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Titanic: 100 years later

The Associated Press Passengers participate in a memorial service, marking the 100th year anniversary of the Titanic disaster, aboard the MS Balmoral Titanic memorial cruise ship, at the wreck site in the North Atlantic Ocean, early Sunday. Aboard the Balmoral, a cruise ship taking history buffs and descendants of Titanic victims on the route of the doomed voyage, passengers and crew hold two ceremonies at the site of the disaster, 640 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland — one marking the time when the ship hit the iceberg, the other the moment it sank below the waves.

SLIDESHOW: Titanic, 100 years later

1 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

Some 1,500 passengers and crew members died on April 15, 1912, when the Titanic struck an iceberg and went down in the North Atlantic, south of the Grand Banks. There were more than 700 survivors.

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Glenboro rides Titanic wave in fundraiser for digital projector

Matthew Kerr 3 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

The Gaiety Theatre in Glenboro will host a Titanic-themed fundraising dinner to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the historic ship’s tragic sinking in a bid to raise money for a new digital projector.

But for anyone who’s still looking for tickets, your chances — like the ship — have sunk.

“We sold all the tickets available at the end of March, the event is (April) 28th so we have one month to get food and decorate,” theatre manager Chris Tanasichuk told the Sun.

Tickets have been sold in three classes, emulating the same class of tickets offered on board the Titanic’s maiden voyage in 1912.

Sombre gathering pays respects to Titanic victims

By Michael MacDonald 4 minute read Preview

Sombre gathering pays respects to Titanic victims

By Michael MacDonald 4 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

HALIFAX -- A sombre but historic memorial service was held Sunday in Halifax amid 121 black headstones, the most tangible and sorrowful link the city has with RMS Titanic, the opulent luxury liner that sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic 100 years ago to the day.

Under a cloudless sky, the interfaith service at the Fairview Lawn cemetery brought to a conclusion a weekend of events commemorating the demise of the massive steamship in the early hours of April 15, 1912.

"Today we gather to remember, not just this legendary ship, but the lives she took with her," said Andrew Murphy, chairman of the Titanic 100 Society.

"We also remember our hometown heroes, the volunteers who put their own lives at risk to bring our victims ashore and the people who responded then, as we do now, with dignity and respect."

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Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

CP
Leading Air Cadet Sharon Spears-Mandeville lays a flower on a grave marker at the memorial service at Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax Sunday.
CP Leading Air Cadet Sharon Spears-Mandeville lays a flower on a grave marker at the memorial service at Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax Sunday.

Ticket to Titanic maiden voyage, dinner menu among items sold at auction in NYC

Verena Dobnik, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Ticket to Titanic maiden voyage, dinner menu among items sold at auction in NYC

Verena Dobnik, The Associated Press 2 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

NEW YORK, N.Y. - A New York auction house has sold an original ticket to the 1912 launch of the Titanic and a dinner menu from the ill-fated ocean liner, plus items recovered from the wreckage miles underwater.

On the block Sunday at Bonhams were various Titanic remnants offered to mark the centennial of its sinking.

The historic admission ticket fetched $56,250, including the auction house premium. The menu, touting choices like Surrey capon and ox tongue and beef sirloin with horseradish, sold for $31,250.

Both went to private American buyers, said Gregg Dietrich, Bonhams' maritime consultant.

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Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

In this March. 6, 2012 photo provided by Bonhams Auction House, the front page of the April 16, 1912 evening edition of the Boston Globe, detailing the Titanic Disaster is shown. The page is among a collection of newspapers covering the event that will be among the artifacts put up on the block by Bonhams during their “R.M.S. Titanic: 100 Years of Fact and Fiction” auction in New York on Sunday, April 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Bonhams Auction House)
In this March. 6, 2012 photo provided by Bonhams Auction House, the front page of the April 16, 1912 evening edition of the Boston Globe, detailing the Titanic Disaster is shown. The page is among a collection of newspapers covering the event that will be among the artifacts put up on the block by Bonhams during their “R.M.S. Titanic: 100 Years of Fact and Fiction” auction in New York on Sunday, April 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Bonhams Auction House)

Prayers and silence mark 100th anniversary of Titanic disaster

Jill Lawless,Lefteris Pitarakis, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Prayers and silence mark 100th anniversary of Titanic disaster

Jill Lawless,Lefteris Pitarakis, The Associated Press 5 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

ABOARD MS BALMORAL — Cruise ship passengers and crew said prayers Sunday at the spot in the North Atlantic where the Titanic sank 100 years ago with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.

Passengers lined the decks of MS Balmoral, which has been retracing the route of the doomed voyage. After a moment of silence, three floral wreaths were cast onto the waves as the ship's whistle sounded in the dark.

