The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-06-02
q Canadian by Birth, rs q Boy lie
Came to the States and Became
the Worlds MightieSt Power
i'm the Railroad Develop
ment World.

St. Paul, Mimi, May 29.-James j..
Hill, railroad builder, capitalist and
most widely known figure of the
Northwest, died at his Summit ave-
nue. residence at $50 o'clock this
morning as the result of an affection
due to bowel trouble, aged II years.
James j. Hill discovered "the bread
basket of the world" in the great
n Northwest; he led in it's development
from a wilderness into what now
comprises six wealthy states dotted
with 100000 farms; and he blazed
a trail for transportation which reach
ed eventually from Buffalo to Asia,
with total mileage of rail and steam
ship facilities that would nearly girdle
the earth. That but roughly spans
the history of his achievement.
Near Guelph, in Ontario, where
James Jerome Hill was born, Septem-
bcr 16, 1888, 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.
It marked the lads resolution to
go to the United States. He had
been prompted by en odd incident;
according 10 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 he car
ried it a pail of water. The stranger
was pleased with the lads thoughtful
ness, and as he drove off he tossed
him q newspaper from the United
States and called out gravely:.
go there, young man. That coun-
try nesds youngsters of your spirit =
He Chopped His Last Tree.
Hill read the paper carefully. 1t
contained glowing accounts of oppor-
tunities in the states. He resolved
to investigate for himself. 1t was
the next morning that he chopped his
last tree.
AS a mere reustabout lad of IS, he
toured from Maine to Minnesota,
When in 1856 he disembarked from
Mississippi river packet at st. Paul
that, place was a frontier town OF 1900
inhabitants. At the sign of W. j.
Bass & Co., agents for the Dubuque
& st. Paul Packet company, he found
a lob as; both stevedore and clerk.
In the fifteen years that followed
he seized every opportunity to study
the whole problem of river trans
portation. He gathered no end OF
experience and a little capital, with
which he launched his own firm OF
Hill. Griss & Co., which promptly
DISPLAYED it's initiative by bringing
the first load of coal that had ever
been seen in that section into ST.
Paul. Two years later, with hat
ho+tomed steamer, he established the
first regular communication with st.
Paul and the Manitoba ports OF the
c..4;1o Dod ,,;vor vo1InV
At about that time st. Paul was
having its first experiment in rail-
road building. Eighty miles had been
laid to St. Cloud and 316 miles to
Brecken ridge, both of which terminals
were at the southern end of the Red
river valley, and there were about
100 miles of track (which began no.
where and ended in that same indef-
mite spot. This venture ran up
debt of $33,OO0,OOO and collapsed
with it's only assets being "a few
streaks of rust and right of way.
Bought Dead Railroad.
Hill had had sufficient success IN
the region to be seized with 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 c fortune of 100000, he and g
syndicate of three others-Sir Donald
A. Smith, George stephen and Nor
man w. Kttson-obtained the object
of tt:s desire.
The st. Paul, Minnesota & Mani
toba railway was formed to oper-
ate the property, with Hill as general
manager. When IN 1888 M. Hill
was elected president re undertook
the extension of the road from It's
Dakota and Minnesota homestead TO
the Pacific ocean. He was CONFRONT
od h7 tnrec great competitors to the