The 1997 Titanic Exhibition In Memphis

As most of you heard, the Titanic Exhibitionhas opened in Memphis, Tennessee. Like mentioned before to those who have visited Titanic Legacy before, a friend of mine (the informer) has returned from "his mission" with full recollections of the event.

My buddy was at the exhibition on opening day April 3rd, and was present at the ribbon cutting and ceremonial breaking of a champagne bottle against a model of the bow section. The following is a brief summary of his experience walking through the exhibit.

As you approach the Pyramid, you walk up a ramp which brings you to the entrance of the exhibit. Upon entering the lobby, you encounter a large wall mural of the Titanic. Once you've been admitted,you enter a small theater which has a ten minute documentary of the legend of the Titanic. As you exit the theater your given a headset with a tape which becomes your electronic guide throughout the exhibit. Then you proceed down an escalator where there is a huge wall on your left side replicating the size and scale of the Titanic's black hull, complete with portholes and rivets.(very impressive)

Once you reach the bottom, the tour begins. The guide starts describing what your looking at along with related sound affects. At the base starts the exhibit. As you enter the first gallery, prominent in the center of the room is a highly detailed 30 foot scale model of the ship. On the right, is a diagram highlighting the Titanic's watertight compartments. To your left, in a large glass case are large chunks of coal, a massive bearing from one of the reciprocating engines and an engine stoking indicator. On the opposite wall from the glass display, are large photographs of Titanic passengers. Below, in another display case are personal artifacts like slippers,jewelry, luggage, etc. To your right, is another glass case containing a full page spread of a newspaper that was restored and is quite legible.

As your entering the second gallery, the room is dominated by a large replica of the White Star buff and black funnel with one of the ships whistles. (you can actually hear the sound of the blast from the whistle through sound affects from your headset)In the center of this gallery is a white steward's jacket enclosed in a glass case. On the collar of the jacket is the name A.T.Broome, who was an assistant steward who perished in the disaster.

Entering gallery three, you step up unto a teak decking which is outside a recreation of the Verandah Cafe. Here behind a railing is one of the Titanic's deck chairs and a wooden and iron bench,removed from the ship prior to sailing along with others retrieved from the wreck site. Also on the walls are arch window frames and leaded glass windows from the Verandah Cafe salvaged from the debris field.

The next gallery simulates the Verandah Cafe, complete with a black and white linoleum checkerboard floor. The walls here were recovered with a moss green trellis. In the center of the room are four display cabinets. The first one is filled with various onboard silver service pieces from first class. The next one is filled with china and porcelain dinnerware from all classes of the ship. The third display case is filled with store goods like two bottles of champagne of an 1880 vintage, a bottle of olives,(still intact) and a bill from the A La Carte Restaurant. The fourth display case depicts an array of various crystal objects like decanters, bowls, and vases. All with the White Star burgee etched on them. There's a monitor on the wall (courtesy of Cyberflix)taking you on a walking tour of the ship.

In the fifth gallery, you enter a recreation of the first class reception room which is at the base of the Grand Staircase. The floor pattern has been recreated to match the original black and white linoleum design. The oak columns create a semi circular pattern framing the staircase. In the center, at the base of the staircase is the bronze cherub from the aft staircase. In this gallery on the walls, are displays of some of the chandeliers and grills from various areas of the ship. Some personal artifacts are on display here too, like Major Archibald Butt's wallet complete with business cards he may have gathered on board.

The sixth gallery features personal possessions of a first class gentleman. These personal affects include a bow tie, some cigarettes,and a White Star spittoon. There are photos on the wall depicting recreational areas in first class, like the swimming pool and Turkish Bath. Other display cases had toiletries like hairbrushes, combs, razor blades, and hair tonics.

The next gallery highlights the beacon lamps from the forward mast over the crow's nest. In the center of the room are the ship's navigational instruments like a metal post from the ships wheel and the engine telegraph. There are also wall murals depicting the sequence of the event that led to the sinking.

In the next gallery, you are transported out onto the Promenade Deck. Here displayed in a single glass cabinet is a survivor's life jacket. This gallery is designed to give you the feel you are out on deck. You can walk over to the railing and look out over the star lit night and black calm sea. Dangling over the side above you are the lifeboat ropes with there empty blocks.You realize here the feeling that many of the remaining passengers and crew must have felt when they realized there weren't enough lifeboats for everyone. Also displayed here is a large white megaphone rumored to be the one that Captain Smith used to call out "be British men, it's every man for himself!"

As you enter the ninth gallery, there is a porthole from the ship along with murals depicting the ships final hour and passenger's accounts of there reaction to these final moments.

The tenth gallery has a mural depicting the Titanic reared upon end, making her final plunge. The display case in this gallery has a piccolo and assorted sheet music. Across the room is another mural of the black and cold sea with the inscription "she's gone"

In the following gallery are actual photographs of the iceberg believed to be the one the Titanic collided with. Here in this gallery are the world's early accounts of the disaster. Throughout the newspaper coverage, there were many confusing reports like "ALLSAVED" to "TITANIC SINKS: GREAT LOSS OF LIFE" Numerous front pages from 1912 are on display here. In a free-standing case directly in front of you is a chess table constructed out of floating wreckage picked up by a crew member of the recovery ship "Mackay-Bennett" Also in this gallery is a collection of records, books, sheet music, and film posters that have beeninspired by the disaster.

Dominating the 12th gallery is a forty foot 1/16th scale recreation of the deteriorating bow section as she appears today lying buried in the mud two and half miles down below the Atlantic.

In the middle of the 13th gallery is a scale model of the Nautile,the three man yellow titanium submersible. There are videos showing you the process of recovery and restoration of the retrieved artifacts.Here in this gallery are one of the ships double bollards, oneof the largest artifacts recovered from the wreck.

In the final gallery there is a mural of the Titanic Memorial in Southampton, along with tombstone rubbings of numerous passengers and crew who perished and are buried throughout the British Isles.As your tour ends here you ascend the escalator up to the giftshop, filled with all types of Titanic souvenirs and memorabilia.

This concludes the highlights of the exhibitions tour which runs from April 3rd to September 30, 1997. The popularity of the exhibition is apparent to the number of tickets sold. Approximately 130,000 people attended the exhibit in the first 3 days.