Jane Allen from Devon in southwest England, whose great-uncle perished on the Titanic, said the moment had vividly reminded her of the horror of the disaster.

"All you could hear was the swell splashing against the side of the ship. You could see the white breakers stretching out to sea," she told the BBC. "You are in the middle of nowhere. And then you look down over the side of the ship and you realize that every man and every woman who didn't make it into a lifeboat had to make that decision, of when to jump or stay on the ship as the lights went out."

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Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

Passengers participate in a memorial service, marking the 100th year anniversary of the Titanic disaster, aboard the MS Balmoral Titanic memorial cruise ship, at the wreck site in the North Atlantic Ocean, early Sunday, April 15, 2012. Cruise ship passengers and crew said prayers Sunday at the spot in the North Atlantic where the Titanic sank 100 years ago with the loss of more than 1,500 lives. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)
Passengers participate in a memorial service, marking the 100th year anniversary of the Titanic disaster, aboard the MS Balmoral Titanic memorial cruise ship, at the wreck site in the North Atlantic Ocean, early Sunday, April 15, 2012. Cruise ship passengers and crew said prayers Sunday at the spot in the North Atlantic where the Titanic sank 100 years ago with the loss of more than 1,500 lives. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Sask. author says dozens of post offices in 1912 asked to be named Titanic

The Canadian Press 3 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

REGINA - A curious thing happened at the headquarters of Canada's postal system in 1912 following the sinking of the Titanic, according to a Saskatchewan author.

Bill Barry says dozens of requests poured into Ottawa from postmasters across the country asking for permission to change the names of their post offices to honour the stricken liner.

Barry says a little postal station named Mourney near Duck Lake, about 100 kilometres north of Saskatoon, was the first, which meant it got to be the only post office in the country named "Titanic."

"I've always found it a bit macabre that people wanted to celebrate this great disaster, but celebrate it they did," says Barry, who has written several books on place names in Saskatchewan.

Rows of gravestones at Halifax cemetery lay bare tragedy of Titanic

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Rows of gravestones at Halifax cemetery lay bare tragedy of Titanic

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

HALIFAX - A sombre but historic memorial service was held Sunday in Halifax amid 121 black headstones, the most tangible and sorrowful link the city has with RMS Titanic, the opulent luxury liner that sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic 100 years ago to the day.

Under a cloudless sky, the interfaith service at the Fairview Lawn cemetery brought to a conclusion a weekend of events commemorating the demise of the massive steamship in the early hours of April 15, 1912.

"Today we gather to remember, not just this legendary ship, but the lives she took with her," said Andrew Murphy, chairman of the Titanic 100 Society.

"We also remember our hometown heroes, the volunteers who put their own lives at risk to bring our victims ashore and the people who responded then as we do now with dignity and respect."

Read
Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

An air cadet places a flower on a grave marker at a memorial service at Fairview Lawn Cemetery to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic in Halifax on Sunday, April 15, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
An air cadet places a flower on a grave marker at a memorial service at Fairview Lawn Cemetery to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic in Halifax on Sunday, April 15, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Solemn memorial in Halifax

By Melanie Patten 2 minute read Preview

Solemn memorial in Halifax

By Melanie Patten 2 minute read Sunday, Apr. 15, 2012

HALIFAX -- Almost a century ago, church bells tolled to herald the sombre arrival of cable ships carrying Titanic victims in Halifax harbour.

This morning they will ring again, nearly 100 years to the hour that the great ship vanished from sight, swallowed up by the dark waters of the North Atlantic on a moonless night.

Since the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, Halifax has become a pilgrimage site for history buffs, romantics and those whose ancestors died on the ship. The city is the final resting place for 150 of the Titanic's victims.

Organizers of commemorative events have been working for months to attract visitors to Halifax while maintaining the solemnity of the occasion.

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Sunday, Apr. 15, 2012

CP
Actors in period costumes participate in a commemorative event in Halifax to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic on Saturday, April 14, 2011.
CP Actors in period costumes participate in a commemorative event in Halifax to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic on Saturday, April 14, 2011.

Tragedy marked in city

By Daniella Ponticelli 3 minute read Preview

Tragedy marked in city

By Daniella Ponticelli 3 minute read Sunday, Apr. 15, 2012

It was the upgrade of a lifetime -- Leonard Hickman was given three second-class tickets on the maiden voyage of RMS Titanic as compensation after his trip to Manitoba with his entire family was cancelled due to a coal strike.

Hickman and his brothers died in the epic sinking a century ago today, but their connection to Manitoba is stamped in history. In Neepawa, the only Titanic memorial in Western Canada pays tribute to the brothers.

