The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-07-26
By Jacob Waldeck,


ST. PAUL, July 26.-"Hilrs School
- Of Railroading," ST. Paul, is one Of
the leading educational institutions
of the country. Yes, it's true that
IL does not appear in the regular lists
of colleges and technical schools, but
il is real.
This Hill school is in the general
Offices of the Great Northern railway
the creation of James J. Hill, the
wizard of the northwest. His genius
and courage enabled him to put
through the road from Lake Superior
to Puget sound, when the supposedly
wise men of that day could see moth
ing but failure in the project The
Canadian Pacific, on the north, SUBJ
sidized, did not pay; neither did the
Northern Pacific, to the south. Judged
by that standard, Hills line was fore
doomed to failure.
In fact, it proved to be a dazzling
success. Hill never defaulted interest
on his bonds nor passed dividend
on his stock.
The outcome has been a steady de-
mand for Mr.. Hills young men. So
many have been called to higher
places that the Great Northern head
quarters has often been referred to
as training school.
Here is a partial list of the gradu-
ates, with the titles they held on the
Great Northern and their present po-
sitions:
Vice President w. H. Newman, now
president of the New York Central
and all the other Vanderbilt lines:
Division Superintendent L. f. John
son, now president of the Norfolk &
Western; General Superintendent
Russell Harding, now president of
the Pere Marquette and the Cincin-
natl, Hamilton & Dayton; General
Superintendent j. M Barr, now presi-
dent of the Seaboard Air Line; Chief
Engineer and General Manager John
A. Stevens, now chief engineer of the
Panama canal; Second Vice President
D. Miller, now first vice president of
the Chicago, Burlington Quincy;
Assistant General Superintendent ].
M Gruber, now general manager of
the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy;
General Superintendent f. W. Nc
Kenna, now assistant president of the
Chicago, Milwaukee Il St. Paul; AS
sistant General Superintendent W. Fl.
Britton, now vice president and gen
eral manager of the Cotton Belt; Cen
eral Traffic Manager W. W. Finley,
now second vice president of the
Southern railway General Manager
A L. Mohler of the Union Pacific and
General Manager c. H. Warren of the
Rock Island were formerly with the
Great Northern.
President Hill IS pestered half to
death by his rich eastern associates
in business who want their sons
trained in the Great Northern offices.
He refuses the greater number of
these requests, but there are always
in the small hotels here a number
of these young men from the east
They live on the fat of the land and
have automobiles but-THEY WORK.
The pampered son of a millionaire
who figures that, when he gets here,
some high official is going to take
him by the hand and teach him rail-
reading finds that is not the game at
all. He Is assigned to a desk in one
of the departments and given back
breaking, brain-racking work to per-
form. He is kept at it from the first
minute OF Office hours in the morning
to the last tick In the afternoon. His
money doesn't count and excuses
don't 60.
Most of them stand II for a little
while. squirm some. complain some
and then HE them back to their golf
sticks and graceful yachts.
There's a story here that even one
Of Hills sons fell by the way. He