The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-03

John A. HILL the writer of railroad stor-
les has gone on a vacation to Denver,
where he will renew acquaintance with
the scenes, and, as far as possible, with
the companions of his adventures as
pioneer railroader in the Rocky mountains
twenty years ago. 1t may be that even
among readers who are on the lookout
for good stories there are still good
many who don't know Mr.. Hill, but this
will not be the case / think, very long,
for during the next few months a num-
Der of his stories will appear in one OF
the magazines of largest circulation, ana
then a collection of them will appear IN
book form. Oddly enough, these
stories have already been published in
Locomotive Engineering, and raised Mr..
Hill into a kind of national bard, a sort
Of Homer, among railroad men, so much
so that when some later writers of rail-
road stories began to come into reputa-
ton with the general public it was not
uncommon to meet railroad men who, at
the mention of the later writers, gave you
a look of disdain and rebukefully obserV-
ed IF you want railroad stories-real rail-
road stories-read those stories John Hill
wrote" 1t was Mr.. Hill, I understand,
that the editor of McClures' Magazine,
which is the magazine that is now to re-
publish some of the stories, first got
knowledge of them. He FASTENED to put
himself in communication with the author,
HON up to that time he had never seen
or heard of, and an arrangement agree
able to both parties was soon reached.
1t isn't often one finds In a writer Of
stories a man of such position, downright
quality as Mr.. Hill is. He is publisher
himself now, being president and treas
urer of the American Machinist; and If
any one will study the publishers an
nouncements in that paper he will soon
49, - IL 8
who will not he fooled with. A man of
square, strong build, dark complexion, and
a certain bluntness of manner, he shows
at once q good capacity for taking care
of himself whether in physical or moran
difficulties. He is now just 40 years old,
ard he has had suncient variety ana ad-
venture IN his lie 10 furnish forth any
number Of books. lie as a native OF Yer
mont, but grew up in Wisconsin. He
learned the printers trade, served an ap-
premiership in a machine shop, and then
took to the locomotive. At 20 years of age
he went seeking his fortune in the Rocky
mountains. Most of his first year there
was spent in the erection and operation
OF mining machinery at LeadvilIe. Then
he went to the Ute reservation-in Search
as ne once SAID to me, of
gold, excitement and glory" ana
found only excitement For the
larger part of nine years he was loco
motive fireman and engineer on the Den
yer and Rio Grande Railway The line
grew during his connection with il from
one of 800 miles to one of 1000 miles; and
Hill was one of the men who helped it
to make it's way through some of the
most difficult crossings in the Rocky
Mountains He did a good deal in the
Rockies besides engine firing and driving,
though. For one thing, he established a
daily paper at Pueblo, and, to quote again
HE TaI1r an Of 10 hp
once related it to me in conversation, he
"hunted grizzlies and Utes, and slept un-
der the trees and the stars, and with he
roes and horse thieves"
1t will be seen by all this that in going
back now on a visit to Colorado Mr.. Hill
returns to a locality that has plenty of
lively memories for him, and as he has
never allowed his acquaintance with the
railroad men of twenty years back to
lapse, / feel pretty confident that he viii
not be allowed to grow lonesome out there.
No one / am sure, will begrudge Mr..
George w. Gable the success he is having
with his readings in England. 1t seems
TO be a success without reservations;
wherever he appears he is met by good
audience and one that seems always to
relish what he has to offer. ] fancy that
Mr. Gable was in a mood 10 find such "A
cordial reception especially gratifying, for.
Il
him one of those depressed periods which
all successful authors encounter now and
then when, after being much read and
much talked about, they drop, in a meas
ure, out of sight, and have almost to make
their careers over again. Mr.. Cables
readings must have lost their edge here
at home some years ago; his last novel
was no great success; he became editor
of Current Literature, and soon retired
without having added any manifest new
laurel to his crown; and so, on the whole
the game seemed to be rather running
against him. His visit to England. likely
enough. will work a complete turn in his
fortune. He will come home quickened by
the new experience, and with his name
freshened in the public memory he will
produce a novel that the public will i6e'
as well as any of his earlier ones, and ne
will figure again at the authors readings
and in all the literary announcements and
letters; and the story will be retold of
how he once FURNISHED his trousers on a