At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the R.M.S Titanic sank into the Atlantic Ocean about 650 kilometers south of Newfoundland, Canada. Although the port of St. John’s in Newfoundland was closer, it was hard to reach and not equipped to support a search and rescue operation. Instead, Halifax, Nova Scotia, located 1100 kilometers west of the wreckage, was critical for the recovery. Subsequently, three cable ships, the Mackay-Bennett, Minia and Montmagny were immediately deployed.
According to Arminias Wiseman, a crew member of one of the cable ships: “As far as the eye could see, the ocean was strewn with wreckage and debris, with bodies bobbing up and down in the cold sea.’’ The cable ships left Halifax with a crew including undertakers, coffins, canvas bags, ice and embalming fluid. Over 400 bodies were recovered — 300 brought back to the city of Halifax, and 116 buried at sea due to a shortage of embalming fluid. Bodies were piled high on the decks of the ships, and bells rang out in respect throughout Halifax as they reached the harbour. Upon arrival, the men working on the waterfront took off their caps out of respect and assisted in transporting the bodies to a makeshift morgue. There were 150 bodies buried amongst three Halifax cemeteries: Fairview Lawn (121 non-denominational graves), Mount Olivet (19 Catholic graves), and Beth Israel Synagogue (10 Jewish graves).
The other benefit available in Halifax at that time was the railway line. The Titanic was destined for New York, with relatives awaiting many of the passengers. It was easy for these family members to board a train to come to Halifax and sadly return home with the body of a loved one. Overall, 59 bodies were shipped out by train.
And although the design and construction is not as grandiose as the Titanic Museum in Belfast, nor is the tourist experience as elaborate; the experience of seeing the most significant artifacts and records is exclusive to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax.
The museum is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada, with a collection of over 30,000 artifacts, including those attributed to a maritime tradition known as ‘wreckwood’–– the practice of fragments of shipwrecks to be kept as mementos. Many of these were kept by families and passed down through generations but then ended up at the museum. A family medicine chest used by one crew member was a mahogany cabinet that used to be in a first-class bathroom. Other pieces include the last remaining deck chair that was initially presented to a clergy member in recognition of his work performing memorial and burial services.
In addition to the ‘wreckwood’, there is also the original wireless transcript text that was received at the lighthouse at Cape Race, Newfoundland:
10:35 p.m. (12:05 p.m. Titanic time)
“Have struck iceberg”
10:40 p.m. (12:10 p.m. Titanic time)
“We require immediate assistance”
10:55 p.m. (12:25 p.m. Titanic time)
“Have struck iceberg and sinking”
11:36 p.m. (1:06 p.m. Titanic time)
“We are putting women off in boats…”
11:55 p.m. (1:25 p.m. Titanic time)
Continues calling for help...says weather is calm & clear
The Titanic exhibit also details how those bodies that were recovered and brought back to Halifax were categorized. Each body was assigned a number when found, and then the coroner noted the person’s sex, estimated age, clothing and other effects to identify the body. For instance, body 122 was male, estimated age 60, wearing a black suit, white shirt, black boots and effects including a gold watch, fountain pen, pocketbook and diary. These details could lead to a confirmation of the identity of the body, although many were unidentifiable.
Going behind the scenes of the Titanic disaster is not directly part of Karl’s story nor mine, but it’s connected to our journey to Belfast and forever the link to our home province.