What accommodations were made available to Titanic survivors?

An article discussing the resources made available to the Titanic survivors when they reached New York.

The crowd at the doors of the Cunard Line's Pier 54, where the ship Carpathia had arrived with survivors of the Titanic disaster aboard. Image credit to Bain News Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Sun

April 19, 1912

Relief Well Organized

“The Municipal Lodging House, which has accommodations for 700 persons, agreed to throw open its doors and furnish lodging and food to any of the survivors as long as they should need it. Commissioner of Charities Drummond did not know yesterday, of course, just how great the call would be for the services of his department. He went to the Cunard pier last night to direct his part of the work in person. Meanwhile he had twenty ambulances ready for instant movement on the city’s pier at the foot of East Twenty-sixth street. They were ready to take patients to the reception hospital connected with Bellevue or the Metropolitan Hospital on Blackwell’s Island. Ambulances from the Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn were also there to do their share. All the other hospitals in the city stood ready to take the Titanic’s people and those that had ambulances promised to send them. The Charities ferryboat Thomas S. Brennan, equipped as a hospital craft, lay off the department pier with nurses and physicians ready to be called to the Cunard pier on the other side of the city. St. Vincent’s Hospital had 120 beds ready. New York Hospital twelve. Bellevue and the reception hospital 120 and Flower Hospital twelve. 

"The House Shelter maintained by the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society accounted that it was able to care for at least fifty persons as long as might be necessary. The German Society of New York, the Irish Immigrant Society, the Italian Society, the Swedish Immigrant Society and the Young Men’s Christian Association were among the organizations that also offered to see that no needy survivor would go without shelter. 

"Mrs. W. A. Bastede whose husband is a member of the staff of St. Luke’s Hospital, offered to the White Star Line yesterday the use of the newly opened ward at St. Luke’s, which will accommodate from thirty to sixty persons. She said that the hospital would send four ambulances with nurses and doctors and that she had collected clothing enough for fifty persons. The line accepted her offer and said that the hospital would be kept informed as to what was needed. A trustee of Bellevue also called at the White Star offices to offer ambulances. He said that five or six, with two or three doctors and nurses on each, would be sent to the pier if required. 

"Many other hospitals as well as individuals called at the Mayor’s office yesterday expressing willingness to take in anybody that should be sent to them. A woman living in Fiftieth street just off Fifth avenue wished to put her home at the disposal of survivors. D. H. Knott of 102 Waverley place told the Mayor that he could take care of 100 and give them both food and lodging at the Arlington, Holly and Earl hotels. Commissioner Drummond visited the City Hall and arranged with the Mayor the plans for the relief to be extended directly to the city. Mr. Drummond said that omnibuses would be provided to transfer passengers from the ship to the Municipal Lodging House."

100 Private Automobiles Offered

"Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt Jr., spent the day telephoning her friends, asking them to let their automobiles be used to meet the Carpathia and take away those who needed surgical care. It was announced last night that as a result of Mrs. Vanderbilt’s efforts 100 limousine automobiles and all the Fifth avenue and Riverside Drive automobile buses would be at the Cunard pier.

“Immigration Commissioner Williams said yesterday that he would be at the pier when the Carpathia came in. There was to be no inspection of immigrants at Ellis Island. Instead, the Commissioner sent seven or eight inspectors to the pier to do their work there and he asked them to do it with the least possible bother to the ship-wrecked aliens. The immigrants who had no friends to meet them were to be provided for until their cases could be disposed of. Mr. Williams thought that some of them who had lost everything might have to be sent back to their homes. Those who were to be admitted to the United States were to be cared for by the Women’s Relief Committee."

Red Cross Plans

“Robert W. de Forest, chairman of the Red Cross relief committee of the Charity Organization Society, talked with Mayor Gaynor yesterday. Mr. de Forest said later that in addition to an arrangement that all funds received by the Mayor should be paid to Jacob H. Schiff, the New York treasurer of the American Red Cross, the committee had decided that it could turn over all the immediate relief work to the women’s relief committee. The Red Cross will hold itself in reserve to meet demands for permanent relief. "