He was also Special Engineer for the New Orleans Levee Board on harbor and bank protection work. To the study of this work Mr. Brown devoted all his energies and knowledge for several years. At the same time he was a member of the New Orleans Advisory Board of Engineers on Sewerage and Water.
When the oil fields of Texas were first discovered, Mr. Brown's services were immediately engaged, and in the following years he devoted almost his entire time to the development of the oil fields and facilities for handling the oil. His operations were principally in the Beaumont and Sour Lake fields.
The holdings of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in these regions demanded the services of an expert engineer, and Mr. Brown was engaged to take full charge of its interests.
In 1904 he was compelled to give up active business and seek the restoration of his health. To this end he spent some time in the Middle Western States and finally decided to go out to the Pacific Coast. The climate there proved so beneficial that he eventually settled in Bakersfield, Cal., where he accepted an appointment as Consulting Engineer for the Oil Department of the Southern Pacific Railroad and Chief Engineer of the Atlantic Division of the same line.
Shortly after he accepted this appointment the Colorado River broke through its banks and overflowed the valley known as the Salton Sea, across which the tracks of the Southern Pacific Road were laid. The Company was compelled to make a detour of approximately 100 miles around the inundated region, but, under the direction of Mr. Brown, they succeeded in closing the break with two massive dams, confining the river to its ordinary channel and preventing the increase of the Salton Sea.
While in California Mr. Brown invented an oil and sand separator, which the Southern Pacific Company is now using throughout its oil fields. He also invented a continuous water purifier and a special oil power-pump. All these machines are now on the market.
Mr. Brown was a man of sterling integrity; one who regarded his profession in the light of an obligatory public service. To this sense of duty he sacrificed much, primarily the necessary relaxation and rest from arduous labor, which undoubtedly accelerated the end of his useful and honorable career.
In recognition of the valuable services he rendered in connection with the levee protection work in New Orleans, Mr. Brown was made the recipient of public honors and testimonials of appreciation.
He is survived by a daughter and two sons; the latter are preparing to follow the engineering profession. His wife, who was Miss Joan Von Vesterfeldt of New York City, died in 1903.
Mr. Brown was elected a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers on June 7th, 1899. He was also a Member of the Louisiana Engineering Society.