Wallace Hartley's Grave

From Find-A-Grave. //// Birth June 2, 1970. Death April 15, 1912. Buried Colne Cemetery, Colne, Lancashire, England. //// The article background reads: "Disaster Victim. He died in the sinking of the 'RMS Titanic' on April 14-15, 1912. He gained posthumous fame as the band leader who supposedly had the Titanic's band play 'Nearer My God to Thee' as the ship sank. His body was recovered from the Atlantic by the 'SS Mackay-Bennett' and returned home for burial." //// The inscription reads: "Wallace Hartley Bandmaster of the R.M.S. Titanic who perished in the foundering of the vessel- April 15th 1912. Erected by voluntary contributions to commemorate the heroism of a native of this town." //// Another inscription at the gravesite reads: "In loving memory of Wallace Hartley, the beloved son of Albion and Elizabeth Hartley, formerly of Colne, who lost his life in the 'SS Titanic' disaster of April 15th, 1912 aged 33 years and was interred May 18th 1912." ////

Titanic Bandmaster's Funeral Procession Retraced

From the May 18, 2012, Lancashire Telegraph "Titanic bandmaster Wallace Hartley's funeral procession to be retraced in Colne today." //// Wallace Hartley was buried in his hometown on May 18, 1912, and some 40,000 paid their respects. That was almost double the number of people then living in the town. //// His body was one of three band members recovered from the site of the sinking and the only one brought home. //// Today, there will be a retracing of the route the funeral procession took, ending with a memorial service at his grave. The procession will begin at the Bethel Chapel and end at the Colne Cemetery. ////

Deaths: Harold Ramis, "Too Close to Call" and Cabela

HAROLD RAMIS (1944-fEB. 24, 2014) I'll be writing about him in my RoadLog and Down Da Road I Go blogs. . //// MARTY PILSSNER (1926-Feb. 6, 2014) CBS political commentator. His first job was covering the Robert Kennedy campaign in 1964 and coined the phrase "Too close to call." ///// RICHARD N. CABELA, 77, died Feb. 17, 2014. Cofounded the Cabela sports stores.

Deaths: Ralph Waite and Richard William Bell

RALPH WAITE, 85 (1928-Feb. 13, 2014) The father of "The Waltons," John Walton, from 1972-1981, one of my all-time favorite TV shows. Also was in "Cool Hand Luke" and "Five Easy Pieces" as well as several "Waltons" specials. //// RICHARD WILLIAM BULL (1924-Feb. 3, 2014). Played Mr. Oleson, proprietor of Oleson Mercantile, the long-suffering husband of Harriet and father of the even-worse Nellie on "The Little House on the Prairie" from 1974 to 1983. This TV show is also one of my favorites. He was also Doc" on "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and reunited with Michael Landon on two episodes of "Highway to Heaven."

Deaths: Sid Caesar and Shirley Temple

SID CAESAR, Died Feb. 12, 2014.

From March 3rd Time Magazine //// "If you've laughed at something on TV lately, you can thank Sid Caesar. He was present for the birth of TV as a mass medium and as a mass comedy delivery service. Any family tree of modern comedy branches back to him through the writers and performers he worked with-- Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart-- and the sketch-comedy format that the chameleonic Caesar defined" by James Poniewozik.

I have always heard of him but rarely ever saw him, but after reading this have to include him here. He was a bit before my TV-watching time. I love my sitcoms. Thanks Mr. Caesar.

SHIRLEY TEMPLE, 85. 1928-Feb. 10, 2014

Child star and diplomat. Again, I'm familiar with her, but she was a bit before my time. It is too bad that so many of the recent and today's child stars couldn't be more like her. Growing older with dignity, what an idea.

