Obituaries Australia

Our obituary yesterday contained the announcement of the death of Mr. George Whitcomb, an old colonist, who arrived in the colony about the year 1827. Shortly after his arrival Mr. Whitcomb was appointed aa a clerk in the Customs, but subsequently he was promoted to the position of Bonding Warehouse-keeper at Launceston. After his retirement from the service Mr. Whitcomb became manager of the Smelting Company, whose operations were carried on for some time at Smelting Works Bay, on the eastern side of the Derwent. The company, which included amongst its principal shareholders the late Mr. Askin Morrison and the late Captain Swanston, was started for the purpose of smelting copper ore. The deceased was commissioned to visit South Australia, with a view to getting ore sent to be smelted by the company, and having succeeded in causing an influx of ore from that colony, he was rewarded with a bonus of £2,000. This sum he invested in the buildings at the corner of Harrington and Macquarie streets, formerly used as a museum, and in one of the houses he resided until the time of his death. The deceased was also for some years managor of the Mersey and Deloraine Tramway, but it was in connection with the Hobart Gas Company that he was more generally known. He had taken an active interest in that company from the time of its formation, and although it is some time since he ceased to sit as manager he continued to attend the meetings as a director. Mr. Whitcomb recently became the mortgagee of Williamwood, at Ross. He was a shrewd and persevering man of business, and had developed to a considerable degree the quality of acquisitiveness. Mr. Whitcomb was married to Miss Bartlett, of Launceston, who died some years ago. He had been an invalid for some years past, having to be driven about the city, and succumbed to old age, having reached 78 years, on Saturday last. The funeral took place yesterday.