For the first week the committee held daily meetings, and thereafter met at frequent intervals for the considera tion of applications for relief and other business. In each individual case, on a full but confidential statement of the circumstances, the committee decided what kind and amount of assistance to give.
Except for its initiative in arranging a memorial meet ing in Cooper Union, the committee limited its activities to questions of relief. It gave no consideration to ques tions relating to liability for the accident, to claims for pecuniary damages, to rewards for personal heroism in the rescues of June 15, or to any of the other aspects of the disaster in which the public has naturally been interested. It will be remembered that by the terms of the mayor's original proclamation the committee was appointed " to receive contributions to a fund for the fit and proper burial of the dead, and for such other relief as may be necessary." The burial expenses of those whose bodies were recovered have been in fact the principal item in the disbursements — almost exactly two-thirds of the fund having been used for this purpose.
Until it was definitely known what other relief would be necessary the committee felt warranted in paying funeral bills in full only in cases in which the families affected did not have other resources. If, therefore, there was in surance sufficient to meet the funeral expenses, or if there remained in the family any one of independent means, the funeral expenses were not paid by the committee, or were paid only in part. The committee finally fixed upon a date, July 21, after which further applications could not be considered, and within a few days thereafter full infor mation was at hand on which could be based an accurate forecast of the provision required for orphan children, 2 aged persons, widows, or others left to any extent depend. ent by the disaster.
The number of such persons proved to be much less than many had anticipated, and after setting aside what was considered an adequate amount for all of them, there remained a sufficient sum to pay in full all funeral bills which in the judgment of the committee could properly, even on the most liberal basis, be met from the funds at its disposal.
On August 5, a meeting was held at which it was ascer tained that about $85,000 had been paid or authorized to be paid for burials and other .forms of relief, and that
$20,000 would be required to meet the future needs of those who had been made to some extent dependent by the disaster, or had suffered so severely as to justify an appropriation in their behalf, leaving a balance of some thing over $15,000 unappropriated. In reference to the balance remaining in the hands of the treasurer, and the $20,000 already set aside for the future care of individual families made dependent by the disaster, the committee then adopted the following resolutions : — " Resolved : that whenever the character and the circumstances of the family are such as to justify such action, immediate payment of the amount authorized by the Committee shall be made by an order on the Treasurer.
"That in the case of such families as should receive weekly or monthly payments, such payments shall be made through St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, — an order on the Treasurer, in favor of St. Mark's Church, being drawn, sufficient to cover such payments as have been authorized by the Committee.
" That a special committee, consisting of Messrs. Ridder, Schar mann, and Straubenmiller, be appointed to have a general oversight of such weekly and monthly payments on behalf of the Citizens' Relief Committee, and that such special committee shall have power to authorize any modifications of such grants as may seem to them, from time to time, advisable.
" That the balance remaining after such payments as are above specified have been made, shall be held by the Treasurer, subject to the order of the special committee above named, to care for any of the families from whom application was made prior to July 21, if in their opinion any further action in behalf of such families is required.
"That after July 15, 1905, any remaining balance still in the hands of the Treasurer may be disposed of by the special committee above named in such manner as may be approved by the Mayor of the City of New York." For the small number of Roman Catholic families in cluded in the list of beneficiaries it was arranged that the payments should be made through Thomas M. Mulry, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.