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REPORT FROM COMMITTEE ON DIAMOND MINE DISASTER

Source: Journal of the Senate of the Thirty-Fourth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, Begun and Held at Springfield, January 7, 1885; Page 112. Springfield, ILL: Journal Co., State Printers, 1885.

To his Excellency, the Governor of the State of Illinois:

The General Assembly of the State of Illinois, at its session in the year 1883, having appropriated the sum of $10,000.00 to relieve the sufferers by the Diamond Mine disaster at Braidwood, and appointed the undersigned a committee to distribute the same, we beg leave to report the following disposition of our trust.

We annex hereto an itemized statement of our expenditures, showing the amount paid out to date ($5,728.90), and the amount still on hand ($4,273.10).

The committee deemed it for the best interest of those committed to their charge, first, to surround them with the comforts of a home, and then reserve as much of the fund as possible to educate and provide for the children until such a time as they could help themselves.

Accordingly the amount already paid has been largely for the purpose of giving all the families comfortable homes, and assisting those who desired to remove to relatives and friends at a distance.

At the time of the disaster, there were 39 widows with 93 children left destitute. The committee have assisted 18 widows and families to remove to other localities, where, we are assured, they are comfortably situated among friends and relatives.

We have now under our immediate charge, at the mines, 17 widows and 54 children. These families are all pleasantly situated and the children being educated for future usefulness. The funds now on hand are being used for the support of those families by payments every two weeks to each mother in proportion to the number of children.

The committee hope that the balance of the State fund, together with that donated so generously by the public, will be sufficient to care for those families for two years to come, after which time it is believed that all will be able to help themselves.

In reporting the present comfortable condition of all those who suffered by this terrible mine disaster, the oommittee cannot but express their gratification that the wisdom of the General Assembly, in making this generous appropriation, has been fully justified by the results.

Robert Huston, E. W. Felton, W. H. Odel.

1883
April 18 Received from State warrant  
$10,000 00
April 18 Paid mortgage on lot of Anna Kloss
$196 55
 
June 18 Paid Christian Badie, settlement to Scotland
300 00
 
June 19 Paid Mary Carroll, settlement to Scotland
300 00
 
June 19 Paid Catherine Rogers, settlement to Scotland
300 00
 
July 10 Paid Martin Neyeski, settlement to Scotland, on removal
300 00
 
July 16 Paid Mrs Jos Smith, settlement to Scotland, on removal
300 00
 
July 26 Paid for house for Mrs B Sachel
260 00
 
July 26 Paid for house for August Ramphart
260 00
 
Aug 3 Paid for house for August Hake
260 00
 
Sept 8 Paid for repairs of house of Anna Kloss
63.45
 
Sept 8 Paid for repairs of house of Mrs Alex Orr
260 00
 
Sept 8 Paid for repairs of house of Robt Harper
260 60
 
Sept 8 Paid for repairs of house of John Buckman
240 00
 
Sept 10 Paid for repairs of house of John Neil
350 00
 
Sept 13 Paid for repairs of house of Mrs John and Sam Atkins (sisters)
425 00
 
Sept 21 Paid for repairs of house of Mrs Martha Johnson
260 00
 
Oct 5 Paid for repairs of house of Mrs McQuiston
240 00
 
Oct 5 Paid for repairs of house of Mrs Martin Outchenick
240 00
 
Oct 5 Paid for outhouses for Mrs Harper and Orr
24 00
 
Oct 5 Paid for repairs of house of Mrs Isaac Pearson
240 00
 
Nov 5 Paid for repairs of house fo Mrs John Huber
258 00
 
Dec 7 Paid Ed Barber bill for repairs on old homes
89 65
 
Dec 7 Paid Ed Barber bill for lumber used
57 54
 
Dec 7 Paid Holmes & Cady's bill, hardware
3 46
 
Dec 18 Paid Charles Roe, bill for plastering
10 00
 
Dec 18 Paid Pitt Kent, bill for labor
4 50
 
1884
June 17 Paid Frank Ghilliam & Son, plastering
52 00
 
June 17 Paid Charles Roe, for repairs to chimneys
17 60
 
June 17 Paid Pitt Kent, fencing for widow's lots
76 10
 
June 17 Paid Peck & Bell, moving house for Mrs Outchenick
36 00
 
June 28 Paid SL Burnside, wainscoting Mrs Outchenick's house
12 05
 
July 15 Paid Frank Ghillam & Son, plastering Mrs Outchenick's house
31 00
 
     
$5, 726 90
  Balance on hand  
4,273 10
     
$10,000 00

Robert Huston, E. W. Felton, Wm. H. Odell.

Braidwood, Ill., January 1, 1885.




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