Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-06


 he ought. not to have done. Now noth.
 ing gets away from him. X
 Expert at Shoyisx Freight
 After reaching this country the boy
 fooled around in the east till he lost
 all his moving money, then struck out
 for the west. It is said he tramped
 into St. Paul without dollar in his
 pocket. Somehow all these captains of
 industry do that way walk into town
 without cent. After they have been
 on the ground long enough to let their
 marvellous instincts get into play most everybody else walks out of town with out cent. The captain of industry has it all It took Hill long time to
 learn the game of high finance, but when he did learn it the public pocket book knew that it was either an annex. ation or foot race. In the meantime he was first roustabout on a Missis. sippi steamboat and then a mud clerk. Now, a mud clerk is man who stands around at the landing and checks of merchandise at the loading or unload ing of boats, occasionally taking hand and rustling box or a barrel himself. It is averred that Jim Hill became an expert at showing freight even before he had railroad to shove it over. He kept at mud clerking sev- eral years, but all the time he was gritting his teeth and resolving that he would not work for other people forever. Now everybody is working for him.
 Cy Warman says that Hill never got out of the lowly walks of life until he received an inheritance of a few hun dred dollars from home, but this may be only another of Warman's railroad romances. At any rate, Hill got pos session of some steamboats and ran them up the Red River of the North. Then he became railroad agent at St. Paul and worked a scheme of reform ing things in the traffic generally. Ev- erybody regarded his plan as so chi merical that he was generally called Crazy Jim" Hill those days, but when he succeeded the name was dropped. A successful crazy man is a genius.
 Two Streaks of Rust.
 Shortly after this the St. Paul and Pacific railroad was on the verge of It had large name, but that was the only big thing about 1t ex- cept it's debts. The road itself was two streaks of rust, ending no place in particular. Originally 1t was intended to push it through to Manitoba or even to the coast, but tha thing had become after Poo or 300 miles and stopped in the middle of a prairie. Crazy Jim" Hill sized up that dilap- dated debt producer and decided that | here was tine. opportunity of his life. l He told his story to Scotch friend | who had money and after he was through received the cheerful informa- ton, "Jem. you are fool" But he isn't the sort that stops at small re- buffs, and at last he got some Canadian l bankers interested, and they furnished enough money to buy the road.
 Then Hill began one of the most phe- feats ever accomplished in American railroading. Without a cent | of subsidy he pushed that line through | to the Pacific. His plan of campaign | was something new to railway men. | He made the trade of the road pay for | building 1t onward. Every new mile | must become revenue producer to build the next mile. When 1t is re- flected that he was traversing practi- cally an uninhabited waste the difficult ty of this undertaking may be con- ceived. There was nothing to do but to build up the country as he went along To effect this result he adver- .ised it, induced immigration, gave the farmers blooded cattle and bought own sites and induced settlers to take hem of his hands. In short. he not ,nly constructed his road, but erected Tn empire to support it. | At the same time the Northern Pa ,ifc and the Canadian Pacific were be- ng built. both with large government subsidies. Now. in military affairs here are two methods of subsisting an lrmy. One is to keep open line of so that the home government an ship in provisions. This is the lsual method. The other plan. which s not only more unusual. but more Is to cut loose and forage ,ff the enemy. sherman did this in lis march to the sea. Hill could not ut loose from a government line of upplies. for he had none. but he could md did forage on the enemy. He made the country feed and support i'm as he went forward to subdue it.
 Daring To Biz Enterprises.
 It has been said that no railroad was yer built so cheaply as Hill built the treat Northern. He cut corners and at every turn, yet be secur. d a splendid roadbed and the best of bling stock. One of the first things n which he insisted was that all space | freight cars should be utilized. that O empties should he hauled either way possible to avoid it. To keep his cars ,aded in both directions. he first es- ibllshed a line of steamers from St. aul to Buffalo. through the great Ikes. On the other end. he hunted for
 market until he found it in Japan. len put on a line of steamers from { uget sound to the orient He reduced zpen-es wherever possible. yet was