WILLIAM PITT EARLE, hotel proprietor, in his day a famous New York hotel
keeper, was born in Worcester, Mass., about 1812, and died in this city, Jan. 2, 1894.
Mr. Earle entered upon business life early and made his way with much energy. When
he opened Earle's Hotel on Park Row, he began those operations, which, owing to
his foresight and sagacity, were marked with almost monotonous success. In recent
years, he conducted Earle's Hotel on Canal street at the corner of Centre street, and
invested his earnings mainly in real estate in different parts of the city, which advanced
greatly in value. He was one of the originators of The National Park Bank and The
Consumers' Ice Co. His wife and five children survived him, the latter being William
H., Gen. Ferdinand P., Eugene M., and Frank T. Earle and Emma Louise, wife of
John L. Chadwick. The sons are all hotel men. Gen. Ferdinand P. Earle, formerly
of Earle's Hotel and lately proprietor of the Hotel New Netherland, now conducts the
Normandie and a summer hotel of the same name on the New Jersey coast, is a man
remarkable for public spirit, and has lately bought the famous mansion of Madame
Jumel, in which he lives on Washington heights. He was a member of the military
staff of Governor Flower.

TIMOTHY C, EASTflAN, merchant, born about 1821, died at his home, Tarry¬
town, N. Y., Oct. II, 1893. He began life poor, working along the river front, where
he became familiar with the handling of cattle in transportation, and showed so much
energy that a position was given him on The New York Central & Hudson River Rail¬
road. In the course of time, he was placed in charge of all the cattle business of the
company. Having saved some means, he went into business for himself, and gained
fortune by effecting a revolution in the methods for supplying England with American
beef. He not only shipped thousands of live cattle to England and whole cargoes of
fresh beef in refrigerating chambers by steamship, but promoted retail market stores
in all parts of the United Kingdom. In 1889, he founded The Eastman's Co., with a
capital of $750,000 to carry on this trade, and was its president, his son Joseph being
treasurer. Large abbatoirs were established at the foot of West 59th street. He was
a director in The West Side Bank and a member of the Produce Exchange. He was
survived by his wife, Mrs. Lucy P. Eastman, and his children, Joseph Eastman and
Mrs. Elizabeth Bell. Mr. Eastman belonged to the Manhattan, New York and Law¬
yers' clubs, and The New England Society.

THOflAS ALVA EDISON, inventor, was born Feb. 11, 1847, in Alva, O. His
only schooling was given him by his mother, who had been a teacher. When twelve
years old, the lad went to work as a newsboy on The Grand Trunk Railroad, and,
during leisure moments on the train, managed to study qualitative analysis and
diversify existence in the baggage car with chemical experiments. A grateful
station master, whose child he had saved from death at the risk of his own life, taught
him telegraphy, and he soon became a skillful operator. While yet a boy, he invented
the " automatic repeater." In 1864, the possibility of sending two messages at once
over the same wire, suggested itself to his mind; and he perfected an invention for
this purpose in 1872, developing it not only to duplex but even sextuplex transmission.