The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-11-05
JIM HILL IS LOSING HIS TEN+YEAR
GRIP ON BIG WESTERN SEAPORT CITY
Tacoma, Long at Mercy of
One Mans Grudge, Sees
Early Freedom Through
Warning Of Rival Inter
ests.
eY gibson GARDNER

TACOMA, Wash, Now 5.-This
city is.,-just> letting over a long
spell Of having had the worst OF it
at the hands of one man. For
years 1t has suffered from railroad
discrimination and neighborhood
jealousies. and what prosperity it
has enjoyed has been In spite of
these things.
What amounted to a railroad
boycott was begun over a decade
ago by the Northern Pacific rail.
road. 1t was the usual dispute be-
tween city and railroad over ter
minal privileges, and when the
railroad did not get what 1t want
ed 1t declared war on the city. Sc
attic was used as club, and every
effort was made to retard Taco
mas commercial development.
James j. Hill Is largely RESPONSE
BILE for the long continued feud.
When he acquired control over the
Northern Pacific he used his pow
erful influence to turn the stream
Of commerce through Seattle. and
to make Of Tacoma "a suburban
sideshow." And up to less than IS
months ago he was able to keep
this growing port-it now has
nearly 100000 people-under the
stigma of being "one railroad
town" Jim Hill had Tacoma in
the hollow of his hand. Tacoma
had only the Northern Pacific to
depend upon. and this road was
discriminating In freight rates and
passenger facilities against Taco
ma and in favor of Seattle.
One striking result of this re-
markable state of things Is seen
today in the fact that this rich
and p0pulous port is practically
without anything In the nature of
a railroad passenger station. A lit
tie brown wooden shed in an out
of-the-way region devoted to
freight yards, is the place where
people who visit Tacoma for bust
ness or pleasure leave and get
their trains. The place Is small,
crude and inadequate, and would
not be tolerated in a town in In
diana with 5000 people.
But things have happened lately.
Hills grip has already noticeably
loosened. A growing city with a
perfect ocean harbor was too good
a thing to be the prey of one
mans grudge, even though that
man be Hill. Hartman fixed a
covetous eye on this corner of the
map and gradually forced his way
into tho northwest until Hill was
compelled to compromise. An
agreement reached not long be-
fore the death of Hartman gives
the Union Pacific road a right to
run its trains over the Northern
Pacific's tracks from Portland to
Tacoma.
The Union Pacific had previous
ly built a long tunnel entrance to
the waterfront underneath the city,
and had acquired lands for yards
and passenger station. The
trackage privilege solved the prob.
lem of an entrance to the city.
About the same time the Chi
cago, Milwaukee & st. Paul road
|, terminal and to 60 into the trans
\ continental trade. So it set to
Fwork and has acquired valuable
t.tideland sites. and has built new
/ road leading from Tacoma east to
meet Its new transcOntinental
tracks which It has been finishing
/ rapidly through Montana.
Seeing which. it occurred to
James J. Hill that 1t was about
time to forget his quarrel with Ia
coma and do what he might to
get share Of the business. So
he paid long delayed visit to the
city and was a conspicuous figure
in ceremonial burying OF the
hatchet. The Great Northern
ceased to make Tacoma passen.
gers transfer at a railroad Y, and
last August saw the first through
train put on between Tacoma and
6t. Paul.
Incidentally foundations are 60
Ing In for a million-dollar depot to
be used by the two Hill roads, and
not far away two other stations
are going up to be used by the
Union Pacific and the Milwaukee
coada
Ten years ago Tacoma had more