They still come. They walk in silence and pay their respects to individuals they never knew. They hoist their toddlers and they focus their cameras. They shake their heads. It was a tragedy that reached every corner of the globe and today, one hundred and three years later, it has not been forgotten. That’s why they come. It will never be forgotten.
As the Titanic sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, passengers unable to secure seats on one of the lifeboats soon knew the agony of the freezing waters off the coast of Nova Scotia. It is believed, however, that they didn’t suffer for long as exposure to the elements most likely took them quickly. Once recovery ships finally made their way to the site, they found bodies floating in a macabre, icy soup.
The company that owned the Titanic, the White Star Line, had offices in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They dispatched ships and recovered more than 300 bodies. Many were returned to the frigid waters in burials at sea, but 209 bodies were brought to the nearest port – Halifax. The White Star Line purchased land at Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax to honor the victims and to provide a final resting place for them. The company provided a small, black granite stone for each person, but if the families wanted something larger or desired additional etching, it was their responsibility to provide it.
Before burial could take place, however, the bodies had to be identified. It was a long and painstaking process. An engraved piece of jewelry or initials sewn into garments often provided the only clues to identity. Proudly, passengers had boarded that ship with a ticket bearing their names. Sadly, many left it without any personal belongings that could reveal those names. To this day, at least forty bodies lie in graves that bear only body numbers and the disaster date. One such grave at Fairview Lawn Cemetery is for an Unknown Child who rests for an eternity without a name or loved ones nearby.
In great anticipation, visitors hurry along the paths that lead to the unforgettable rows of more than one hundred granite markers honoring Titanic victims. The perfectly aligned black stones stand, side by side, like a dark reminder of the rows of people that did not go gently into that icy night. In this place of reverence and reflection, visitors, even children, often slow their paces and show compassion for the lives cut short. The victims’ personal stories and places of origin may differ, but one date unites them in perpetuity and boldly appears on every shiny stone: April 15, 1912.
One stone, in particular, tugs at the heart strings. It is often adorned with flowers or stuffed animals. It is for a twenty-nine year old mother, Alma Paulson, who should have known the joys of handmade birthday cards and special bedtime stories. Instead, she entered the black waters that night along with her four young children. One can only imagine the bravery she had to muster when her babies were screaming for her to make it all right. Did she draw them close together and tell them not to be afraid?
Not far from Alma Paulson’s grave is a stone that was erected by J. Bruce Ismay, Managing Director of the White Star Line. Ismay survived the disaster but spent the rest of his life heartbroken and, most likely, plagued by survivor’s guilt. He personally paid for one large stone “to commemorate a long and faithful service” by chief deck steward Ernest Freeman. Loyal to the end, Freeman’s stone reads:
“He remained at his post of duty,
Seeking to save others,
Regardless of his own life
and went down with the ship.”
Many people can easily recite historical facts about the Titanic. Yet, at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, every row, every stone, every name and body number reminds us that this was no easy recital and it was no Hollywood movie. Not all of the souls aboard that ship were privileged, but they all suffered unspeakable emotional torment before their bodies suffered from the elements.
The nature of the disaster and the Titanic name may draw people to Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, but it is the human factor and proof of lives not finished that fill us with a sorrow we never expected to feel. Regardless of their ticket class, each stone reminds us that these were people who loved and were loved. We, too, are connected to others by love. In the end, that is all that matters, not the possessions or lack thereof. Perhaps, that is the fascination of the Titanic.
That is why they still come. That is why they will always come.
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