Titanic Exhibit

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History (here in Albuquerque) is currently running an exhibit on the Titanic.  (It runs until the end of October for those who are interested.)

I went through it today and found it to be interesting and informative.  Example:  the Titanic had been designed to remain afloat if up to 4 of its water-tight compartments were flooded.  However, the iceberg punctured 6 compartments and the Titanic was doomed.

Part of the exhibit is the facsimile boarding pass you get when you approach the ticket taker.

This is based on the actual boarding pass that passengers received.

On the back of each pass is information concerning one of the actual passengers who was on the ill-fated voyage.

So that you don't have to squint, my passenger was Mrs. Edgar Joseph Meyer (nee Leila Saks).  She was 25 and lived in New York, New York.  She was a first class passenger.  She and her husband were returning from Europe to attend the funeral of her father, Andrew Saks.  (Andrew Saks was the founder of Saks department store.)

At the end of the exhibit, there is a board which tells you the fate of the passenger on your boarding pass.  I'm happy to report that Leila Saks Meyer did survive.  Sadly, her husband did not.  (They had a two-year-old daughter who had stayed at home.)

Leila Saks Meyer was not the only survivor to experience a double tragedy (the death of first her father and then her husband).

I recently read a book, Rich Men, Poor Men, by Phyllis Ryerse.  It concerns the family of Arthur L. Ryserson (a distant relative of the author).  Arthur Ryerson and family were touring through Europe when they were informed that their college-age son had died in a traffic accident. 

At the time, there was a coal miners' strike in England.  A large number of ocean liners (which used coal for fuel) were sidelined and the Titanic was the first available way for the Ryersons to get home for the funeral. 

Also on board was William Ryerson - a VERY DISTANT cousin of Arthur Ryerson.  Arthur Ryerson was very wealthy (his steel mill is still in operation).  William Ryerson was NOT so very rich and was a worker on the Titanic. 

Arthur Ryerson did not survive.  His wife and 3 of their children did survive (in addition to the son who died in the traffic accident, they had a daughter who'd remained behind in the USA).  So, Emily Ryerson had to deal with the death of first, her son, and then her husband.  (Their governess, Grace Bowen, and Emily's maid, Victorine Chaudanson, also survived.)

William Ryerson did survive.  He happened to be standing near one of the lifeboats.  He was asked if he could row.  He said yes, and was put into the boat.

A different book, Titanic Survivor, is a memoir by Violet Jessup (the survivors' list has her as Violet Jessop).  She was a stewardess (like a maid) on Titanic.  She not only survived the Titanic sinking, she also survived the WWI sinking of Titanic's sister ship, Britannic.  I'm not sure, but I think she also worked on the third sister ship, Olympic.  (Olympic did NOT sink, but was eventually decommissioned and broken up for scrap.)

I found all their names on the lists.  It was so sad to see all the names of those who didn't survive.

Papillon