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

= clerk on the Ievecs along back
MR the COS and he 10 now the owner and
oaildar Of the Great Northern railway sy,-
IN, which has just been completed to Sc
~. and which with its more than l.0oO
niles Of iron tracks has given us another
Qeae trunk line across the continent.
l1vs spent some time mere studying him
- his personality, through chats with
~ most intimate friends, and he 10 one of
- most remarkable men In the world.
Ah great trunk line across the continent
~ been practically built within the past
~ pears, and the United States hardly
moWs OF its existence. Still he has had
= army OF something like 10000 men at
sosk right along. day after day, laying
eevn this wonderful system, and the con-
0oction Of the line has been such that il
: even more wonderful Every loot of it
- ocen built to stay. 1t il called here
- Pennsylvania railroad of the West.
ID It 10 20 built that it can DO run moro
saeaply and better than the other roads of
y country. Built as it was by one man,
No bad sole control Of its capital, it has
~st only SIS, 900 mile. while the average
~ Of the roads in the United States, TAX
their bonded Indebtedness only and
- the stock. is $4,000. The Union Pa
enc has, ! am told. cost something like
W,O0 . mile, the Northern Pacific over
M000 Q mile and the Southern Pacific
nore than $4,000 for every mile Of track.
NJ hil's new road has . grade of only
uasty-one feet to the mile, and the road
~ oeen built so that single engine can
any t.S0O tons over its heaviest grade.
wen 1t - remembered that on some of
NE otnef roads 80 tons is the maximum
W heavy grade, it will be seen what .
soaoerfui difference this will make In
speeating expenses. Mr.. Hill believes
saas freight rates by rail viii! be eventually
eneaper than by water, and he expects to
- the day when by means of well con-
3suctsd roads and the best of modern en-
nhes ton Of freight can be carried across
0e continent cheaper than it could 30
INT the same distance by sea.
James J. Hill has been called the Jaw
you'd OF the Northwest. His friends
sporn this insinuation. They say he Is a
eoiidsr up Of countries rather than q
wicker OF railroads. He has never been
specuiator. and he has made his great
asuns by studying the needs of the times.
Aysne out good foundation for his plans
ma steadily and solidly carrying them out
0eompietion. He is Canadian by birth.
~. M ne came here . poor boy along about
AA and have been told that he had to
..o. the money 10 buy his railroad ticket
~s1 Paul. He first cierked on the levee.
ssafsy saw that the transportation prob.
Nas one Of the great ones of the
nun and devoted himself To STUDYING il.
ave heard stories of how he drove q
Geoge carrying freight from one part
0s country To the other, and during
v", 10 his house here l saw q great
~, f.ste as big around as a center table
s.s. go Mr. george A. Bracket and other
a.so OF minneapolis gave him as a ses-
IsiAi OF their gratitude for what he
~ Tor their town. This plate was
N6nn y Tiffany and COS, more than
- ana the engrayings upon il repre-
sors 1 &c oine7en' scenes of Mr.. Hills life
ea. the I'M provement OF transporta-
g.. scanning with his dog slsdges and
WITH his great railway.
NJ SNai Northern system was begun
oVytng OF tie old ST. Paul & Pacific
- y M. Hill. This had been built and
u, u.ned by Dutch bondhoiders. and
d, !. -. raised the money and bought il
n.ss IL represented only q few
0s track. and il had been rather ex
saasely built 1t was not we'll enough
n ~ however. TO sui; Hill, and he tore
3 ms. uacS and reduced the grades until
a. 49, ~ 30 that one locomotive would
pr.0r.uo'k OF three IN going over it, He
r-sss extended his lines into the
M - ed River valley. He saw that this
Ss,ss~ V TIE bread basket OF the United
lsslsa and he has gridironed it with
VA Then he built. in connection
/ n - british government and others,
aoian Pacific railway. And be