Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-04-12
COL. GEO. P. BISSELL
DEATH or 4 FRIEND OF WHEELING, IN SEV
YORK.
The President Of the Wheeling and Eastern I'M
provsmsnt Company Passes Away at the
Victoria Hotel at lis A. II.

Victoria Hotel. New York City, at Ills
O'Clock Yesterday morning, was received
bv the business men Of Wheeling, to many
of whom he was well known, with surprise
and sorrow. while the blow fell heavily
upon those directly interested in the
Wheeling Bridge and Terminal Railroad
COMPANY. with which corporation the de-
ceased had been intimately and actively
interested from the inauguration Of work
I'm this city. In the death Of Col. Bissell,
Wheeling. as "a city, loses constant ana
warm friend-ouc whose interest in the
community was not, by any means,
bounded bv the railroad company, for ne
MIS- deeply concerned. from the first, in the
welfare of the city at large, and so
often did he refer to our community and
its possibilities, that some Of his Hartford
friends used % twit him, lOklngly, WIN
having become more OF wheeling man
than was meet and proper ina loyal citlzen
of Hartford. His death removes irom earth
"a man thoroughly imbued with the spirit OF
1~,r-e,,-a man of enterprise, of ideas, OF
broad Intelligence and OF, high standing i'm
rn. business w0rli-One who made dis
fioc- IMPRESSION upon those with whom he
was brought into contact as beng one OF
t.Y,. Of whom it is not sufficient 10 say he
v.i. abreast Of the spirit of progress which
.raractcrllcs llc age. oul lhat ne was III
e..ta leader .n all that goes % maintain
ami advance nineteenth century American
civilization
George u. Bis-cl was native OF New
York. born of parents far removed from
wealth. OF high inherent intelligence he
a.llired good education at various East.
eIn seats OF learning and then, Wulie sun
Cd young man. le shipped as sailor tud
for Two or tur'e years he worked before
tho mast visiting many foreign ports ana
seeing much OF rle world FINALLY giving
ln th, life OF o. sailor he went To- Hartford
Z Conn., where he became an employe IA "a
I bank. and advancing step pN step, was soon
recognized as "a business man of more than
ordinary sacdcity About this time Mr..
Bisse.l married Miss Julia Perkins Day,
I of Hartford aud soon afterwards became
| "a partner in the banking business with his
wiles father When the war broke out,
Er Bisseu was active in seeing that
! Connecticut did her share in the Union
r9use. and about the middle of the war be-
came Colonel of regiment of infantry,
SEEING about "a wears service AT the
/ 'front.'" Returning from the war, he re.
/ sumed active business in the private bank
| inc line. his firm being George u. Bssell
/ * 90 known as the oldest private bank
/ ;r,, firm I'm an New England.
] Coi Bissell was always active in private
affairs I'm his city and State. and an evil
dence of his influence and activity
/ is Afforded I'm the beautiful memo
rial arch spanning one of the main
streets of Hartford, built in
honor and memory of the Connecticut sol
diers Col. BisseIl was an extensive tray
eler a man of wide information. a great
/ reader and one who reioiced in the friend
! Shin of scores of men prominent in the bust
ness affairs of the country, and who was
intimate with many distinguished i'm liter
ature and art. among his close friends be-
inc samuel l.. Clemens. Charles Dudley
/ Warner. Harriet Beecher Stowe. and
others of like prominence.
But IN is Col. Bisselrs connection with
our great railroad enterprise. with which
| his name will ever be associated bv Wheel
/ iurpeOple. which is Of especial interest 10
our readers. In the spring of lSSS. Col
Bisselrs attention was invited bv
Tudqe II. III. Cochran. Col. Lynch and
others 10 the great possibilities embraced
i'm tho Wheeling Union bridge enterprise
and i'm the summer of that wear Col Bisseli
paid his first visit To- this CITY Here he
| made the acquaintance of a number Of
| Wheeling people. looked over the ground
thoroughly. and became very favorablv
IMPRESSED with the Wheeling of that time
and especially with the promises of future
/ prosperity here held forth He at once an
nounced his conviction that he had been
/ introduced % a good thing and from that
time forward ne took an active part in the
great enterprise He organized the fnan-
| Inc Wheeling \ Eastern TmnroveTnent
| Companv of Hartford. Conn of which
company he was made President 4 CON
| tract was entered into between the I'm
provemeut Company and the Wheel
| ING n Harrisburg Railroad Comnanv
/ for the construction of the Union
bridge and terminals. and work was soon
commenced. Col Bissell coming here and
establishing not only headquarters. but
becoming almost a citizen of Wheeling. As
he came 70 know more of Wheeling and her
people, his previous conviction Of the char
acter of our community was deepeued. and
il was the direct result of this conviction
| that 10 was determined 20 double track the
bridge and tunnels, enlarge the terminal
facilities, and indeed, construct everything
upon plan much more extended than was
at first contemplated These expansions
resulted in the Chapline hill tunnel, the
ramihcati0nS of the terminal system on the
Sout Side the projected Union railroad
station, etc.
Col Bisseli wtS almost constantly In this
CITY until September last, when he was
called East by business. and work having
in great measure ceased. by reason of
bad weather. he took the opportunity TO
look after some Eastern business matters.
which for some time engaged his attention
az his New York Office. During the
autumn months Col BisSell began TO be
troubled by an Intestinal and bowel mala-
dy which first made rs appearance some
years ago wnIe JraVehng IN Japan with
| his VIE ana 9aughter' ana inns disease re-
sisted an EFFORTS 10 control H. ana be
came CHROME. ne last visited his
New OK Once January lttu last out
short time AGO. Only a week AGO. when
d. MS ID Of is h.nH q