New-York tribune., 1869-02-25
THE BATTLE or THE RAILWAYS.

The battle of the Railroads is told at length
in an article on our second page. Like many
another battle, this one has been confused and
varyiDe. and even yet, though it seems to have
almost died away, the scales OF victory seem
almost evenly poised between the contestants.
The Eastern public has vague idea that' In
substance, the struggle has been one ior
Pacific railway connections. In fact IL mas
been for the trade Of the whole West, as GEN.
tering. from whatever quarter, at Its three
great towns, Cincinnati, st. Louis, and Chi
cago. :,
. At Cincinnati the rival trunk lines contended
for the Messenger and freight traffic from the
Ohio valley, and (through connections 10 De
established with the Southern railway system
at Knoxville) from the whole Southern
region between the Alleghanies and the Mis-
sissippi. and north of the line to which New
Orleans was able to reach. Two lines, the
Baltimore and Ohio, and the Pennsylvania Cen
trail, practically divided this business between
them. The Baltimore and Ohio had made Its
connection with Cincinnati secure by the controi
of the Marietta Road. The Pennsylvania Cen
trail was equally secure by its control OF the
Pan Handle, which carried its business from
Pittsburgh to Columbus, and by its close ANIL
ations with the Little Miami, which carried 1t
it from Columbus to Cincinnati. Into
this little family party came the
Erie. by the sudden lease of the CINCINNATI,
Hamilton and Dayton Road. The Erie proper,
and the Atlantic and Great Western, which 1t
controlled, carried its BUSINESS to Dayton
within tantalizing distance of the goal. The
lease of the G. II. and p ROAD! ftuEIplshed the
missing link, and unceremoniously planted the
unbidden Erie in Cincinnati, beside Its too
secure rivals.
This done, the struggle for st. Louis was
easy. The Erie was sure of natural ally in
the broad guage Ohio and Mississippi, which
connects Cincinnati with ST. Louis. When it
reached Cincinnati, the extension of its close
connection to st. Louis was therefore rather
the work of natural causes than of any
special adroitness. But the result was
equally satisfactory to the managers. They
found at last their great road stretching
an unbroken broad guage line from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Mississippi River, from New-York
to Cincinnati and st. Louis. Not satisfied with
this, it even strove to cut off the Pennsylvania
Central from st. Louis, by leasing the chain of
connecting railroads known as the " Ben Smith
Roads, For little this gigantic scheme
seemed about to succeed; but at the last moment
the Pennsylvania carried the day and leased these
roads. AS the result, therefore, three trunk
lines (B. & o., Penn. Cent, and Ere) COM
peted on substantially equal terms at Cincin
natl (; and two penn. Cent. and Erie) at st.
Louis.
Then remained the struggle for Chicago.
Here the New-Yorl Central, connecting West
from Cleveland over lines with which its alli-
ance was believed to be sure, has hither-
to maintained an easy preeminence. The
Pennsylvania Central was equally secure,
through its connection with the Pitts
burgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Road.
The Erie was completely shut out. Its
struggles, of course hinged on the Fort Wayne
road 1t almost gained the control of the
stock was then beaten by sndden flank
movement in the Pennsylvania Legislature in
the Interest of their own road, and has finally,
if Yesterdays rumors may be credited, secured
amicably what its contest had failed to win.
This, therefore, plants the three roads on equal
terms at Chicago.
In so far as these movements have resulted
in securing at once closer connections and
fairer competition for the business of the three
great Western cities, they concern not merely
the interest of New-York. but of the whole
country; and our readers will therefore thank
MS for the full resume presented in the article
on our second page to which we have referred.
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