The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-06-01
Hill. Empire Builder Of
NorthlUest, Dies at Home
After Lingering Illness

west, died at his Summit avenue resi-
dence at $3.50 o'clock this morning as
the result of an infection due to bowel
trouble. ..t d.
Mr.. Hill was unconscious for nearly
IL hours before he died. DR.. Herman
M. Biggs and DR.. Stanley Seager, to-
gether with members of the immediate
Hill family, were at the bedside when
the end came. ", ...'.
Mr.. Hills personal secretary, M. r.
Brown, madG the announcement of his
| employers demise to waiting newspa-
per correspondents at the Hill resi-
dence. lis statement was made ver-
bally, with the intimation that a writ
ten bulletin might be issued later.
Questioned regarding the date for
obsequies, Mr.. Brown said no arrange
ments had been discussed. ~
Worth Many Millions. ,
Mr.. Hills wealth is estimated all the
way from S100,000.000 to 100000, 900.
He was probably worth between $780,
100000 and $250,000, 900.
An estimate Of Mr.. Hills wealth was
| furnished when, at the opening of the
European war. he called his bankers
/ together and displayed a mass of Sc
curtties amounting to more than $780,
100000, which was said to have been
in the boxes set before his bankers.
There should be no trouble" said Mr..
Hi, but. If there is this amount is
| The Firs. National bank then bor-
rowed from Mr.. Hill $10,000,00O worth
of Great Northern railroad bonds
These were placed in the treasury de-
partment at Washington and $4,000. 900
worth of emergency currency, allowed
under the Aldrich act, was shipped at
| once to the First National bank. It
was found necessary to place only 1926
900 worth of this in circulation. In a
few weeks the entire amount was re-
turned to washington.
%. Keeps Estate Intact.
Mr.. Hill had the absolute control Of
the First National bank and the North
western Trust company which have a
combined capital and surplus Of $780,
| 600.
Mr.. Hill was large owner of stock
IN the Chase National bank of New
York, First National bank of Chicago
and the Northwestern national bank
, bf Minneapolis. He was large owner
bf the Great Northern Pacific Steam
ship company.
The greater portion Of Mr.. Hills
wealth, however, was In the stocks and
bonds of the Great Northern, Northern
Pacific and Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy railroads. 81
The executors OF Mr.. Hills estate
will probably be Louis w. Hill, his son,
and the Northwestern Trust company.
The great power held by Mr.. Hill will
bass to his son Louis, who has been
closely associated with him in business
Tor 10 years.
James N. HILL the Oldest son, Is a
director of the Texas company and has
made big fortune in New York. Wal
ter, the youngest son, has big farm
holdings in Kittson county, Minnesota,
H. L.. - Iii
1t is believed that Mr.. Hills vast es-
tate will be held intact through the
Northwestern Trust c .mpany and that
the various heirs will be given life
Interests. ....N- &c..
Game 20 the Last.
Mr.. Hill was game fighter" said
DR.. James Gilfillan the family physi-
clan. "Bloodpoison caused his death.
He complained little during his illness,
which was rather painful. He was
conscious most Of the time"
James ]. Hill discovered 1.-THE bread
basket of the world" in the great north
west; he led in its development from
wilderness into what now comprises
six wealthy states dotted with 400, 900
farms; and he blazed trail for trans
portation which reached eventually
from Buffalo to Asia, with a total mile
age Of rail and steamship facilities that
That but roughly spans the story Of
his achievement.
Near Guelph, in Ontario, where
James J(erome) Hill was born in 1898,
the son Of an Irish Canadian farmer
who died when the boy was Is, there
stands tree stump labeled: 'The last
tree chopped by James J. HILL"
1t marked the lads resolution to go
to the United States. He had been
prompted by an odd incident, accord
Ing to the story that Is told, a strange
traveller had stopped at the Hill farm
to take dinner and left his horse at
the gate. Young Hill saw the animal
was tired and he carried 1t a pail Of
water. The stranger was pleased with
the lads thoughtfulness, and as he
drove off he tossed him a newspaper
from the United States. and called out
gravely:
"Go there, young man. That country
needs youngsters Of your spirit"
Quit Tree Chopping.
Hill read the paper carefully. 1t con-
tanned glowing accounts of opportuni-
ties in the states. He resolved to in
vestigate for himself. 1t was the next
morning that he chopped his last tree.
AS a mere roustabout lad of IS, he
toured from Maine to Minnesota.
When, in 1855, he disembarked from
Mississippi river packet at st. Paul
Inat place was a IrOnLleT IOWH OIL O,UUV
inhabitants. At the sign of w. J. Bass
& Co., agents for the Dubuque & st.
Paul Packet company, he found a job
as both stevedore and clerk.
In the Is years that followed he
seized every opportunity to study the
whole problem of river transportation.
He gathered no end of experience and
little capital with which he launched
his own firm of Hill, Griss & Co., which
promptly displayed its initiative by
bringing the first load of coal that had
ever been seen In that section into st.
Paul. Two years later, with flat-bot-
toned steamer he established the first
regular communication with St Paul
and the Manitoba ports of the fertile
Red River valley.
At about that time st. Paul was hay
ing it's first experiment in railroad
building. Eighty miles had been laid
to st. Cloud, $40 miles to Breckenridge,
both Of which terminals were at the
southern end Of the Red river valley,
and there were about 100 miles of track
(which began nowhere and ended In
that same Indefinite spot" This ven-
ture ran up a debt Of $83.000.000 and
collapsed with its only assets being "a
few streaks Of rust and a right Of way"
Hill had had sufficient success in the
region to be seized with a consuming
desire to purchase the defunct prop
erty. After five years of financial dick