Back to the Days of Titanic

by Xiang Jiu

Titanic, familiar to global audiences, is a film of world fame which portrays the bittersweet love of Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater that has inspired millions of people.

Recently,Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, co-hosted by Wuhan Hangu Art Gallery and American Pulier Exhibition Company,has been kicked off. The 4,000-square-meter exhibition hall features over 300 items from Titanic, and for locals, it has given new life to the memory.

Today, these artifacts and remains remind us of the glamour and glory of the legendary Titanic’s maiden voyage, from its departure to its inevitable wreck.

The bronze bell, hung over its conning tower on the foremast,was used for warnings and time keeping. On the night of April 14,1912, the lookout Frederick Fleet rang this bell three times, warning an iceberg straight ahead. And so began the fateful sinking of the Titanic.

Titanic’s grand staircase was one of its most spectacular features. Situated at the forward end of the ship, it was topped by a dome of iron and stained glass, which allowed the light to penetrate the first balcony where an elaborate panel featuring the figures of Honor and Glory Crowning Time was carved. The staircase’s graceful iron balustrades were decorated with bronze flowers with two bronze cherubs greeting the guests at the deck. The staircase was the main corridor linking all five levels, ending itself at the VIP Reception and Dining areas.

當年的船票 Tickets for the Titanic in 1912

仿佛在泰坦尼克號上

文/湘玖

對全球觀眾而言，《泰坦尼克號》是一部耳熟能詳的經典電影，杰克和羅絲的凄美愛情故事更是讓無數人感動流淚。

近日，中國漢古藝術館與美國普利爾展覽公司聯合在中國武漢舉辦“泰坦尼克文物精品展”，讓市民一飽眼福。300多件隨泰坦尼克號沉沒的物品，陳列在4000平方米的范圍內，向人們訴說著那段歷史，讓人們得以一窺當年。

現在，讓我們隨這些文物走近當年的泰坦尼克號，體驗它的繁華與超絕。

這尊銅鐘最初懸掛于泰坦尼克號前桅桿（瞭望臺）之上，用于發警報和報時。1912年4月14日晚，瞭望員敲了三下警鐘，警告正前方發現冰山。泰坦尼克號沉沒的厄運由此開始。

大樓梯是泰坦尼克號最壯觀的特征之一。它位于輪船前身靠后部位，頂部是鑲嵌彩色琉璃的拱形鐵穹，自然光透過樓梯第一個平臺，平臺之上鑲嵌著精雕細琢的板畫，繪著光榮加冕時代的歷史人物。在精美的欄桿之上裝飾有青銅花，甲板上立著兩座青銅迎賓天使。大樓梯是船體五層的主要通道，從底層一直通到第五層的頭等艙接待處和餐廳。

泰坦尼克號從英國啟程，出港時裝載了6000噸煤，提供動力、發電、供暖和廚房烹飪。泰坦尼克號上有159臺鍋爐，每天耗煤高達850噸。該船每航行1米，消耗煤1.5千克，30千克煤炭僅可驅船前行20米，或讓船全速前進約1.5秒。

14克拉黃金制作的狐貍頭金針，工藝精巧Fine 14-karat gold stick pin with a fox head

桅桿掛鐘 The crow’s nest bell

Profile:RMS Titanic, an Olympic-class ocean liner, was the world’s largest ship afloat at the time. Deemed “practically unsinkable” by the White Star Line and its builders, RMS Titanic, in its maiden voyage, collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 pm on the night of April 14, 1912; at 2:20 am on April 15,the ship was split in two and sank into the Atlantic Ocean. There were an estimated 2224 passengers and crew members aboard, and more than 1500 died, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. (Photos:Zeng Pengling; Hangu Art Gallery)

Titanic departed from England, carrying 6,000 tons of coal which provided power for navigation, electricity generation, heating, and cooking. There were 159 vast boilers on the ship,which consumed up to 850 tons of coal per day. Titanic consumed 1.5 kilograms of coal for every meter travelled. In other words,a 30 kilograms lump could move the ship through the water about 20 meters, or for about 1.5 seconds, at full speed.

As passengers boarded the lifeboats, Titanic’s Chief Purser, Herbert McElroy,mustered the ship’s band on the boat deck, demanding them to play to calm the passengers. As each boat was loaded and launched,the band played many lively tunes. Since the band members were privately contracted, they were neither called upon as crew to man the lifeboat nor could they escape as passengers. After the lifeboats were gone,Wallace Hartley, the band leader, lifted his bow for a final tune: “Nearer, My God,to Thee.” Tragically, none of the Titanic musicians survived.

In addition, a large number of personal belongings, such as exquisite jewelry, dictionaries, scarves,etc., were discovered at the bottom of the sea.

據船體設計，所仿大樓梯 Reproduction of the grand staircase

泰坦尼克號船上樂隊的七位成員 Seven musicians on the Titanic

本次展覽門票 Tickets to the artifact exhibition of the Titanic in 2018

在乘客們轉救生艇時，泰坦尼克號事務長赫爾伯特·麥克爾羅伊將船上樂隊召集到甲板上演奏，讓大家冷靜下來。救生艇下水時，樂隊演奏歡快的歌曲送行。這些樂手都是私人受雇人員，他們既不能作為船員駕駛救生艇，也不能作為乘客坐救生艇逃生。當所有救生艇都離去后，樂隊指揮華萊士·哈特利拿起琴弓演奏《更近我主》，為他們的不幸送行，七名樂手和一位指揮無一生還。

此外，還有大量文物如精美的首飾、乘客攜帶的詞典、女士的絲巾等，這些從沉船上打撈后經修復的文物，深深地震撼著我們。

鏈接：泰坦尼克號是一艘奧林匹克級郵輪，是當時世界上最大的客運郵船。被稱為“永不沉沒的郵輪”的泰坦尼克號，在它的處女航中，于1912年4月14日，船上時間夜里11時40分在北大西洋撞上冰山；4月15日凌晨2時20分，船裂成兩半后沉入大西洋。災難發生時，泰坦尼克號共搭載2224人，其中1514人不幸罹難，710人生還。泰坦尼克號海難是和平時期死傷人數最多的海難之一。（圖：曾鵬凌；部分圖片由漢古藝術館提供）