This is just one of the stories featured in Titanic: The Manitoba Connection, at the Manitoba Museum to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking. Using scenes from the James Cameron film Titanic, the presentation tells the stories of 13 Manitobans and 16 immigrants to the province on board the ill-fated ship.

"Some passengers on board helped build our city," said museum animator Dan Gowryluk.

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Sunday, Apr. 15, 2012

Trevor Hagan / Winnipeg Free Press
Gordon Taylor, 5, looks at copies of the Manitoba Free Press after watching a presentation about the sinking of the Titanic at the Manitoba Museum.
Trevor Hagan / Winnipeg Free Press Gordon Taylor, 5, looks at copies of the Manitoba Free Press after watching a presentation about the sinking of the Titanic at the Manitoba Museum.

US officials: Photos support case that human remains are in mud at Titanic shipwreck site

The Associated Press 1 minute read Preview

US officials: Photos support case that human remains are in mud at Titanic shipwreck site

The Associated Press 1 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

NEW YORK, N.Y. - A U.S. official says there may be human remains embedded in the mud of the North Atlantic where the New York-bound Titanic came to rest when it sank 100 years ago.

The director of maritime heritage at the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration says forensic evidence indicates signs of human remains at the shipwreck site.

James Delgado said Saturday that one 2004 photograph shows a coat and boots in the mud. He says the way they are "laid out" makes a "compelling case" that it is where "someone has come to rest."

He released the full image this week to coincide with the disaster's centenary. It was previously seen in a cropped version.

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Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

This photo provided by the Institute for Exploration, Center for Archaeological Oceanography/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, shows The remains of a coat and boots, articulated in the mud on the sea bed near Titanic's stern, are suggestive evidence of where a victim of the disaster came to rest. (AP Photo/Institute for Exploration, Center for Archaeological Oceanography/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration)
This photo provided by the Institute for Exploration, Center for Archaeological Oceanography/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, shows The remains of a coat and boots, articulated in the mud on the sea bed near Titanic's stern, are suggestive evidence of where a victim of the disaster came to rest. (AP Photo/Institute for Exploration, Center for Archaeological Oceanography/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration)

Titanic sinking remembered in silence in Halifax, the ‘City of Sorrow’

Keith Doucette and Aly Thomson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Titanic sinking remembered in silence in Halifax, the ‘City of Sorrow’

Keith Doucette and Aly Thomson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

HALIFAX - A silence that fell over Halifax on Sunday was broken by the peal of a church bell as the city marked the centennial of the Titanic's sinking with songs and stories tinged with sorrow.

At a downtown public square, a throng of people gathered to remember the disaster and the city's grim connection to it.

"You only really have to be here to realize how tragic and terrible it was," said Thomas Hodgson, a lawyer who travelled from Sydney, Australia, to take part in the commemoration.

"It affects the whole world like 9-11 affects the whole world."

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Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

A horse-drawn carriage carries a period-style casket followed by pall bearers through the streets of Halifax to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic on Saturday, April 14, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
A horse-drawn carriage carries a period-style casket followed by pall bearers through the streets of Halifax to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic on Saturday, April 14, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

U.S. Coast Guard crew set to commemorate Titanic diverted to help French boat

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

U.S. Coast Guard crew set to commemorate Titanic diverted to help French boat

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - A U.S. Coast Guard plane scheduled to take part in a Titanic commemoration event off Newfoundland had to be diverted Saturday to help a French sail boat.

The HC-130J plane's flight crew was in St. John's preparing for a ceremony to drop five wreaths over the site where the Titanic sank when they were dispatched to drop supplies including a pump and radio.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it was notified by a rescue co-ordination centre in France at around 7:30 a.m. ET that the rudder of a 12-metre sailing vessel was leaking but the boat was still buoyant.

There were three people aboard the boat when it encountered trouble about 2,100 kilometres east of Boston.

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Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

The Associated Press Archives
In this April 10, 1912, file photo, the liner Titanic leaves Southampton, England on her maiden voyage. Nearly 100 years after the Titanic went down, a cruise with the same number of passengers aboard is setting sail to retrace the ship's voyage, including a visit to the location where it sank. The Titanic Memorial Cruise is set to depart Sunday, April 8, 2012, from Southampton, where the Titanic left on its maiden voyage.
The Associated Press Archives In this April 10, 1912, file photo, the liner Titanic leaves Southampton, England on her maiden voyage. Nearly 100 years after the Titanic went down, a cruise with the same number of passengers aboard is setting sail to retrace the ship's voyage, including a visit to the location where it sank. The Titanic Memorial Cruise is set to depart Sunday, April 8, 2012, from Southampton, where the Titanic left on its maiden voyage.

