The Portland daily press., 1881-01-10
John B. Brown.

terday morning at the announcement that
Hon. John B. Brown was dying. He had
been seen on the street Saturday, in his usual
good health, and had been in conversation
with so many business acquaintances, that it
did not seem possible the news could be true.
Knots of citizens, coming from church, gath
cred on the sidewalks to gather information
which nobody seemed prepared to give. The
facts are that Mr.. Brown left his residence on
Bramhall, Saturday evening, between nine
and ten o'clock, to escort his daughter, Mrs.
Clifford, home. On the way he slipped on the
icy walk, his feet flew from under him. and he
sat down with a tremendous jolt. He gath
cred himself up, and went home feeling very
much shaken but not thinking he had received
serious injury. While talking with Mr.. Baker,
the husband of one of his nieces, who was
present--he began to feel headache coming
on, and retired to his room. After reaching
his apartment he became unconscious. This
was just before eleven o'clock. Mrs. Brown
became alarmed at her husbands condition,
and telephoned for DR.. Hersom, who immed1-
ately answered the call. DR.. Greene was also
summoned. The physicians Immediately de-
cided that the blow upon the spinal column
had caused the bursting of blood vessel at
the base of the brain, and that the case was
hopeless Mr.. Brown remained through yes
terday in an unconscious condition and at 3
O'Clock this morning was still alive His ply
sicians said, however, that he could not sur
vive but few hours.
Mr.. Brown was born at Lancaster, N. H., May
"a, 1904, and was therefore, nearly II years of
age at the time of the accident. His father was a
farmer, and when Mr.. Brown was quite a
young lad moved to Bartlett, and thence to
Gray, where he became the proprietor of the
principal hotel. 1t was in Gray that Mr..
Brown met Mr. st. John Smith, and later the
two youths came to Portland, where they be-
came clerks with Alpheus Shaw, in the whole
sale grocery and West India trade, where the
Morton Block now stands on Congress street.
Later, Messrs. Smith and Brown formed
partnership and continued the business for
many years. When this connection was dis
solved, M. Brown pursued business alone, un-
der the firm name of J. B. Brown but, a little
while after, formed partnership with Mark
P. Emery and Jedediah JeTett, for brief pc
riod.
IA Ao1ot ouO oAtouSlV6 sugar uOuSo was rs
tablished at the corner of Maple and CONNER
cial streets, (although it would be more proper
perhaps, to say York street, since the building
is located directly on that avenue). Messrs.
Greeley & Guild of Boston, and Mr. Brown
were the movers in this enterprise. Messrs.
Greeley & Guild were large West India mer-
chants in Boston, importing immense quanti-
ties of sugar and molasses. Mr.. Mclean, our
consul at Trinidad. Cuba, and Mr.. Horatio
Fox, of the well known firm of Eaton, Stafford
& Fox, of that city, suggested to these gentle
men that fortune could be made by turning
the molasses into sugar. For a time the specu-
lation hung in the balance, Greeley & Guild
failed and Mr.. Brown had to bear the weight
OF the whole speculation. For brief period
he was losing money fast. But his courage
never for moment failed him Luckily Mr..
D. III. Furbish heard of man in New York
who claimed to be able to granulate sugar
from molasses by steam power. He ferreted
him out, brought him to Portland, and, at the
first experiment, sugar was made. In 1855
charter was procured, incorporating the Port
land Sugar Company, of which J. B.. Brown,
Dependence FL. Furbish, and Philip H.
Brown were the incorporators, under the
firm name of j. B. Brown & Sons, agents.
This corporation proved highly successful,
engaging capital of almost half million dol
lars, employing, directly and indirectly, up
to the time OF the great fire, 1000 people and
turning out $50 barrels of sugar day. When
the great fire of 1866 consumed these works
Mr.. Brown rebuilt them but ran them only
little while as the machinery could not COM
pete with the modern centrifugal process.
After the sugar house was given up a COM
pany was formed under the firm name of
Churchill, Browns & Manson for the purpose
OF doing large West Indian and western bus
iness This firm was dissolved in few years,
and Mr.. Brown, with his sons, formed the
clearinghouse of j. B. Brown & Sons, doing
business on Exchange street, from whence
they afterwards removed to their present quar-
ters under the Falmouth Hotel
One OF Mr.. Browns great enterprises was
the purchases of the land known as that be-
longing to the Paine heirs, and embracing a
great portion of the present seventh ward, ly-
ing around and about Bramhall Thirty years
ago the land was deep, sandy soil, swampy
covered with juniper bushes and savin, with
only tree here and there in the Vaughan
Burial Ground and a few one-storied shanties
scattered about Here on the eminence, with
a view of mountain, river, and peaceful vii
lage that can scarcely, if at all, be surpassed
in New England, he erected his magnificent
villa, with its acres of Conservatives, shrub
berry, and ornamental grounds, and trans
formed the surrounding lands, by covering
them with elegant residences, and the trophies
of the landscape gardeners skill, into the most
beautiful portion of the city, thus adding to
Its taxable wealth. and increasing his own i'm
mense fortune.
Another of his enterprises was the erection
of the Falmouth Hotel. Portland had been
suffering severely from the lack of first-class
house of entertainment Mr.. Brown, at cost
of half million, constructed this house which
is the equal of any hotel east of New York,
containing 240 rooms, and provided with all
the modern conveniences.
When the Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railroad
vas incorporated Mr.. Brown was one of the
corporators. To him Judge Preble, Mr.. Little,
Mr.. st. John Smith and Mr.. Hersey Mr.. John
A. Poor unfolded his great scheme in Smith &
Hersey's counting room, and Mr.. Brown
worked for It's success with all his might He
was the president of the road at the time of
his injury. He was the first president of the
Board of Trade and continued so for nine
years. He gave largely to the Maine General
Hospital and was its president He was one
of the largest owners in the Portland & Og-
densburg Railroad and a director; director of
the Erie Railroad Company; president of the
Portland Savings Bank; director in the Port
land Company, Maine Central and Portland,