The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-09

Upen M. ne can sleep anywhere, ct any
June. He oltan roads himself 70 sleep,
ana can, am told, dismis his work
when he wants -. He he's . wonderful
memory, and instances Of this are often
seen at the Great Northern o6Bceo here.
ms accounts, you know, run mp into
mintons. and he seems 70 remember each
one OF the thousand items from year to
year. The other day . statement vas
sands Of dollars. He looked over It, and
q one place he saw charge Of 500 for
the completion Of . water tank He
looked mp at once and said: "How shout
this item This vas not in last year, and
We have never had It here before" He
was told that IL had not been quite finished
ana the charRe was not made. He did not
IKE Il Ct oil and gave the man . severe re.
detail
One Of Jim Hilrs hobbies In the develop
ment OF his railroad system il the improve.
ment Of the stock and the farming along
his lines Of road. He has for years been
Distributing tine stock. sheep. cattle and
purposes, stipulatine that the animal shail
Do for the use Of the communities. He
has usually sold them at moderate figure
to one OF the leading farmers in each place
with this provision, 'and has rarely charged
more than the cost Of the freight from st.
Paul. Among other things that he dis
tributed in this way were some very ine
hogs. the Offspring Of some that he inn
ported from the old country himself. and
which cost him several hundred dollars
apiece. He sold them for about $ apiece
TO these farmers and SAINT them out al along
the line. One day not long ago he
came down to his ONCE In St Paul to
find an old farmer waiting for him. he
81 ~ IL
the farmer said: '.Nr. Hin, have come
down 70 do Guinness with you. You sent
me boar some months ago and I took il
Of you at s. Well, / like Il 20 well that I
have come in 70 tell you that want TO
buy the whole litter. II Jon win let me
have them 1t the same prlce." Mr.. Hill
then 81 .ad e e: R@
what the hogs had actually cost him, and
when the old fellow went out Of the Office
his eyes, were, I am told, - big - your
fist.
Mr.. Hill il acting In this same way - to
all matters connected with the lands along
the Northern Pacific. His principle 10
that the prosperity Of his road must de.
pend on the prosperity of the small farm
ers living along it, and he says he hopes to
make 1t 20 that their products can be
shipped to the East and can compete with
any in the United States.
Already the Great Northern ID reaching
out 70 the East 40 to freight rates. It's
steamers on the Great Lakes which carry
its freight from Duluth to Buffalo and
Cleveland in less than four days. These
boats will each carry between 1000 and
5000 tons and two passenger steamers are
being built which will be faster than the
steamers which cross the Atlantic, and by
which you may 60 from Buffalo to Duluth
isaG 80 49, - t.. al Ssno
BILE. but the ships will. I am told, be faster
than our new iron cruisers and they will
probably be ready for the summer travel.
In these as in every other part Of the road
no expense 10 spared to get the very best,
and a. an instance of the way the road
has been built the part Of it which runs
through the cities Of St. Paul and Mime
no place does it cross street or grade and
it always runs above it or under 1t. Leav-
ing Minneapolis the road crosses tho river
on . bridge which 10 the wonder Of civil
engineers the world over. It il the only
bridge of stone arches which has ever been
built upon curve and the engineers said
Il was an impossibtlity to construct It.
Mr.. Hill laid out the plans, and it works
a. well - any straight bridge in the
country.
One Of the most prominent traits Of Mr..
Hill il his modesty and his retiring dis
position. He does not like to be talked
about in the newspapers and has never
given out picture Of himself for publica-
ton. He has not been in st. Paul during
the week have spent here. and have
not met him. From the oil portrait of
him which Isaw in his house he looks, I
judge. very much like the late President
Garfield. and he 10 . rather stoutiy built.
broad-shouldered man Of about IS years Of
age. He il said 70 Be pleasant man with
his friends, . splendid companion, . good
story teller, not . bad singer and
thoroughly posted on almost every subject
under the sun. During my stay here I
have gone through his mansion, which
George W. Chllds says is the finest private
house in the United States.
FRANK g. CARPENrER