Today is April 14th, the 106th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Over 1,500 people were killed that night in 1912, one of the most tragic maritime disasters in history. Six years ago, on the 100th anniversary of the sinking, I bought a Time-Life special edition paperback commemorating the disaster. It featured the photographs of Frank Browne, who at the time was a theology student in Dublin, whose uncle gave him a special gift - passage on the Titanic from it's starting point in Southampton, England, to Queenstown, in Ireland, it's final destination before heading across the Atlantic toward New York. The photograph on the left show passengers waiting to board the ship as it comes into port.
Brown was a talented photographer, and much of the book consists of the photographs he took on this trip, such as the one on the right of passengers strolling the ship's boat deck, an ironic image considering how important those boats would become in just a few days. Browne met a wealthy businessman on the ship who offered to pay for his passage to New York. Brown called to get permission to do this, but was told he would not be allowed to extend his trip. A bitter disappointment at the time, but a lifesaving break for him just a short time later. And therefore we now have a detailed photographic record of life on board the Titanic before it sank. The ship, by the way, was declared unsinkable - very bad karma if you ask me - which is why the captain did not slow the ship's speed when warned of icebergs in the area. Another example of bad karma - very bad karma - is that a developer in China is building an exact duplicate of the ship, which is to be located on a reservoir in the interior of China as part of a theme park. The project is years behind schedule. But if it is ever finished, I think anyone who would stay on that ship is crazy.
No comments:
Post a Comment