New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-30

M the time when they we're built were
not surpassed on the high seas OF the
world. By making n practical working
agreement with the Transsiberian Rail-
rood MIR. Hill became interested IN
continuous chain of steam and steer
transportation lines extending from
the foot Of Lake Erie westward to the
head of the Baltic Sea.
Mr.. Hill retired as president OF the
Great Northern at special meeting
of the directors held at ST. Paul
April .. 1907, but retained the chair
manship Of the board of directors until
Julv /. 1912 On the last named day
MIR Hell issued statement, in which
he said that the work begun nearly
forty years before had been substan-
tally accomplished, though its results
had been extended far beyond the fore
sight Of any one at the time OF the I'M
dertaking.
Hill Never Drew Salary.
In all the years that Mr.. Hill was
head of the great system he served
without salary or commission, paying
even his own personal expenses in
Cured in the company business. His
/ return was the income from the COM
rany securities he held and his share
in the increase of the value of tho
property.
Wall Street smiled some years ago
when the Western railroad man first
declared that a railroad ought to be
/ operated at a cost not greater than bb
per cent Of its gross earnings, and IN
| 1898 the railroad interests of the coun-
try sat up and took notice when IL
was announced that the cost of operat-
! ing the 5000 miles of Northern Pacific
was only 1902 per cent Of its earnings.
When the Hill road was new in Da-
kota farmers were dependent upon
wheat. Sometimes the wheat crop
failed, and the road felt the failure as
| quickly as did the farmer Hill told
the farmers to get out of the rut, and
TO spur them into other lines he bought
thousand blooded bulls and ten thou
sand hogs of pedigree, which he dis
tributed with good results. In little
| while no road was carrying as many
head of livestock into St. Paul as did
the Great Northern.
Mr.. Hill was one of the bitterest OPP
ponents of inflated capitalization OF
trusts. He declared that the whole
| American public was wild with the
lust of spending and public economy
was a lost art. All bonds of munich
pGlities, he said, were refunded. in
stead of being paid when due. The
excuse for n bond issue was always
that "posterity" ought TO bear part OF
the cost of public improvement
Mr.. HIPS recreations were yachting
| and farming He had a magnificent
steam yacht. the Wacouta. in which he
went on long cruises. and at Pleasant
Lake, in Minnesota. he had one of the
finest model farms in the Northwest
II was more or less an experimental
farm. but Mr.. Hill liked TO think that
- made itself pay.
Family and Homo.
Mr.. Hills romance began when he
was mud clerk" on the levee at St
Paul, when Mary Michigan was din
| ingroom girl in one of the few hotels
| in the then small town. Hill was a
/ Presbyterian and Mary Michigan was
a Roman Catholic through generations,
but no creed could stand between
them. She in her way was as ambi-
tious as was the struggling young
/ clerk, and with the money she saved
she entered school. After several
ye-rs of study she left her school and
was married to Mr.. Hill.
Six daughters and three sons were
born 20 Mr. and Mrs. Hill, and all
three of the latter were thoroughly
trained in their fathers business. The
eldest, James Norman Hill, nearly a
dozen years ago became vice-president
OF the Northern Pacific Railroad. The
second. Louis Warren Hill, Yale, '93
nine years ago succeeded his father as
president of the Great Northern. The
third, Walter II. Hill. was for some
years the right-of-way agent Of the
Great Northern.
Many years ago Mr.. Hill built fol-
himself at st. Paul one of the finest
residences in America and filled 1t with
the choicest works of art obtainable
including paintings, statuary, tapes
tries, wood carving and rugs. His col
lection of paintings was rich In mod
ern French art, and comprised speci-
mems of Corot, DiaZ, Breton, Mlllet
Troyon. Henner and Rousseau. In the
outskirts of St. Paul he had farm OF
5000 acres, and near Crookston, MINI.
he had a grain farm of $4,000 acres
Both of these farms he conducted IN
the most scientific manner. and despite
the enormous cost of operating then
he derived from them a substantial
yearly profit. One Of the chief Of his
avocatious was the teaching Of agri'
culture to the men of the Northwest
and he probably did more than any
dozen Of his contemporaries 20 i'm
prove The growing Of crops and the
raising of stock, and so TO diversity
agricultural industries as TO minimize
the danger and the damage Of CROP
failure. He was a frequent speaker
at fairs and agricultural conventions
and a fluent and forceful writer upon
such topics.
One of Mr.. Hills most noteworthy
gifts for public purposes was that OF
100000 for the building of the 81
Paul Theological Seminary. a splendid
institution TO which, with characters
tic modesty, he would not permit his
own name to be attached in any way
II is a Roman Catholic institution
Manchester College, a Presbyterian IN
! stitution, and Hamline College, Meth
odist Episcopal, also received rlcf
> gifts from his bounty, and It is sale
;hat there is scarcely q church OF any
denomination in st. Paul to which III
was not a liberal giver.
Mr. Hill was the author Of High
ways of Progress" 1910, and Of many
pamphlets and published addresses. Hc
received in 1910 the degree OF LII. d
7 frop, Nafo TFrfvarcitv