Daily globe., 1879-07-15
NUMBER 1872
SOLD OR NOT.
A DECIDED SENSATION FOR HOT
WEATHER.

Ratlroad-Pool Magnates of the Old West
Wisconsin Company the Reported Pur-
chasers-Somo Officials Discredit the
Transaction,
We publish this morning some startling
intelligence to the people of St. Paul and
the State-the sale of the st. Paul g. Duluth
railroad to the West Wisconsin or Chicago,
st. Paul g. Minneapolis railroad company.
While the details of the important and sig
ni6cant transaction are necessarily limited
this morning, the character of the statements
given below do not allow any doubt to ex-
lst as to the transaction having been had.
The first authoritative intelligence of the
transfer came through President Washburn,
of the Minneapolis & st. Louis railroad, in
New York, upon which information the
Minneapolis Tribune of last evening says;
AS our readers well know, the air has for
some time been thick with rumors of the
sale of the St. Paul & Duluth railroad to the
pooled lines centering in this city, consisting
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul and
West Wisconsin. These rumors were this
morning confirmed by dispatch received by
Gen. Hatch from Gen. Washburn, who
went East few days since expressly to get
information regarding the rumored sale, and
to take whatever steps it was possible to take
in the emergency. The stock of the road has
been taken by 81. 81. Porter, of the West
Wisconsin railroad, and his friends, among
whom are to be numbered as the princi-
pal; David Dows, and others. Mr..
Dows is a director and the chief
stockholder in the West Wisconsin, and a
director in the Chicago & Northwestern, the
Chicago, Milwaukee s. ST. Paul, the Chicago
& Rock Island, and the New York, New
Haven & Hartford road. He is also the head
of probably the heaviest grain house in the
country. Mr.. Dows has lately been over the
St. Paul & Duluth road, and various circum-
stances have pointed suspiciously toward the
contamination which has now been reached.
It is not known positively that the Chicago.
Milwaukee & St. Paul company are interested
in this purchase, but it is known that Man
ager Merrill has also been over the road
once or twice lately, and, considering the
amount of travel he has to do in his regular
business, the manager doesn't 60 over rail-
roads running through thick forests for mere
pastime.
But however this may be, the fact is suti-
cient that the road has passed into the
hands of the natural enemies of cheap
transportation route to the East, and it
may therefore be concluded that a cheap
transportation route it will no longer con-
tinue to be. 1t is no object to the new pur
chasers to maintain it as such. They have
| endeavored vainly to get its managers to
| consent to make common cause with the
other pooled lines. Failing in this, they
have bought up the road, and being able
now to do what they will with their own,
they will doubtless add it as third member
to the present pool. In that case Minneap-
oils and St. Paul may bid goodbye to cheap
summer freights by the way of the lakes, and
the wheat of the State may count on an as
sessment of ten cents per bushel as tribute
to the enemy which has got it in chancery
| by this formidable move
| The reorganization of the road under its
new directors will take place on Thursday
next. It is said that Porter and his friends
will only appear in it; but what remains un-
der the surface of that thin crust the waters
are too murky to observe. If the pooled
lines were equally interested in the gobbling,
| it would be to their interest to conceal the
fact as long as possible.
| It now remains to see what the people of
this State will do about it. What they ought
| to do about it is indicated editorially else
where. The Minneapolis g. St. Louis should
| be extended from White Bear to Taylor's
Falls, the st. Paul g. Taylor's Falls road to
the same point, and thence they should
merge and run on a common line to Supe-
rior. This, if there is any spirit in the peo-
pie who have been corralled and made cap
tive by this grand aggressive movement of
the monopolists, they will do, and that with
6rmness, energy and dispatch.
WHAT LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY.
In order to substantiate the correctness of
the report GLOBE reporter called at the
residence of Hon. James Smith, Jr., counsel
for the ST.. Paul & Duluth railroad company,
on DeBow street, last midnight. A vigorous
pull at the bell knob was answered by the
son of that gentleman who informed the
visitor that his father was in Philadelphia
and that meeting of the stockholders of
the company was announced to take place
in that city to. day.
For more definite information the repor-
ter was referred to MI. George M. Smith,
superintendent of the st. Paul & Duluth
railroad company, residing at the end of the
street car tracks in lower town. After crop
| ing around in that shamefully illuminated
portion of the city, the reporter br ught up
at the residence of the latter gentleman, and
the summons was answered by Mr.. Smith,
who accorded the midnight visitor very
cordial welcome.
| Mr.. Smith informed the reporter that if
any change had been made in the ownership
of the road he was entirely ignorant of the
fact, and he further stated that if such an
important change had really taken place he
would be one of the first to be appraised of
it. He stated that meeting of stockholders
was to be held at Philadelphia or New York
this week, but he had no idea that the meet
! ing would result in the sale of the road.
In conclusion Mr.. Smith said that a Ger
tain amount of stock would probably be
sold to the highest bidder, and he expressed
the belief that the reported sale of the road
might be discredited with the utmost safety
and propriety.
DAILY WEATHER BULLETIN.
OFFICE OF OBSERVATION, SIGNAL CORPS, q. s. A