From thonline.com (otherwise known as Telegraph Herald):
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” drew 154,065 people to the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium during its 20-week run, which ended Oct. 11. At 5,000 square-feet, “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” was the largest exhibit ever hosted at the river museum.
Source:’Titanic’ exhibit drew 154,065 to river museum (13 Oct
2015, thonline.com)
Every year when the calendar turns to autumn, I always look for the
first Titanic themed Halloween story. Sometimes it is stories of ghosts at Titanic exhibits or other such things. Well Premier Exhibitions has decided to capitalize on this interest by offering their own Haunted Ghost Tours at the Luxor Hotel exhibition in Las Vegas this Halloween season. According to the press release:
One of the most interesting spirit stories told is the “Lady in Black”
who is often seen on the Grand Staircase crying for her famous friend, Margaret Brown. Visitors will also get the chance to feel the presence of Frederick Fleet, Titanic’s look-out on the ill-fated night, who watches over the Exhibition’s Promenade Deck as he attempts to make up for his unfortunate late sighting of the iceberg. Additionally, guests will learn about the passenger who prophesied the sinking of the Ship of Dreams by writing to a friend just a few days before perishing in the North Atlantic, “Right now I wish the ‘Titanic’ were lying at the bottom of the ocean.
These special tours are only on Saturday nights at 8pm in October. I am surprised they will not have a special midnight tour on Halloween itself since it will be a Saturday (they will have the 8pm one though). Perhaps those ghost hunter guys will show up with those gizmos that detect ghosts to add an air of authority and perhaps a special on the History Channel (real Ghosts of Titanic!). Or just send in that poor sidekick from Muppet Labs. The last time he visited a haunted house, it was quite memorable.
Source: Experience R.M.S. Titanic’s Haunted Legacy this October with Haunted Ghost Tours at Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition (Press
release-Premiere Exhibitions, 21 Sep 2015)
1. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition will be at Dubuque, Iowa, National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium from 23 May-7 Sep 2014. Details are still being finalized as to admission costs. Further information can be found at their website.
Source: Titanic Exhibit Coming To Dubuque’s River Museum(25 Sep 2014,Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
2. Finding the Northwest Passage has been the dream of many explorers. At one time, some believed there was a navigable path between east and west just above Canada. In 1845 an expedition led by Captain Sir John Franklin with two ships–H.M.S. Erebus and the H.M.S. Terror–set off to traverse one of the last unnavigated sections. They were last seen in Greenland in late July, 1845 and later in Baffin Bay by whalers. After that they were never seen again. Later expeditions found relics and heard stories from the Inuit. It was learned thirty-five had died of starvation heading south. It was suspected some died of poisoning from eating from tinned cans. Darker talk of cannibalism also were said and much later confirmed by examining remains. Many of the remains confirmed that lead poisoning probably contributed to the death. Their ships though remained lost until recently when a Canadian search team appears to have found one. It is not known whether it is the Erebus or Terror that has been found. A great deal of mythology and popular storytelling has grown up around this ill-fated expedition. Perhaps this find will lay some of them too rest.
Sources:
1. The Franklin Ship Myth, Verified(24 Sep 2014,The New Yorker)
2. Franklin’s Lost Expedition (Wikipedia)
Premiere Exhibitions, which owns RMS Titanic Inc, recently announced its earnings for the first fiscal quarter of 2015 saw revenue decrease by 16.2% compared with first quarter last year. According to the press release:
Total revenue decreased 16.2% to $7.5 million compared to $8.9 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. Exhibition revenue was negatively impacted by a decrease in admissions revenue as a result of fewer touring exhibitions achieving profit share participation despite comparable average attendance per day. This was only partially offset by higher non-refundable license fees. Merchandise revenue was negatively impacted by a decrease in total attendance for semi-permanent and partnered exhibitions along with a decline in average retail sales per attendee.
Average attendance per exhibition day fell by 9.4% to 462 compared to same quarter last year with 510. They had more exhibition days during the quarter compared to last year. Some costs went down due to lower compensation costs.
