The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-04-04
HENRY W. CORBETT.
THE WELL-KNOWN PORTLAND
FINANCIER AND STATES
MAN IS DEAD

Portland Tuesday Morning
Was at His Desk in the
Bank the Day Before
His Career.
Portland, March 31.-Henry
Winslow Corbett, ex-U nited States
senator, aud one of the most prom
inent citizens of Portland and the
Northwest, passed suddenly away
at his residence in this city at 6:45
O'Clock this morning. At the time
Of his death Mr.. Corbett was 76
years l month and 13 days Of age.
Surrounded by the Immediate mem
bers of his family, the end of a long
and Industrious life came peaceably
and almost without warning.
esterday morning Mr.. Corbett
attended to his customary duties at
the Frst National Bank, of which
he was president. He returned
home few minutes before noon
and appeared much IS usual. ex-
cept complaining Of drowsiness.
During the afternoon he conversed
| with members Of his family with
usual spirit, but contrary to his
custom he at intervals would re-
lapse into short slumbers.
DIR. A. S. Nichols, the attending
i physician, called between 1 and 2
O'Clock ia the afternoon and discov-
cred no alarming symptoms. At 5
o'clock the physician again visited
the patient and advised that he re-
tire and rest until today. The in
strpctions were followed, and Mrs
| Wendling, the nurse, was constant
ly near the bedside. DR.. Nichols
remained at the Corbett residence
tue entire night and administered
regularly medicines. Mr.. Corbett
slept with apparent comfort until
| 8 o'clock this morning, when be
4 a~gke aud called for nourishment.
He ate sparingiy and again relaps.
| ed into slumber.
| Shortly after daybreak this morn
ling the nurse called DIR. Nichols
reporting to him that the patients
pulse was very weak. On arriving
at the sick mans bedside it was ,ap-
parent that a great change had
come. Hardly a pulsation was no.
ticeable. Hypodermics were ad.
i ministered without effect and at Ii
minutes to Z O'Clock Henry w. Cor.
bett died.
/ In the death chan ber were Mrs.
| Corbett, Mr.. and Mrs. II. W. Ma.
son, the physician and the nurse.
| Mrs. Corbett and her brother-in.
law and sister, Mr.. and Mrs Mason
had been summoned by DR.. Mich
OILS only few moments before the
lend came. Death was due to
| the general breaking down of the
nervous sytem, which caused
weakness of the heart.
/ It was in the. month of April, 50
years ago, that Mr.. Corbett arrived
at the village of Portland. It was
composed Of 400 people. On jan
uary 20, 1851, Mr.. Corbett left via
of the Panama route and landed at
Astoria on March 4, 1851. At First
and Oak streets he rented a small
frame building and engaged in the
mercantile business, having ship
ped email stock of goods around
Cape Horn for that purpose. His
first enterprise here was to build
the brick building which is now oc-
cupied by the firm of Corbett, Fail
ing & Robertson, the wholesale
hardware firm. Since the erection
of this building the city has grown
to vast extent, and number of
magnificent business buildings at
various locations in the city stand
today, appropriate monuments to
his enterprise.
His attention was early turned
to the improvement Of the water
transportation facilities first epjoy-
ed by Portland. He was the first
to advocate the construction of the
Northern Pacific transcontinental
railroad. While he occupied seat
in the United States senate. he la
bored long and earnestly for the
contamination of this great project.
In the winter of 1866, Mr..
Corbett secured the government
contract for carrying the mails be-
tween Portland and Sacramento.
The line. some 600 miles in length,
he stocked with four-horse stages.
He successfully continued in this
business until his election to the
senate of the United states in 1867,
when he relinquished his contract
with the government, holding his
connection with the business Of