634 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (BiGELOW BOKER.) 



and Volunteers. While in the service he contracted 

 rheumatism in his hands, which led to his discharge 

 for disability. He settled in Wilmington, Del., and 

 began making surgical instruments for use in the 

 army. An order to make a model of Ericsson's 

 " Monitor " led him to undertake a business in which 

 he became famous. The "Monitor" model was 

 made of gold for a watch-charm, and had a revolving 

 turret and a propeller that would turn at will. The 

 accuracy of this miniature model won him the lasting 

 friendship of Capt. Ericsson, for whom he made a 

 working model of the United States frigate " Roan- 

 oke." Subsequently he made models of steam yachts, 

 locomotives, steamships, the Corliss centennial en- 

 gine, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, electric cars, 

 and of several of the new naval cruisers, nearly all of 

 gold and silver and with musical boxes attached. He 

 did all the work himself, though his hands and fingers 

 were drawn out of shape by rheumatism. 



Bigelow, Henry Jacob, physician, born in Boston, 

 Mass., in 1818 ; died in Newton, Mass., Oct. 30, 1890. 

 He received his preparatory education in the Boston 

 Latin School, was graduated at the medical depart- 

 ment of Harvard College, aad supplemented his med- 

 ical studies with a course in Europe. Early in his 

 career he became interested in experiments with 

 anaesthetic agents, and in November, 1846, he made 

 the first public announcement of their discovery and 

 successful application. Dr. Bigelow was surgeon to 

 the Massachusetts General Hospital for many years, 

 and Professor of Surgery in Harvard College tor 

 twenty years. In 1869 he published a notable work 

 on the mechanism of dislocations by the flexions 

 method, and his labors in the field of practical surgery 

 gained him membership in the principal medical, 

 surgical, and scientific societies of the United States 

 and Europe. 



Billings, Frederick, lawyer, born in Royalton, Vt., 

 Sept. 27, 1823 ; died in Woodstock, Vt., Sept. 30, 

 1890. He was graduated at the University of Ver- 

 mont in 1844; was admitted to the bar in 1848, and 

 removing to San Francisco in 1849 was the first law- 

 yer that opened an office in that city. His first client 

 was John A S utter, on whose ranch James W. Mar- 

 shall had first discovered gold. Soon alter his ar- 

 rival he formed a partnership with A. C. Peachy. 

 Subsequently Gen. Henry W. Halleck was admitted 

 to the firm 'and given charge of the Spanish and 

 Mexican land title business, and afterward Trenor W. 