The Ship That Watched the Titanic Sink

From the May 7, 2012, Bennington Banner by Alden Graves. //// Many of the Titanic's survivors reported seeing the lights of another vessel as the ship wes sinking at a distance of between 5 to 12 miles. They were certain the lights were from a ship. //// The officer in one of the lifeboats even ordered his boat to row toward it. //// At first the green starboard light was seen and then both red and green (meaning it was either coming to or going from the scene). //// No response was given to Morse code lamp or wireless. //// It was thought to have been the Californian. ///// We'll Never Know. --Cooter

The Titanic Trail in Manhattan-- Part 4

LIGHTHOUSE IN SIXTH STREET SEAPORT at the corner of Fulton and Water streets. Once on the top of the Seaman's Church Institute at the corner of South Street and Coentie's Slip. Erected by public subscription in 1913 as a Titanic memorial. //// In July 1968, the Seaman's Institute moved to State Street and the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse was donated to the South Street Seaport Museum. Eracted on its present site May 1976. //// --DaCoot

World War I: U-139 and Captain Walther Schweiger

Back in November, while at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, I saw they had the weather flag from the German World War I submarine U-139 and a picture of the Lusitania sinking after being hit by a torpedo from Captain Schweiger's U-20. I wrote a follow up about the ship and the man in my RoadDog's RoadLog Blog of this date. //// --Cooter

The Titanic Trail in Manhattan-- Part 3

WHITE STAR OFFICE: 9 Broadway across from Bowling Green. Thousands gathered here when news of the disaster arrived. It came by wireless telegraph. //// JOHN WANAMAKER DEPARTMENT STORE: 8th Street and Broadway. Marconi had a wireless station there. David Sarnoff was the manager and on duty when the wireless message arrived. He stayed at his station for 72 straight hours. He eventually went on to become president of Radio Corporation of America, RCA. (And I always thought the "R" stood for Record.) -- More to Come. --Cooter

The Titanic Trail in Manhattan-- Part 2

**** JANE HOTEL: At 113 Jane Street where around 100 members of the Titanic's crew received clothing, food and lodging. Then it was the American Seaman's Friend Society Sailors' Home and Institute. The exterior looks as it did then, but the interior has been altered. But two items exist from back then. The ornate marble fountain and a metal plaque too worn to be read. // What is now the bar and banquet hall was the assembly hall. Surviving crew memebers gathered there to pray for those who lost their lives. // One crew member remembers hearing as many as twenty shots as the Titanic went down, leading many to believe suicides were committed. (Only 1/3 of the First-Class men survived as they gave up their spots on the lifeboats to women and children.) //// MISSION OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY: At 7 State Street in Lower Manhattan. Today it is the Parish of Our Lady at the Rosary. The women steerage survivors were taken here. //// More to Come. --DaCoot

The Titanic Trail in Manhattan-- Part 1

From the May 11, 2012, Miami Herald "Titanic trail leads though Manhattan." //// Vestiges of the majestic ship remain in New York City, especially in Manhattan. //// The big ship was headed for New York City, after all. You can find remnants at the shrine to America's first native-born saint, South Street Seaport, an old hotel, lower Broadway and Hudson River Park. //// *** ENTRANCE TO PIER 54: On Hudson River near West 13th Street. A rusted ironwork still has the words "Cunard White Srtar Line" in faded paint. The Cunard Line ship Carpathia brought the survivors here on April 18, 1912. //// **** PIER 59: (Chelsea Piers Sports Complex) was the White Star moorings where the Carpathia dropped off the lifeboats that saved 705 of the Titanic's survivors. This is where the Titanic would have docked. //// --Cooter

Titanic Survivor Had Ties to Danville, Illinois

From the May 13, 2012, Danville (Ill.) Commercial-News by Dan Richter. //// Dave Laker is a Titanic buff. He has found out that Helen Walton Bishop, a survivor, died in Danville. //// She and her husband Dickinson were first-class passengers on an extended honeymoon excursion and were among the first on lifeboat #7 once they started launching. It was the first lowered, along with 26 other passengers. //// Helen helped row the boat which only carried about half of what it could have. The boat was picked up by the Carpathia, but she had to leave behind her little dog who perished. //// She spent the 1915 Christmas holidays with friends Elizabeth and Orville Cannon at 504 North Vermillion in Danville. //// Helen and her husband divorced in 1916. She and Margaret Cannon went on a months-long voyage to the West Indies and Panama Canal. On their return to Danville, Helen tripped in the house on March 10, 1916, and died March 15th. //// From Find-A-Grave. //// She was born in 1892 and was just 23 when she died. According to the site, she was killed in a car accident and is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Three Rivers, Michigan. //// An Illinois Titanic Connection. --Cooter

Some Deaths From Back in 2012-- Part 2

PETE FORNATALE, 66. Pioneer NY Rock DJ in the Golden Age of progressive FM radio in the 1970s. DJ on WNEW-FM who spun lesser-known artists and helped break Poco, Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin. //// CHRIS ETHRIDGE, 65 Mississippi-born bassist, songwriter and founding-father of 60s-70s country rock band Flying Burrito Brothers. Collaborated with Graham Parsons. Spent eight years with Willie Nelson. Also played with Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Ry Cooter. //// MICHAEL "IRON MAN" BURKS, 54. Born in Arkansas and released three blues albums on Chicago's Alligator Records.

