Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-29


OF HUMBLE BIRTH
fanss 5eronss 1fnl. who opened the great
tfz4I 4In~tzf 10 development. created billions
s Nt|1ss did = vast amount 10 improve
f4||fotd methods and himself anassed an
|fWoua fortune, came of poor Irish and
eF tie own genius he rose to the top Of
tie ladder became one Of the mentors OF
.he Ne~ World, Inspired tens Of thousands
Ct others to lives of usefulness and well
testryed his title Of The Empire Builder"
MI Hlll was born near Guelph, Yelling
ton County. Ontario, Canada, on September
1G fa9e He was the son Of James and
Anne (TunbarJ HilL His childhood was
Sfehl N Canada From his 7th to his 18th
YEAR he attended lockwood Academy. a
Quaker school, He intended TO study medi-
tine. but his father died in 1889 and the
yotin9 man took a job in country store.
After surveying the field of the whole
United States he selected st, Paul, Mimi.
aH the best place for his start in life. In
1855 he secured work there as shipping
clerk He was a man who thought great
deaf about his work. He studied transpor
tatioh and fuel problems carefully. Within
q year he set up In business for himself.
He became steamboat and railway agent.
In 1870 with a partner, he built steam
boat for use on the Red River of the North.
This brought him into competition with
the powerful Hudson Bay Company The
great corporation soon found the struggle
too hard and took Mr.. Hill into its own
service. putting him In charge of the COM
pany's interests in that district.
He was the first to take coal into st.
PAUL and he opened the first communica-
ton between ST. Paul and Winnipeg, then
Fort Garry, In 1872.
His great opportunity came in 1873 and
he seized 1t eagerly. The dlscredited st
Louis and Pacific Railway went into re-
ceivership II was S33,000.000 in debt.
Mr. Hill took charge of this sick patient
and nursed it back TO ruddy health. In
1STS. with Donald A. Smith, George Stephen
and Norman Kittson. he secured complete
control and the line was reorganized in
1879 as the St Paul. Minneapolis and
Manitoba Railway Company with Mr. Hill
as general manager. He became president
IN 1888,
Mr.. Hill now proposed railway from
the Great Lakes to the Pacific. Many
thought him visionary. He paralleled the
Northern Pacific, which had been assisted
BY the United States Government, and the
Canadian Pacific. which had received vast
grants from Canada.
without one cent OF state or Government
money the Great Northern system was
constructed. From 1880 to 1898 5000 miles
OF track were built and equipped.
Il was built at the rate of nearly a mile
a day for every day of Mr.. Hilrs control
and extends from Lake Superior to Puget
Sound.
ORGANIZED TWO tDEhlo'
In addition. Mr.. Hill organized fleet
on the Pacific and another on the Great
Lakes as feeders to his railway. His Lake
hoats surpassed in speed and size any built
before.
Mr.. Hill accepted no salary. While build
ing rp fortunes for himself and other share
holders, he created more than billion IN
realty taIues for settlers along his line.
Mr.. Hin worked and studied constantly.
Ao nNDert in almost every
phase of the geography minerals water:
regulation and resources of every part OF
the Northwest.
He was slngularly felicitous In dealing
with his employees and had but one serious
strike.
In 1901, with j. Pierpont Morgan and
others Mr. Hill's Great Northern and the
Northern Pacific Railway bought large
share of the stock of the Chicago Burning
ton and Quincy Railroad Company COM
prisinR nearly 5000 miles of track.
About the same time Edward II. Har-
rirnan ana associates in the Union Pacinc
Railway acquired a majority OF the STOCK
OF the Northern Pacific.
A fight between the Hartman interests
and the Hill Morgan interests for the pur-
chase OF Northern Pacific common stock in
the open market brought about the panic
Of May 3. 1901, when the stock went TO
$1,000 share.
group which controlled the common won
the fight.
Mr.. Hill now organized and became presi-
dent of the $500, 900, 900 Northern Securities
Company. which was to take over Great
Northern and Northern Pacific stock OF the
group and also the Hartman
holdings in Northern Pacific
This resulted in Federal antitrust suit.
President Roosevelt ordered the Govern
ment prosecutors to take action, The case
Court Where In |
1904 the combination was held illegal The
Northern Securities Company's stock hold
inKs were distributed among the stock
holders
HELD BURLINGTON CONTROL.
Rut the Great Northern and Northern
Pacific continued to control the Burlington
and all three roads prospered. The terri
tory along their lines developed rapidly.
Mr. Hill never gave up his work on ac-
count Of age and labored faithfully TO the
The secret of his success lay largely in
his ingenuity in devising and adopting
standards for railway location construc-
ton and operation. He revolutionized the
American railway industry and brought
costs of transportation by rail far below
the level of foreign countries,
He was a great believer In low grades,
heavy power. large capacity cars and big
trainloads and he lived to see his principles |
universally accepted.
IN his later life, Mr.. Hill was a great art |
connoisseur, and throughout his career he |
found time for extensive reading. He had a |
fine collection of paintings of the modern |
French school
His charitable gifts were many. He sup
ported especially Manchester and Hamllne |
colleges,
His broadmindedness was attested in st. |
Paul Theological Seminary. an institution |
to train men for the Roman Catholic priest |
hood Although Mr., Hill was not of that |
religious faith, he built this school and |
completely endowed IT, at a cost OF $500 900. |
He married Mary Theresa Michigan, of |
St, Paul. August ls, 1867. and was the |
father OF nine children, three boys and six |
girls.
ffi1l and his family have for years been |
sheltered from the curiosity of the public |
Il Is known, however. that his home life |
was ideally simple His biggest deals were |
made only after consultation with his wife |
Their tastes were very simple. They lived |
In small home until comparatively few |
years ago,
Hill and King Albert Of Belgium were
warm personal friends.
The sons have figured prominently in |
railroad work Louis w. Hill is president |
OF the Great Northern and the First Ma
tional Bank OF St. Paul. and is looked on |