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 With the recent release of the Titanic movie, a lot of attention was been
redrawn to this tragic event in history. Although the movies love story is a fantastic box office hit, it does not covey the truth of the story and leads one to believe many
things that are not accurate in detail. Finding myself with a prime opportunity to learn more about the Titanic, and my wife being the Titanic fan that she is, I decided to
spend a day discovering more about the ship and travel to Halifax to visit the Museum and also some of the grave sites for the victims. It was a very enlightening and overwhelming trip.
The Titanic was the largest ship or moving object that had ever been designed by man,
upon it maiden voyage in 1912. She was 883 feet long on deck, almost one sixth of a mile. She was 92 feet wide, 104 feet tall and weighed in at 46,328 tons. The Titanics hull was made of 1 inch thick
steel which turned out to be extremely brittle because of poor metal composition and high sulfur content. Divided into sixteen water tight compartments, it was to be believe by many, that she was unsinkable.
Unfortunately, all that believed this to be true had only a short time to relish in these thoughts and found out very soon that this giant vessel was just as vulnerable as any other man made object.
 There were 2,340 people on board when the Titanic hit the giant iceberg. Little did they know at the time, that this would be an event that took them home to their maker or changed their life
forever. It continues to change lives today as people learn more about this great Marine disaster. Of the original crew and guests, only 705 made it to safety, 1,635
souls never returned and many of these were buried at sea when their bodies where found. 150 of these tragically lost, remain buried in Nova
Scotia today and due largely to the recent movies release, these folks are not forgotten. Nova Scotia's true love for these folks will never let
them be forgotten and they will always stand as a reminder of the people of this lands willingness to lend a hand in adverse situations.
"The Titanic in collision, but everybody safe", was one of the original
transmissions received on the night of April 15, 1912. With all the confusion of messages that fateful evening, many transmissions came in scrambled or misleading. The entire World waited in fear as these
events began to play out. It was nearly a week before the messages true meaning came into view. White Star Lines newest ship laid nearly 2,700 fathoms down on the bottom of the sea. Many of the folks aboard
never stood a chance in the event of a disaster, she was ill equipped to handed the amount of passengers she carried. Life boats had been left
off for ascetic reasons and so as not to clutter the decking areas. She had also received numerous warnings of the icebergs and had chosen to remain full speed ahead into the impending dangerous waters.
Many never realized, that this trip had begun under difficulty from it's origin.  With all her mass she ripped an American Liner New York from it's moorings and caused a near collision in Southampton as she passed down stream. Also
a fire had broken out in one of the coal bunkers and had not been under control for the entire trip. A full crew of firefighters remained working on this fire 24 hours
a day and it was believed that it would not have been able to be controlled until after the docking and unloading of the ship in New York.
Very few of the passengers if any had knowledge of this, they rode along the high seas experiencing the trip of a lifetime and the crew kept the
word of the fire smothered. It was not until interviews with many of the surviving crew members after their rescue that tales where told of working on the fire and it came to light.
 Nova Scotia's Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, is a great stop for anyone making it to Halifax. Rich in history of the Maritimes in general, I found myself surrounded in a wonderland
of the sea. Ships in all sizes and shapes can be found here and are open to the public for viewing and some for boarding and further adventures. Their model ship collection is fantastic and
one can spend an entire day looking over these excellent reproductions. The museum is also packed with instruments used in navigation, travel, and everyday living on a ship and
items from early periods of sea travel.
It is home to the Titanic Museum too! Here you can become engulfed
in the history and personal stories of some of the passengers and crew. Many items that where recovered during the rescue attempts are on
display and preserved for the general publics viewing. I found that all visiting this part of the Museum had a sense of humbleness accompanying them, it is a reverent place. One filled with emotion and compassion, you can almost feel the spirits of the ship there with you.
Jam packed with knowledge and information, this is a must see for any devoted Titanic fan. Much of the ship that was recovered floating is still a part of Nova Scotia. Recently a bench from the ship was found on
a local families front porch. It has been a part of their family for a long time after being pulled up in a fishing net. It is now on display at the
Museum along with many other pieces from the wreck. Nova Scotia's' history and part in the disaster will forever be etched upon this land.
