Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/633

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CHENIER
CHESTER
599

lican for the new party that was forming. He published "Report on the Ancient Monuments of Western New York" (1860); "Historical Sketch of the Chemung Valley" (1866); "Historical Sketch of Eighteen Counties of Central and Southern New York" (1868); "Laron";"Relations of Government to Science"; and "Antiquarian Researches."


CHENIER, John-Oliver, Canadian physician, b, in Longueil, Canada, in 1806 ; d. in 1837. He studied medicine at Montreal, receiving his degree in 1828, and settled at St. Benoit, butreraoved to St. Eustache in 1831, and began to take part in politics. In 1832 his name appeared at the head of a protest against the alleged robbery of the pub- lic lands, and he acted as secretary to an assembly convoked to censure the conduct of the English troops that had slain several Canadians in a riot on 21 May. He was one of the most vehement speakers at the revolutionary meetings that took place in 1837, and a reward of $2,000 was offered by the Governor-general for his arrest. He gath- ered a large force of insurgents at St. Eustache, in the county of Deux-Montagnes ; but they were de- feated by the English troops, and Chenier was killed in attempting to cut his way through the opposing ranks.


CHESBROUGH, Ellis Sylvester, civil engineer, b. in Baltimore, Md., 6 July, 1813; d. in Chicago, HI., 19 Aug., 1886. His father met with business reverses, and the boy was taken from school at the age of thirteen and became chain man to an engineering party engaged in the prelimi- nary survey of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. Later he was engaged on the Alleghany and Port- age railroad, and in 1831 became associated with William Gibbs McNeill in the construction of the Paterson and Hudson River railroad. In 1837 he was appointed senior assistant on the building of the Louisville, Cincinnati, and Charleston railroad, and in 1846 became chief engineer of the Boston water-works, planning the important structures on it, including the Brookline reservoir. He was ap- pointed sole commissioner in the Boston water de- partment in 1850, and during the following year city engineer, having charge of all the water-works under the Cochituate water board, besides being surveyor of the streets and harbor improvements. In 1855 he became engineer for the Chicago board of sewerage commissioners, and in that capacity planned the sewerage system of the city. In 1879 he resigned the office of commissioner of public works. The river tunnels were planned by him, and, despite much criticism, have proved success- ful. He achieved a high reputation as an author- ity on the water-supply and sewage of cities, and in that capacity was consulted by the officials of New York, Boston, Cambridge, Toronto. Detroit, Memphis, Milwaukee, and other cities. Mr. Ches- brough was a corresponding member of the Amer- ican institute of architects, and from November, 1877, till November, 1878, was president of the American society of civil engineers.


CHESEBRO, Caroline, author, b. in Canan- daigua. N. Y., about 1828 ; d. in Piermont, N. Y., 16 Feb., 1873. She was educated in a female semi- nary in her native village, and began writing for the magazines about 1848, contributing at first to " Graham's Magazine " and " Holden's Dollar Magazine." A volume of her stories and sketches was published with the title of " Dream-Land by Daylight " (New York, 1851). This was followed in 1852 by " Isa, a Pilgrimage," in 1853 by " The Children of Light " and " The Little Cross-Bear- ers" (Auburn), in 1855 by "Susan, the Fisher- man's Daughter " (New York), and in subsequent years she published numerous other novels, en- titled " Philly and Kit " (1856) ; " Victoria, or the World Overcome" (1856); "Amy Carr" (1863); " Peter Carradine " (1863) ; " The Foe in the House- hold " (1871); and a collection of stories entitled " The Beautiful Gate, and other Tales " 1863). She was a frequent contributor to the various literary magazines, and had a novel passing through the press at the time of her death. For eight years previous to her death she had been teacher of rhetoric and composition in the Packer collegiate institute in Brooklyn. Her novels are reflective and grave in tone, and contain impressive, emo- tional, and descriptive passages.


CHESNEY, Charles Cornwallis, English soldier, b. 29 Sept., 1826; d. 19 March, 1876. He was a professor at Sandhurst military college, and the author of a number of works on military sub- jects, including " Military View of Recent Cam- paigns in Virginia" (i863-'5), and "Military Biographies," including several of generals in the American civil war (New York, 1873). He is al- njpst the only Englishman that has written fairly and intelligently of military affairs in the United States. He was the author of a pamphlet entitled " The Battle of Dorking " (Fjondon, 1871), which created a great sensation.


CHESTER, Albert Huntington, chemist, b. in Saratoga Springs, N. Y., 22 Nov., 1843. He studied at Union, and was graduated at the Co- lumbia school of mines in 1868, with the degree of E. M. After some professional experience he be- came in 1871 professor of chemistry, mineralogy, and metallurgy at Hamilton college, Clinton, N. Y. Since 1882 he has been connected with the State board of health as chemist. When not occupied in lecturing, his time has been devoted to the active pursuit of his profession as a mining engineer, and during the years 1875 to 1880 he was engaged in exploring the great iron deposits of the Ver- milion district in Minnesota. A full account of this work is given in the " Tenth Annual Report of the Geology of Minnesota." Besides contribu- tions to the scientific press. Prof. Chester has pub- lished a " Catalogue of Minerals, with Chemical Composition and Synonyms" (New York, 1886). In 1878 he received "the degree of Ph. D. from the School of mines.


CHESTER, Colby M., naval officer, b. in Con- necticut in 1845. He was graduated at the U. S. naval academy, assigned in 1863 to the steam sloop " Richmond," of the western gulf squadron, and participated in the operations against Mobile on 5 Aug., 1864. He was promoted master, 10 Nov., 1866, commissioned lieutenant, 21 Feb., 1867, lieu- tenant-commander, 12 March, 1868, became com- mander, 15 Oct., 1881, and was hydrographic in- spector of the coast survey from 1881 till 1885.


CHESTER, Frederick Dixon Walthan, geologist, b. in Porte au Platte, Santo Domingo, 8 Oct., 1861. He studied at Washington university, St. Louis, was graduated at Cornell in 1882, and be- came professor of geology in the Delaware state college. His papers include "Boulder Drift in Delaware" (1883); "Lecture Notes on Dynamical Geology" (1883); "Stratified Drift in Delaware" (1883); "Volcanoes and Earthquakes" (1884); "The Quaternary Gravels of Northern Delaware and Eastern Maryland " (1884); "Preliminary Notes on the Geology of Delaware" (1884); "A Review of the Geology of Delaware" (1884); "The Quaternary Gravels of the Southern Delaware Peninsula" (1885); "The Gabbros and Amphibole Rocks of Delaware " (1885) ; and a full