Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-07-29
e entered into . cour,cs Va c.orr, p.

he entered into contract With George p.
Resell Z Cos agency In Nee Ysrk. Ia
which they bouad themselves sbscIuseIy to
psbIish in esch and every paper in
the Unit<d States On advertise
inert Of Mr.. Aliens. which VS. TO
ran for three mosshs. Mr.. Allen vas to
ply SO GOO dosn ard the balance In In
sallmeafa- In 1871 Mr. Alien met Nth
soms obstacles IN busineG. IA cons<q sence,
hsseiy. Of ovsr-sdvsftisins, ba. ia spite Of
! this his bassness had 80 grown tia. he had
to enlarge his facilities. With this in yiev
he smuencsd the erection Of handsome
brick baiidirg 9Th stone Iimmis - sna
iron besms and braces. This vas to have
had six stories and . basement, bu: owing
70 business revesses il va fnishe6.
ss . cost Of $4,000. - fsaT-
story building. Early in 1872.
from enc siseuosype. over 1000 eco
copiss Of the Peoples Literary CompsE:on
we're printed. In that year occurred The
great Baston FIRE In which Mr.. Allsn lost
$50 GO worth Of plates. This and other
Feyerses came near ruiniDg him. His toss
Losses amounted to over s25o, 900. All his
seczmrlsted s.pitsi was gone. ihefe vss .
mortgage on his building and be owed ~
immsnss smsaat. Rut his creditors had
confidence in him and he continued in the
busiEess, The neI, few years viii iong be
remembered in the business annals Of our
cosntry. The Initiation due to var prices
had collapsed And business vas fearfuliy
stafnsnt. Mr. Alien mate . magnificent
q shs and managed to hold his own, cAnying
M bis business. msstisg his obligations
saa paving the interest on his inds btedEsss.
10 1876. due largely to the Centennial,
The business world vas suddenly awakened.
he nagion's pulse began to thsob and new
Industries srrssg into being. Mr.. Allsp
now csnesiyet sa ides that was to pisc.
hin On his feat and bald up bis business
Il vas the pab.icAtion Of the famous Cen
.enniAi Record which contained full pro
zrsmme Of the Philsdeiphis exposition,
slih numerous illustrations of the build
ings and exhibits and copious descriptions
Of everything Of interes. connected there
with. This book was sold by subscription
and had An immense sale. Mf. Aliens
profits ran up into the hundred Thousands
lie paid of all his Indebtedness. He agAio
had accumulated capital. With the
improving business Of the next few years
be bessn to enlarge his field. He was now
publishing four papers. He next added,
in three years, twelve new ones, among
others the noted Sunshine magazine for
boys and the iitst strictly womans' magazine
in the world. the Daughters of America
No publisher bad ever had business that
eqaaled half Of his. The total subscrip tion.
ran up TO very nearly one million and =
half. Al one time for four days in sue
cession he received An average Of 10000
paid subscriptions per day for single
magazine. His business was simply en-
ormous. He made 3 single contract OF
$3.50 900 with one firm, the Richards Paper
Co., Of Gardiner for paper. The presses
were running day and night
To such an immense extent had his bus
iness grown that he hsd not sufficient room
for its performance. At third hand be
bought Of different estates the five lots 90
the corner Of Water street and Market
Square on the west side Of the street
Here he put up the largest building in
Augusta II was six stories high with q
basement, and WAS connected with the
old building by . tunnel under Water
street. The foundations of this building
are msrvels Of strength. 1t vas built
,hrous h ,ut OF brick, granite aud iron. Mr.
Alien now began the publication Of the
first good cheap Bibles in this country
file was the first printer in America to make
3 parallel Bible.
Shorty afterwards he went into the manu-
fActute of photograph albums in Berlin,
Germany, under the rame Of W. Bowles
producing one eighth Of the total impor's
tons 10 this line. Since th IN his printing
business has grown steadily. though slowly
He had the only electrotype foundry east OF
Boston, and it was used in his business
only. lie employ ed over 800 printers
clerks and workmen, paying them 800 600
year. For advertising be paid out ov-r
800, go a year also. The ordinary ex-
penses Of his house were $4,000 day. He
sent out in enc year 1000 tons Of periodicals.,
at cos: OF nearly $4,000 FOR
postage, a greater smount. scc,rding to
he postoflice statistics, than any
other publisher in the United States
Mr. Allen was q member Of the Augu.t-
boad Of trade, and its president in 1889.
He was = member OF Bethlehem Lodge, +.
A. NJ. and OF Trinity Commsndery.
K T., by the brothers and companions Of
which he was held in great esteem.
At2.i5 2. M, = cab,egram was received
by Hon. Ssmusl W. Lane ia reply TO = Ire-
psrstory message sent to Mr.. Aliens SIS
ter, Florence, who is at Brighton. Erg-
land. Miss Allen directed Mr.. Lane 10
have the body embslmed. brought to Au-
gusts and kept here TO await the arrival Of
either herself or her sister.
AT the time of his death Mr.. Alien WAS
largely interested in Amy outside interests.
| owning stock in the electric railroad, in the
Kennebec & Boston Steamboat Company
And In many western banks. He owned
| heavily in cotton. pulp and paper mills,
nong others the Richards Paper Co. Of
Gardiner. He ais, owned shares in over
| 40 vessels. II vas his business that made
the new pos:otiice in this city 3 necessity. In
addition to all the trade brough! into the city
on account OF his big pay roll be had over
s40O. 600 invested in the printing house and
msieris'. He knew all his employees ard
WAS dearly loved by the M. A mother and
sister, who are in Europe. and smother
sister in the West, survive him
poIica Cont Nawa