The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-09-16
HITS AND MRS

to prove it. When he was very
young, he was born near Guelph,
Ont. The time was Sept. 16, 1888.
He kept away from bad habits and
did what he could TO keep the home
place attractive, painting the barn
deep box car red, when it began
tc look run down and discouraged
He also skinned the hill down north
OF the house and made it possible
for an OK team TO haul q load to
town without blowing out a cylinder
head. At the age of Is, he said good
bye and shook hands all around and
left for st. Paul. Net fidning any
railroad companies advertising for a
president in the local papers, he Sc
cured a job as clerk and broom direc-
tor at the freight and steamboat land
ing. The first railroad built in the
state, was the St Paul & Pacific 1t
was ten miles long and reached from
the levee in ST. Paul to ST. Anthony
MIR. Hill became agent for this road.
He sold tickets, collected freight bills
and at nights-if il got home-he
wiped the engine. He was always
busy and cheerful. but took no pleas
ure in spending his Sundays al the
brewery with the section crew. The
st. Paul & Pacific R. r. did not stop
long at ST. Anthony. 1t kept growing
like hole in a boys pants. When
49, miles were completed, the stock
holders, mostly Holland capitalists,
began to have cold feet and chill
blanes. When their feet were hurting
them worst, Mr.. Hill formed a syn
dicate of five persons and gained
possession Of the road, and in the
leafy month of June, 1879, the system
was consolidated into a single own
ership as the ST. z. NJ. & N. r. R.
Co. People began to get on the cars
and come to North Dakota to look
around. The country pleased them so
much that they sent home for their
other suit of clothes and began rails
ing wheat and building big red barns.
Mr.. Hills road gladly hauled the
wheat to market and soon the road
made good money both going and
coming. In 1880, the road was ex-
tended to the Pacific coast and was
given the more expensive name,
Great Northern All the time, Mr.
Hill was president, although lately he
is letting the boys take some of the
work off OF his hands, and is finding
time to talk at a few county and
state fairs. AT Grand Forks last Sep
tember, in a brand new grand stand.
Mr.. Hill told ten thousand people a
few things about railroading they new
er knew before. 1t is the people who
pay the railroad taxes; it is the peo-
pie who pay for operating the road,
and heat the cars with steam and
build a new depot at Fargo. The
company has men to figure this out
The company takes its profit out
first, and the people pay the rest.
Mr.. Hill said so, and he ought to
know.
/ once srent two weeks in a Sleep
ing car. That is, / slept in the car,
and boarded outside There was no
dining car on the train where the |
hungry passenger could slip into and |
get a snack for a dollar and seven |
:y-five cents, including paving the
help. On the contrary, eating was |
sort of rush for life business on the
rain. In the middle of the after
loon, the brakeman wiped his hands
IN piece of waste and went through |
he train, and took orders for sup
,er. Some people thought he was
rying to sell them gold bricks and
hook their heads. Such people wera
he first ones in the eating houses.
tuffing themselves with earnest
ooking chicken and turnover pies,
While the old precaution and fore
hought class, whose address and
treet number had been sent in by
elegraph- were elected to &C. hungry.
Il Tampa, our car came to a stand
till on the saw mill track. The en-
inc was cut off and run into the
ound house, for the end OF the line
ad been reached Passengers, who
ad been late for their meals for the
asst week, rushed into a nearby ho-
el and began eating in a reckless
lanner. Several were invited to reg
'ter twice during the meal and the
My thing they regretted was the
me While on the side track at
'ampa, little mix-up occurred which
aused large drops of sweat to gath
: on one mans brow. This man
ad been spending the long nights in {
n upper berth, sleeping with an ex-
.nsion grip and a friends SON, who Z
te popcorn in bed and wore his toe
ails long. He had secured very lit |
G peaceful rest and was beginning I