The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-03-09
GENERAL REJOICING.
Coming Of the Manitoba Hailed
With Delight.
IRIS 4 BUSINESS PROPOSITION.

fAs 0ress Nesshern Has ~ Friends 70
Reward or Enemies 20 Punish-Jin
HIN, shs Railroad Builder.
The officers Of the Seattle & Montana
road we're yesterday engaged in perfect
ing the arrangements for terminal
facilities. which have been quietly
going on for several weeks. Colonel
Clough, OF the Great Northern, was busy
with them, many matters which had been
held IN allegiance pending action OF
the council upon the franchise. demanding
bis attention.
The great news that the Manitoba" had
finally decided to make Seattle its Pacific
coast terminus had an inspiriting effect
upon the whole city. The general opinion
expressed was that the coming of this
great road would have the effect of con-
Erming Seatfle's commercial supremacy
over all other cities Of the Pacific North
west
Manager II. w. Mcneil, of the Oregon
Improvement Company, expressed great
satisfaction upon reading yesterday morn
ing of the prospects of the Great Northern
coming to Seattle.
The proposed extension of the Great
Northern to Puget Sound" said he. lis the
logical result Of the strife between the
transconiinentai lines to control, or ct
least share. the enormous traffic now be-
longing to and rapidly developing on and
via the Pacific coast
THE exports to Asiatic countries last
year equalled in value $500. 900 600. The
great bulk Of these supplies would 60 from
our states via Puget sound, if it followed
natural channels.
THE current is now large enough TO
justify the new line of trans-Pacific steam
ers lately established by the Canadian
Pacific. and the Northern Pacific Is now
arranging for another line. More will
follow.
This season, in my opinion, will give
every overland line, including the Cana
dian and Southern Pacific, foothold on
Puget sound, either by direct ownership or
satisfactory connections"
Jim Hill is Canadian by birth, and was
born about fifty-ons years ago. He came
to the United States when Q very young
man. and to st. Paul along in the SOS.
Soon afterward he went into steamboating
on the Mississippi, near ST. Paul Then
the old st. Paul a Pacific railway was
started, and he took the agency in st. Paul
of that company. His old warehouse stood
on the levee until replaced by the Chicago.
Milwaukee 4 Sc. Paul freight depot few
years ago. In the early '70's he engaged
in the business Of river transpor-
tation on the Red river OF the
North, In connection with Commo-
dore Kittson. This was the route OF
the Hudson Bay Company for taking its
supplies into the Northwestern British
provinces and for bringing its pelts out.
This Red river steamboat line continued
to operate until superseded BY the compile
ton of the ST. Paul, Minneapolis & Mani
toba railway to the boundary line and OF
the Canadian Pacific railway from Winni-
peg south TO meet it. In the course of this
business Mr.. Hill had frequent occasion to
make tho trip between St Paul and Win
nipeg. both by land and water, so that he
became thoroughly familiar with the
country and its resources.
In the early eos the st. Paul & Pacific
railway had undertaken to build . line Of
railroad from St. Paul to the Red river of
the North at Breckenridge. Mimi. and an
other line from ST. Paul down the Red
river valley to the boundary line. It sue
ceeded in completing the line to Brecken-
ridge by 1871, and about half Of the other
line by 1873, when it ran out Of funds, and
the financial crash Of that year following
Immediately afterward utterly destroyed
the company's credit, and lett few dis
connected fragments of railroad on its
hands and large floating debt incurred
in construction that il was wholly unable
to meet. As usual, the result was re-
ceiver. The next five or six years
was q dark period in the his.
tory of Minnesota and the rail-
way property. The country was ravaged
by grasshoppers, and to large extent de-
populated. The earnings of the road were
barely enough to meet operating expenses
The price of its securities went down to q
few cents on the dollar. Almost every one
| lost faith in the future of the property
For years il was impossible to induce men
with requisite capital for the completion OF
| the lines to take hold of them.
Jim Hill, however, from his better knowl-
edge of the country than any one else had
at that time. had faith. and after years of
effort succeeded in organizing a party with
the ability and means 10 acquire the secu-
rites of the old company and complete
| the lines. Substantially all OF the
| old bonds and stocks were first bought
| in. and then 10 procure q clear title, fore
| closure proceedings were resorted to. The
| property was sold at foreclosure sale early
in 1879. and the properties were reorganized
under the name Of the St Paul, Mime
apolis & Manitoba Railway Company. At
| that time the completed road amounted to
| little over 600 miles. Mr.. Hill became
the owner of one-hfth OF the property and
the general manager OF the company. Be-
| ing a man OF great foresight and enormous
| physical and mem tai activity. the work of
| extension was entered upon Immediately.
with the result that by the beginning of
the present year the system had expanded
into mileage of bout 3 800 miles.
| The development of the country through
| which the lines ran and of its business were
| equally rapid as the following illustration
will show: In 1879 the company hauled
| from country stations 10 its terminals about
| S..o,co bushels of wheat By 1883 the
| quantity had increased 20 5 600 900 bushels
| On February of the present year the
| properties were turned over 70 the Great
! Northern Railway Company for the pur-
pose Of placing the system upon q broader
basis and 10 better arrange for its extern.
sion 10 the Pacific coast.