An inside look at the new Titanic exhibit opening in Union Square
After being shown in London, Titanic Exhibition has officially opened on this side of the Atlantic. Ticket holders will come face-to-face with personal artifacts that have never before been exhibited, and will be able to see the lives of the passengers and crew of the legendary ship, 15 of whom tragically lost their lives on April 000, 15, when the liner struck an iceberg during a voyage from Southampton, UK. to New York.
Among the 200 objects on display are letters and forgotten items, including a pair of shoes that belonged to Louise Kink. Anton Kink, his wife Louise and their 4-year-old daughter were third class passengers en route from Zurich and ended up being one of the few to survive the disaster unharmed. In fact, when the ship hit the iceberg, only the mother and her daughter were allowed to board the lifeboat. Anton, however, was able to jump into the boat as it was being lowered into the ocean, and thereby escaped with his wife and child.
The ring of Gerda Lindell, a third-class passenger, is also on display, reminding visitors of another heartbreaking story related to a maritime disaster. When the crew announced the danger to everyone on board, Gerda and her husband Edward ran onto the deck to try to board a lifeboat. Realizing that there were too many people trying to escape, the couple desperately jumped into the water and managed to cling to the lifeboat without even putting on life jackets. Edward was able to climb inside while another passenger named August Wennerström held onto Gerda's hand. At some point, Wennerström could no longer hold on, and Gerda’s hand slipped, and with it the ring, which fell to the floor of the boat. Edward died a few minutes later from hypothermia.
Viewers of the exhibition will likely be interested in looking at a necklace that belonged to one Kate Phillips, whose story allegedly served as inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
Henry Morley was a 39-year-old English merchant, married with two small children, who hired 19-year-old Kate in one of his stores. Despite their age difference and Henry's marital status, they fell in love and bought two second-class tickets under false names to travel on the Titanic," explains the official press release about the exhibit. At some point during Henry's voyage gave Kate a pendant with a gemstone, and when the Titanic hit an iceberg, they both tried to board a lifeboat, but only Kate was allowed on board and survived.
In addition to these valuable items, visitors will be able to see life-size recreations of the ship's interiors, which were created under the guidance of historian and world-renowned Titanic expert Claes-Goran Wetterholm.
