Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-03
CLARENCE KING INSANE.
Said to Have Been Taken to an Asy-
lum
His Friends In This City Shocked and
Surprised at the News-His
Scientific Career.

Scientific Career.
| The New York Sun today has the follow
ing: 1t became known yesterday that Mr..
Clarence King, who was once director of
the United States Geological Survey. and
who is a member of the Metropolitan,
Knickerbocker, Union League, Century and
Tuxedo Clubs, had been committed to an
insane asylum Tuesday.
Mr.. Kings home is in Newport, but for
several weeks he had been living at the
| Union League Club and at the home of his
parents in this city. 1t could not be learned
yesterday to which asylum he had been
committed, but in all probability it is
Bloomingdale.
| Mr.. King, although not a wealthy man,
had comfortable income, which he added
to by literary work Until about three
weeks ago he took great pride in his per-
sonal appearance, keeping his short, gray
ish-brown beard always carefully trimmed
and wearing scrupulously clean clothes and
linen.
Then his friends noticed one dav that he
had suddenly become very slovenly and
careless about his appearance and his dress
His beard and hair grew unkempt he wore
and old
He avoided his old friends. and acted
strangely whenever any one spoke to him
dis mental trouble affected his frame. and
he grew emaciated.
On Monday two physicians ax.minad h;r,
ana declared him to be mentally unsound
They made out the formal Certificate and
TINS with commitment papers was presented
the next day to Judge Patterson of tbe
supreme court, who was confined 10 biS
| ness 'e' III
After the papers had been signed Mr..
hlng was removed to an ASYLUM A.
BloominSdale yesterday DIR Hail daclinaS
" say Whether or not Mr.. King was there
or anything about the case.
Surprise i'm This CITY
MI ming mas many warm friends in this
CITY, and to some of them today the
information of the publication given above
was conveyed by Star reporter. Mai.
ro"eh the director of the geological sur
Vey; MI Arnold Hague of the survey and
Mr.. McCheSney, the disbursing officer of
the survey, all of whom are Intimate friends
Oi MI King, were overwhelmed by the in
formation. Maj. Powell thought that there
must De some mistake, and that another
man having the same name had been con-
FUSED with his former associate Mr. Hague
mad received a long letter from Mr. King
dated about week ago, which was written
IN conSratulation of the marriage engage
ment OF MIR. Hague, which Mr. King had
heard about upon his return recently from
trip to British Columbia Mr. Hague
teiesraphed yesterday to Mr.. King at his
|
breakfast with him in that city tomorrow
| morning. as it is Mr.. Hague's intention to
go to New York today. This morning he
mad received no reply, but he did not think
that there was anything strange in that
as he supposed that Mr.. King might be at
his home in Newport Mr. Hague has not
seen Mr.. King recently, as the latter has
been absent in the west, but he has had
no reason to suppose that such an affliction
was likely to come upon him. The letter
TO him was a characteristic one, and GER
tainly showed no indications of mental
trouble.
The other friends of Mr. King in this
city express the utmost surprise that he
should be in the condition described in the
newspaper account, and are of the opinion
that if the statements are. true the affiic-
ton came upon him suddenly and without
the warning that is usual in such cases
Mr.. King has so many friends in this city
that the news, If ii should prove to be cor
rect would cause a general feeling of sad
ness in the circle where he Is known and
loved. He has qualities of heart and head
which make him Immensely popular. his
residence is at Newport, where his mother
lives.
sketch of His Career.
MIR. King is about fifty years of age and
soon after graduating from the Yale
Scientific School. which was in the year 1852.
he started on a horseback trip through the
west and began the series of geological in
vestigations and surveys in the western
country which has made his name famous
among scientific men, and which eventually
laid the foundations for the system or
thorough surveys which have been and are
now conducted by the geological survey.
On his first trip he crossed the continent
on horseback from the Missouri river TO
California, where he became a member of
the geological survey of that state. He con-
tinued that work until 1866, making care
full study of the gold belt of the Sierra
mountains. 1t was through his discoveries
in that region that the age of the gold
bearing rocks was determined. Returning
east he conceived a plan for an elaborate
and complete geological section of the West
ern CordilleraS mountain system at the
widest expansion of the fortieth parallel
The Secretary of War sanctioned the plan
and in March, 1867. the necessary legislation
being secured, Mr.. King was placed in
charge of the expedition. He was engaged
in that work five years, and in 1870 began
the publication of his reports. They were
completed eight years later and were issued
under the title of professional Papers of
the Engineer Department, United States
Army" They were In seven quarto vol
umes and two aliases, of which the first
volume on Systematic Geology was en-
tirely the work of Mr.. King. In 1872 Mr..
King exposed the diamond field hoax. At
that time it was rumored that large dia-
mond fields of enormous value had been dis
covered in the west The alleged fields were
within the territory of Mr.. Kings survey.
1t was afterward found that quantities of
diamonds had been brought from London
and 'Salteu III the dlIc5Ch ulSihiohu ulS-
tricts in question. AT MIR. Kings sugges-
ton, in 1878, the several national govern
rnent surveys then engaged in field work
were consolidated into the L nited States
geological survey, Mr. King being appointed
director. Mr.. King resigned his office in
1881 Since that time he had devoted his
attention to the pursuit of special geologi-
cal research. He is a member OF many
scientific societies, both in this country and
in Europe. In 1876 Mr.. King was elected a
member of the National Academy of
Sciences. He has contributed many articles
to current literature and is the author of
Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada