Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-05-29
Most Widely Known Figure
Of Northwest Dies at. s
Home in st. Paul.
REGAIN CAREER AS =
RIVER STEVEDORE
Early Saw Opportunities in Both Water
and Rail Transportation and Had
Large Part in Developing Country
Tapped BY Lines - Bought Defunet
Railroad Which 10 Now Earning Mil
\ lions. @N. ,@sl. -

%- lions. y 5z-E -
st. Paul, May 29.-James Hill
! aged II. railroad builder. capitalist
and most widely known figure Of the
4 northwest, died at his Summit avenue
residence at $3.50 o'clock this morning
as the result of an infection due to
bowel trouble. v .-yz~fs7 - ~ s.
Mr.. Hill was unconscious for nearly
twelve hours before he died.
DR.. Herman NJ. Biggs and DR.. Stan
ley Seager, together with members OF
q the immediate Hill. family were at the
| bedside when the end came.
Mr.. Hills personal secretary, M. r
Brown. made the announcement OF his
employers death to waiting newspaper
correspondents at the Hill residence
x He intimated that a written bulletin
might be issued later. Questioned re-
garding the date OF obsequies Mr.
Brown said no arrangements had been
discussed. EE
End 10 Peaceful. -. y.
Following relapse late yesterday
Mr.. Hill failed rapidly thru the night.
All the members Of his family were
at the bedside, with the exception OF
Mrs. M. Beard, OF New York. q daugh-
ter. She is expected to arrive tonight
James. NJ. Hill, Of New York, and Mrs.
Samuel Till, Of Washington. arrived
early today. II. .,,.sts
M. q. Brown, Mr.. Hills confidential
secretary, met the newspaper repor-
eers on the lawn. /.
Mr. Hill died quietly at s:30," he
4 Spaid. with tears IN his eyea, y
] u q adrsts q ytnz ststie
& ti3ist1rs ~ the Poor approached the
morse from the south driYeway. They
we're met at the door. extended their
sympathy and departed. T..
Associates At Bedside.
One Of the first to leave the house
was John ]. Toomey, Mr.. Hills conf
Dental business agent and associate
for years. Mr.. Toomey took his de-
parture at $3.50, followed by Ralph
Budd, assistant to Louis Hill, president
Of the Great Northern railroad, and
one OF the younger members Of Mr.
Hills railroad family.
L. w. Hill was next to leave the
house. He walked between Rev.
Thomas J.. Gibbons, vicar-general of
the st. Paul archdiocese, and George
Macpherson, intimate friend OF the
family. Grief showed plainly on the
face Of the elder Hills successor. All
three went to the L. w. Hill residence.
Archbishop lreland's Tribute. = .
Archbishop John Ireland, comment
ing on Mr.. Hills death. said:
"A great man has gone from earthly
life. Not only a man of rarest talent
Of mind, genius such as is seldom
to be seen amid the moving scenes of
humanity, but also one who has put his
wondrous talent to the service of fell
low men, whose whole career was
marked with strict integrity and high
est sense OF honor. = =.-..
This much, too, I must say, in sim
plest truth, that he loved and respect
ed religion and held the christian faith
to be the supreme principle Of human
righteousness and human life"
Discovers ''World's fBreadbasket."
James ]. Hill discovered 'the bread
basket OF the world" in the great
northwest: he led in its development
I from wilderness into what now com
prises six wealthy states dotted with
100000 farms; and he blazed trail
for transportation which reached
4 eventually from Buffalo to Asia, with
a>total mileage OF rail and steamship
facilities that would nearly girdle the
earth. f
Il That but roughly spans the story Of
his achievement. 4a
vs. Near Guelph, In Ontario, where
James Jerome Hill was born in 1898
tie son Of an Irish canadian farmer
who died when the boy was Is, there
stands q tree stump labeled 'The last
tree chopped by James J. Hili.''
II marked the lads resolution to go
70 the United States. He had been
prompted by an odd incident. Ac-
Ecording to the story that Is told, a
stnlfge traveller had stopped at the
Hill farm to take dinner, and left his
s1-orse 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,
newspaper from the United States and
called out grave1y:
GO there, young man. That cour,-
try needs youngsters Of your spirit"
TTill read the paper carefully. It
scoatained glowing accounts OF oppor-
tunfties In the States. He resolved to-
Investigate for himself. It was the
next morning that he chopped his last
tree.
h Comes to st. Paul. Is Il Il
AS a mere, roustaibout lad of Is, he
toured from Maine to Minnesota.
When, in 1855, he disembarIed from q
mississippi river packet at q st. ST Paul
that place was q frontier town Of 5000
inhabitants AT the sign Of w. ]. Bass
e CO., agents for the Dubuque & St.
Paul Packet Company, he found Job
!. ]. 2..z.Al, 1t s.ve.inre and clerk
~ IN the fifteen years that followed ne