A. & F. Brown was established in 1854 by brothers Adolphus Brown and Felix Brown. At first their business operated out of 125 Mott Street in New York. In 1864 or '65 they relocated to new offices and factory at 57 to 61 Lewis Street—the Progress Machine Works By 1865 John D. A. Mensing had joined the firm, which became A. & F. Brown & Co.; Mensing left the business in early 1869 and the name reverted to A. & F. Brown.

Their primary specialty for most of their existence was power transmission equipment, but in their very early years they made a patent wood lathe. Beginning about 1865 they made a steam engine, and beginning in 1874 they began making hot air engines. Also known as caloric engines, hot air engines are external combustion engines that use air rather than steam as the expansion medium. These engines are very large and heavy in relation to their output power, and are somewhat limited in how much power they can produce—at first their maximum practical size was about 6 HP, which required a cylinder 32 inches in diameter. But hot air engines are simple, reliable, energy efficient, and considerably safer than steam engines, and before the era of the internal combustion engine they found a use in certain applications such as powering lighthouses. In 1877, Felix Brown patented a much-improved hot air engine that pushed the practical size limit from 6 HP to 14 HP. These engines enjoyed some success until they were rendered obsolete by internal combustion engines. At the same time that A. & F. Brown were selling hot air engines to lighthouses, they were also selling light-house whistles, also known as fog signals. Both their hot air engines and their fog signals were protected by patents and document that the Brown firm continued to improve their products throughout their existence. A web search on "A. & F. Brown" and "lighthouse" shows that they were quite successful in that branch of their business.

Adolphus died in 1875 and Felix assumed control of the business. By 1885 the business had expanded considerably and the company not only operated their Progress Machine Works on Lewis Street, they had added another factory at 60 to 66 Cannon Street and their office had moved to 43 Park Place.

In April 1887 a new partnership was organized as A. & F. Brown Co., with Felix Brown, Sr., owning 7/10, and Augustus P. Brown, Felix Brown. Jr., and Charles Brown each owning 1/10 of the business. Details are murky, but in that same year the name Brown Caloric Engine Co. started appearing in ads alongside the A. & F. Brown Co. name. Also at this same time, the company built a new foundry and factory in Elizabethport, N.J. They maintained a New York City presence for several years but their manufacturing eventually moved entirely to Elizabethport. Around 1895 their New York offices moved to Dey Street—at first number 17, then number 25, then 45 to 47.

In 1897 Augustus sued the other partners. Augustus wanted to exit the firm and apparently whatever he was offered was insufficient. The lawsuit led to Felix Brown Jr. being appointed receiver over the "dissolution" of the business. Augustus had claimed that the firm's assets and profits were worth at least $300,000 and therefore he was owed $30,000.

Meanwhile, Felix Brown Sr. had died of a stroke in April 1897. By this time the business had entirely relocated to Elizabeth and employed over 300. Presumably as a result of the lawsuit, in 1898 the business re-incorporated in New Jersey under the same name, A. & F. Brown Co.; their business address was Third St. and Clark Place, Elizabethport. Sons Felix and Charles continued to operate the business after their father's death.

Advertisement from 1895

By 1900 it seems that the hot air engine business had died off, and over the next couple of decades as individual electric motors replaced line shafting in driving machinery, the rest of their business gradually died off. The company wound down and in 1937 the Elizabethport land and buildings were sold.

Information Sources

• 1857 Transactions of the American Institute of the City of New York.

  A. & F. Brown 395 Fifth Street, New York City, NY., submitted a Machine for Turning and Boring Wood to the American Institute Fair of 1857. A silver medal was awarded.

• The 1866-11-01 Evening Telegraph (Philadelphia) has an advertisement for a cotton press with testimonials from several firms, including one from "Progress Machine Works, New York", "A. & F. Brown & Co., proprietors".
• 1872-06-22 Scientific American classified ad: "Patent Safety Steam Engine Governors and Water Gauges. Aug. P. Brown, Manuf'r, 59 Lewis Street, New York."
• 1874-06-04 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

  A fire occurred Wednesday evening at New York in a four-story building numbers 57, 59 and 61 Lewis street damaged the stock of A. & F. Brown's machine shop about $75,000. Edward Willis, who occupied the top floor as a lithographing establishment, loses about $20, 000, and the building, owned by John Merserau of Philadelphia, was damaged about $12,000.

• 1875 obituary for Adolphus Brown, age 52, who died March 9. He resided at 54 Lewis St.
• 1879-03-29 Scientific American.

  SHAFTING PULLEYS, HANGERS, etc., a specialty. Send for Price List to A. & F. BROWN, 57-61 Lewis Street, New York.

• 1881 Report upon the construction of Tillamook Rock Light Station, sea coast of Oregon.

