David Brooks Obituary

Obituary.

DAVID BROOKS.

The death of the veteran electrician, David Brooks, occurred at Philadelphia, on May 30. He was born at Brooksvale, near Cheshire, Conn., on January 26, 1820. He left college at the age of twenty years, and took a place as instructor in mathematics in the United States Navy. At this time Professor Morse and his associates were engaged in their first experiments with the electric telegraph. Mr. Brooks left the Navy in 1845, to devote himself to the development of this great invention. During that year he put in operation, in connection with James D. Reid, the first telegraph line built in America after Professor Morse's experimental line between Baltimore and Washington. This ran from Lancaster to Harrisburg, Penn., and Mr. Brooks received the first message sent over it. In the following year he built the line across the Alleghanies, connecting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

From 1854 to 1867, David Brooks was in the service of the old Atlantic and Ohio and the Western Union companies. In the latter year he resigned, and devoted himself to his many inventions and improvements in telegraph and telephone service. In 1873 he was appointed by General Grant United States Commissioner to the Vienna Exposition. Mr. Brooks' inventions have been of great importance in the development of telegraphy. The deceased was a vigorous writer, not slow to take his share in any controversy going. The last articles that he wrote were prepared specially for THE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER, and were published in these columns during May.

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