So what does it all mean? Well Michael Little the interim president writes:
Our top-line performance reflects weaker demand for Titanic and Bodies in established venues such as Las Vegas and Orlando, lower average ticket prices across all semi-permanent locations, along with fewer of our domestic touring partnered exhibitions achieving profit share participation. These factors led to admission and merchandise sales declines that were only partially offset by higher license fees for rented exhibitions touring internationally. The year over year decrease in total revenues, coupled with rising exhibition costs, yielded a reduction in adjusted EBITDA and a net loss for the Company during the three-month period.
So things are not rosy over at Premiere. Fewer people are going to their exhibitions which translates into fewer merchandise sales. As for the Titanic artifacts collection, the official line is “Premier continues to explore strategic alternatives in conjunction with J.P. Morgan, however, there is nothing definitive to announce at the present time. In addition, the Company expects its independent appraisers to complete new appraisals of the entire Titanic collection, including all the artifacts and intellectual property obtained and developed subsequent to the last appraisal in 2009, over the next month.”
The nugget here is a new appraisal is being undertaken but not just of the Titanic artifacts but the intellectual property developed as part of this collection. That tells me they are trying to sweeten the pot. They will not only get the entire Titanic collection but all the other proprietary materials as well. It also makes sense if you are asking big money people to pony up millions of dollars.
Source: Premier Exhibitions Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2015 Results(15 Jul 2014,Marketwatch-Press Release)
Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition will be opening at Imagination Station in Toledo, Ohio this Saturday (15 Feb) and run till 15 June 2014.
For hours of admission and ticket prices, go to imaginationstationtoledo.org
Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition will open at the South Florida Science Center & Aquarium in West Palm Beach on 16 Nov. The exhibit will run till 20 April 2014. For hours and ticket prices go to sfsciencecenter.org. As always plan ahead as tickets often sell out fast at these exhibitions.
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Yesterday I noted that there was chatter on the Internet about a Titanic exhibition that was shut down by water damage. A sign was posted saying the exhibit was closed but failed to disclose the location. I have yet to see a full picture that shows not only the door it was on but can show exactly what building it is attached to. I have seen one picture, actually one that seems to accompany the water sign, that seems to indicate it might be the Luxor Las Vegas. Right now Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition is there and the picture also just catches the name Bodies. Bodies, another Premiere exhibition, is also at the Luxor as well. Earlier speculation is that it was either in Belfast or England.
UPI now has a story in its odd section that seems to confirm the Las Vegas angle. UPI reports “It was like 1912 all over again as a Las Vegas exhibition dedicated to displaying artifacts from the Titanic was closed due to water damage.Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition was taking place at the Luxor Hotel Casino in Las Vegas when the following sign appeared: “Titanic the Artifact exhibition is currently closed due to water damage.”
However it seems they are just relying on Tweets and blog postings. I have yet to see any concrete proof that the Titanic exhibit in Las Vegas has been shut down. I took a look at the Luxor site and then clicked on the purchase tickets section. That connects to Ticketmaster which shows tickets available for the Titanic exhibit 7 November on. There is no notice of closure. I looked at the official Luxor tweets and found no mention of the exhibit being closed either.
Now if someone out there can state exactly the date, time and place this occurred, please drop me a note here at Titanic News Channel. I suspect this is looking to be a gag since we cannot seem to find hard evidence this actually occurred. I will update when I have more information.
Source: Titanic Exhibition In Las Vegas Closed After Suffering Water Damage(6 Nov 2013,UPI)
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.
5. 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.
*Push back against Titanic II is going on right now. Most dislike it being called Titanic II saying it dishonors the memory of those who died in 1912. Others call it ghoulish. The pictures of what the inside will look like are erie to say the least. After all we have already had one Titanic that was unique. Titanic II would seem to take that away, at least in some people’s minds. Some object to the fact he will recreate First, Second and Third class. Palmer says it will give people the opportunity to experience what it was like in 1912.
Now I look at this as a gimmick. Cruise ships ply the waters of the globe selling spots to all kinds of people, from adventurers to eco-tourists. They go to the warm tropical waters and the icy cold of the north. Palmer wanted to do something radically different by recreating a historical cruise ship. He is onto something there. Riverboats are coming back, not as means to transport people up and down rivers or across lakes, but a tourist attractions. Cruise ships for rivers, if you prefer. The old paddle wheel driven boats have a following and are neat. So Palmer, sensing money to be made from Titanic, goes big. Really big. And he thinks he will make good money. He is probably right. A lot of people would take a cruise to see what it was like in 1912.
