Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-10-11
THE RISE OF A LOGGER.
Sol Simpson Ecgan as Labcrcr and
Became Captain of Industry.

From tho Portland Or"gonian.
Sol Simpson, loggcr. died in Seattle last
Wednesday. leaving "A wide circle Of bust
ness ard social friends to mourn his lossl
The business of logging mas never been
credited with the same degree of IMPORT
ancc as some other callings in which men
engage. There nave been loggcrs on pu-
get sound for more than half Il century.
jult as there have been Oh the columbis
river and III British Columbia. Sol Simp-
son was not an ordinary logger. He was
one of those rare captains of industry who
prove by Their life work that. while al.
men are created free and equal, a few of
them. by Individual effort and energy. soon
dissolve the bonds of equality. Early en-
vironmcnt and opportunity caused Sinp-
son 10 drift INTO Il line of Industrial effort
where bra wn and brains were alike neces-
sary to success. The rare executive abl>
lily and financial acumen that developed
i'll Simpson later In life is proof positive
that equal success would have followed his
efforts in almost any financial or commcr-
cinl line on which he night have started.
beginning as Il common iahorcr on thc
railroad grade. Mr.. simpson saved his
dustry and ar,lity to grasp the essential
f%caturcs OF the most ordinary task allotted
To. hiAl was soor III Il position to under
take suh-contracting on Il small scale.
From that he moved on up the scale UNI
I'll in the railroad building of the 'Tos he
held Il number OF important contracts on
the Southern Pacific. With the decline of
the railroad building he went to SEE lie
and engaged in the BUSINESS of gene a.
contracui;g. but. finding m insuficiencS
of that class of work. turned to logging. ~
business IN which for more than twenty
five years he has stood at the head. Be
ginning with a handfn OF men. half IL
dozen oxen and n few chains, the Simp-
son Logging conIpan developed into an
enterprise Which now employs 500 men.
owns many miles of railroad. with nu-
mercls engines and cars. and annually
puts IN the water more than O.000,G0 feet
of logs.
\ business cannot grow from nothing
into such magnitude without the controll-
ing influence of a master mind, and until
the foundation for his success had been
firmly paced MIR. Simpson remained in the
woods with his men and oxen. directing
every movement. He reduced the work OF
Transporting mcrchantabic timber from
the forest to the mill to n science. and
while less ontcrprising loggers were stiu
engaged in hand logging or using oxen.
Simpson had Installed the donkey engine.
the logging railroad and other up to date
dustrial genus. and in due season. by
strict attention to his work. Sol Simpson.
logger. accumulated more money than he
NEEDED In his work. He bought steamboats,
and steamships and became heavily in
tcrestcd in numerous banks on Puget
sound.
had been lying Idle for months. badly in
need of repairs. which her owners would
not make because they were unable to dis
cover Il route on which she could make
money. Regarding her in this unfavorable
light. they sold her cheap. and her pur-
chaser. Sol Simpson. logger. repaired heN
and placed her on the Alaska route, where
on her first trip. she made enough proiiti
to pay for her purchase price and the cost
of repairs. and en- l;er second trip added
more tina 5000 to the Simpson bank &C
count.
No preference was shown Simpson in
the oregon deal. and his success was not
duo to luck. There We're Penny o. other
men who had more money and knew mord
about steamships than Simpson did. but
the same keen Judgment which had made
all of his ventures 50 successful disclosed
to MIN an opportunity not discerniblc td
others less gifted " moro timid. The
death CT q staunch. rugged Industrial cx-
pert like Simpson Is y distinct loss to the
country where he is hes. known. AS an
example to the youth on whom fate han
not bcamcd kindly In the matter If birth
or environment. the life of Sol Simpson.
logger, stands forth bright, cxh!larat:ns
ard worthy of emulation. =