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OBITUARY One of the most remarkable of Americans passed away when Charles T. Harvey died at the home of his son in New York, on March 13, at the ad- vanced age of 83 years. Being gifted with an almost incredible energy, his achievements in a practical way were many and his rewards should have been greater than they were. He had one of those real practical natures which seemed to accomplish wonders without schooling. He was born in 1829, and juis first employment was with E. & T. Fairbanks & Co., scale manufacturers of St. Johnsbury, Vt., as general west- ern agent in charge of establishing agencies for their weighing machines in the larger western cities. While en- gaged in this pursuit he was_ stricken with typhoid fever, and upon his con- valescence his employers sent him to the upper peninsula of Michigan to re- cuperate. This was in 1852, and. con- gress had just authorized a grant of 750,000 acres of land to be selected in the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan by anyone who would build a canal around the rapids of St. Mary's river 'at the Sault and commercially connect Lake Superior with the lower lakes. . His mind was intensely practical and he saw at once the possibilities of wealth lying latent in the situation, as both copper and iron ore in large quantities had already been discovered in_ the Lake Superior country. It was charac- teristic of Harvey's nature that when he became enthusiastic over anything his enthusiasm knew no bounds, and, as it was linked with an almost volcanic energy there was no such thing as re- sisting him. He talked his employers into organizing a company to build a canal, and, though he had no training whatever as an engineer, he had suff- cient confidence in his own: practical resources to undertake the supervision of its construction personally. The work was prosecuted under difficulties that were almost insuperable. There was no settlement nearer than Detroit. The nearest machine shop was hundreds of miles away, and the place was a veritable wilderness. The days were short and the nights long, but despite all handicaps, including a frightful dec- imation of labor by the cholera, the canal was finished in two years' time. As soon as it was accepted, Harvey selected the lands in payment for his employers, one of the locations bearing the celebrated Calumet and Hecla mine: He then undertook the manufacture of pig iron in the peninsula, but, like all CHartes T. HArvry the others who attempted it at the time, he lost money. in the 60's he went to New York and planned the elevated railway there, which was the first to be constructed anywhere in the world. He was a man who thought in large units and devoted his life to large: aftairs. In fact,.aipon the approach of his eightieth birthday he was actively engaged in interesting Capital in a-ratlway to reach the: Hlud- son Bay country. He was a man of very. deep convictions and. of -an in- tensely religious nature. He established a. Presbyterian "chiirch at 'the "Sault, which was one of the first, if not the first, in the north, and he preached and practiced total abstinence during his entire: life. Frank J. Firth, former president of the Erie & Western Transportation Co. (Anchor Line), the lake end of the Pennsylvania Railway system, died at his home in Philadelphia on March 18. Mr. Firth was for 25 years the head of the. Anchor line and, though | his headquarters always in Philadel- phia, he was very along the chain of great lakes. He _ served tor one year as president: of the 'Lake Carriers' Association, but was a regular were well known attendant at all of its meetings until his retirement in 1906. -Mr. Firth was | Wen Of unusual ability. and most Upon his retire- business he devoted his time to hospital charming personality. ment from 'active a great deal of ~widely known in work in connection with the German- town hospital. In addition he. spent his jeisure in writing books on religious subjects. One of his works, "Christian Unity, in Effort,'..1s a.reeord, of "some personal thoughts and beliefs and rep- resents his conviction that every man and woman should acquire by individ- ual effort some simple religious knowl- edge and personal faith as is essential to a well-rounded life. Abraham Snyder, secretary and treas- urer of the Buffalo Gasolene Motor Co., died at Buffalo on March 12, aged 67 years. He entered the power boat field in its infancy, being one of the organizers of the Buffalo Gasolene Mo- tor 'Goi,-and he occupied 'a: foremost position in marine engine construction of this type until his death. -He was the trade, taking a keen and active interest in the affairs of power boat organizations throughout the country. Edward Sabine Renwick, a noted in- ventor and patent expert and author of "Practical Invention,' died March 19 at ohort. Hills; "N: Ji aged 90" years. After leaving college, Mr. Renwick be- ceme superintendent of an iron works in. Wilkes Barre, Pa., but after 1849 devoted his time to serving as an ex- pert in patent cases. In 1862,' with his brother, Henry B. Renwick, he won dis- tinction by repairing the steamship Great Eastern while afloat, replacing a fracture in the bilge 82 ft. long and 10 it. in greatest width. He was a mem- ber of the American Society of Me- chanical Engineers and other societies. William Charles Towen, president of the Eastern Shipyard Co. and vice- commodore of the National Yacht Club, died March 19 at the Hotel Knicker- becker, New York, at the age of 54 years. He was born and educated in Detroit, Mich., and served in the United States navy from 1875 to 1879, being attached to the Vermont and to the Tennessee. He was a vice president and director of the Frazer Hollow Boat Co, Thomas Green, chief engineer of the Soo Line, died at. Minneapolis on March 28, after an illness of several months. He was 48 years old. Samuel Davis, chief engineer of the steamer Mary C. Elphicke, died sud- denly at his home in South Chicago, on Merch 17. Naval Constructor Robert William Steele died at his home, Spring Lake, Noy, on Feb, 29. He entered the service as master shipwright in 1861.