wrong or the samples used improper. Setting that aside, you have to prove she actually survived the sinking. Checking the list of Titanic survivors is easier these days and can be viewed at places like Encyclopedia Titanica. There is no James Hyde on the list but there is a Leo James Hyland, age 19, who was a steward. Even if James Hyde used an alias and saved Loraine that night, why did he not turn her over to proper authorities? She had family in Canada and a brother (Trevor) who survived. It would have been the right thing to do. Otherwise what he did can be construed as kidnapping since he unlawfully took a child into his custody without any legal right to do so. If the story is true, he dumped her in British boarding schools for most of her young life. Hardly a kind thing to do.

And then there is the Thomas Andrews angle. Kramer claimed he was aboard Carpathia and in her cabin no less. With newspaper reporters swarming the Carpathia in New York, he would be hard to hide. Or did Andrews become James Hyde? Kramer’s fantasy, if that is what it was, was really soaring on this. Again this is just sheer nonsense. No one believes Thomas Andrews survived and became James Hyde. His body was never found and no witnesses in any of the lifeboats state he was there.

What we are left with is this: DNA that says Helen Loriane Kramer was not related to Bessie Allison and thus not her daughter. There is little documentary evidence that has been provided to substantiate Kramer’s claim put in the public record and the DNA results makes the claim unproven.

Hat tip and thanks to Paul Lee.

Sources:
1. Loraine Allison(Encyclopedia Titanica)
2. The Last Titanic Mystery-The True Story of the Helen Loriane Allison
A website run by Kramer’s granddaughter that supports her grandmother’s claim.
3. thingsthatannoymethescum
A blog that looked into some aspects of Kramer’s claims
4. Loraine Allison Identification Project
A rival site of the granddaughter and disclosed the DNA information that testing was negative.
5. Kramer Claim Discussion on Encyclopedia Titanica
Debrina Woods,the granddaughter of Helen Kramer,started a discussion about her grandmother being Lorraine Allison. Some interesting bits of information that cut Kramer’s story to shreds are to be found there.

Titanic News For 20 Dec 2013

1. Premier Exhibitions, Inc. Partners With Crossmedia to Re-envision Exhibition Marketing Strategy (19 Dec 2013,Wall Street Journal-press release)
Many of the exhibitions have been touring for a number of years and in some instances, have been in their respective markets for five plus years,” said Elizabeth Natwick, the new vice president of marketing that recently joined Premier Exhibitions. “While the concept of the exhibit and the content is evergreen and transcends generations, the way we interact with the public in terms of messaging and marketing should be evaluated and updated, and we are looking forward to doing just that with Crossmedia.”

2. Deep Subterranean Microbe Thrives On Iron And Oil(19 Dec 2013,RedOrbit)
The team found that the bacteria are able to utilize iron and nitrogen from their surroundings and recycle scarce nutrients to meet their metabolic needs. The superstructure of the sunken Titanic is being consumed by another member of the same group, named the Halomonas titanicae. The researchers also found that the microbes living in the deep sandstone deposits of the Illinois Basin were capable of metabolizing aromatic compounds, a common component of petroleum.

3. Probably Coming Out Next Halloween:Ghostly Queen Mary Supernatural Thriller To Set Sail(18 Dec 2013,Bleeding Cool)
Described as “The Shining on a ship,” the untitled film will be a supernatural thriller that taps into the Queen Mary’s own sordid reputation as one of the 10 most haunted places in America (as declared by Time magazine in 2008). One cabin is said to be haunted by someone who was murdered there, while others have claimed to have heard children playing in the nursery.

Warning! Titanic Cliche Ahead
Warning! Titanic Cliche Ahead

4. Titanic Cliche Alert: Headline for Perez Hilton claims The Voice sinking like Titanic:
The Voice Finale’s Ratings Sink Like The Titanic!(18 Dec 2013,Perezhilton.com)
The actual commentary never mentions Titanic so the headline is just an attention grabber. Nice try. Except of course none of those on The Voice had to leave a sinking ship on a very cold night with too few lifeboats to save them. Bad analogy Perez. For that you get the fractured finger Titanic Cliche Award.

Titanic Hidden Histories At Shipwreck Museum(UK) 14-21st December

Bonny Cummins friendship with Titanic survivor Millvina Dean inspired Titanic Hidden Histories which includes Titanic art, film, and animations and original music composed by Josh Cummins. On 15 December, Bonny will hold a screening and conversation of  her zoetrope animations, original music, and showing her special Titanic collectibles.  Further information is at The Shipwreck Museum.

Sources:
1. Titanic Exhibition And Film Arrives At Shipwreck Museum(12 Dec 2013,Hastings & St. Leonard Observer)
2. Shipwreck Museum

Titanic News For 10 Dec 2013

1. Titanic Sam, 89, Becomes Internet Sensation (10 Dec 2013,Burton Mail)
An 89-year-old man who spent four years creating a model of the doomed Titanic has become an internet sensation after his story was picked up by a multi-million pound visitor attraction in Northern Ireland.Titanic Belfast is located right beside the historic site of the world famous ship’s construction, and its social media pages have carried the Mail’s story on Castle Gresley’s Sam Orgill’s and his 3ft version of the ship. Since then, the Mail’s story on its Facebook site alone has been liked by more than 1,000 people all over the world, it has been shared more than 80 times and has attracted more than 60 comments from users wishing him well.

2. Proposed Floating City Would Hold 100,000(9 Dec 2013,Atlanta Journal Constitution)
It might be the next logical step from taking a trip on a cruise liner — Freedom Ship would be a floating city for the super-rich. At least, if it ever gets built. Renewed plans for the massive floating platform were revealed last week. Its creators say it would hold 100,000 people, half of them residents, plus a mall, schools, cinemas, etc. The ship would circumnavigate the globe every two years, docking at cities about 70 percent of the time and on the move the other 30. At almost 1 mile long, it would be four times larger than the current biggest ship and would make the Titanic look like a rowboat. And for its residents, Freedom Ship would boast one distinct advantage. “It’s unclear how taxes would work for people there, but they said it will not be registered in the United States, so Uncle Sam would not be able to reach you on that boat.”

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