  On the 21st of June, 1880, a requisition was made on the Light-House Board for duplicate sirens of the ?rst class complete with boilers and machinery, under the belief that they could be more cheaply and satisfactorily made in the East by the manufacturers, who were the patentees of the apparatus, and who had had large experience in doing work of a similar character for the government. In ful?llment of this requisition the engineer of the third light-house district, under instructions from the Light-House Board, gave an order for the sirens to Messrs. A. & F. Brown, manufacturers, of New York City, at a cost of $5,100, boxed and delivered in that city. They were turned over to the depot quartermaster in New York City December 1, 1880, for shipment to my address, and reached Portland January 13. The boxes were opened, the articles carefully compared with the in voices, the combination set up and ?tted to the boilers, and the sirens operated. The trial proving satisfactory, the parts were repacked and shipped to Astoria by a river boat. Then they were transferred to the Harley, by which they were delivered, after some delay, at the station, and were set up in time to be operated February 8...

• 1881 post card: "Shafts, Hangers & Pulleys a Specialty. / A. & F. Brown, 57, 59 & 61 Lewis St."
• 1882 book A Treatise in the Development, Progress and Constructive Principles of These Engines.

  A. F. Brown, of New-York. (With illustrations on Supplement-Plate V, Figs. 5—7.) An additional example of an horizontal engine ?tted with girder frame is afforded by A. F. Brown of 'New:York, for a description of which we are indebted to Prof. Radinger’s german report (in the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. We illustrate it on Supplement-Plate V, Figs. 5—7, 6...

• 1882 catalog in the collection of the American Textile History Museum. "Shafting, &c. / 1882 / A. & F. Brown, / 57 Lewis Street / New York."
• 1884 catalog in the collection of the American Textile History Museum. "Shafting, &c. / 1884 / A. & F. Brown, / 43 Park Place, New York."
• 1887-04-30 American Machinist.

  A. & F. Brown, of this city, are about to start a new foundry in Elizabethport, N.J., as their business of making pulleys, shafting, hangers and machinery has outgrown their present works. They will in time remove the most, if not the whole, of their works to Elizabethport

• 1887 (approx.) broadside.

  The Brown Caloric Engine
  Patented in the United States, Canada, England, France, Belgium, Germany and Austria.
  Manufactured by
  A. & F. Brown,
  Progress Machine Works,
  Nos. 57, 59 and 61 Lewis Street, New York.
  

  For the past fifty years experiments have been tried on hot air, which proved the possibility of the use of that power, but the non-perfection of construction of the various machines caused partly failures, partly limited results only.

  Mr. Felix Brown, after several years of experimenting and considerable expenditures, finally brought out an engine not only superior to any other manufacture, but perfect in every way.

  The Brown Caloric Engine offers practicable economy in every respect, and will therefore be the leading substitute for other motors; in comparison with the dimension of other hot-air engines, it performs more power with the same size cylinder—its construction being accordingly very strong: all bearing-parts, shafts, rods, etc., made of cast-steel or case-hardened.

  The heater or furnace is completely separated from the working-cylinder, so that the former may easily be re -lined with fire-bricks, should it become necessary.

  The packings are isolated from heat to the most possible extent.

  The Inlet and Outlet valves are operating independently of each other, so that any degree of expansion desired may be obtained.

  Noiseless motion, and the facility of replenishing the fire during operation, without causing any delay, are remarkable merits of our engine.

  A positive proof to our statement is the fact that our engines have been adopted to a great extent for lighthouse and lightship-service by the United States, England, Ireland; Scotland, and by the German Government, giving, wherever in use, the highest satisfaction.

  For the use of elevation or hoisting, for the production of electric lights, etc., a better motor cannot be had; it is actually the only well-paying substitute for steam power, practicable almost for every use in general.

  Engines of 3½, 4½, 7 and 14 horse-power can now be seen at our works; they combine the following advantages, which incline to their adoption in preference to any other motor:
  No engineer required. Simple in construction.
  No water-tax. Substantial and durable.
  No extra-insurance. No danger of explosion.
  Great saving in fuel. Cheapest running-expense.

  The Brown Caloric Engine Co.,
  Nos. 57, 59 and 61 Lewis Street, New York.

• The 1890 Seeger and Guernsey's Cyclopædia of the Manufactures and Products of the United States, New York lists A. & F. Brown Co., 44 Park Place, New York, as a manufacturer of various power transmission specialties.
• The 1892-02-10 The Electrical Engineer.

  A. & F. Brown & Co.—Purchasers of pulleys, hangers and shafting are reminded that Messrs. A. & F. Brown & Company, probably the largest manufacturers of these goods in the United States, will remove their office and salesrooms from 44 Park Place to 17 Dey street. New York, the quarters formerly occupied by the Edison Machine Works, in the same line.

