New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-20
OBITUARY..
GEORGE W. BLINT.

Pilot commissioner UtDlEc w l'l"!i' w.
about o'clock last evening, at his residence No =
West Twclfth-st. For few weeks past he has been a.
aic;cd IN "A combination of diseases including com
plans of the liver and bladder and drppsicl amcnt'
lie has been visited frequently by ThnrloW Weed d'h-
eral Ne Wton Dr. Chaum and Others. He VIII DC Dnlled
on Monday from DR.. Cbapias Church
Under the date of Dccember 81 1877 MI Blunt pre-
pared the following autobiography:
"Iwas born IN the town Of Ncwburyport, Mass Oh the
l1th of March 1902; was OF four soas three are
now dead all men of decided ability, great intelligence
and public spirit Before was fourteen years ola J
went TO sea ms sailor which pursuit followed uatll
nearly twcnty-1nc years OF age, when gave up De-
cause the lady | was to marry wOuId not
have me unless did so. She, in this.
as In all she did, right. tLen went
into business as publisher OF charts aud nautical
books i'm Nav ls2 and published largely up 10 1866.
when sold out my establishment. My great wish has
been Ia he an useful man. and in lsl0-26 Wis en-,
Ncw.YOrk GIarbor neither OF which had been 'ufyrFrn
In 1891, seeing the great imperiection OF or Ls"'
Uousca and the superiority OF those Of The Frrncl
cale the attention ~ our Government TO this fact, and
nv brother imund did 30 IN 1888, ana Tue result was
i'm $50 me establishment of the present Light House
Board and the adoption Of the French system oil Ehs
In lsi5 was selected rs OF committee to organ
lie the present system OF ploage for Nrwfork; thS
has been Of signal advantage to our commerce. was
chosen a Pilot Commissioner, and have been one, with
the execution Il six mohths up to this time In 1857
WAS created arbor Commissioner, 10 protect the Har
bUr of Ncw-IOrk. nc salary OF Sl,OoO per annih Al
The end of two wears the Legislature stopped the pay
Inc commis, toner's sent in their rcsignations, which
tho senate would not accept, ana the com
mnY amd against their viii years trustee
of the seanan's Retreat. and two years Commissioner
OF Emigration from which was removed Nv Governor
seymour. because would not let the Commission DC
used for the propagation IL Irish Roman Catholicism
have held public Offices oiB-hc years an "'lou' PaN'
excepting seven years
"My frat vote was in 1923, against Tammany Hall,
and | have voted every election since that time
against that party. Did my best In the election
of 1872 TO Kill IT,, when led TO the slaugl-
ter nv Mr. Greeley. Of whom 1t can be SAID
s Of SAMSON that in his death he slew more than IN his
life believe in God, His INFINITE power and mcrcics
The mIssoa OF Christ the Dag Of the Union; that next
10 God ones duty to his country and obedience 10 It's
Laws as no one can be good citizen that Goes not obey
the law Have through ms ne been subject To many
eXposurrs-sna pox, ship fever. cholera yellow fever
aud Drmocrucy-ueycr took either
There are many Interesting facts In the lie 81 Mr.
pnnt which ne has not recorded His father, Edmund
" Blunt wns wclLLnown publisher of marine works
"ntrd tac American Coast Pilot and published nine
editions Off the last edition appearing IN lsl7. lie
! lived TO be over ninety years old lie gave IN
structIon in photography 10 his two sons, George
W. ana Edmund W., IT,, =, wno continued
! their fathers business ut No. 2o2 Natcr-SL
II was while engaged 10 business there that the firm
fdcd out expedition TO survey the Bahama Islands
uarmcnt detailed sailing Master /. Mal'ay 10 assist on
ihc expedition Great Hain ana other countries were
avn coasts Ii IL claimed by Mr. Bunts friends that hc
received much assistance from foreign countries tu!lI
t6e siyycys but that the United states Government
snluely refused to furnish desirable information The
| patcs and copyrights of the nautical works
! paving the firm $4,000. In business: the firm
! wac very prosperous III one time haNIhS almost
DgIng tie war Of the rebellion, Mr. Blunt was unfor-
inmate M his business relations Much trade was lost
Trough his bcng nrm and devoted supporter of the
Union cause and entertaining bitter hatred toward the
| by Gideon Weles, then secretary Of the
Navy, us president of "A board TO examine ap-
It,. for moi a
the navy. Fer th- office he received no remuneration
from the Government The board Furnished oyer 200
the Coast Pilot" and also edited ne sheet Anchor
Those with whom he has been engaged IN business state
ot g strict trmperance principles lade II unpleasant
for him to deal with many shipmasters. he would
never court trade by violating those PRINCIPLES.
| Mr. Blunt married twice, his last wife living only
ten months Two daughters survive him. one OF " HON
| is unmarried the other, Mrs Van WJck, Is II widow.
| uianguator in the world.
Mr. Blunt was very pcrsevering in his attempts to
resist encroachments Of any kind upon the harbor HIS
| last public letter upon this SUBJECT written
| April g. and dealt particularly with The distractions
caused by shad polc- " In 1871 he wrote, the harbor,
from the Sarrows TO Syuytcn Duyye Creek. tine
Kings County shore one mass Of suapoles looking like
dead forest trees some oil them orlnE seventy feet In
length. The comnis toner's, after due notice to the
of the poles decided to have them removed very
proper that one OF the commissioners should
60 on the expe!iiip%n1i; o,, The writ, writer Of this
resistance he applied to the Police Commissioners
for the police boat TO accompany the tug char
tered by the Pilot Commissioners. They began at
the Narrows aud worked their way slowly up, as
the poles very many. They removed at the
| beginning from twenty-five to thirty poles a day
Of various lengths, aud all Ia thirty feet of water.
going on TOR years. and 1t il only within ten years il has
got into manageable state, as the perinaciiy OF the
JeIseymen In putting down the poles has had "a
ing the poles has cost the State OF New
York thousands OF dollars but the state has gained
a benefit in the diminished damage to navigation
| write this as I see the New-Jersey Pilot Commits
sionors have gwen permission to put down poles in The
North River 10 the middle Of the river, they do moi
| ObstIuct uaYigatlOn.'