grave import

Obituary

Burlington mourns today the death of one of its best citizens and the scientific world loses a most important member. Charles Wachsmuth presented in his daily appearance the person of the savant and the scientist, and his quiet, gentle demeanor betokened the patient, plodding student of the mysteries of prehistoric creation. Without the elaborate training and systematic instruction of the schools in the fundamentals of the science, he took up the study of geology and the abundant field of this region directed his especial attention to the collection of fossils and we find him in a few years the friend of Aggasiz and a correspondent and member of many of the scientific societies of the world with his classifications of paleozoic fossils accepted by them as the most perfect and comprehensive. Though frail of body, he entered into his researches with the utmost enthusiasm and no degree of labor, no expenditure of time and means was too great to deter him in the pursuit of that knowledge which made the quiet, gentle-mannered man possibly the greatest paleontologist of his age. He was not given to self-praise nor did not seek to push himself into popular view, but those of us who knew the pride and the pleasure the production of his books afforded him and the appreciation that came to him from the learned men of all countries, will feel deepest the loss of such a man. In conjunction with Mr. Frank Spring, a notes lawyer of New Mexico, Mr. Wachsmuth has issued his scientific works, and death came to him while adding the final chapters to a work that will be his monument and which is issued under the auspices or Cambridge University. And but yesterday, realizing that his end was near, he sent message to his faithful young co-laborer that the completion of the great work will be in his hands, and in the course of time it will be issued in three volumes more profusely illustrated than any similar work ever issued. Since the establishment of the free public library Mr. Wachsmuth has been one of the trustees and the vice president of the trustees and the vice president of the board and he gave to its interests the benefit of his rare knowledge. Charles Wachsmuth was born in Hanover, Germany, Sept. 13, 1829, and was a son of Christian Wachsmuth, and eminent lawyer of that country. He was educated in his native country, crossing the ocean in 1852, in the interest of German emigration. Remaining two years in New York City in discharge of the duties of his mission he then came to Burlington, establishing his residence in this city. On the 3rd of June, 1855, he was married to Miss Bernadina Lorenz, also a native of Hanover, Germany. Prof. Wachsmuth began his scientific researches in 1857 in Burlington, finding this locality peculiarly rich in fossils, especially crinoids, but realizing that life was too short and the field of geology and palaeontology too vast for one to get more than a superficial knowledge in the general way, he decided to make a specialty of the study of crinoids, and with that end in view, he pursued his researches in that direction. In less than three years he had secured the largest and most complete collection known in the world, for which he received the munificent sum of $6,000 from the Museum of Comparative Zoology, at Cambridge, Mass., and which he placed on exhibition in the Museum in the Museum himself, enjoying during that time the hospitality of Prof. L. Agassiz. In 1873, in company with his wife, the professor made a tour of Europe, Asia and Africa, with a view of familiarizing himself by personal observations, with the fields of historic and classical literature. Their travels in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Arabia and Africa proved of special interest, and they returned in 1879, after an absence of five years spent in delightful travel and sojournings. Prof. Wachmuth wrote his first article on crinoids in 1877, and subsequently several others together with Mr. Frank Springer. In 1879, the first part of the revision of Palaeo-crinoidea was published, the second part in 1881, and the third and last part in 1886. The revision contained a re-description of all crinoid genera known to the present time, and brought order out of chaos. Their classification has since been accepted by the scientific world and they prepared a monograph on the Palaseo-crinoidea of America, will illustration of all known species, the drawings of twenty-four plates being already completed. The revision and most of the papers were published under the title "Wachsmuth and Springer."