NEW YORK CITY, touched to the heart by the great
ocean calamity and desiring to do what it could
to lighten the woes and relieve the sufferings of
the pitiful little band of men and women rescued from the
Titanic, opened both its heart and its purse.
The most careful and systematic plans were made for the
reception and transfer to homes, hotels or institutions of the
Titanic's survivors. Mayor Gaynor, with Police Commissioner
Waldo, arranged to go down the bay on the police boat
Patrol, to come up with the Carpathia and take charge of
the police arrangements at the pier.
In anticipation of the enormous number that would, for
a variety of reasons, creditable or otherwise, surge about the
Cunard pier at the coming of the Carpathia, Mayor Gaynor
and the police commissioner had seen to it that the streets
should be rigidly sentineled by continuous lines of policemen
Under Inspector George McClusky, the man of most experience,
perhaps, in handling large crowds, there were 200 men,
including twelve mounted men and a number in citizens'
clothes. For two blocks to the north, south and east of the
docks lines were established through which none save those
bearing passes from the Government and the Cunard Line
could penetrate.
With all arrangements made that experience or information
could suggest, the authorities settled down to await the docking
of the Carpathia. No word had come to either the White
Star Line or the Cunard Line, they said, that any of the Titanic's
people had died on that ship or that bodies had been
recovered from the sea, but in the afternoon Mayor Gaynor
sent word to the Board of Coroners that it might be well for
some of that body to meet the incoming ship. Coroners
Feinberg and Holtzhauser with Coroner's Physician Weston
arranged to go down the bay on the Patrol, while Coroner
Hellenstein waited at the pier. An undertaker was notified
to be ready if needed. Fortunately there was no such need.