• 1895 ad seen on eBay: "A. & F. Brown, engineers, founders & machinists. / Shafting, pulleys, hangers, etc. / Friction Clutch Couplings. / Steam sirens, [whistles]. / Send for Catalogue. / 17 Dey St., New York. / Estimates and Plans furnished for transmitting power by horizontal and vertical shafting. Also for Erecting same."
• 1897-09-01 New York Tribune.

  Brown Asks for $30,000—Justice Stover, of the Supreme court, yesterday appointed Felix Brown, Jr., receiver of the firm of A. & F. Brown, manufacturers of machinery. at No 25 Dey-st. and at Elizabeth. N. J., in a suit brought by Alexander Flnelite on behalf of Augustus P. Brown, one of the partners, against the other partners. Felix Brown, Sr.. Felix Brown. Jr., and Charles Brown, for the dissolution of the firm and an accounting. The suit arises from a dispute over the profits.

  A very similar article in that day's New York Times added the following: "Felix Brown, Sr., owns seven-tenths of the business and the other partners each one-tenth. Augustus P. Brown claims that the partnership assets and profits exceed $300,000 and that he is entitled to $30,000. The only liabilities are $22,000 mortgage on real estate. The partnership was formed on April 9, 1887."
• 1898—"A. & F. Brown Co." - Third St. and Clark Place, Elizabethport, incorporated under the laws of New Jersey. Certificate filed 1898-06-07. 200,000 shares were authorized at a par value of $50 per share, and all the shares were issued immediately.
• The 1899 Seeger and Guernsey's Cyclopædia of the Manufactures and Products of the United States, New York lists A. & F. Brown Co., 25 Dey St., New York, as a manufacturer of various power transmission specialties, plus "power sirens".
• A 1902 lawsuit heard by the New York Supreme Court, Weinstein v. Weber, involves a dispute over land that was sold by Weber to Weinstein, but the land was apparently purchased by Adolphus Brown and Felix Brown in 1873. Adolphus died on 1875-03-10, leaving a widow, Walli Brown and three minor children, Rosa, Auguste and Christina (the children were all from Adolphus first marriage and must have been teenaged at the time; Walli had two adult children from a previous marriage). One third of Adolphus' share of the property in question went to Walli and the remainder went to his children. Felix purchased Walli's share from her, and a few years later, in separate transactions, purchased the shares owned by each of Adolphus' three children. Walli died in 1897; one of Walli's children signed a quitclaim some years later but the other did not. The court found that when the land was sold the seller only had an 8/9 share of the title. One of Adolphus' executors, Herbert S. Clark, testified as follows.

  I am a consulting engineer and manager in the New York office of A. & F. Brown Company. I have been in the employ of the A. & F. Brown Company ever since it has been the A. & F. Brown Company. That was. I think, 1897. I had been in the employ of the predecessor of the A. & F. Brown Company. That was a partnership, I understood. That consisted of Felix Brown, Auguste Brown [this is almost certainly an error, and the correct name was likely Augustus P. Brown], and Felix Brown, Junior. The firm name at that time was A. & F. Brown. And I had been in the employ of the firm of A. & F. Brown, constituted, as I have just said, I believe, from the time it was formed. The firm of A. & F. Brown constituted, as I have stated, was the successor, A. & F. Brown. But who formed the firm of A. & F. Brown prior to the firm of A. & F. Brown constituted as I have stated, I do not know. They were doing business at 57 Lewis street and also at 43 Park place. The store was at 43 Park place...

• 1905 catalog in the collection of the American Textile History Museum. "Shafting, Pulleys, Hangers, Etc., for Transmission of Power. The A. & F. Brown Co. / Founders and Machinists, 25 Dey Street, New York. 1905."
• 1905 American Trade Index.

  The A. & F. Brown Company, 25 Day street, New York. Works at Elizabethport, N. J. Power transmission machinery, shafting hangers, pulleys, friction clutch pulleys, friction clutch couplings, machine moulded and cut hearing, complete rope transmission outfits; complete crushing and pulverizing outfits, flour mill machines; flour, feed, paint and drug mills; high tensile strength iron castings. Cable address, "Tribrow," New York. Code, Lieber's.

• 1908 postcard from "The A. & F. Brown Co. / Main Office and Works, Elizabethport, N. J."
• July 1909 American Exporter, article on steam sirens from A. & F. Brown Co.
• September 1911 Dun's Review has an article on A. & F. Brown Company's power transmission specialties.
• The 1921 edition of Sweet's Engineering Catalogue has a page on this firm. "Established 1854 / The A. & F. Brown Co. / Manufacturers of Power Transmission Equipment / Engineers, Founders, Machinists and Millwrights / 79 Barclay Street / New York, N. Y. / Works: Elizabethport, N. J."
• The 2001 book Lost Sounds: The Story of Coast Fog Signals, by Alan Renton.

