grave import

Obituary

One of the saddest of deaths in the history of the Chicago Burlington & Quincy construction department was that of C.E. Barnum, of West Burlington. Mr. Barnum was the inventor of a new stoker to be applied to railroad locomotives which gave promise of being a great success. The stoker was attached to a locomotive and a trial was given it on the Burlington branch, but the day before the trial Mr. Barnum was taken ill and had to be removed to his home in West Burlington, and therefore the test had to be made without his supervision. As there were some points about the mechanism which he alone understood the test was not fully a success and the engine was placed in the roundhouse to await his recovery. He never left his bed again and after an operation for cancer of the stomach, he passed away, leaving what is believed to be a most valuable invention unperfected. It is stated by those who know, that the stoker would save millions of dollars in coal bills for railroads. Mr. Barnum had been working on his patent for a number of years and had at last perfected it to his satisfaction. If he could he have been spared a few weeks longer he would have placed it on a successful footing. Death was an untimely cutting off of a rare genius. It is not known whether the patent will be taken up by others to be perfected, but it is presumed that this will be done by some of the experts of the Burlington engineering department and that the family of Mr. Barnum will receive the benefit of any good that might come of it.