Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-15
By TELEGRAPH.
,unsons OF BEAM.
Frsd [. Anes- ~ Nary Iiass Diifisaaiss d
Des.oa. Dad.

6UefO&, Sept lA-kreuskltk lSLAfpf
Amer died suddenly on board the Fall
River line boat while on his way to New
York. The cause was spoplsxy- Mr.
Ames was apparently in good spiriss and
,oked With Captain Davis and the steward
He retired TO his stateroom soon after
supper. It had been his custom 20 rise a,
o'clock As he had not appeared soma
time later. Captain Davis became uneasy
and had the ssateroom broken into. and
Mr.. Ames was found dead
Coroner Conway believes that the mill
ionairs Was seized with an apoplectic iii
while in bed and that he rolled out on tbs
floor. His death struggle must have beer
severe. for in his agony Mr.. Ames nearly
bit Of his tongue
Bsgsa Life 1t the Bottom
Frederick Lothrop Ames. capitalist.
railroad builder and director, WAS the son
OF Oliver Ames, the second TO bear that
name. and was bora in North Easton,
June S, ISIS His mother was Sarah
q4othropl Ame<. He received his early
education at Concord and at Phillips
Exeter academy prepared for Harvard
university, where he WAS graduated in
1854
His tastes were then inclined to Law, but
In Difference to his fathers desire he went
into business. IL Was his fathers wish
that be begin at the bottom Of the ladder.
and he at once became clerk ia the great
Afnes works at North Easton- From
grade to grade, as the rules OF the estab-
lishment required, BIZ advanced, aud after
several years he was placed in charge OF
the accountants department
Very early he showed marked execu-
tive ability, and when. in 1868, be became
a member of the firsn he was an expert
enced business man. Until 1876 the firm
name was Oliver Alnes Il sons but in
that year ii WAS rebrganized as Oliver
Ames Il Sous corporation, with r l..
Ames as treasurer, which position he held
to the present time
Early In his business career Mr.. Ames
had become interested in railroads, and
when young man WIS director III the
Union Pacific, the Chicago and North
western. Missouri Pacific and Texas Pa
cific railroads Gradually he diverted his
attention from chandise to railroads,
and at the time Of his death was officially
connected with some 1b railroads and was
conceded to be one of the best informed
men on all matters pertaining to this
branch Of enterprise in the country.
Many of the monetary institutions OF
Boston claimed part Of his attention,
and he was identified with many charita-
BILE institutions, to which he gave much
time and money.
A Unitarian in religion, Mr.. Anies at
tended the First church, Boston, and here
lent his strength, both moral and financial
He also took an active interest in the
affairs of the church at North Easton.
He was also n member Of the corporation
OF Harvard college. His holdings Of real
estate In Boston were very large, and one
of its most notable structures is the Ames
tuilding at the corner OF Washington and
Court streets.
a Very Rich Man.
The ''street" gossiped about Mr.. Ames'
wealth. as it always does when II
ult-millionaire dies. The estimates
ranged from 100000 to $4,000 900.
Said one Of the most careful and expert
enced of Boston bankers, a prominent
member of the Stock exchange, mo one
except those who will not talk can tell
what Mr. Ames was worth when he died y
The sum total of the real estate on
which Mr.. Ames paid taxes in Boston is
81, 100, zoe, and all Of this is said to he free
of encumbrance, except the fremont
House, which had Il mortgage when he
bought it. All this real estate paid taxes
last year of SIS 500, and nearly all of it
returned from q to per cent upon the in
vestment.
Strange to say, even as recently as the
year 1875, Frederick l.. Ames was not
taxed for single dollars worth of real
estate in this city. In 1876 his name first
appears on the assessors' books. He Is
there stated MS owning $500 worth of
property, the tax being 500 81
Opinions Had Great Weight.
In the financial world Mr.. Ames was
widely and favorably known. His great
wealth made him "A most desirable man
for large corporations to have as friend,
and the extended experience which he
possessed gave his views, as expressed at
financial meetings, unusual weight and
value The chief characteristics that he
displayed at such meetings were de
meanor of absolute and unfi,iiing courtesy,
an unusually tenacious memory and a
clear and terse manner of stating his
opinions No matter how heated the dis
cussion might become, Mr.. Ames never
forgot that he was a gentleman, and in
variably bore himself as one.
His opinions on all matters connected
with the finances and administration OF
the various corporations Of which he was
a memt er were eagerly sought, and, in a
large measure, controlled the decisions of
the different boards. He never spoke at
any great length in support of his views,
but seemed content to put them forward
in concise and lucid form and let them,
as it were, do most OF the talking for
themselves.
Cautious In Charity.
Mr.. Ames, while q liberal man, was not
lavish. In his expenditures he wished
clearly to see the utility of the object iu
which he was embarking. Wherever he
was convinced his means would aid a
worthy end he stood ready to contribute
He was exceedingly fond of flowers of
all kinds and his greenhouses at North
Easton were considered by experts to be
the finest in the state.
Mr. Ames was the foremost cole ctor of
works Of art in Boston, and his collections
of paintings, porcelains, jades, crystals,
and objects of art of all kinds, enjoyed a
celebrity which extended far beyond the
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