The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-26
w W EASTMAN DEAD.
Death Came After Long Illness and
Not Unexpectedly.
HIS LIFE WAS AN ACTIVE ONE
A Sketch of His Business Enter
II prises In the North
--.-. : '- west. -.t5s-

w. w Eastman died of uraemia at 10:30
p. m. yesterday in the Swedish hospital.
Mr.. Eastman's death was not unexpected,
as for years he had been Ill with trouble
requiring frequent operations. The last
was performed week ago by Professor
Howard R. Chislett Of Chicago, assisted
by Doctors H. c. Aldrich of Minneapolis
and A. M. Eastman OF St. Paul. the lat
ter nephew of the deceased: -at.
Mrs. Eastman and son, Frederick w.
Eastman, remain. An infant daughter
died in 1874. Another daughter, who was
the wife Of A. G. Loring. is also dead.
William Wallace Eastman was born Feb. 6,
1897, at Conway, NJ H. His youth and early
manhood We're spent in Conway. He was edu-
Gated in the town school, the North Conway
academy and the South Conway seminary.
During his early years he principally
occupied working in his fathers paper mill,
in which he had an interest and driving stage
through the mountains. s.. 4
In 1880 he went to California by way Of the
isthmus. but landing in San Francisco sick.
he started home after two weeks.
He came to st. Anthony in 1854, and became
partner in the Minnesota Touring mill with
his brother. He remained a partner until
1858. when he sold out and formed a partner
ship with Paris Gibson. and built the first
Hour mill on the West Side, which they named
and soon the Cataract" brand of flour had a
great reputation. In a few years Eastman &
Gibson built the North Star woOlen mills on
the West Side. ,,
Mr.. Eastman built the first paper mill on
the East Side in 1850, in partnership with
Charles c. Secombe.' He also built the, first
wheat elevator in the state, in 1856, at Wash
inston avenue and Ninth avenue S. Messrs.
Eastman & Gibson and G. H. Eastman built
the Anchor Touring mill, a twelve-run stone
mill, the largest then in the city. This was
traded to Ex-Governor John S. Pillsbury for
his wholesale hardware stock and business.
The Anchor mill is now of the Ptllsbury
plant. He also engaged in the lumber bus1-
ness, the firm being Eastman, Bovey & Co.
Tho firm became large owners of pine land
and extensive manufacturers. OF this firm
his brother-in-law John De Laittre, and later
his brother, H. D. Eastman, became partners.
The Island Tunnel.
In 1869 MIR. Eastman originated an enter
prise which promised not only to add to his
own fortune but to increase greatly the I'M
portance of Minneapolis as manufacturing
center. He had been the. first to demonstrate
on the West Side that water power could be
utilized by a system of tunneling,, and haa
made available power and land that could not
be otherwise used Mills valued at not less
than $500, 900 were then being operated by his
system, which included the North Star wooden
mills. AS compensation for this work. the
West Side Water Power company gave him q
perpetual lease of 25O horse power, which was
afterwards utilized for the Anchor mill He
now proposed to develop another power that
would eclipse the already famous West Side.
He purchased Nicollet island, large tract
of land lying in the river just above st. An
thony Falls, containing forty acres. He de-
signed to have the south part covered with
,,,;11 n
to these he organized the Tunnel company,
which built tunnel about $500 feet long,
The tunnel was 6x6 feet, and was to act as
tail race for the factories which were to be
built over it. Enthusiasm. for this eat
work began to spread, and Mr.: Eastman was
regarded as public benefactor and the foun-
der of great manufacturing nucleus II
On Oct. 4, 1869; the workingmen in the .tun-
mel struck a spring seam in the sandstone,
| which opened the passage from the bottom OF
the river into the tunnel. Volumes Of water
forced the workmen to withdraw. The tun-