The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-15
J. ]. HIPS Share in Properties
About so Millions.
INCREASE WEALTH OF STATE
New York Gains Two Thousand
Million Dollars.
Other Items of General Interest
in Traffic World.

New York. February 15.-In
7qot James J. Hill and his fam
Nv were understood to be the owners
Of about $4,000 shares of the Great
-yorthern Railway company At par
.beee shares represented 50 million dol
80 estimated upon the market values
which prevailed about that time they
,,.era worth from 14O millions to 100
millions.
These were the estimates OF men
who had some good means Of lnIor-
nation respecting the ownership ~
the Hill family of Great Norlherh l e.,
way property. They may nave peeA
rough estimates and an expert lnNeh-
torv of the property might not nav
welded figures which would nave pSsl-
auced with these estimates put ttl7
general belief III New YORK Guy ~
some years has been that the sha 1..s7.., =
Mr. Hill and his family III the pIoPel-
tics which lie created and perIecteu
was FIVE years ago. in money Nai"O
about so million dollars .t,-
If the committee which has recel,tIS
subpoepaed Mr.. Hill to appear before
If nj Washington and give testimony
relating to ore properties ne once cur
trolIed had jurisdiction SO that II cO -1-o-
compel him to testify IN Such M -
as to tell TIE story or the cohcepliOiA
and growth Of The Great Nortaern raj
7vav system then there would pc Atl-
nished to the people as NaluaDle, ~
mantle as well as Impressive slols
Of the manner in which men OF sEt@e
a ,iIitv have created wealth Dy uullN-
ING undeveloped opportunities as the
biStorv Of the entire commercial &c
VeIopnaent of the United states can tur-
About the time in 1904. the estimate
WAS made of the personal holdings ol
Mr.. HiI and his family in the railway
properties which he created there Mas
ass a careful study Of the condltlohs
~,-I,;.., rrs,raileI in the vast regions
~ bicI7 Mr. Hills railway penetrated ara
developed Throughout the Noitn DRUMS 60,
The statistics then furnished Jusuheu
mr. E4ilIs friends in saying that II WIS
~ no means an overestimate to report
that the wealth of that NCrtilWeSt Lep
resented in dollars was ABOUT l Dllllo ~
200 million. Almost all OF TINS Wealel
%, IA he traced. directly or indirectly,
- III II, oDanino IN of the vast, silent
forests and he bisectIng OF the praliIS
lands which, like the ocean, We're nou1' s3-
"a nv the horizon and by the railroads
Mr. Hill conceived ana ps LIE O"H -
sonaI efforts built.
4 Point of Comparison.
IF the estimate made in 1904 of 50
r,iIIions based upon tre par value CT !
Mr.. Hills holdings in Great NortneIn /
stock was approximately correct, tfeh
II i a curious coincidence that his snare I
r. +l7e wealth which he created was /
,i,,,,,st exectlv equal to E. H. Harri I
mans share in the wealth Wnlch ne I
crested by his upbuildlng OF the Uhi'h /
Pacific system 800 -
davs before Mr.. Hartman sailed upon I
his notwithstanding visit to Europe, ne +
was in consultation with one OF Els /
most intimate business friends IN TIE /
,eourso of the conversation ne said, as +
reported by this friend later; l have +
been Ioo;xing over my affairs. I have I
been taking sort OF inventory OF T
what I have got. I find that my per
sonaI property Is somewhere DSIWS-ii /
so and 81 millions
Wien the inventory of Mr.. Harri- |
mans estate was made ct his death i
7a-as Learned that his own estimate OF |
liz fortune was not far out of the |
--av His personal possessions were |
F.. bout 81 millions. and the fact that Il
larger estims tie of his wealth. Ihah tnat
was made at the time OF ms death was
due 10 the placing in Mr. Hartman /
name of large blocks of securities Whlcn /
he did not own
with the Union Pacific, shortly after
Inc first Inauguration Of President Nc |
TxinIev he vas estimated to be WORTH /
va or three million dollars. He was a I
very rich man, according to some stand I
ards. but not rich at all according 10
r7odern railway or capitalists stand +
ards IN about u years Mr. Hartman I
I formulated one of those fortunes the |
size of which has male them tradi-
He estimated. however. that the in
,rease of the wealth of the regions
which the Union Pacific opened and,
specially, the wealth of that region
which he called the empire-lilSe south
vest. traceable either directly or in
directly to these railway properties,
vas about a billion and a half
If these estimates are not due to
distorted figuring. the experiences of
Mr. Hartman and Mr.. Hill, coupled /
With statistics which show the in
.reases in wealth of all kinds that
lave taken place in the regions which
he railroads have penetrated or
opened up, would furnish q most i'm
,ortant object lesson for the Ameri-
q n people and would prove to be val
Ia BILE testimony if it were brought out
~ an Investigating committee such h
IS is now contemplated by the house Il
u representatives.
Many of our leading business men
re confident that the day of great
ortune making through the creation II