  The Swedish inventor John Ericsson first demonstrated his hot air or 'caloric' engine in England in 1833, but he continued to develop the engine in America into the 1860s. One of his engines was demonstrated at the Great Exhibition of 1851... Ericsson's engines were quite widely used in America and were manufactured after 1874 by A. & F. Brown of New York. (Ericsson's patent expired in 1870 and his design became widely used. A. & F. Brown produced Ericsson's engines in various sizes from ½ to 6 hp. The smallest engine had a 9-inch cylinder and cost $250. The 6 hp engine has a 32-inch cylinder and drove a flywheel at 35 rpm. This engine cost $2,250 in 1875. Ericsson engines, like the Stirling and Buckett engines, heated air in contact with the iron retort's sides. The engine developed by Browns passed the air under pressure through the furnace itself.

  ...A. & F. Brown also supplied hot air engines to the South Foreland trials and the simplicity and economic operation of these engines impressed Trinity House. James Douglass, the Engineer in Chief, was not enthusiastic about steam engines. hot air engines were less powerful than high pressure steam engines, but they were practical and economical... Three 10-horse power caloric engines were subsequently ordered from A. & F. Brown of New York and installed in the new engine house.

  ...A. & F. Brown went on to produce a range of sirens of different sizes, operated by steam and air. In later years their sirens mostly used the automatic self-driven principle, rather than being motor-driven like the early instruments.

• American Steam Engine Builders: 1800-1900 by Kenneth L. Cope, 2006 page 41
• The 2015 second edition of Elizabeth, New Jersey Then and Now, by Robert J. Baptista.

  A. & F. Brown Co. on Third St.
  One of Elizabeth's earliest foundries was the A. & F. Brown Co., established in 1855 on Third St. by Adolph and Felix Brown. The company had three buildings and employed 30 men at that time. Iron castings were machined into power transmission equipment including shaft drives, friction clutches, pulleys, gears and fly wheels. The factory had both rail and ship service, needed to transport parts as large as a fly wheel 20 foot in diameter and weighing 59,000 lbs. The Cogswell Mill, for grinding grain, was sold in the U.S. and abroad.

  In 1915 fifty laborers, earning an average $1.70 per day, struck for higher wages. They demanded wages for machinists at $2.50, helpers at $2.25 and laborers at $2.00. They returned to work with no gains. Strikes in nearby plants took place at the same time, attributed to "Socialist agitation" as reported in the New York Times.

  By 1897 the business was flourishing and employed 250 skilled mechanics. The firm eventually closed and the site was sold in 1937. Charles Brown, former president, died in 1940.

• The State of New York corporate database only shows that A. & F. Brown Co. is still in existence (as a "Foreign Business Corporation") and it changed its name on 1903-12-18 to A. & F. Brown Co. Presumably the "foreign" part is because they moved to New Jersey. The contact address for the company is 79 Barclay Street, New York, which is now an office building but once was the location of their factory and head office
• 2011 book by Robert J. Baptista, Elizabeth, New Jersey Then and Now (PDF, 30 MB, 322 pages).

  One of Elizabeth's earliest foundries was the A. & F. Brown Company, established in 1855 on Third St. by Adolph and Felix Brown. The company had three buildings and employed 30 men at that time. Iron castings were machined into power transmission equipment including shaft drives, friction clutches, pulleys, gears and fly wheels.

  The factory had both rail and ship service, needed to transport parts as large as a fly wheel 20 foot in diameter and weighing 59,000 lbs. The Cogswell Mill, for grinding grain, was sold in the U.S. and abroad. In 1915 fifty laborers, earning an average $1.70 per day, struck for higher wages. They demanded wages for machinists at $2.50, helpers at $2.25 and laborers at $2.00. They returned to work with no gains. Strikes in nearby plants took place at the same time, attributed to "Socialist agitation" as reported in the NY Times.

  By 1897 the business was flourishing and employed 250 skilled mechanics. The firm eventually closed and the site was sold in 1937. Charles Brown, former president, died in 1940.

  Sources: F.W. Ricord, History of Union County New Jersey, Vol. 1, 1897 (online Google Books); Dun's Review, Vol. 19, September 1911 (online Google Books); NY Times September 14, 1915 and May 3, 1940; Thirty-Eighth Annual Report of The Bureau of Industrial Statistics of New Jersey, 1916 (online Google Books)

• A U.S. Coast Guard history page mentions that in 1881, Cape Henry Light Station was fitted with a "first-class steam-siren" or "steam fog-signal," manufactured by A. & F. Brown of New York.