The Portland daily press., 1896-03-04
FAMED WAR CORRESPONDENT.
% uddeu Death os Charles c. Coffin in
BrOokline.

Charles Carleton Coffin died suddenly
at his homo on Smaller street, Brook line,
shortly after ~ NJ. Tuesday.
Mr.. Coffin was native Of Boscawen.
N. H., and was born July 26, 1928. He
was descended from Tristram Coffin, an
immigrant Of 1912. AS boy he was an
omnivorous reader. He was otherwise
educated in the district school and at
the academies in Boscawen and Fem
broke, but ill-health declared him from
collegiate course.
He studied the elements Of surveying
and in 1916 was attached to the engineer
ing corps of the Northern railroad.
Later he was employed Oh the concord
& Claremont railroads.
In 1916 he was married to Miss Sally Il.
Farmer of Bosoawen, q sister OF the emil
nent engineer and inventor. He bought
farm in his native town, but failing
, health compelled him to abandon 1t.
In 1849 he constructed the telegraph
line between Harvard observatory and
Boston, by which uniform time was first
given to the railroads leading from Bos-
ton. He had charge Of the construction
of the telegraph fire alarm, and gave the
first signal by that system, April 20, 1862
He began at an early age to write for
the newspapers, and from 1850 to 1854
was frequent contributor to the Boston
and New York press. Later in the SOS,
and until the outbreak of the war, he
worked as a reporter, correspondent and
associate editor Of the Boston Traveller,
the journal and the Atlas. During the
war he represented the journal in the
field, where he acquired the reputation
of an active, graphic delineator Of the
stirring military events of the tim g.
In 1867 he spent year and half in
Europe, whittier he went to report for the
Boston Journal the progress OF the war
between A ustria and Germany. He bore
letters of Introduction which opened great
social opportunities. AT the Social
Science Congress in Belfast, Ire., he gave
an address upon the American common
schools. After visiting Europe, he made
an extended tour in the East, including
Turkey, Syria, Palestine Egypt. India,
China and Japan, returning by the way
of California in 1869.
Then he entered the lecture field, and
was frequently before the public as a
speaker for the Lowell Institute. teach
ers associations, legislative committees,
etc. In 1870 he received from Amherst
College the honorary degree of A. NJ.
He was member of the New England
Historical and Genealogical Society, and
was the orator at the celebration of the
150th anniversary of the settlement of his
native town.
He was a member of the lower house of
the Massachusetts, Legislature of 1884
1895, and of the Senate of 1891.
In 1869 he published "Our New Way
Round the World, T" followed by the "Seat
boys of '76, +" STORY of Liberty "stOld
Times in the Colonies, " Building the
Nation" and "Life of Gar field" beside
history Of his native town.
Mr.. Coffin had enjoyed an acquaint-
anoe with nearly all the public men of
this country. including Daniel Wesbter,
Everett, Winthrop, Sumner, Wilson,
Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Phillips.
Winslow, Blaine. Whittier, Holmes,
Longfeliow. Bryant, Bayard Talyor.
Since 1870 Mr.. Coffin had devoted him
self largely to authorship. His published
works now number 90 volumes. The fl st
volumes published during the war are
still in demand, while his later works
have steady sale. His books have found
their way largely into the public schools
for supplementary reading. He had been
contributor to Harper's and the a tlau-
tic, and delivered no fewer than 200 ad-
dresses.
While Mr.. CONN was in Vienna he was
introduced by Mr.. Motley to the prime
minister Of Austria, and Mr.. Coffin was
hy him provided with seat with the
diplomatic corps upon the coronation Of
the Emperor and Empress of Austria as
King and Queen Of Hungary. At Ber-
lin he witnessed grand review Of the
Prussian army before William L., the
Gear of Russia, Bismarck, Moltke and
Gortschokoff.
Through the courtesy of Gen. Dix, in
Paris, he had frequent opportunities to
see Louis Napoleon, Euganie Theirs.
Guizot and other celebrities of the realms.
In London he attended the grand ban
quet given to Charles Dickens, presided
over by Lord Iytton. at which were
nearly all the literary guild-Charle S
Reade, Anthony Erollope, Richard
Moncktop Mines, Charles Knight, Aus
ten Henry Layard, Sir Edwin Landscer,
Wilkie Collins. Jules Benedict, Mark
Lemon, the great humorist of Punch,
the Lord Chief Justice of England and
ii host of notables.
On heb. IS last Mr.. and Mrs. Coffin
celebrated their golden wedding at their
home in Brookline.