 Park became a partner. The firm prospered greatly 

 and held together till 1861, when Gen. Scott solicited 

 Gen. Halleck to rejoin the army, and Mr. Billings 

 went to England as the attorney of John C. Fremont 

 in the matter of his Mariposa estate. Mr. Billings re- 

 turned to San Francisco in 1863, resumed practice for 

 two years, and then settled in Woodstock, Vt. In 

 1866,' while taking a long journey for his health, he 

 became impressed with the vastness and resources of 

 the region of Oregon and Washington Territory, and 

 was induced to purchase a twelfth interest in the 

 Northern Pacific Railroad Company. In 1870 he be- 

 came a director of the company, and organized and 

 managed its land department. In 1875 he formulated 

 the plan of reorganization by which its bonded debt 

 was wiped out, and was appointed chairman of the 

 executive committee, and in 1879 he was elected 

 president of the company. He held this office till 

 1881, and in that time rapidly pushed the extension of 

 the road and its connections, and largely advanced 

 the value of its securities. When Henry Villard se- 

 cured a majority of the company's stock, Mr. Billings 

 retired from the presidency, but retained his stock 

 and his seat in the directory. He then became inter- 

 ested in the construction of the Nicaragua Canal, and 

 at the time of his death was chairman of the executive 

 committee of the company, and a director in the con- 

 struction company. In his life-time Mr. Billings 

 presented the University of Vermont with a library 

 building at a cost of $200,000 ; purchased and gave 

 the library, the rich collection of "12.COO volumes on 

 philology, European literature, and history gathered 



by George P. Marsh ; gave the library, an endow- 

 ment of $50,000 ; rebuilt the Congregational church 

 at Woodstock at a cost of $65,000 ; and built a church 

 in the town of Billings, Montana, which was named 

 for him. He bequeathed $50,000 to Amherst College 

 to endow a professorship, $50,000 to Mr. Moody's 

 school for boys at Northfield, Mass., and equally 

 liberal sums to other institutions. He received the 

 degree of LL. D. from the University of Vermont. 



Elaine, Walker, lawyer, born in Augusta, Me., May 

 8, 1855; died in Washington, D. C., Jan. 15, 1890. 

 He was the eldest son of Hon. James G. Blaine, and 

 was graduated at Yale University in 1876. He then 

 studied for two years in the Law School of Columbia 

 College, and after being graduated there was ad- 

 mitted to the bar in his native State, and began prac- 

 ticing with Cushman K. Davis (now United States 

 Senator) in St. Paul, Minn. In 1881. when his father 

 entered the Cabinet of President Garfield as Secretary 

 of State, Walker was appointed third assistant secre- 

 tary, and soon afterward accompanied Hon. William 

 H. Trescott on a special diplomatic mission to Chili, 

 Peru, and Bolivia. Soon after his sailing for South 

 America, notice was received in Washington of the 

 death of Gen. Judson Kilpatrick, United States minis- 

 ter to Chili, and President Arthur appointed Mr. 

 Blaine charge d'affaires in that country. On the re- 

 tirement of his father from the State Department, 

 President Arthur appointed Walker assistant counsel 

 for the United States before the Court of Commission- 

 ers of Alabama Claims. He held this office till, the 

 court ceased to exist, Jan. 1, 18b6, and then removed 

 to Chicago to practice law. In March, 1889, Presi- 

 dent Harrison appointed him solicitor of the State 

 Department, in succession to Francis Wharton. 



Blair, Samuel Steele, lawyer, born in Pennsylvania, 

 in 1821 ; died in Holidaysburg, Pa., Dec. 8, 1890. In 

 1858 he was elected a Representative in Congress, in 

 which he served as a member of the committee on 

 private land claims; and in 1860 he was re-elected, 

 and became chairman of his old commjttee and a 

 member of several others. At the time of his death 

 he was the oldest member of the Blair County bar. 



Boker, George Henry, author, born in Philadelphia, 

 Pa., Oct. 6, 1823; died there, Jan. 2, 1890. He was 

 graduated at Princeton in 1843 ; was subsequently ad- 

 mitted to the bar, but never practiced ; spent several 

 years in European 

 travel; and published 

 his first volume of 

 poems on his return 

 to the United States 

 in 1847. In the fol- 

 lowing year he pub- 

 lished his first dra- 

 matic work, " Calay- 

 nos, a tragedy," 

 which was produced 

 on the stage in Eng- 

 land and the United 

 States soon afterward, 

 and was revived by 

 Lawrence Barrett in 

 the United States in 

 1883. From the ap- 

 pearance of these 

 works he applied 

 himself closely to 



poetic and dramatic composition, intermitting with 

 periods of activity in political life. He was originally 

 a Democrat, but joined the Republican party on its 

 formation, and was constant to it through life. As a 

 founder and active member of the Union League of 

 Philadelphia and as a writer of war lyrics, he ren- 

 dered the Union cause a hearty and fruitful service 

 during the civil war. In 1872 he was appointed by 

 President Grant United States minister to Turkey, in 

 1876 he was transferred to Russia, and in 179 he re- 

 signed and returned home. His poetical works com- 

 prise : "The Lesson of Life " (Philadelphia, 1847); 

 Jl Plays and Poems" (1856); Poems of the War" 