Some Deaths From Back in 2012-- Part 1

DIGBY WOLFE, 82. British-born co-creator of 1960s "Laugh-In" TV show. Was a "whirlwind of ideas and encouragement." Had a 37-year teaching career at Univ, of New Mexico and USC. //// ADAM YAUCH, 47. Member of white rap group Beastie Boys and just inducted into RnR HoF. Three Jewish kids. Had a #1 album with Licensed to Il which included one of my all-time favorites "(You Gotta) Fight for You Right (To Party).

Titanic Auction

Continued from previous post. //// A total of 180 lots were sold for more than $600,000. I am not sure if all the lots were Titanic related, but some of the others included a silver certificate from the head barber of the Titanic who survived brought in $35,193. //// A small piece of the ship's Grand Staircase went for $15,800. //// The Wallace Hartley letter, of course, went for $154,974 and topped the previous highest letter amount of $87,000 paid in 2004 for one from Father Thomas Byles, a Catholic priest. //// --Cooter

Titanic Band Leader's Final Letter Sells for $154,974: Record Price

From the April 27, 2012, Chicago Tribune by Jason McClure, Reuters. //// Wallace Hartley, 33, bandleader of the eight-piece group on the Titanic, wrote the letter five days before the ship struck the iceberg that sank it. He mailed it April 11, 1912, during a stop at Queenstown, Ireland. "We have a fine band and the boys seem very nice." He also promised to see his parents the following Sunday when he returned. //// Not at auction, but of interest, tips were a major source of income for him and his musicians. Various national currencies were found in the pockets of his uniform when his body was recovered some two weeks after the ship sank. //// An unnamed investment group bought it for $154,974 at the online auction. The letter had previously sold for $2,431 at auction in 1981, so someone made a tidy profit. //// A Real Piece of History. --DaCoot

Ten Famous World Shipwrecks

From the March 15, 2011, Marine Insight. //// 1. TITANIC-- 1517 deaths, North Atlantic, 1912 // 2. ESTONIA-- 800 deaths, 1994, Baltic Sea // HMAS VAMPIRE--1942, sunk by Japanese aircraft // 4. ANDREA DORIA-- 1956, The "Mount Everest" of diving // 5. HMS VICTORY-- Not Nelson's Victory. 1744 English Channel, discovered 2008 //// 6. CARPATHIA-- The Titanic's rescue ship, sunk 1917 by a German U-boat. Found 1999 // 7. HMS MARY ROSE-- English, sunk near Isle of Wight // 9. VASCA-- Swedish, sunk 1628 on maiden voyage. Brought up in 1961. // 9. THE RHONE-- Lost in a hurricane by the British Virgin Islands in 1867, 120 lost // 10. SULTANA-- 1865 in the Mississippi River-- 1,800 deaths. Found in 1982 in a soybean field. //// Of course, more information at teh site. //// --Cooter

See the Real Old New York City

From April 24, 2012, Yahoo! News, AP "New York City portrayal online in 870,000 images" by Cristian Salazar and Randy Herschaft. //// Available online for the first time by the Department of Records. They were culled from the 2.2 million collection of the Municipal Archives in a four year project. //// Some of them date back to the mid-1800s. Most of them were taken by anonymous municipal workers. Some 1,300 are Depression-era Works Progress Adminstration photos. //// --Cooter

Some More On Heart of Wilmington Motel

Information from the CardCow postcard: 60 rooms, pool, meeting room, 24-hour telephone service. Walking distance to business, finacial and shopping districts. Telephone 743-0121. Featuring the Boucan Restaurant. I did find a site mentioning a Boucan Room at 311 N. 3rd Street at one time. Again, I do not believe the motel is still there. //// --DaCoot