But it is Titanic! Well no. It is a replica. Unlike salvaging Titanic, which had many detractors since it was considered by many a grave, this merely recreates the ship but only in outward appearance. It will be a fully modern ship (except in the old fashioned gym) with all the bells and whistles except for a few things. No television and no internet for the passengers (one assumes the bridge officers though have access to it for urgent communications) in their rooms. Of course you can bring your mobile equipment aboard but there will be no wi-fi to hook up to (unless you have satellite).
I fully understand why people are not happy with Titanic II but remember you go on board by choice. No one is forcing anyone to take the ship. In fact, it could be a bust if it makes no money. There is no guarantee it will succeed. And as of this writing, no actual build contract has been signed. It could go all up in smoke and be nothing more than lots of talk in the end.
*Titanic:The Artifact Exhibition will be at the Lexington Center Museum & Gallery (Lexington, KY) from Oct 5 , 2013 – Jan 26 , 2014. You can get information about it here.
*While watching one of the early episodes of Seaquest, Dr. Ballard at the end commented about fiber optics and how they would change communication. That was back in 1993. Now in 2013 we see how accurate he was. Back then slow dial-up Internet was the norm (remember Prodigy anyone?) and Internet streaming was just a futuristic dream. Today many of us have switched to DSL for faster downloads and Internet streaming. A lot of this is possible because of fiber optics. A lot of kids born today will never know the real old days before cable (and remote controls), rotary phones, and telegrams. Email has become so common that the Post Office has lost money.
* Speaking of the old Post Office, it is in a terrible mess. It has crushing debt from pensions and declining revenues because more people use Internet that regular mail. For instance I get my credit card statements downloaded each month rather than by mail. Many of my bills I pay online as well (though not all). The day is coming when most catalogs will no longer be sent by mail but available (and personalized) from a their websites. Now I still send Christmas cards via regular mail and I get packages (usually small ones like books or other items from Amazon) via the Post Office. That is still cheaper than shipping by the private shippers like UPS. It comes as no surprise that a politician has suggested taxing email as a means to keep the Post Office afloat. It is already getting criticized but it was just a trial balloon. I suspect the plan is to surcharge every parcel shipment through a private carrier, lets say 15% of the shipping cost or a flat fee of perhaps $5.00. Since these guys cannot ever charge less than the Post Office, you are sure to bring in money. And no doubt the government could require all its contractors to ship (except for heavy freight) through the Post Office. So do not be surprised if discussion of Internet charges to fund the U.S Post Office or surcharges for using private parcel carriers gets louder.
1. Titanic Exhibit On Display In Greensboro (16 Oct 2011,Spartanburg Herald Journal)
Next April marks 100 years since the Titanic had its tragic rendezvous with an iceberg. The sinking still fixates the imagination, and the subject is drawing travelers to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the Natural Science Center of Greensboro. Titanic runs through Nov. 27. The museum is at 4301 Lawndale Drive. General admission is $21 for adults and $20 for children 3 to 13. For more information, visit www.natsci.org/Titanic.html or call 336-288-3769.
2. Replicas Give Access To Iconic Sites Closer To Home (16 Oct 2011, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review )
Cedar Bay Entertainment in Branson, Mo., has raised not one but two half-scale replicas of the Titanic. The first has drawn 3 million visitors since it opened in Branson in 2006. The second opened last year in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Both are landlocked, but the owners have thought of everything. “What we have done with both of the ships is we created a pool of water with concrete,” spokesman Rick Laney says. “Under the water at the bow of the ship, two jet engines force the water up. It looks like the Titanic is actually moving forward.”
3. First Class Titanic Tie To Tragedy (14 Oct 2011, This Is Hampshire.net)
A Titanic deck plan owned by an elderly couple who were depicted in the hit movie lying in bed together as the ship sank is set to sell for £50,000. The deck plans were only handed out to the 324 first class passengers when they arrived on the liner in Southampton on April 10, 1912. It is believed only three of them exist today, two in private collections and this one now on the open market. It was owned by the Straus’s maid Ellen Bird who survived the disaster in which 1,495 people died.
