Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-08-10
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dipped is In tba water and threw Is our @
| the ice, hoping Is would adhere nfmly
| enough 70 enable him TO draw himself out
But mean bile be vas becoming eenumeed
aud must act quickly. 30 be commenced
breaking the ice and svimming-no easy
task in heavy winter clothing. He went on
| in this way until be found ice that would
bear his weight, and cfsvied onto Il - oes:
| he could, and made hi, wsy home In bali
frozen condition, Q wiser II not ssadef
boy.
The life be VAS living vas not saiisfsc'
tory TO his ambitious mind, which craved
vide. field. How to earn the means to
crafty bis vishes, was difficult problem
| for him to solve. But he had to make
beginning, and did so. by spending
/ tn. summer months in the woods pick
| ing the luscious berries that grew in
! Injurious profusion, and when . sufiicis nj
quantity had been gathered, be carried them
70 Augusta, and there Yesailed III n from
house to house. In this way and By csu-
vas.ipg for books and papers he aecumu-
lated shou, two hur dted and Fifty dollars,
| which seemed to him an adequate capital TO
| invest in some promising business enter
| prise Manchester vas too narrow . sphere
| for his activity. snd in 1867. when ooiy
seventeen years oil, with q cad and heavy
heart, but without any misgivings IS TO
/ what the result might be, he bsde farewell
| to home and friends and started for Ohm
His frst undertaking after leaving home
WAS to canvass for subscription books,
msgaziees, papers and novelties, and by
his perseverance, be managed TO make
money, aud to save the greater part Of What
he made. He then. at considerable expense,
secured some valuable recipes for useful
| household articles. and sold them from
house TO housa. Their merits being recoR-
njzad, the demand became quite large But
| to increase this sale he begsr 20 advertise.
and sold 90 successfully through that cbar-
| mel that be soon became one of the largest
advertisers in the country.
At the expiration of q year, his warnings
to see his family srd friends led him back to
| Manchester. His i1ten ON was to 70 to the
Pacific cosst rs q gold seeker. after ending
| his visit But he conceived 'hs idea OF his
special line Of publishing. and decided 10
| test bis plans while East. Success followed.
and his business rapidly increased.
He did not think Augus'i very favors-
| bic location for his bu,iness bus after duly
| considering the matter, he decided TO ests b.
| fish himself here. In 1863 he began 10
publish u monthly magazine devoted to
| " G neral Information. Science and Enter
taiameft" In order to atirsct subscribers.
| he { II 4red AS premium g besutful steel
engtsvipg From Shore to Shore" and
| thus becsma The pioneer in giving premium
with literary publications. The magazine
with picture was sold for 75 cents per year
People were ready for just such psper,
IL VIn A m Fiae
accommodations were needed for carrying
on his business, and change was made
iuto more commcdi0us lsrters.
| The first number Of this Monthly" was
is,ued in April 1863. and so great wss the
demand for it. tina! in the latter part OF
| 1871, the quarters were again too small,
ant Mr.. Allen decided to erect a
building of his own. Ia September 1872,
less than four years after commencing
his publication, the substantial buiidin
| standing on the east side OF Water street,
was ready for occupancy. This tiucture
and its appointments, i. e, its tlectrotype
| foundry, composing rooms, editorial rooms,
Fcashier's office. mating rooms and spacious
press room. is pronounced The best-equipped
printing and publishing establishment ip
New England.
| The building was opened BY reception
| given 10 the ciizans Of Augusta and proml-
merit people Of the State. M sooner were
| the dlff -rent departments fully under way
than II new paper was announced The
Young Folks Illustrated Paper" and the
subscription list. 10 few weeks, rolled up
| into the hundted, of thousands, AID ulh-
mstely reached million of tuhscribers
This WAS without parable! at that date,
but it has since been eclipsed by other pub
| lIc.tions of Mr. Allen, which have gone
much higher. and have been sold in all
parts of the world
So rapidly did the business grow, that the
postotii ce facilities became insd' qusteto car g
for h mail of the Publishing House alone,
and for some ii ne, government: was pro
yided with accommodation for postal clerk
to sort the mail in Mr.. Aliens miiling
room, for which he did not ask ard never
received any compensation. The rank of
Augusta as "Firs. Class post Office" was
solely due to Mr., Aliens business During
one yesr, Mr.. Alien paid for postage over
one hundred aud fifty, four thousaad dol
lars. The weight of his m Ill for The year
was over sixteen hundred tons, the largest
amount ever sent out in one year by any
! publishing house in America. When he
commenced his publications, he used II
carry his mail to the eff .e iu an envelope
box Now heavy wagons carry it away by
the ton At first. he could do all the work
himself, but ST. IT The lspse of a few months,
he had over three hundred employees on bi4
pay roll in Augusta alone, and thousands OF
sgens scattered all over this and other
coun ri.s.
In 1871 Mr.. All n opened a branch
| house" 10 Portland. called The AIT En-
| porium" iu order to supply his agents with
eparsv.ngs and chromos. which RAGGED in
price from ten cents TO fifteen dollars per
copy. The gro.th IF This branch Of his
| bu.iness r.qnred from time to time, ample
quarters, aud nov it occupies three Oats OF
vne Of the largest buildings in the city.
| In 1880 tue buildi z at Augusta was found
| to be too small. and large six-'tory build
! log was erected on the opposite side of the
| street The two bull logs snd their appoint
ments COS. over thee huudred thousand
dollars, and are the m Jst extebsige publi'h h
| Jog houses in New England, and among ihe
| largest in the world Ia the easements are
twenty of the largest printing presses in III
world, ard FIVE nuhdred printers, clerk.
| and w,rkmeu. are constantly employed
| in TIE establishments The daily
running expenses are almost three thu
| sand dollars.
OF late yea-s, Mr.. Alien has been en-
gagged in the publication of books, large
edition ( III. Revised Bible in parallel
| form being one Of bis latest publications,
ard il was his iote 7tiol to enter into this
d department. m 1re excessively each year. 10
addition to his publishing departments, be
was the largest importer of f1e papers 10
the U tied States Mr.. Aliens business
has proved very fenume-rtive, and made
Thin ore of the wealtbiest men of Augusta
aud Its priucipsi business man. Official
positions we're # .red him, but he s'esdily
declined them all, except the position Of
director in the Augusta National Bank
When it il understood, that Mr.. Allen
himself did all the msppiog out OF his bus
mess, one can readily see what an assid
uous worker he WAS In early life he be-
gan, and never laid aside, the habit Of dill
gems industry. yet he accomplished all his
work ithout hustle or hurry. genuine
love Of labor stirred every nerve aud mns-
Gle, and kept his me nal energies directed in
instant application TO secure good results.
His strong and massive, yet supple frame
was admirably adapted for great physies!
endursr CO. A dark complexion. clear skin,
large perceptivs organs, high forehesd,
brosd chest, prominent and deep-pene
trs,ing blue grey eyes thst observed every
thing, indicated = nervous, ssngulue tenn
permanent and 8 calm but sleeplsss energy
OF great practical abilities, resoiute will,
remarkable fxeduets. of purpose, full Of
resources courage and comprehensive
plans. and in the full visor OF his powers,
no one could predict what he might have
made Of himself, hsd his life been pro-
lorged.
A native modesty, which shrsuk irstinc-
lively from publicly, and recoiled in hor-
ror from an intrusive familiarity, kept him