Back Then, 1962: Wilmington, NC-- Heart of Wilmington Motel and Cable TV

From the April 24, 2012, Wilmington (NC) Star-News. //// APRIL 15, 1962: Construction on the Heart of Wilmington Motel expected to start in June. It was downtown Wilmington's first motel. The rooms had acccess from the outside. It is planned for the area of Third and Grace streets. I found a picture of it on the CardCow site and it was quite impressive looking. I am not sure if it is still there. ///// APRIL 15TH, 1962: Cable TV coming to Wilmington. The Cable Television Company, based at 7 South Second Street bragged that residents would now have access to as many channels as viewers in New York City and Los Angeles. They would now have FIVE channels: WRAL in Raleigh, WECT in Wilmington, WITN in Washington (NC), WNCT in Greenville and WTVD in Durham. //// Wow! Five Channels. A Different Time Indeed. --Cooter

CS Hooper: World's First Purpose-Built Cable-Laying Ship

From the Marine Insight site by Sharda.

I came across this while looking up what C.S. stood for (which is Cable Ship) in connection with the C.S. Minia.

The ship was operated by the British engineering company Hooper telegraph Works and the C.S. Hooper was regarded as the first purpose-built ship to lay cable. It was named after company owner William Hooper.

Built 1873 and 103 metres long by 17 metres beam. It could carry almost 89,000 cubic feet of cable when rolled up into cable lines.

When not in use layibng cable, it acted as a cargo ship.

--Cooter

Why It Takes So Long to Do These Blogs

No post here yesterday because of all the time it took on an upcoming entry on my Down Da Road I Go Blog concerning the death of Samantha Juste, which usually would be mentioned here in this blog, but will be in the other one because of her connection with music. She died at age 69 on February 10th and was a very popular "Disc Girl" on the popular Top of the Pops Show (TOTP) in the U.K. back in the 1960s. And, she was married to Monkee Mickey Dolenz. //// I've heard of the TOTP show, but didn't know much about it, plus, wasn't really sure what a disc girl was. So, looked it up and wrote some informatiion. //// But what really took time was when I decided to go to You Tube to look up a video of a song she made. I found several, then there was one that Dolenz made, "Randy Scuze Git" and sung by the Monkees. Well, then there were a whole bunch of Monkee videos. Then, there were a whole lot of early 1964-1966 TOTP videos of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Hollies , Herman's Hermits and many others. Before I knew it, it was two hours later. //// I Shoul Know Better Than to Go to You Tube. --Cooter

C.S. Minia-- Part 3: Unidentified Titanic Bodies Recovered

The bodies were numbered as they were found. //// The second body recovered, #308, was buried in Fairview Cemetery in Halifax. A handkervhief was found on it with the letters "A.H.F.. No other aids of identification found. //// BODY #310 was buried at sea. No aid to indentification found. //// BODY #318 was buried at sea. He wore a brass watch and chain. There was no other aids to identification and he was thought to be a fireman on the Titanic. //// I'm not sure why one unidentified was taken back and the other two buried at sea. Perhaps there bodies were mangled beyond identification or partially eaten by some sea creature. ////

C.S. Minia-- Part 2

The C.S. Minia belonged to the Anglo-America Telegraph Company and was chartered on April 21, 1912 and put to sea the next day from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canmada, under command of W.E.S. DeCarteret, with undertaker H.W. Snow and Rev. H.W. Cunnigham (rector Anglican Parish). /// It arrived at the Titanic site April 26 and was joined by the CS Mackay-Bennet and remained searching until May 3rd. Bad weather hampered recovery operations the whole time. Just seventeen bodies were recovered and fifteen taken back to Halifax to be claimed or interred. //// Three bodies were unidentified. Charles Hay's body was the first one recovered. ////

The CS Minia-- Part 1: Contracted to Find Titanic Bodies

From Titanic Items. com. //// Saturday, I wrote about Charles Melville Hays, an important railroad man who was one of the Titanic's victims in 1912 and I read that his body was recovered by the CS Minia, a ship I'd never heard of before, even in connection with the Titanic. Further research was needed. //// The CS Minia (Cable Ship, I had to look that one up) was contracted to relieve the CS Mackay-Bennet which had recovered the bodies of 306 Titanic victims along with flotsam fron the wreck, but was forced to suspend operations to return to Halifax as it had run out of embalming fluid. //// The Minia was able to find just 17 bodies after arriving at the sinking site April 26th. //// It is reported that several Minia crewmembers made ornate objects such as picture frames, document boxes and furniture out of Titanic flotsam. //// More to Come. --Cooter

