Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-10-13
JAMES j. HlLz,s CAREER.



Pedigree Scotch irish.
Birthplace Canada
Choice of Countries -Alnerica.
Initial Salary Fifty cents per day.
Present Income Sc, 900 per day.
Wealth SAG, oC0,O eco.
Miles Of Road Controlled-14,0 900.
Men Employed 80, COO.
Yearly Payroll SIS, 900, 200.
Locomotives in Use-1, 500.
Cars (passenger)-4, 900.
Cars freight 80, 600.
Investments Controlled Great North
ern, Northern Pacific and Baltimore Il
Ohio, $50, 800. 600.
: 81 will do what / can to make the
Baltimore & Ohio railroad solid and
successful. "
These were the words spoken the
other day by man sitting in his office
at st. Paul, MINI. James j. Hill is
the greatest man in the greatest in
dustry in modern times. That indus
try is transportation. 1t employs more
men and women than any other single
line of enterprise, and Mr.. Hill stands
without peersat the very head of all
experts in that department of human
endeavor. He cannot deny that he is a
self-made man and has no reason to be
ashamed of the job. A modest estimate
puts his personal wealth at S4o, 0oO,ooU.
Mr.. Hill is magnificent lllustra-
tion OF cross. breeding. lie IS Scotch-
Irish canadian American. lie was porn
on q little thankless bit OF farm near
lockwood, in the Province OF ontario,
on September 10th, 1888. His father
was North of Ireland Orangeman, and
his mother Scotch lassie of the Dun
bar elan with a pe1i pree traceable
back to the house OF stuart.
The Dunbar family left the old coun-
try because OF trouble with Catnollc
neighbors, yet today, on a high BLUM
on Grant avenue, in st. raul, over
looking the Mississippi, is the Semi
nary OF 81. Thomas, founded by giiG
OF nearly 81, o00,0 600 BY James =. Hill
for the education OF Cathollc priests.
The simple explanation IS that IN
1867 MI. Hill married Mary Il. Mehlgan,
member OF the Catnoilc faith, ana
the seminary is really the GIT OF the
mother OF his nine children, not the
personal oferlng OF MIR. Hill nlmSel1.
But to get back to that stony bit OF
farm In Upper Canada. foung Jim
was not lazy, but he was decidedly
opposed to taking up life OF drudgery
ON that farm, and as he liked books,
his father picked out for MN the lie
OF Presbyterian dominic, and at Z
years OF age he began his school career
OF 10 years. lie clerked IN a local
| grocery for year; then pushed over
into, the States, and from that time on
has been an American to the core.
lie reached St. raul to nnd IL
busting town OF 5,ooo inhapltants, at
the head OF the Mississippi Elyer. IL
was steamboat centre, ana Gown on
the levee the wiry young Canuck found
it easy to get job. 1t was not much OF
a Job either; % cents day was the pay.
He did Just enough OF this to show
his employers that he was worthy OF
something bnster, and he put in eight
years Of hard labor acting as clerk and
levee agent for several OF the river
transport firms.
During these years he saw the limita-
tions OF water transport WITH the &C,
ceptance of the'agency OF the ST. Paui
d Pacific railway began his wonderful
career as railroad genius. Inc roads
of this region were in Wretched imam,
cial shape and struggling against bad
management and debt.
He interested Sir Donald Smith of
Angus d Smith Lord Mount Stephen,
another Canadian banker. along with
Commodore Norman W. kittson.
II was an, easy thing to take off the
hands of lot OF disguised Amsterdam
bankers the worthless securities of the
road. particularly when their agent re-
ported the road as two streaks of rust
running through the grass.
The road was rechristened the st.
Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba and
began an aggressive march into the
fertile wheat region, with the Pacific
coast as the ultimate terminal. Every
foot of that line is known to Mr.. Hill
from personal observation. He has
walked over it, ridden horseback over
it and whirled over it in fine palace cars.
When the Northern Pacific got into
its last ENHANCEMENT it came naturally
into the hands of Mr.. Hill. 1t looked
like turning it over to the mercy Of a
rival, but there was no question when
Mr. Hill said that he would handle, the
property and thought it would be done
successfully. He has already started
this great property on what appears to
be career Of prosperity.
From the start Mr.. Hill introduced q
novelty in American railroad methods.
He was simply honest. When he had
stretch Of road to build he added the
cost Of labor to the cost of material
and the total was the cost of the road.
He did not organize a long list of in
termediary companies for his own profit
and hide the expenditure of dime on
the road behind dollar in bond issue.
Every dollar made by or through the
Great Northern reaches the stakeholder
owners in the shape of dividends The