OBITUARY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1825, 11 August 1913, Page 7

OBITUARY.

MR. W, T. DAVIE. s Tho death occurred in Wellington on. Saturday morning of Mr. W. P. Davie, a ■woll-known resident of Christchurch, and father of Mrs. F. M. B. Fisher, of this 'city. Mr. Davie, who was 85 years of ftge, was born at Lyme Regis, Dorset, and at an early ago went to America, whero he practised the profession of an surveyor, and ho it was who laid down the first survey of the city of Chicago, which has since become one of tho largest cities in tho world. The deceased attended tho first levee held by Mr. Abraham Lincoln, as President of tho United States, and' personally heard many of the bOw historical speeches made by Lincoln,' and Stephen Douglas (who defeated Lincoln for the representation of Illinois in 1858). He remembered distinctly being in Boston when the first olc.'.tric telegraph message was received from Europe, the hills being illuminated with bonfires in honour of t'he achievement; Mr. Davie, \vlio was a personal friend of Longfellow, tho poet, left America for England soon nftcr the Civil War started, and in 1801 came to New Zealand, where his brother, Mr. Cyrus Davie, was chief surveyor for the Canterbury Provincial Government. His. only two children are Mrs. Fisher and Mr. Wm. Davie, of Christchurch. Of late years deceased has resided with his dan'htcr in Wellington.