Charles Melvin Hays: Canadian Railroad Man-- "Some Appalling Disaster"

From Wikipedia. //// Born May 16, 1856. Died April 15, 1912. //// Began his railroad career as a clerk at age 17 and rapidly worked his way up until, in 1896, he became general manager of Grand Trunk Railway in Canada. In 1909, he became president. //// A big desire of his was to build a second Canadian transcontinental railroad. However, his company faced bankruptcy and he went to England to seek financial assistance. //// He was on his way back aboard the RMS Titanic and reportedly, the evening before the ship struck the iceberg, made a comment about the steamship companies seeking passengers by building newer, bigger and faster ships, saying, "The time will come soon when this trend will be checked by some appalling disaster." //// He assisted women aboard the lifeboats and then he, his son-in-law and secretary perished. His body was recovered by the Minia and he was buried at Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal. ////

Charles Hays' Chateau Laurier in Ottawa

From Wikipedia. .//// Opened in 1912 and, with its 429 rooms, one of the grand hotels of the world and very impressive from the outside. It was commissioned by Grand Trunk Railway President Charles Melville Hays and built for $2 million. It was his desire to have similar hotels built all along his railroad. //// He had some problems getting this one built as it is located on land that was part of Major Hill Park, but Canadian Prime Monister Sir Wilfrid Laurier (for whom it was named) assisted in getting the land. //// It was built from 1909-1912, in tandem with the construction of Ottawa's Union Station for railroads. A tunnel connected the two structures. One of the reasons Hays was on the Titanic was so he could be at the hotel on its grand opening on April 25, 1912. //// The hotel is now part of the Fairmont Hotel and Resort Chain which also has the Jaspar Park Lodge (1923) in Jaspar, Alberta; the Macdonald Edmonton (1923) in Edmonton, Alberta; Hotel Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia and Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. //// A Man With a Vision. --DaCoot

Canadian Titanic Victim Charles Hays Promoted Railroads and Tourism

From the April 16, 2012, Montreal (Canada) Gazette "Titanic victim promoted tourism to ship's owner" by Phil Reimer. //// CHARLES MELVIN HAYS, president of the Grand Trunk Railway, died when the famous ship sank. His home office was in Montreal and he was returning home after attempting to get funds to complete a railroad from Winnipeg to Prince Rupert. //// While in Canada, Hays was attempting to convince the White Star Line (Titanic's owner) to bring tourists to Canada.) At the time, most cruise ships carried immigrants as third-class and Hays wanted tourists to be able to go that class. //// Hays had just completed the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa and its grand opening was set for April 25, 1912, but that was delayed until June after the Titanic sank. Hays had plans to build other magnificent hotels like this all across Canada. //// Of the 130 Canadians aboard, just 45 survived. //// Someone You Never Hear About. --Cooter

John Kreamcheck, Chicago Bears

From Wikipedia. /// Born Jan. 7, 1926. Died Jan. 28, 2014. Defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears from 1953-1955. //// 1953 CHICAGO BEARS. His rookie year, the Bears were 3-8-1. The offense scored 218 points (6th in NFL) and defense allowed 262 (7th). They were 1-0-1 against the Packers, but lost to the other big rival, the Chicago Cardinals. The quarterback was Tommy O'Connor. Kreamcheck played all 12 games. //// 1954 CHICAGO BEARS. Record 8-4 and Kreamcheck played all 12 games. QBs were Zeke Bratkowski and George Blanda. Scored 301 points (5th) and allowed 208 (8th). Beat Green Bay twice and also beat the Chicago Cardinals. //// 1955 CHICAGO BEARS. 8-4 and second place. Scored 294 points (2nd) and allowed 251 (7th) Quarterbacks were Ed Brown and george Blanda. Lost first three games, including the Packers but beat them the second game. Lost to Cardinals. //// Mr. Kreamcheck was 6'5" and weighed 255 pounds. //// A lot of History Here.

