The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1916-06-02
Death ENDS LIFE
OF R. R. BUILDER
JAMES J. HILL AMERICAS GREAT
PIONEER II. X. BUILDER
CALLED.
DEVELOPED GREAT N. W.
Was an Humble Laborer I'm Early
Days. Rose to Position of Great
Financier.

q. Paul, May 29.-James j. Hill.
railroad builder, capitalist and the
most widely known figure of the
northwest. died at his home here ut
9.30 this morning as the result of in
lection due to bowel trouble. Mr..
Hill was unconscious for nearly IL
hours before he died. Two physicians
together with the immediate members
OF the Hill family were at his bed
side.
James ]. Hill discovered 'the
breadbasket of the world" in the
Great Northwest; he led in its de-
velopement from a wilderness into
what now comprises six wealthy
states dotted with 100000 farms;
and he blaed a trail for transporta-
ton which reached eventually from
Buffalo TO Asia. with total mileage
OF rail and steamship facilities that
would nearly girdle the earth.
That but roughly spans the story
OF his achievement.
Near Guelph. in Ontario, where
James ]. (erome) Hill was born in
1888, the son of an Irish-Canadian
farmer who died when the boy was
Is. there stands a tree stump labeled;
1.-The last tree chopped by James j.
HILL"
IL 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, 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 carried it pail of
water The stranger was pleased
with the lads thoughtfulness, and as
he drove off he tossed him a news
paper from the United States, and
called out gravely:
Go there. young man. That coun-
try needs youngsters of your spirit"
Hill read the paper carefully. II
contained glowing accounts of oppor-
tunities in the States. He resolved
to Investigate for himself. 1t was
the hext morning that he chopped his
last tree.
AS mere roustabout lad of IS, he
toured from Maine to Minnesota.
When In 1856, he disembarked from
a Mississippi river packet at st. Paul
that place was frontier town of
5000 inhabitants. At the sign OF
w. j. Bass and Co., agents for the
Dubuque and st. Paul Packet Com
pany, he found a job as both steve
dore and clerk.
In the fifteen years that followed
he seized every opportunity to study
the whole problem of river transpor-
tation. He gathered no end of ex-
perience and little capital with
which he launched his own firm of
Hill. Griss and Co., which prompt
ly displayed its initiative by bring
ing the first load of coal that had ever
been seen in that section into st. Paul
Two years later, with a fiatbottomed
steamer he established the first reg
ular communication with st. Paul
and the Manitoba ports of the fer
tile Red River valley.
At about that time st. Paul was
having it's first experiment in rail-
road building. Eighty miles had
been laid to st. Cloud, 316 miles to
Breckenridge, both of which termin-
ais were at the southern end OF the
Red River Valley, ended in that same
indefinite spot" This venture ran
up debt of $33,OOO,OO and collasp-
ed with its only assets being "a few
streaks of rust and right OF way
Hill had had sufficient success in
the region to be seized with a con-
suming desire to purchase the de-
funct property. After FIVE years of
financial dickering. including the sale
of all his other interests, which net
ted a fortune of 100000. he and
syndicate of three others-Sir Don
aid A. Smith. George stephen. and
Norman w. Kittson-obtained the
object OF this desire.
The st. Paul. Minnesota and Mani
toba railway was formed TO operate
the property. with Hill as general
manager When in 1888 Mr.. Hill was
elecsed president he undertook the