The Portland daily press., 1880-03-25
SIR HUGH ALLAN.
A Resume of the Work Of Busy Life.

The following sketch of the life of Sir Hugh
Allan, the proprietor of the Allan Steamship
Line, will not prove uninteresting to our rea-
ders:
After receiving common-school education
in his native Ayrshire, Scotland Sir Hugh AL
Ian entered, at Is years of age, shipping
house in Greenock, where he remained one
year. BY the advice of his father, who was a
ship captain. engaged in the trade between
the Clyde and Montreal, he went to Canada,
arriving in Montreal on May 81, 1926. AT that
time there was only one steamer, small tug
boat, on the st. Lawrence. The aspect of
Montreal was very different to what it is at
present, there being no wharves Shortly
after his arrival he was Offered, by fellow
passenger, who was in the dry goods trade in
Montreal, situation as clerk in his store,
which was accepted. He remained there
three years, learning bookkeeping, His
salary was small, and his savings, after the
most frugal living. amounted to only 800. He
SO, he made brief visit to New York and
Niagara. At this time there were no railways
and only one canal-Lachine to Montreal-in
the Dominion. On Nov. 80, 1880, he started
from Quebec for Greenock, where he remained
during the winter He visited, early in the
following spring, Liverpool, Manchester and
London, and, in the course of his tour. he saw
the first railway in operation. 1t was from
Liverpool to Manchester, and was the only
one in the United Kingdom. On April 5,
1881, he set sail again for Montreal, and,
on landing, was offered a clerkship in the
shipping Office of James Millar. AT first he
was engaged in the ship-building department,
and. subsequently, in buying what for ex-
portation to England. In 1885, Mr.. Millar
gave him Junior partnership, and soon after
sent him to England to represent the firm
there. Soon after arriving in England he
found that one of the ships belonging to the
firm had been wrecked, and an agent was
applying for the insurance, with which he in
tended to pay his own liabilities. Legal steps
were taken to prevent his getting the money,
and Mr.. Millar was we'll satisfied with
his exercise of judgment. He returned to
Montreal in time to join the volunteers en-
gagged in putting down the rebellion of 1887.
In that year two steamships crossed the Allan
tic to New York, proving that it was possible
for steamships to carry coal enough to make
the passage. Being anxious to learn the prac-
tical workings of a steamer on the Atlantic, he
took passage OF the Liverpool from New York
on Dec. IA, 1887, and after tedious voyage,
having had to make for the Azores to get coal,
he arrived in Liverpool, after being given up
as lost. In 1888 he returned again to Mon
treal, and shortly afterward Mr. Millar died.
He was induced at that time by Lord Syden-
ham. the Governor-G General, to tender propo-
sails for building a steamship for the royal
navy, and he obtained the contract, The ves-
SOL was Soilt NOME, anu IL gave SreaG SAUSAGE
ton. In 1886, Andrew Allan, his brother,
came out from Scotland, and was admitted
into the firm under the style of H. & A. Allan.
After his fathers death in 1851, he resolved on
building steamships of iron; fitted with pro-
pellers. The Canada was the first, and she
made her first trip in 1858. In the following
summer he received the Canadian mail con-
tract, which has been retained up to the
present. From that time the firm continued
building iron steamers, until at present there
are in the Allan fleet % first-class steamers,
760,O 900 tons burden, and twelve iron clipper
ships, 10000 tons burden. For ten years past
the firm has been its own insurers, and has de-
rived great profit from being so.
Such is Sir Hugh's story of his active and
exceedingly prosperous career. From a dry
goods clerk, with capital of 800, he has be-
come merchant prince, with accumulated
wealth reputed to amount to $10,0O0,O0O or
$15y0OO,00O. Although 70 years of age Sir
Hugh is as indefatigable in attending to bust
ness as he ever was. Not day passes that he
morning until late hour in the afternoon
Besides his shipping interests, Sir Hugh is con-
nected with almost every manufacturing and
industrial enterprise in the province. He is
president of the Montreal Telegraph Com
pany, Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Com
pany, Hudson Cotton Company, Adams To
bacco Company, Williams Sewing Machine
Company, Montreal Elevator Company, and
Citizens Insurance Company; he is also di-
rector of the Merchants Bank. Sir Hugh has
frequently been solicited to come forward for
public life, but he has refused. In his half
century OF mercantile pursuits of gigantic pro-
portions he has never had to ask for an extern
sion, offer compromise, or suspend payment.