Deaths: Chicago Bears Player John Kreamcheck

JOHN KREAMCHECK, 88 (1926-Jan. 28, 2014). World War II veteran and played with Chicago Bears 1953-1955. Served with the Marines for five years and then attended William and Mary College in Virginia and played football, winning All-Southern Conference honors. //// He was drafted by George Halas and the Chicago Bears and played from 1953 to 1955 and was regarded as one of the NFL's toughest linement at the time. //// Served with the Chicago police after that until he retired in 1984. //// He retired to McHenry, Illinois, and used to hangout at Raymond Bowl in Johnsburg where I first heard of him. //// From the Jan. 31, 2014, Northwest Herald.

Worst North Atlantic Ship Disasters Involving Icebergs

From the Bethel Patch. From Ben Hill's iceberg database website. //// The Titanic is by far the best-known ship disaster in the North Atlantic involving an iceberg (and it also resulted in the most deaths), but there were others: 1. TITANIC-- 4-14-1912 Southampton-NY, 1,517 deaths // 2. CITY OF GLASGOW-- 3-1-1854 Liverpool to Philadelphia, 480 deaths // 3. CITY OF BOSTON-- 1-29-1870 Halifax to Liverpool, 192 deaths // 4. PACIFIC-- 1-23-56 Liverpool to NYC, 186 deaths // 5. PRESIDENT-- 3-11-1841 NYC to Liverpool, 120 deaths //// 6. JOHN RUTLEDGE-- 2-19-1856, 118 deaths // 7. LIMERICK-- 5-10-1849 Limerick to Quebec, 109 deaths // 8. HANS HEDTOFT-- 1-30-1959 Godthabb to Copenhagen, 95 deaths // 9. VALIANT-- 4-14-1897 St. Malob to St. Pierre, 78 deaths // 10. NARONIC-- 2-19-1893 Liverpool to NYC, 74 deaths.

Penultimate and Last Munchkin

I found out that Penultimate Munchkin meant that Ruth Duccin was the next to last surviving Munchkin. The last-known surviving Munchkin is Jerry Maren, born January 24, 1920, and was the member of the Lollipop Guild wearing the green shirt who sang and danced for Dorothy. //// I also found out that 125 Munchkins were hired for the movie and an additional 12 regular children also were in it. //// --Cooter

Deaths: Ruth Duccin-- Last Female Munchkin and "Rosie the Riveter"

RUTH DUCCIN, 95 (1918-JAN. 16, 2014) //// Oldest of the surviving Munchkins from the famous movie "Wizard of Oz." Had gathered with the surviving Munchkins for their induction on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007 and attendedof the film's 75th anniversary at Grauman's Chinese Theater. //// She was one of the villagers and said she was paid $125 a week for her work on the movie. Called the Penultimate Surviving Munchkin (although I was unable to find out exactly what that means). She was the last-known surviving female Munchkin. //// However, she said she was even more proud of the role she played in World War II when she was a real "Rosie the Riveter working at Douglas Aircraft as a riveter where her small size was put to good use squeezing into small spaces where a full-sized woman couldn't. ////

Deaths: TV Producer Ben Starr

BEN STARR, 92, TV producer. //// Producer, creator, writer and playwright. //// Served in World War II as a 2nd lieutenant navigator in Army Air Corps, awarded a Distinguidhed Flying Cross. //// Wrote comedy for Al Jolson, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis and George Burns. Helped develop "Facts of Life" and was a regular screenwriter for "Mister Ed" and "All In the Family." Also wrote for "Chico and the Man," "Maude," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Petticoat Junction," "The Many Lives of Doby Gillis" and "The Brady Bunch." //// He also wrote Gary Coleman's famous catch phrase, "What you talking about, Willis?" for "Different Strokes." //// I definitely liked these shows (well, other than "Different Strokes" but I liked the catchphrase).

