Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/38

 LOOMIS

LOOP

graphy by establishing communication between the peaks of two prominent mountains in the Blue Riilge, Va., eighteen miles apart. He then made efforts to raise a sum of money sufficient to demonstrate his plan in the Rocky Mountains between Mount Hood and Mount Shasta, one hun- dred miles apart, but in this he was not success- ful. He lectured on his discovery in Washington and other cities and with the means thus pro- cured visited Chicago where he was promised the necessary capital when the fire of 187 1 imiwver- ished his patrons. He returned to Washington and exjierimented on telegrapliing between ves- sels in the Chesapeake bay, t^'o miles apart by connecting the telegraphic instruments with the water by wire submerged to different depths so as fo secure a circuit through strata of relative de- graphing between moving trains of cars. He ap- plied to congress for an appropriation of f.50,000, but the bill which was introduced by Senator Sumner in January, 1869, reposed in the com- mittee on patents and was indefinitely postponed. He obtained letters patent for his invention, July 30, 1872, and a bill was passed by both houses to incorporate the Loomis Atrial Telegraph com- pany in 1873. From this time until his death Dr. Loomis struggled in vain and single-handed to win recognition for his invention. He died at Terra Alta, Preston county, W.Va., in 1884.
 * ,'rees of temperature. He also succeeded in tele-

Looms* Silas Lawrence, educator, was born in Coventry. Conn., May 22, 1822; son of Silas and Esther (Case) Loomis; grandson of Daniel and Mary (Hibbard) Loomis; great grand- son of Daniel and Mary (Sprague) Loomis, and a

descendant of Joseph Loomis, the immi- grant. He prepared for college, was in- structor in mathe- matics and natural science at Holliston academy, Mass., and entered Wesleyan university, where he was graduated in 1844. He was as- sociate principal of Ailelphian academy at Brockton, Mass., 1845-52; teacher of mathematics at Dun- barton academy, D.C., in 1854, and principal of Western academy, Washington, D.C., 1855-59. He was married Jan. 22, 1847, to Betsy Ann, daughter of Daniel Tidd, who died in 1850, and secondly. May 28, 1851, to Abigail C, daughter of Isaac Paine. He was graduated from George- town college, D.C., M.D., 1856; was astronomer

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to the lake coast survey, 1857, and professor of physiology in the medical department of George- town college, 1859-60. He was special instructor in mathematics to the U.S. naval cadets while on a cruise in 1860; and was professor of chemistry and toxicology at Georgetown college, 1861-67, serving meantime as surgeon on the staff of General McClellan in 1862, and as acting assist- ant surgeon in hospitals in W^ashington. 1863- 65. He was a professor of the practice of medicine in the medical department of Howard university, Washington, D.C., in 1867; dean of Howard uni- versity, 1867-69, and professor of chemistry and toxicology there, 1868-72. He was president of the department of physics and chemifjtry in the American Union Academy of Literature, Science and Art at Washington, 1869-73, and presi- dent of the institution in 1872. He practised medicine in Wasliington, 1873-77; was president of the Swede Iron and Coal company, 1877-81,. and while so engaged discovered a process by which the ores of chronium, theretofore value- less, were utilized, and he organized and was the first president of the Massiquoit Chrome company, 1879-81. He discovered a process and invented machinery for producing a textile fab- ric from palmetto, and organized and was presi- dent of the Palm Fibre company at Washington, D.C., 1878-81. In 1880 he invented improve- ments in areometers. He was president of the Washington Scientific association in 1862; mem- ber of the American Medical association, 1862- 72; a delegate to the convention of American medical colleges in 1867; chairman of a special committee to examine the mathematical and chemical instruments to be used in the revenue service, and a delegate to the decennial convention for the revision of the United States pharmacopeia in 1870. He is the author of: Normal Arithme- tic (1859); Analytical Arithmetic (1800); Key to the Normal Course of Arithmetic (1867). He died in Fernandina, Fla., June 22, 1896.

LOOP, Henry Augustus, artist, was born at Hillsdale, Columbia county, N.Y., Sept. 9, 1831; son of George H. and Angelica Malcolm (Down- ing) Loop, and a descendant of Gerlach Leupp (Holland), who came to New Amsterdam the latter part of the seventeenth century. He attended school at Great Barrington, Mass., and studied art in 1850 with Henry Peters Gray in New York city; in 1856 with Thomas Couture in Paris, France, and in 1857 in Rome, Venice and Florence. He opened a studio in New York city, where his professional life was spent. He made a second visit to Europe in 1867-68, and visited all the Continental art centres. He be- came an associate of the National Academy of Design in 1859; an Academician in 1861; a mem- ber of the Century association in 1860, and was