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"B."

REPORT OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE.

To the Board of Trustees of the Wisconsin Institution for the Education of the Blind:

GENTLEMEN: Your Building Committee having performed the duties assigned them by you, submit the following

REPORT:

The foundation and basement of the main building and east) wing of the same which you placed under our charge for con->* struction is completed, and is now ready for the superstructure.

You are aware that from unavoidable circumstances you did not authorize us to enter upon our duties as building committee, untike the season was far advanced.

This circumstance in connection with the fact, that we had made no previous arrangement for procuring materials, and also being destitute of funds with which to prosecute the work, has rendered our labors somewhat difficult and arduous; and these causes bave contributed to retard the completion of the work much more than we could have wished. The want of funds has caused us no little inconvenience in procuring sufficient help to advance the work as fast as was desirable.

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When we commenced the work, the erection of the east wing was not anticipated, by your board, for the present at least, but subsequently as the excavation for the main building progressed, it was seen to be all important, in fact absolutely necessary to the permanency of the whole structure, to extend the excavation for the east wing, and lay the foundation of the wing at the bottom of a sub-cellar.

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afforded by this building for work shop, sleeping rooms, &c., it would be impossible to accommodate our present number of pupils.

Among the other duties assigned us was the making some imperatively necessary repairs about the present institute buildings. These improvements had been quite too long delayed; they consisted in grading and filling in the earth on the west side and putting in cubing stones instead of an a ca, wall, as was originally designed, to protect the foundation from currents of water accumulated by ra n storms, &c.

Also stone steps leading under piazzas flagging both front and rear piazzas with stone, building three cess pools, stone sinks, conduit pipes, &., all of which has been done in a good substantial manner and at as low a price as possible, viz: four hundred and sixtyseven 15 100 dollars.

In excavating the cellar and basement of new buildings we.. made our contracts so that we could have the gravel and earth delivered at such points within the institute grounds as we might choose, so that with a trifling additional expense we ha e gravel. ed thoroughly one hundred and fifty rods of drives and walks on the institute grounds, and filled in around th west wing, and the work shop seven hundred yards of earth, and in addition saved all the sand we have used in our present work, and have on hand nearly if not quite enough to complete the institute buildings, which latter item alone obtained through the usual means would have cst as much as the whole expense of excavating and depos iting all the earth removed for the whole building..

The accompanying statement will exhibit to you the amount of expences of the different departments of work given s in charge.

Moving and improvements on work shop

Repairs and improvements about the west wing

212,54

467,15

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Expenses incurred in excavating the collar and constructing the centre main building and cast wing as far as completed

Tools and materials on hand

5,202,36

$5,882,05

301,50

$5,577,55

All of which is most respectfully submitted,

Janesville December 16th, 1854.

IRA MILTIMORE

J. F. WILLARD,

Building Committee.

REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT.

To the Board of Trustees of the Wisconsin Institute for the edu cation of the Blind.

GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to present you a fourth annual report of the Institution under my care.

The institution has been under my charge nearly two years, and it gives me pleasure to state, that the pupils have never appreciated their advantages more, nor improved them better than during the past year.

Our number of pupils is sixteen, or three more than during the previous year.

The annexed schedule, "A," shows the names, ages, residence, place of nativity, number of years blindness, date of admission of the several pupils now in the institution.

We have now as great a number as can be accommodated in the present building. When the other portion of the building is completed, we anticipate a considerable accession to our present number.

The measles made its appearance among the pupils of the institute about the middle of February last, and from that time until the middle of April, we were afflicted with the disease, taking in its range eight or ten of our number.

In a disease like the measles, much depends upon care. They were attended by Dr. L. J. Barrows, who gave unremitting attention to the pupils during the entire time of their sickness, and to whom in behalf of the pupils and others, I tender grateful thanks.

After the measles had left us, Miss Frances Raleigh was taken with a very serious lameness, which continued so long that it was

thought advisable to send her home, which was accordingly done about the first of May last, and she did not return until the beginning of the present term.

Dr. C. G. Pease, in the absence of Dr. Barrows, attended the pupil last mentioned. August Cale was detained at home by illness until the first of the present month.

Our workshop has been an invaluable aid during the past year in enabling the boys to learn the manner of manufacturing brooms. The scarcity of material for brooms has been a great detriment to the work. It is with the greatest difficulty that any broom corn can be obtained, and when found a most extravagant price is asked.

I would respectfully suggest to the board the propriety of making a contract with some person to furnish the institute with a certain amount of broom corn. By this means we can secure a sufficiency, which I think cannot be obtained in any other manner without travelling hundreds of miles.

Previous to last April the boys had been allowed a certain sum upou each broom manufactured after they had made the number required by the institution.

By this arrangement they were induced to occupy much of their time while out of school, in the manufacture of brooms. During the hours employed by the boys in the shop, the girls are engaged, under the superintendence of Mrs. Walls, in knitting. This consists of the manufacture of tidies, sacks for children, chair armlets, cake covers, ottoman covers, &c., &c.

The girls provide the material for the manufacture of these articles and have the avails.

They will commence the manufacture of bead baskets before the 1st of January next.

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