Five Spooky Titanic Stories-- Part 2

These Titanic stories, of course, came from the 100th anniversary of its sinking back in 1912. //// 3. In the 1980s, James Rodriguez claimed he was haunted by a Titanic ghost. He found out that his apartment's former tenant, Dr. Henry Washington Dodge, was not considered a Titanic hero. He had lied and claimed that he needed to assist the women and children and took a place on a lifeboat. He was under public scrutiny the rest of his life and undergoing a lawsuit and financial losses when he committed suicide in 1919. Supposedly, his ghost haunts the apartment. //// 4. Margaret "Molly" Brown's Denver home has paranormal activity She and her husband James Joseph Brown have been seen. //// 5. Captain Edward John Smith's childhood home in England has had activity. //// Like, Boo!! --DaCoot

Five Spooky Titanic Stories-- Part 1

From the April 6, 2012, Yahoo! Contributors Network by Victoria Leigh Miller. //// 1. 328 bodies were recovered and were taken to Snow & Company Funeral Parlor in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is now the Five Fishermen Restaurant. //// The original pulley used to hoist the bodies to the building's upper level is still in the wine room ceiling. //// Reports of glasases flying off shelvesand cutlery falling to the floor are common. //// 2. In 2008, the Georgia Aquarium, after Totanic artifacts were exhibited, reported a strange encounter. //// --Cooter

Deaths: Civil Rights Pioneers

From the Jan. 19th and 26th, 2014, Chicago Tribune. //// JOHN W. ROGERS SR., 95. Member of the Tiskegee Airmen in World War II who became an attorney and Cook County (Chicago) Juvenile Court Judge. Died Jan. 21st. //// FRANKLIN McCAIN, 73. Died Jan. 9th. Civil Rights trailblazer and part of the "Greensboro Four" whose sit-in with friends at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, spread across the South. //// Both these men withstood all sorts of hardships to further the lives of blacks in the United States. //// True Heroes.

Deaths: Sears Tower, Movies

From the January 19 and 26th, 2014, Chicago Tribune. //// RICHARD GUMBER, died December 13, 2013. Crane operator who hoisted the final beam to the top of Chicago's Sears Tower. At the time, 1973, at 1,454 feet, it was the world's tallest building. And, I still won't call the building by its new name. It will always be the Sears Tower to me. //// KENNETH GAGNON, 79. Died Jan. 4, 2014. Master carpenter and made a lot of movie sets, including "Uncle Buck" where his huge pancake was flipped by John Candy. Also worked on "Blues Brothers," "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "Road to Perdition." These are some of my favorite movies. ////

Ten Things You Didn't Know About the Titanic-- Part 4

9. The last survivor of the Titanic to die was Millvana Dean, who was just nine weeks old when the ship sank, died in 2009. Her death came just a month after stars of the most recent "Titanic" movie, Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslett helped to pay for her nursing home expenses. //// 10. Many of the Titanic survivors said that "Nearer My God to Thee" wa sthe band's last song. But in a 1912 interview, one said the last song was the hymn "Autumn" as the ship went down. //// --Cooter

Ten Things You Didn't Know About the Titanic-- Part 3

6. TITANIC ARTIFACTS-- The Titanic Museum in Massachusetts has a life jacket, lifeboat flag, lunche and dinner menus, a square of First Class carpet, letters, postcards that were written on board, First Class china and a bridge bell from the ship. //// 7. A VIOLIN allegedly belonging to the Titanic's bandleader WALLACE HARLEY was recently discovered. Tests are being done to prove its authenticity. If so, it could bring a record price for a Titanic artifact at auctuion, breaking the 106 pounds paid for post office keys in 2007. //// 8. The former 1910 home of Titanic survivor and socialite Molly Brown (as in Unsinkable) in Denver is a museum. //// The House That Would Not Sink. --Dacoot

Ten Things You Didn't Know Abiut the Titanic-- Part 2

3. The ship had previously unheard of luxury items for Atlantic crossings such as a Turkish bath, libraries, squash court, heated swimming pool and an infirmary with an operating room. //// 4. Had some of the wealthiest men in the world aboard, though financier J.P. Morgan and chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey both cancelled at the last minute. No Kisses for them. //// 5. Less than a montn after the ship's sinking, silent film actress and Titanic survivor Dorothy Gibson starred in a film "Saved From the Titanic" reenacting her story, complete with the white silk dress she wore that evening. // It was a hit in the U.S. and U.K., but the only two known prints to survive were destroyed in a fire two years later. //// Wondering if Leonardo Was Her Co-Star? --Cooter