At site of Titanic sinking, prayers mark 100th anniversary of the disaster

Jill Lawless and Lefteris Pitarakis, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

At site of Titanic sinking, prayers mark 100th anniversary of the disaster

Jill Lawless and Lefteris Pitarakis, The Associated Press 6 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

ABOARD MS BALMORAL — With prayers, a hymn and a moment of silence broken by a ship's deep whistle, passengers and crew on a memorial trip marked 100 years to the moment since the Titanic sent more than 1,500 people to a watery grave.

As the 1912 disaster was commemorated around the world, the city that built the vessel — Belfast, Northern Ireland — looked back on the tragic sinking with a distinctive mixture of sorrow and pride.

In the North Atlantic, passengers lined the decks of the MS Balmoral, a cruise ship that has been retracing the route of the doomed voyage, as the ship stopped early Sunday at the spot where the Titanic went down in the early hours of April 15, 1912.

After a short service and a moment of silence, three floral wreaths were cast onto the waves as the ship's whistle sounded in the dark.

Read
Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

An unidentified woman places a rose on the Titanic Memorial Plaque during the service at Belfast City Hall, Northern Ireland, Sunday, April 15, 2012 one-hundred years after the Titanic sank. The Titanic passenger liner was built in Belfast, and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage from England to New York, USA, in the early hours of April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg and over 1,500 people perished in the sinking. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
An unidentified woman places a rose on the Titanic Memorial Plaque during the service at Belfast City Hall, Northern Ireland, Sunday, April 15, 2012 one-hundred years after the Titanic sank. The Titanic passenger liner was built in Belfast, and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage from England to New York, USA, in the early hours of April 15, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg and over 1,500 people perished in the sinking. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Halifax careful to commemorate, not celebrate, anniversary of Titanic’s sinking

Melanie Patten, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Halifax careful to commemorate, not celebrate, anniversary of Titanic’s sinking

Melanie Patten, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

HALIFAX - Almost a century ago, church bells tolled to herald the sombre arrival of cable ships carrying Titanic victims in Halifax harbour.

On Sunday morning they will ring again, nearly 100 years to the hour that the great ship vanished from sight, swallowed up by the dark waters of the North Atlantic on a moonless night.

Since the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, Halifax has become a pilgrimage site for history buffs, romantics and those whose ancestors perished on the ship. The city is the final resting place for 150 of the Titanic's victims.

Organizers of commemorative events have been working for months to attract visitors to Halifax while maintaining the solemnity of the occasion.

Read
Monday, Apr. 16, 2012

Ken Pinto, executive director of the Titanic 100 Society is seen at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax on Wednesday April 11, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
Ken Pinto, executive director of the Titanic 100 Society is seen at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax on Wednesday April 11, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Rival reporters share story of the century

By Michael Dupuis 5 minute read Preview

Rival reporters share story of the century

By Michael Dupuis 5 minute read Saturday, Apr. 14, 2012

Soon after the catastrophic news of the Titanic's sinking reached the United States and Canada on April 15, 1912, a press firestorm erupted in both countries.

More than 500 North American journalists, newspapermen and women, wire service correspondents, telegraph operators and artists began to converge on New York City for the April 18 arrival of the rescue liner Carpathia and her 705 Titanic survivors.

Among the press horde sent to the east coast metropolis were 30-year-old Herbert Chisholm of the Manitoba Free Press and 26-year-old Arthur Ford of the rival Winnipeg Telegram. The account of their news coverage of the "story of the century" is both remarkable and amusing.

 

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Saturday, Apr. 14, 2012

Rival newspapers Manitoba Free Press and Winnipeg Telegram each sent correspondents to New York City to cover the Titanic tragedy.
Rival newspapers Manitoba Free Press and Winnipeg Telegram each sent correspondents to New York City to cover the Titanic tragedy.

Search for husband sealed wife, daughter’s fate

By Doug Clark 3 minute read Saturday, Apr. 14, 2012

When Hudson Allison arrived in Winnipeg from Montreal in 1905 to open his uncle's insurance bureaus, he quickly forged a strong friendship with prominent bachelors Thomson Beattie, Hugo Ross and Charles Fortune and their extended circle.

When he left two years later, none of them could have imagined fate would reunite them on the boat deck of the Titanic as the doomed ocean liner sank beneath them.

Hud, as he was known to friends and family, had come to Winnipeg at the height of a building boom that had made his new friends very wealthy. Commuting frequently to Montreal, he met his future bride, Bess, on a train in 1907.

Five years later, he took his wife and two young children with him to Britain, a business trip mixed with the pleasures of buying furniture for their new home in Westmount and heavy horses for his ranch adjacent to his boyhood farm near Chesterville, Ont.

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