St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-13
RICH men OF ST. PAUL.
Sanity City Millionaries Becoming
Quite Numerous.
THEY NOW NUMBER THIRTY.
]. ]. Hill, the Manitoba Railway Mag
nate, the Wealthiest Man in the
Northwest--Others' Fortunes.
Chicago Herald.

Chicago Herald.
ST. PAUL, April S.-Nothing so we'll
illustrates the society of st. Paul and
its essential difference from most new
q Western cities as the number OF mill
ionaires who can be counted among the
citizens. The aggregate wealth OF the
city is enormous. AT least thirty men
could clear up a million tomorrow, and
twice as many could draw their cheeks
for half million. First on the mill
ionaire list is ]. j. Hill, president of the
Manitoba railroad. Before Hill got
hold of the road, with the assistance OF
Commodore Kittson and some Montreal
bankers, in 1878, he was worth two OF
three hundred thousand dollars, made
in the coal business. After the deal
which gave him control of the road, he
was worth $4,000,000, as he speedily
brought it from bankruptcy to dlvl-
dend-paying basis, and the STOCK ac-
cordingly took a rapid upward Jump.
Through speculation in lands and town
sites connected with the railroad Hllls
wealth has continued to pile up, ana is
now estimated at S10,00O,OOO. lie mas
but one possession greater than MS
railroad and that is his family OF ten
children. to whom he is devOtedly at
tached. Hill is only fifty-one years OF
age and bids fair to double his fortune
before departing this life.
A. II. Wilder, who is pretty well
known i'm Chicago, is another man who
will top the 81 ZOO, 900 at least four tunes.
He came to the Northwest from New
England back in the SOS and engaged
in government contracting and general
merchandise in frontier towns. 1t is a
favorite saying of his that more fort
unes exist, prospectively, on the frontier
than in any other place, and that to the
frontier ambitious young men should
HE themselves" Wilder is now con-
structing veritable palace Qarger than
any on Prairie avenue) on Summit ave
nue., which he will soon occupy with ms
wife and only daughter-a charming
girl of eighteen. Young men are eSpe-
cial favorites with Millionaire Wilder,
and he is ever ready to give them Sno-
stantial advice. William Dawson, the
banker, is a man who can easily enter
in Wilder's class. he began banking
in st. Paul'S early days, and as last as
he got few thousand dollars ahead put
them into real estate. When st. PauPs
boom began Dawson's property sprang
upward with balloon-like rapidity, and
his cash receipts, added to the property
he vet owns, brought his wealth up to
figure estimated at between S3,O00,000
and S5,0OO,000. He has two sons and
daughter. He is plain, unasSumlng
man, and would be taken rather for a
country lawyer than a city millionaire.
Coming down a notch, the well-knOwn
Merriams, John l.. and w. R., father
and son, are worth at least S2,000,000.
The elder Merriam made his money,
like Dawson, by the rise i'll real estate.
The son got few hundred thousand
from his father and has doubled the
amount by his management of st. PauFs
principal bank. The family are very
liberal in expenditures, and some idea
of their available resources may be
gathered by the express intention of the
elder Merriam to spend 100000 in the
furtherance of his sons political ambi-
ton. w. r. Merriam is now in the race
for the governorship, but his ultimate
ambition is the United States senate.
Another double millionaire is E. f.
Drake, who has gained his fortune by
sheer force of his financial genius.
Coming to the Northwest in the early
days he bargained with the railroads
for the disposal of portion of their land
grants, and cleaned up 81 100000 or SO in
these deals. The bent of his mind is
speculative, and he has been ready to go
into anything, regardless of risk, that
promised big outcome. His latest and