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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