The Alaska daily empire., 1916-05-29
JAMES ). HILL DIED AT HOME
 THIS MORNING

ST. PAUL, May 2s.-James ,. HllI, tho great railroad magnate dled thls morning at s:so o'clock at his home, following the results or a serious op- eration performed late Saturday night. Twelve hours before hls death. Mr. Hiu was unconscious. Ills entire family were 7t she bedside.
 James J. Hnl was born September 10th. 1888 near Guelph. Ontario. and was of Scotch-Irish descent He left his fathers farm to engage in busi- ness In Minnesota. at first was in the drawing and expressage business From that he entered the wider trans portation fields. and in 1870 founded the Red River Transportation Com pany doing business between St. Paul and Winnipeg. Eight years after he was a member of the syndicate that under another name ultimately built the Canadian Pacific Railway. He developed the great iron resources of northern Minnesota. and from 1883 co 1890 was engaged In constructing the railway. which. with It's branches constitutes the Great Northern Sys- tenn He instituted the steamship service to China and Japan In which he placed the Minnesota and Dakota. at that time the greatest freight car ilers in the world. and kept them on the line for many years. The Dako- ca was wrecked on the coast of Ja- pan and the Minnesota is now In San Francisco harbor undergoing repairs after her unfortunate venture in the European trade.
 Mir. Hnl was also an author and hIs book forcastlng the future Of the coal and Iron industries and other sub iects is an interesting study of those subjects and the ultimate results of our methods Of handling them.
 He is survived by several sons. daughters and grandchildren. One son. Louis ". Hill. is president of thc Great Northern. and has shown much og the imaginative and con- structive genius that made his father the great Northwestern Empire Builder. A daughter Is tho wife of sam Hnl. Of Seattle and Mary hin. Wn.. sometimes called the father of good roads" in Washing. ton state-
 Knew Newspzpermen.
 From a newspaper standpoint Mir. Hu was one Of the few great men who understood reporters. AS busy a man as he always was, the newspa- perman was given first thought Of by NIT. Hm. If in private confer eucc. Mir. Hnl would excse himself ond give the newspapermen the dope" He know news and never squibbod. Ii he had it he gave it. and generally had it Mir. Hill, un- Ike thousands of other men Of af- fueuce and influence in the world. never was possessed Of the enlarged head. He met all classes Of men as democraticaiiy as it was possible.
 HHrs Name in History.
 Tn history. Mir. Hlrs name win be as we'll known as that Of Wash ington and Lincoln" said A. c. Dau- trick today. He belonged to the great constructive minds Ills over towering ability would have made him great in any calling. Had 1t sol happened that he had started life in the field of law or politics he would have been of the school of Jefferson and Marshall. as constructive statesman. His great industry and absorbing mind made him master of whatever he was interested in. In the northwest. where he developed an empire his name will always be as well known as that cf Seward Is 10 the people of Alaska.
 Although his death was not en- tirely unexpected it comes as a per sonal bereavement to thousands of people an over the world. His friend ships were as wide as that of any man in America"
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