Strange artifacts of the Titanic
by Taylor Mullins
introduction
When we think of the Titanic ,we usually think of the sinking of the ''great , unsinkable ship'' ,but there is much more. there were also a large amount of artifacts found under the ocean after the sinking . They were simple day to day items ranging from a pair of shoes to a bottle of perfume ,yet they are incredible pieces of history that were lost.
unusual artifacts
Many of these items were unusual .There were a lot of unusual artifacts such as a sign that said ''c deck'' ,a foremast running light ,a sky light ,a telegraph top , perfume bottles ,and mens toiletries. Almost all of these were day to day items that were no big deal to the passengers , but several years later ,they were a very big deal ! Another unusual artifact is letters from passengers to their families which unfortunately were never sent. These reminders help us think of how tragic the incident was . It helps us know how grateful we are .
why did passengers bring the things they did ?
There are many unanswered questions as of why the passengers brought the things they did . But they brought their everyday items not knowing what they would soon be worth .Such as a simple bottle of perfume that a merchant brought aboard to sell to female passengers , but instead ,many years later scuba divers found the bottles with perfume still inside ! But some passengers brought unusual day to day items such as tableware ,and telegraphs .The only remains of the telegraphs are the tops .This shows how much force was in the sinking .
very valuable artifacts
All of the artifacts found are extremely valuable . Some examples are tableware ,clothing ,currency ,a deck chair which was worth a whopping $77,000 ,letters from passengers , smoking tins ,and plaques . The deck chair was only onboard the ship while it was docked in england because crew members didn't think they would need it ,so they gave it to a man ,but he didn't want it so he gave it to his maid . The chair was passed down in the maids family for years until they found out it was from theTitanic . Now it is worth thousands . The maids family gave it to museums so that the exhibit could tour the country .
how did the artifacts get off the ship ?
Now comes the big question ,how did the artifacts get off the ship ? Well ,the RMS was the only company granted permission to recover artifacts and other treasures from the site . Submarines and scuba divers were sent down in the ocean to get the artifacts .It was a very risky and prestigious task because they couldn't let anything happen to the items retrieved .But everything went as planned and nothing happened to the items ,so they were all just how they found them the ship. The divers were very happy that everything went smoothly .
are there still artifacts on the ship ,and if so ,what is happening to them ?
Yet another unanswered question is what is happening to the itms on the ship ? Well , James p. Delgado director of maritime heritage at the national oceanic and atmospheric administration quotes ''we've seen clothing'' , also in a picture from the article there is a cup which seems to be rusted , dull , and cracked .All of the artifacts found were ripped ,cracked ,very rusted , or disinigrated to almost nothing . So many of the artifacts found were unable to be shown . But a majority if them were .
perfume bottles
These are the perfume bottles found onboard after the sinking . what amazes me is how they are still full .
exactly how it was found
This is an example of how these dished were found . They were in perfect rows , which is very odd , yet fascinating .
found near the site
This is the bowl that was dull ,rusted ,and cracked .
bibliography
1.www.titanic-facts.com 2. www.msichicago.org 3. www.altersandi.com