Artifacts Of A Disaster

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By Marc Peyser

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On April 15, 1912, "TITANIC" became synonymous with "disaster." But at the time, the Titanic was the most opulent vessel in history. A controversial show opening this week at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England, presents 150 treasures rescued from the Atlantic since 1985--all restored, via chemicals and electrolysis, nearly to their pre-iceberg grandeur. Many are elegant (silver trays, a bronze cherub light holder, a steward's white jacket), some fascinatingly banal (a hot-water dispenser, two of the ship's 1,241 portholes). Most haunting: the bell that lookout Frederick Fleet rang at first sight of the iceberg.

The show has detractors, including survivors who believe the ship should be left undisturbed. The artifacts come from the "debris field" that resulted when the boat showered objects as it sank and hit bottom, which placates some. "As long as they take them off the sea-bed and not the wreck, it's all right," says Millvina Dean, who was 9 weeks old when she was rescued along with her mother and brother. Her father was last seen standing on the Titanic's sinking deck. "This ship is a grove and should stay as it is."

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