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Titanic makes Winnipeg debut

It was the most infamous maritime disaster in history.

The luxury liner Titanic sank 99 years ago with more than 1,500 people were lost in the icy waters of the north Atlantic.

But artifacts from the shipwreck are about to go on display in Winnipeg for the first time.

"The ship handles beautifully, it is designed for performance and above all safety," said Lowell Lytle, playing the part Capt. Edward J. Smith.

He has even gone to the bottom of the ocean to recover artifacts.

Out of the 190 artifacts on display, including pots, men's socks and even a replica first class suite, nine have never been seen before.

"As you go to the first class cabin you'll hear symphonic music, as you go downstairs to the machine area, you're hearing the roar of the motor," said Kevin Donnelly, vice President and General Manager of MTS Centre.

There is even a local connection as 30 people from Manitoba or immigrating here were aboard the ship. Seven survived.

The Manitoba Museum has their belongings.

"There were some very wealthy people living in Winnipeg in 1912 and they were part of the jet set of the times group of people," said Curator Sharon Reilly.

When you come aboard the Titanic in Winnipeg, you'll get a boarding card with the name of a passenger and their class. You can see where they slept and at the end you'll find out if you survived or not.

At 11:40 p.m. on April 14th 1912, Titanic stuck an iceberg. You can also feel how cold it was at this exhibit.

"You'd last anywhere from 10 minutes to 40 minutes depending on your will to live and how much body weight you had but all the cries and all the screams ended after 40 minutes," said Lowell Lytle. "These people did not drown they froze to death."

More than 22 million people have seen the exhibit worldwide.

It opens at the MTS Exhibition Hall on Portage Avenue Friday.

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