The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-04
DIED IA PAUPER.
Trusted Rockefeller, and Lost Immense

FOrJune Tn Iron flelQS.
 The story of Edgar Brown, the dis. coverer of the great Mesaba and Yer million iron ranges, the richest and most productive in the world, is a pitt ful tale of a stalwart optimist who strug ed upward against heavy odds, only to suffer defeat when success seemed to be within his grasp. Brown died last week, penniless in paul pers bed in a Sault Ste Marie hos pital A few years ago he and his partner, Merritt, owned the two ranges. which were even then, in the early days of their development, valued at Sl3,O0O,0O0. To tell how the onw- CTS lost their control is but to repeat another chapter in the long story in which John D. Rockefeller is always the dominant factor
 Brown was Pennsylvania born and served with bravely as an officer in a Keystone regiment during the Civil war He knew something of the iron business, and that knowledge led him eventually into prosuecting in the iron regions of the Northern Michigan peninsula. There he fell in with his future partner, c. C.. Merritt, and to- gether they made their way to the head of Lake Superior, and thence up into tho barren, hilly region to the north where the physical features gave promise of rich ore deposits It took but a cursory sudvey to prove the cor- reotness of their belief. The next step was the development of the property. The ore itself which lay on the surface in a remarkably pure state, was easily mined but facilities for transportation were entirely lacking Brown turned his energies to the task of interesting capital. IA little investigation satisfied one of the first men to whom he turned that the properties were valuable enough to serve as ample for the loan asked.
 This wise money-lender was John D. Rockefeller, who willingly loaned s1,5OO,OOO to Brown and Merritt, secured by the claims themselves. Browns next step was the construction of the Duluth and Iron Range railroad over which his ore was carried from the wilderness to the ore docks at Duluth greatest carrier of iron ore in the world. Negotiations were then enter ed into with James J. Hill and several associates for the sale of the property. When the deal was practically closed, and the purchasers were about to make their first payment on a purchase price that would have made Brown and Merritt rich beyond their widest dreams Brown. suspecting nothing, told of the transfer to a close associate of Rockefeller
 At once it became evident that Rockefeller had considered his loan merely as an entering wedge which was to admit him to complete possess sion. Powerful influences Brown ar ways maintained, were immediately set at work to obstruct and eventually to prevent the sale to Hill and his as- soclates. At any rate before Brown could enlist the support of other moneyed interests his notes to Rocke- feller fell due, he defaulted in payment, the mortgage was foreclosed and the l Standard oil magnate became the own | ner of the richest iron mines in the I country for a mere fractlnonal part of their value. Within five weeks after this climax Merritt died broken-heart- ed. Browns cheerful optimism ena- bled him to get on his feet again finan- | eially and he settled at the "Soo," where he met with some little success as a mining broker But if was an uD- hill fight; a succession of failures led to a physical breakdown, and the strong man and good fighter at length suc- cumbed.
 Rockefeller has eXpreesesed a desire to be better known by his country men, Here was man who knew him not wisely perhaps but only too well.