The morning call., 1892-08-29
THE GREAT NORTHERN.
Interesting Facts About an
Independent Line.
ENTERPRISE OF jim HILL
Indications That the Management Of the New
Route Will Reach Out for Cali
fornia Business.

ested in the withdrawal OF the Great Orth-
ern from the Transcontinental Association"
said a well-known citizen of Spokane now
visiting in San Francisco to q CALL re-
porter yesterday.
''D0 you know, We have seen great deal
of Jim Hill at Spokane during the past year
and have had excellent opportunities to OBJ
serve the methods and temperament of the
Great Northern's president The inside
history of his coming into Spokane. which
happen to know. is q striking illustration of
the mans character.
ut was in this way. When it first be.
came known that the Great Northern was
to be extended through Montana, Idaho and
Washington to the Pacific Coast Hon. j. j.
Browne. our wealthiest citizen, visited Mr..
Hill in St. Paul in the endeavor to induce
him to fix definitely his route through Spo-
kane to the coast. He assured Mr.. Hill on
behalf OF himself and other prominent citi-
gems that if the line OF the road were located
through Spokane at that time the citizens
would give Mr.. Hill not only the right Of
way through the city but a handsome
bonus. Mr.. HilPs reply was quite decsively
in the negative. He stated plainly that
from the information 0btainabie by his en-
gineeTs he might not get into and out of
Spokane on his route to the coast without
seriously imperiling his system of low
Of his plan Of com petition for through ship
ments. He also stated that on no account
would he sacrifice his ultimate plans for the
sake of such local business as he might get
from Spokane. He agreed to give the mat
ter careful consideration, but would make
no promises.
AT that time Mr.. Hill could undoubtedly
have secured a handsome bonus from
Spokane. but. with Characteristic caution.
he waited until he was sure he could get
u a.afst ,titI. nut Ia,, fn
petitve superiority of his through line.
When he did come Into Spokane he got
what he asked for, his right OF way through
the city, and in the depressed condition of
things could not have gotten more. Con-
sideTlng the money il cost him to come 10
our city on the grades he selected, bis de-
mands were extremely reasonable.
Perhaps you may not know that Jim Hill,
In addition TO being a ShTewd fnancier and
an able executive, Is one Of the best praeti-
cal railroad men on the continent He un-
derstands the quality, nature and measure
of every stroke Of work done upon his road
in both the construction and operating de-
partments. He can pilot a train as safely
and speedily as any engineer in his employ,
and handle construction gang as well as
any section boss. He is himself practical
surveyor and personally goes over the work
Sf his engineer corps. The mans energy,
patience and keen practical insight are
simply ineXhaustible. l have myself seen
HIM, when | was with him at BOnner's S
Ferry, Idaho, tramping the ties over his
newly laid track ana inspecting the work of
his graders further on. The only danger is
that the man Will break down under the
stress Of the enormous labor he lays upon
himself.
Another element to be taken into con-
sideTat!0n IN connection with the Great
Northern Is that there are no cliques or
parties concerned in its management. In
the Northern Pacific for example, the
managers of the road make 81 where the
stockholders make $40 out of the legitimate
work of the road. The managers own a
very small fragment Of the capital stock.
But in the Great Northern the man who
owns the road runs it. He is Obliged TO
consult DO one as TO his ultimate plans and
he takes no one into his confidence. There
Is no such thing as being on the inside in
the Great Northern, except in a very small
and lnconclusive way. Therefore real
estate and mining schemes and town lot
b0oms are not allowed 10 hamper or inter-
fere with the great programme which Mr.
Hill has mapped out for the Great North
ern,
That programme Hill has never swerved
from since he first conceived 1.-THE idea Of
building and operating a road with the sole
object OF CARVING through shipments 10 and
from The Pacific Coast at rates that would
enable him to handle the business against
all competition. L will build road lie
sald. In his picturesque, fOTcible way, that
shall be as an arm of the sea- That is
what he has done and is doing.
From my knowledge of HIiPs character
and an;eeedentS / should say that he Ger
tainly has not withdrawn from the trans
continental pool without considering well
what be was doing. The man tempera-
mentally cautious. / remember anillustra-
ton of this when | was out driving with
him in Spokane. We came TO a railroad
crossing and Mr.. Hill remarked, 4 am an
old railroad man, but L never allowed my
coaehman to drive over railroad
crossing with my family. 1t is
too dangerous If he wants to go
anywhere, he must find another road than
that over a misunderstanding. Ii is 100 dan
gerous even with the most careful driver"
VIII Mr.. Hill extend his plans so as to
take in Callfornia'S overland trade?'
81 do not see why not. 1t is certainly In
accordance with his plan, as far as we know
1t, and with the history Of his railroad
operations. He is after the transcon tinental
trade. You have very large share of it to
offer. L believe he can give San Francisco
Eastern rates, by means of a line Of freight
steamers TO Seattle, that will discount any,
thing the Southern Pacific can do. Besides
there Is the great interior trade of Wash
ington. Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas
aud Minnesota to be opened up to
your California fruits and early vegetables
We have TO pay enormous prices for fruits
aud vegetables, which constitute very
large share of family living expenses in
Spokane. The freights from Tacoma over
the Northern Pacific, through the dangerous
and expensive grades TO the Stampede tun-
mel, are almost probibitive of California
products. | see no reason why tnat advent
of the Great Northern, built and equipped
as 1t is. an independent road, should not be
OF almost as much value TO you as to US. OF
course, Mr.. Hill expects cooperation of a
substantial kind from shippers and citizens
wherever he goes, and that, as it seems TO
l.. L.