Bargaining between the Canadian Museum of Civilization and a diver/collector for a planned Empress of Ireland exhibition have reportedly reached an impasse. The museum was said to have been looking to purchase some 200 objects, including a bell, porthole and compass, from Phillipe Beaudry, who collected the items from the wreck before it was declared a national historic site. A museum spokesperson says Beaudry rejected the museum’s undisclosed offer. Beaudry reportedly once boasted that the bell alone is worth CDN$1 million.
The exhibition, which was scheduled for 2014, would have marked the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking. The Empress of Ireland disaster cost the lives of more than 1,000 passengers and crew members.
The museum spokesperson said that talks could resume at a future date.
