OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. 



649 



was disturbed with financial troubles ; but these 

 were in a measure removed, and he expected 

 to renew active business, when an attack of 

 paralysis suddenly brought his long career to 

 its close. 



Gilbert, Rnfns II., an American physician and 

 inventor, born in Guilford, N. Y., about 1830; 

 died in New York city, July 10, 1885. He 

 served an apprenticeship with a manufacturing 

 firm in Corning, N. Y., and then studied medi- 

 cine with Dr. Willard Parker, of New York 

 city, and was graduated from the College of 

 Physicians and Surgeons. After this he re- 

 turned to Corning, was successful in the prac- 

 tice of his profession, and married a daughter 

 of Chief-Justice Maynard, of the New York 

 Supreme Court. At the outbreak of the civil 

 war he joined the Duryea Zouaves as a sur- 

 geon, and went through the war, performing 

 at the battle of Big Bethel the first surgical 

 operation that was made under fire during the 

 struggle. He was subsequently made Medical 

 Director and Superintendent of the United 

 States Army Hospitals. His health becoming 

 impaired, he gave up active practice, and became 

 Assistant Superintendent of the New Jersey 

 Central Railroad. While thus occupied, he 

 was led to study the question of rapid transit. 

 His first notion was a pneumatic tube, which 

 was afterward worked out into the present 

 elevated-railroad system. The Sixth Avenue 

 road in New York was known as the Gilbert 

 Elevated Railroad, and he was at first a large 

 holder of the stock. This passed out of his 

 possession, and he charged his former associ- 

 ates with dealing fraudulently toward him. 



Gorringe, Henry II., an American naval officer, 

 born in the island of Tobago, West Indies, 

 Aug. 11, 1840; died in New York city, July 

 6, 1885. He was a son of an English clergy- 

 man, and came while a mere youth to the 

 United States, where he entered the merchant 

 marine service. He enlisted in the Union ser- 

 vice before the mast in July, 1862, was ap- 

 pointed master's mate, and joined the Missis- 

 sippi squadron under Porter, became acting 

 ensign, was made acting master, and in 1865 

 was promoted to the post of acting volun- 

 teer lieutenant. He took part in nearly all the 

 important battles of the Mississippi squadron, 

 and was promoted each time for gallant and 

 meritorious conduct. He was promoted to be 

 lieutenant-commander, July 10, 1865. When 

 the Khedive of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, offered 

 to present an obelisk to the United States in 

 1879, and the famous monolith, commonly 

 called Cleopatra's Needle, was fixed upon, 

 Lieut. Gorringe was charged with the task of 

 transporting it to America. This tested to the 

 utmost his ability as an engineer, but he 

 proved himself equal to the situation. He pur- 

 chased an iron steamer from the Egyptian 

 Government, fitted it for the reception of the 

 obelisk, and carried it safely across the Atlan- 

 tic. The obelisk arrived in New York July 

 20, 1880, and now stands in Central Park. 



(For a description and full particulars respect- 

 ing the obelisk, see u Annual Cyclopaedia " for 

 1884, pp. 595-600.) He was twenty-one years 

 in the naval service, and held several impor- 

 tant places. From 1869 to 1871 he commanded 

 the Portsmouth in the South Atlantic squad- 

 ron. He was stationed at the Ilydrographic 

 Office, Washington, 1872 to 1876, and was sent 

 with the " Gettysburg " for special service in 

 the Mediterranean from 1876 to 1878. After 

 his successful feat in the matter of the obelisk, 

 he saw but little service in the navy, but, re- 

 senting certain action on the part of the Secre- 

 tary of the Navy, he resigned and entered upon 

 a vast project in connection with the Ameri- 

 can Ship-building Company, which proved a 

 failure. Some months before his death he 

 met with a severe injury to his spine, in jump- 

 ing from a railway train while it was in mo- 

 tion, and from this injury he never recovered. 



Grier, William &, an American soldier, born 

 in Pennsylvania in 1812 ; died at Napa Springs, 

 Cal., July 9, 1885. He was graduated at West 

 Point in 1835, was appointed brevet second 

 lieutenant of the First Dragoons, and for 

 several years was engaged in frontier duty in 

 the West and Southwest. When the Mexican 

 War broke out, he entered upon active service, 

 and was brevetted major for gallant and meri- 

 torious conduct in the battle of Santa Cruz de 

 Resales, March 16, 1848. During the two 

 years following he took part in the expedition 

 against the Apache Indians, and was wounded 

 in the skirmish at Too-koon-kurre Butte, Nov. 

 17, 1849. Subsequently he was in active serv- 

 ice on the Pacific coast and in the far North- 

 west. In 1861-'62 he served as acting inspect- 

 or-general of the Army of the Potomac, and 

 commanded the first regiment of cavalry in the 

 Virginia Peninsular campaign. He was at the 

 siege of Yorktown, the battle of Williamsburg, 

 where he was wounded, at the battle of Gaines's 

 Mill, and through the seven days. Afterward 

 he served successively as superintendent of the 

 volunteer recruiting service in the States of 

 Ohio, Iowa, and Pennsylvania. He was bre- 

 vetted colonel, May 5, 1862, for gallantry at 

 the battle of Williamsburg, and brigadier-gen- 

 eral, March 13, 1865, for meritorious service 

 during the war. At his own request, he was 

 placed on the retired list Dec. 15, 1870. 



Grinnell, Joseph, an American merchant, born 

 in New Bedford, Mass., Jan. 18, 1789 ; died 

 there, Feb. 7, 1885. He was the second son of 

 Cornelius Grinnell, shipmaster, and an elder 

 brother of Henry and Moses H. Grinnell. He 

 came to New York and with Mr. Fish estab- 

 lished in 1815 the house of Fish & Grinnell. 

 This firm continued till 1825, when Mr. Fish 

 retired, and Henry and Moses entered into part- 

 nership with their brother. Three years later 

 the elder brother retired, and soon afterward 

 Robert B. Minturn entered the house, the firm 

 being known as Grinnell, Minturn, & Co. Jo- 

 seph Grinnell resided at New Bedford for fif- 

 ty-six years, and was' President of the Marine 