Many of the not so lucky from the ship are laid to rest in three
cemeteries near Halifax. I visited the Fairview Cemetery and took many pictures for my wife. After some difficult family losses of my own in the
last few years, I tend to stay out of cemeteries these days. I found this visit to be well worth my time. It is sacred ground. There is no other
way to put it, it is special. Every once in awhile in history, events seem to happen that defy understanding of the immense repercussions they
will have in future years. In my opinion, the Titanic disaster was one of the mysteries of life that was meant to happen. It was mistakes by man
that created it's demise but I fell it was destined to be from powers above our control. I got this feeling very strongly will walking among the fallen
angels lying there. From the first I saw, the Unknown Child, to the highest "number" on the headstones of the unidentified, each grave has special souls inside.
I bought many books on the Titanic while I was there, for my wife, and began reading them days before we left for the Museum. I was very glad I had. It started the process in my mind of looking for answers through personal
experiences for the whole trip. Of many oddities about the Titanic I find a few really defying rationalized thought. When the graves where originally laid out in the Fairview Cemetery in 1912
they were fashioned after the bow of the ship in there design. Complete with spaces on what would have been the Starboard side, representing where the iceberg had gashed it's deadly whole.
When the shipwreck was discovered many years later, it was also found to be laying the exact same position as the graves of Farview. The ship had come to rest on the floor of the sea much in the way the graves lay
now, northeast.
Another is the portrayal of Jack Dawson, in the movie block buster,
Titanic. Although there was a ship hand named J. Dawson onboard the voyage, that is  where the similarities stop. James Dawson, an Irish coal trimmer is now one of the most celebrated and visited graves of the Fairview and Titanic Cemeteries. Many, confusing him with the
fictional character portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, travel many miles to pay tribute to this man.
He was hired on as a coal trimmer, one of the lowliest positions on the ship. Working in unbearable
conditions this 23 year old gent from Dublin, Ireland, more than likely had little else to look forward to and hoped for better days from his work on the Titanic. His "trimmer" his
duties included moving coal within the ship to keep it balanced and keeping the "stokers" bins full for shoveling. It is very fitting that he is now among the heroes of recent days.
To be a third class passenger on the ship and now, because of James
Cameron's' movie bringing awareness to this tragedy, he gets the top billing! It speaks much of the feeling one experiences when exploring in depth, the details, more closely examining the truths behind the modern
scenes. No higher honor could be placed on these people than to never be forgotten. From the lowliest form on the ship to the honorable Captain himself (who's great story goes much deeper than you might
realize) each persons life had meaning! Each soul that survived or perished that night had purpose on this World and their presence, purpose and gifts to us should never been taken for granted or trivialized,
for we know not what tomorrow might bring.
 I felt something I just can't describe... I found I was not alone. As we left the Fairview Cemetery I sensed that something had just happened. Vic, our Outfitting Guide, who had
never gotten the chance to take a day and go visit, had graciously driven Dave and I up to Halifax and had joined us for the day. Vic is usually a pretty talkative fella and
likes to chat but wasn't say to much. Dave is also seemed quite for his normal. We began to talk a little about what we had experienced during
the days events, especially the ending of the day at the cemetery. We had all noticed something, Halifax is a pretty good sized city and the Fairview Cemetery is located in a downtown area that is surrounded by
many busy streets. It was totally quite in the Titanic portion of the grounds..... I mean it. I have experienced a few spiritual experiences in my life but this was shared by  at least three people. I remembered as we got out of Vic's van someone squealed their car around a corner and I clearly remember that, but that
was about the last sound I can clearly remember hearing. From the moment I set foot near the graves I felt something very different than any of us had ever felt before.
Something special happened April 15, 1912, if you would like to learn more, I would love to share
additional pictures and personal feelings. I took over 2 1/2 hours of video and 3 rolls of film on this day alone! I hope be putting some more of them up soon.
If you are interested in the Titanic make sure to see my recommended reading list and links for other great places to REMEMBER! I will never forget my experience learning and expanding
my knowledge on this date. It will forever be etched into my mind as a special day many souls sacrificed for the good of no one we can understand, but if their stories and personal challenges never become
forgotten, then their loss will continue to benefit the entire of mankind.
End Part 5
Thanks for joining me on a trip of a lifetime. I hope you had just a sliver
of the fun I did reliving it writing it done on this site. I would like to thank all the folks out in Nova Scotia that made things all happen and Dave
and I's trip such an adventure! You will forever hold a special place in my heart and I'll return often, God willing, to say hello! I cherish each
second I spent in the company of my new friends of Morrells and friends and miss you all!
Till the next Adventure!
See You On The Hunting Trail,
The Trail Master
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
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