Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-07

Tie later.
The end came after two years
of illness. during which time Mr.. Ar
mour visited German baths. passed
the cold months in Southern California
and devoted himself largely to an at
tempt to restore his health. For sew
eral weeks the millionaire had been
living at the family home. the usual
trip to Southern California not having
been taken this winter. He came down
to the office of the Home Insurance
building but seldom, and as the cold
increased he did not come at all.
1t was understood in the office that
he had an incipient attack of pneu
moria but it was given out no later
than n week ago that he was on the
road to recovery. 1t was noted. how
ever. that The constant attendance of
Or. Frank Billings, the family physi-
clan, at the bedside of the sick man
did not cOrroborate the favorable re-
ports at the down town office.
For several days death has been
feared as the outcome by the close as
sociates of the great captain of indus
try. They realized that the decline from
day to day did not cease and that
death was near. When death came his
grandchildren were at the family resi-
dencc. as was J. ogden Armour, the
surviving son.
Mr.. Armour had lost strength stead
lily from day to day since the COM
mencement Of the winter. The pneu
monia was checked, but strength was
not regained. The firm grip he had so
long maintained upon the business of
Armour & Co. whether at the office or
thousands of miles away. slowly re-
Taxed. Reports no longer Interested
him rs they did during the first months
of his declining health. The sudden
death of his son and namesake, nearly
"A year ago. hung heavily on him dur
ing the closing months of his life. In
fact he never recovered from the shock
he experienced from that event. 1t
stopped his progress toward recovery
in his winter home at Pasadena and
its sorrow remained fresh until the
end.
His treadmill of work and his firm
grip on affairs We're maintained until
the spring Of 1899. Then the machine
began to show signs of breaking. Mr..
Armour was reported to be sick man
and these reports were confirmed when
he sailed for Germany to take baths.
He spent most of the summer at the
baths and was sufficiently restored in
health to take a trip to Switzerland.
where he remained a month among the
mountains. When he returned to Chi
cago that fall, he looked well and his
friends hoped his recovery was COM
plete. He went to Danforth Lodge the
summer home of his son, Philip ID. Ar
mour. Jr., at Oconomowoc lake, WIS,
and remained there until nearly winter.
Then he journeyed to Pasadena in
Southern California for the cold
months. All the time he was at Ocono
mowoc he made weekly trips to his Of
flee in the Home Insurance building and
was receiving constant reports of the
general drift of his business affairs.
After the death of Philip d. Armour.
Jr.. the vast interests of Armour q Co.,
which had been carried on as CO.
partnership, were Incorporated under
the old name of Armour & Co. This
was to provide greater stability n case
of death and made no change IN the
practical ownership of the properties.
Some years before, the grain depart
ment had been incorporated under the
title of the Armour Elevator Co. The
death of Simeon 3. Armour of Kansas
Clay, in March. 1899, caused no par
ticlllar change in the Armour interests
there as they were operated as
stock company.
So carefully had the plans for the
future leen made that the death OF MI.
Armour will have little effect ON the
outward working of the great enter
prise with which he had been so close
" identified. 1t is believed that all the
Armour properties will be held intact
until the grandchildren come into
their own.
Estimates of Mr.. Armour's own es-
tate run from so 100000 to $25 oco'ooo'
This Of course does not include the
$4,000. eco or $2O,00O,000 owned by the
younger members of the FANNY foi
years every enterprise he was interest,"
al in had haar ma king immense pIol-