The St. Louis Republic., 1901-01-06
that are sought after by other railro
conf anies.
Personal characteristics.

tOf-l
Personal characteristics.
What IS the secret OF 3ir. Hilrs success
in rsiirc ad management? was the question
asked the other day OF number Of bank
ers Cf the city.
Common honesty. should ray" replied
one man. His stockholders know and be-
lIeve IN him. They know that they Will get
as much out OF the property as he gels.
Everything goes 20 the stockholders OF the
Gioat Northern read. II owns its own tele
graph lines. its own express company. its
own sleeping and parlor car service. its own
dining car service. its own steamship line:
everything that contributes TO its earnings
is owned by the company. There is no
milking along the way"
Attention to detail. believe. IS the dom-
inant quality in Mr.. Hill." replied another
banking friend 10 the same question. SIN
gleness of purpose and a complete mastery
Of detail OF everything connected with his
property.
p w hy, he continued. "he knows the num-
Der of ties on every bridge along the line
from ST Paul and Minneapolis to Seattle
and Vancouver. And there is not a figure
relative to the cost Of anything that he
cannot give you onhand."
"Out OF his head?' was asked
yes, out OF his head. and his figures ara
always correct 1t Is marvellous. To Illus
trate: 1t is only short time ago that the
representative Of one OF tho largest locomo-
tive works in the country told me that in
trying TO get an order for locomotives from
the Great Northern Mr.. Hill took exoep-
tion TO the price Finally. the question mar
rowed down to the cost OF materials enter
ing into the construction-bolts and rivets.
screws and everything else
what rivet do you use In such and such
a place." asked Mr.. Hill. specifying the
par.
The locomotive man replied and gave the
cott-
Il you're paying that you're paying too
much for them replied Mr.. HUI. I can
buy them for SO and So naming a price
considerably lower"
still Studying Railroads.
Bearing upon this same subject. a story IL
told low once Nr. Hill was strolling through
the train yard OF the Great Northern road
at st. Paul. and noticed that one Of the
engineers was ''lImbering up his locomo-
tive by running It up and down short
stretches OF track.
"what are you doing there. my man7-
called out the president.
only limbering her up q blt." returned
the engineer
do you know the cost OF locomotive Of
that PATTERN asked the president.
The man mentioned an approximate fig
ure.
DO you know the life OF locomotive?'
Mr.. i'm queried further.
Again an Approximate period was given.
Well 1 know them both" Mr. Hill con-
tinued. II know them both. and know tho
number Of revolutions they should make.
ard dividing the cost by the number OF rev.
olutions I know the cost OF each. Now.
what you were doing was unnecessary and
wasteful. for IT shortens the life Of the
locomotive by just so much. and costs the
company so much unnecessary money. You
must not do It again.
President Hill has not yet exhausted his
study OF the economy OF railroad operation.
He studies II all the time. There is not
foot OF the property that he has not walked
over. or ridden over on horseback. or in his
trains. sometimes on a locomotive. some
times in his private car. and often in the
caboose OF n freight train. He has slept in
the open air or in shack or tent more
nights than would number up the days OF
some well grown men. Without doubt his
Familiarity with the country traversed by
the Great Northern Is. in part. responsible !
for hs great success with that property, ,
and fas assisted him in working out the |
problem Of carrying the greatest load in the |
least possible time at the lowest possible |
eXIerse.
Born in Canada.
Mr. Hill did not originate the railroad sys- |
ten OF Minnesota and the Northwest, nor |
did hs. really become a powerful factor In |
affairs until a comparatively recent |
Dc nod His original ventures were in con- |
nection with water transportation. and to |
these earlier ventures are due the Inception |
OF the idea that the lake steamship service /
Of the Great Northern road and the project |
OF a Pacific Ocean steamship service be- |
tween Seattle and Vancouver and China and |
japan. Purely a product OF the Occident. no /
man living In this country to-day is a firmer /
believer in the future Of the Orient than 1
he and In the commercial relations that /
must exist between this country and China
and Japan.
James J. Hill was born on a small farm l
near Guelph. in Upper Canada, September
6 Is5s. His father was of that sturdy race
" Scotch-Irishmen, and his mother a
both frugal. industrious and
religious. and they had hard struggle to
win a livelihood from the soil of a new
country and rear a growing family Of chill