WIDESPREAD SYMPATHY

It will be inferred that the scenes of the dreadful catastrophe were visited daily by thousands of persons from almost all parts of the kingdom, and meeting were held in many of the principal towns in Yorkshire and Lancashire in aid of the sufferers. 

Meetings were also held in London, Birmingham, Derby, Glasgow, and many other places for the same purpose. 

But to the gentlemen of Huddersfield and its neighbourhood, the inhabitants of the Holme Valley were under special obligations, not only for the magnificent sums subscribed for the relief of the sufferers, but for their active and untiring efforts in enlisting the sympathies of others in the more distant towns. 

Amongst them particularly were
John Brooke, Esq., J.P., Armitage Bridge, chairman of the United Committee of Huddersfield and Holmfirth, which was formed to deal with the matter;
W. Leigh Brooke, Esq., J.P. of Meltham Hall, chairman of the Holmfirth Committee; and
Messrs. J.C. Laycock and J. Freeman, solicitors, hon. Secretaries.

MUNIFICENT SUBSCRIPTIONS

The wants of the homeless and destitute were attended to at once.  Committees and sub-committees were appointed to visit the sufferers and report as to their necessities; and the most active exertions were made to relieve the pressing wants which had arisen out of the sudden and calamitous visitation. 

The response of the nation resulted in £69,422 8s. 4d. being subscribed, affording a splendid instance of spontaneous public charity. 

A number of sufferers by the flood sent in no schedules of their loss, and made no claims upon the fund. 

The mortgages, claim to share in the benefit of the national liberality was first negatived by the Central Committee, but it was afterwards agreed to appropriate £7,000 “for the repair of the Bilberry Reservoir.”

The United Committee, in reply to an application to parliament by the Committee of the Holme Reservoirs for increased powers for the restoration of the reservoirs, sent a statement of their views as to the provisions needful to be inserted for the protection of the public against a similar disaster, and for settling certain differences between the Commissioners and mortgages. 

Eventually the matter was arranged above as stated. 

The committee were placed in the novel position of having to deal with funds virtually committed to their care which amounted to a sum beyond what the necessities of the case were deemed to require. 

The committee, in their report to the Central Committee, dated 27^th January, 1854, stated:

“In presenting their final report and bringing their labours to a close, your committee desire to express the deep sense they entertain of the munificent liberality manifested by all classes of the British public in order to alleviate the sufferings occasioned by this sad accident. 

In the arduous duties which have devolved upon them your committee have endeavoured to do justice to the sufferers, and carry out the views of the subscribers with all possible fairness and discrimination. 

In apportioning the grants your committee are aware that they have not altogether escaped the charge of illiberality. 

But they could not divest their mind to the fact that the subscriptions were raised in the first instance in consequence of the statements made during the experiment of the moment, and, after much careful investigation turned out to be much over-estimated, and the losses in many instances have fallen on those who were not properly objects of public subscription. 

The parties who had subscribed thus liberally looked to your committee to see that their bounty was conferred on proper objects, and several of the towns placed only a portion of their subscriptions in the hands of your committee, reserving to themselves the apportion of the remainder. 

These circumstances entailed on your committee a large amount of responsibility, which they have endeavoured to discharge according to the best of their judgement, and though the labour has not been small, the pleasure of becoming the medium of administering comfort to the sufferers in their extremity and preventing the ruin of great numbers of tradesmen, has amply compensated your committee for all the labour they have undergone.”