MEMORIES OF TITANIC EVERYDAY ITEMS FROM DOOMED VOYAGE BEAR TRAGIC WEIGHT AT SCIENCE CENTER EXHIBIT.

Byline: Geoffrey Bilau Staff Writer

A pair of rubber shoes. Perfume vials. A baggage insurance certificate.

All were pulled from the ocean floor, remnants of a moment and place where time stopped.

These and other items - and the unlikely possibility they'd ever be seen again - provide the basis for ``Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit,'' now docked at the California Science Center in Los Angeles through Sept. 1.

Ultimately, however, the exhibit becomes a tribute to the people who brought these artifacts aboard the ill-fated ocean liner 91 years ago.

The rubber shoes belonged to Howard Irwin, an adventurous world traveler who purchased passage, but did not board the Titanic. His belongings, however, were brought aboard by Irwin's faithful traveling companion, Henry Sutehall.

Vials of concentrated perfume oil, carried in a small leather satchel, came aboard with Adolphe Saalfeld, a German chemist who planned to market the fragrances in America.

And found inside an alligator-skin bag, a baggage insurance certificate, showing two trunks, two cases and one tin box belonging to Marian Meanwell, a 63-year-old woman who only boarded Titanic after a coal strike delayed her scheduled trip aboard another ship in the White Star fleet, the Majestic.

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic, a floating palace, began what was expected to be her triumphant maiden voyage; 111 hours later, she rested at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

Of the passengers mentioned above who boarded the ship, only Saalfeld survived.

In all, 1,529 of the 2,234 people aboard the ship perished. They ranged from the wealthy and powerful to the poorest immigrants, hoping to start a new life in America.

``This story reads like the perfect Greek tragedy,'' said Mark Lach, vice president, creative and design, for the exhibit. ``It starts out so hopeful and energized. For it to end so tragically is something we can all relate to from a human angle.'' Bringing life to inanimate objects and pulling visitors closer to the human element of Titanic's disaster was Lach's objective when he began creating the traveling exhibit four years ago.

``People come in with a reference to the film (James Cameron's 1997 epic 'Titanic'), but when you come in contact with these real pieces, you connect on a more human level,'' Lach said. ``I strived to present these stories in a manner that does not sensationalize them, but rather does so with honor and dignity.''

The result is something part Hollywood and part National Geographic.

The exhibit spans 12,000 square feet and takes visitors on a chronological journey through the ship's short existence. Beginning on a dock at Southampton, England, visitors cross the gangplank and ``board'' Titanic.

Each visitor is issued a souvenir boarding pass, on the back of which is printed the name and known information of a Titanic passenger. Near the exhibit's conclusion, visitors find out whether the passenger survived.

Dramatic re-creations along the way include a first-class passageway and suite, a third-class berth, the palm tree-lined Verandah Cafe and the stately Grand Staircase, complete with brass cherub and wrought-iron- and-glass dome overhead.

The first-class areas, with their ornate decor and string quartets, are a far cry from steerage level's four-bunk cubicles and constant engine noise.

Another stop on the tour includes a frigid mock iceberg, where visitors are encouraged to see how long they can keep their hands on the icy surface that would actually have been warmer than the ocean waters around it. Here the ship's collision and sinking are depicted in words, sights and sounds.

Real artifacts - plates, tea services, salt and pepper shakers, jewelry, toiletries, currency, plumbing fixtures, uncorked wine bottles and the ship's compass and telegraph - accompany the re-creations, along with stories about those to whom the items belonged.

The exhibit's most awe-inspiring piece, however, is a 15-ton portion of Titanic's hull, complete with portholes. The shipmaker's ``unsinkable'' claim becomes nearly believable when weighed against the imposing strength of this bulky piece, itself just a tiny portion of the ship's massive structure.

In the dark shadow of the hull piece, video monitors detail the recovery efforts 2.5 miles beneath the ocean's surface.

The words of stiff-shouldered Titanic Capt. Edward J. Smith blatantly illustrate the irony of the ship's tragic fate - ``I could not conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.''

``Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit'' turns that boast into a poignant reminder of not only life's fleeting nature, but also the people who so unfortunately discovered that fact for themselves.

TITANIC: THE ARTIFACT EXHIBIT

Where: The California Science Center, Exposition Park, 700 State Drive, Los Angeles.

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; through Sept. 1.

Tickets: $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, $4.50 for children 4 to 12. Call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

8 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2) A 15-ton piece of Titanic's hull looms over visitors to the California Science Center's exhibit on the sunken vessel.

(3 -- 5) Artifacts from the wreck include a sink and faucets used in first-class, left, U.S. currency and a silver teapot.

(6) Actors portraying Capt. Edward J. Smith and ``the unsinkable'' Molly Brown meet at the foot of a re-creation of Titanic's Grand Staircase.

(7) Each visitor receives a mock boarding pass with the name of an actual Titanic passenger printed on the back.

(8) A replica of a typical third-class cabin features blankets emblazoned with the White Star logo.

Photos of the Titanic and its artifacts by Mike Mullen/Staff Photographer