The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-06-01
Hill, Empire Builder Of
Northwest. Dies at Home
After Lingering Illness

-
Hil, railroad builder. capitalist and
most widely known figure in the north
west, died at his Summit avenue resi-
dence at $3.50 o'clock this morning as
the result Of an infection due to bowel
trouble.
Mr.. Hill was unconscious for nearly
II o. before he died. DIR. Herman
M. Biggs and DR.. Stanley Seager, to-
gether with members of the immediate
Fill family, Were at the bedside when
the end came.
MIR. Hills personal secretary, M. r.
Brown, mad the announcement of his
employers demise to waiting newspa-
per correspondents at the Fill resi-
dence. lis statement was made YER
bally, with the intimation that a writ
ten bulletin might be issued later.
questioned regarding the date for.
o~bsequies, Mr.. Brown said no arrange.
ments had been discussed.
Worth Many Millions.
Mr.. Hills wealth is estimated all the
way from 500, 900, 900 to $500, 000, 900.
He was probably worth between $780,
100000 n $3.50. 900, 900.
An estimate of Mr.. Hills wealth was
furnished when, at the opening of the
European war, he called his bankers
together and displayed a mass of Sc
curltles amounting to more than $780,
000,00O, which was said to have been
in the boxes set before his bankers.
There should be no trouble" said Mr..
Hill, but, if there is, this amount is
at your disposal"
The First National bank then bor-
rowed from, Mr.. Hill $4,000, 900 worth
of Great Northern railroad bonds.
IheSe We're placed in the treasury de-
partment at Washington and 5000, 900
worth of emergency currency, allowed
under the Aldrich act, was shipped at
once to the First National bank. 1t
was ound necessary to place only $125-
600 worth of this in circulation. In a
few weeks the entire amount was re-
turned to Washington.
Keeps Estate Intact.
Mr.. Hill had the absolute control of
the First National bank and the North
western Trust company which have a
combined capital and surplus of IS, $780,
900.
Mr.. Hill was a large owner of stock
in h Chase National bank of New
York, First National bank of Chicago
and the Northwestern national bank
of Minneapolis. He was a large owner
of the Great Northern Pacific Steam
ship company.
The greater portion of Mr.. Hills
wealth, however, was in the stocks and
bonds Of h Great Northern, Northern
Pacific and Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy railroads.
The executors of Mr.. Hills estate
will probably be Louis w. Hill, his son,
and the Northwestern Trust company.
The great power held by Mr.. Hill will
pass to his son Louis, who has been
closely associated with him in business
for 10 years.
James N. Hill, the Oldest son, is a
director of the Texas company and has
made a big fortune in New York. Wal
ter, the Youngest son, has big farm
holdings in Kittson county, Minnesota,
where he spends most of his time.
1t is believed that Mr.. Hills vast es-
tate will be held intact through the
Northwestern Trust -mpany and thai
the various heirs will be given life
Interests.
Game to the Last.
MI. Hill was a game fighter" said
DR.. James Gilfillan the family physi-
clan. "Bloodpoison caused his death.
He complained little during his illness,
which was rather painful. He was
conscious most of the time"
James j.. Hill discovered "the bread
basket of the world in the great north
west; he led in it's development from a
wilderness into what now comprises
six wealthy states dotted with 400, 900
farms; and he blazed a trail for trans
portation which reached eventually
from Buffalo to Asia, with a total mile
age 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 J(erome) Hill was born in 1888,
the son Of an Irish Canadian farmer
who died when the boy was 15, there
a tree stump labeled: 1.-THE last
tree chopped by James j. HILL"
1t marked the lads resolution to go
to the United States. He had been
prompted by an odd incident, accord
traveller a stopped at the Hill farm
to take dinner. and left his horse at
the gate. Young Hill saw the animal
tired n he carried it a pail OF
water. The stranger vas pleased with
the la tho~ughtfulness, and as he
from the United States. and called out
gravely:
Go there, young a That country
needs youngsters of your spirit"
Quit Tree chopping.
Hill read the paper carefully. 1t con-
tanned glowing accounts Of opportuni-
ties in h states. He resolved to in
vestigate for himself. 1t was the next
morning that he chopped his last tree.
AS a mere roustabout lad of IS, he
toured from Maine to Minnesota.
When. in 1856, he disembarked from a
Mississippi river packet at st. Paul
tina place was a frontier town of 5000
inhabitants. At the sign of w. j. Bass
& Co., agents for the Dubuque & ST.
Paul Packet company, he found a job
as both s%tevedore and clerk.
In the Is years hat followed he
seized every opportunity to study the
whole problem of river transportation.
He gathered no enc of experience and a
little capital with which he launched
his own firm of Hill, Griss & Co., which
promptly displayed its initiative by
bringing the first load of coal that had
ever been seen in that section into st.
Paul. Two years later, with a fat-bot-
toned steamer he established the first
regular communication with st. Paul
and the Manitoba ports of the fertile
Red River valley.
At about that time st. Paul was hav-
ing its first experiment in railroad
building. Eighty miles had been laid
to st. Cloud, 316 miles to Breckenridge,
both of which terminals were at the
southern end of the Red river valley,
and there we're about 100 miles of rocl,