Titanic Chandelier Arrives at Jersey Science Center for Exhibition

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A crushed chandelier, once a symbol of luxury aboard the ill-fated RMS Titanic, is now on display at the Liberty Science Center. This unique artifact, which weighs about 20 pounds and shows signs of its century-long journey on the ocean floor, will be part of an interactive exhibition commemorating the Titanic, which begins this Saturday.

The exhibition, which runs until September, features over 130 artifacts recovered from the shipwreck, located over two miles beneath the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately 1,500 of the Titanic’s passengers perished in the tragic sinking after the ship struck an iceberg in 1912.

“It was there the night of the sinking, and it spent decades on the ocean floor,” said Tomasina Ray, president of RMS Titanic Inc., the organization responsible for retrieving the chandelier and other items. “It still has its beautiful gold patina and covering.”

The Liberty Science Center offered a sneak peek at the exhibit on Wednesday, showcasing the extensive preparations being made. Paul Hoffman, the center’s president and CEO, described the engaging experience awaiting visitors. “When you enter the exhibit, you’re actually given a boarding pass of one of the passengers,” Hoffman explained. Upon exiting, visitors will learn the fate of the passenger listed on their pass.

In addition to the chandelier, the exhibition includes a variety of items such as jewelry, clothing, champagne bottles, and a logometer that indicates the ship’s distance the night it sank. Ray emphasized the educational goal of the exhibition. “We really hope people learn something new about the Titanic,” she stated.

Many artifacts in the exhibition were recovered from the wreck in previous expeditions, but the chandelier is a newly displayed item, retrieved in 1987. Ray mentioned the chandelier’s damaged state symbolizes the catastrophic forces that impacted the Titanic.

The process of recovering artifacts from the Titanic has received scrutiny, with some advocating for the site to remain undisturbed as a graveyard. However, Hoffman highlighted the technical challenges and the heroism involved in the recovery efforts. “People don’t realize how much science and engineering was required to actually recover these objects,” he noted.

Hoffman hopes attendees will draw modern lessons from the Titanic’s story. “This was state-of-the-art engineering at its time, yet it culminated in a tragic event,” he said. “There’s always a lesson in that, reminding us that technology and engineering are powerful tools, but we must always consider the potential pitfalls.”