The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-12-01
New Trunk Lines.
[Philadelphia Press.l I

|
discourage the growth of new ones.
Still adhering to his old belief that
two trunk lines between the Atlantic
and the West are sufficient for the
business, he finds three new lines
under rapid construction, well backed
by capital, and under contract to be
completed within two years from
date. There are at present six dis
tinct sections Of railroad under sepa-
rate organizations, which are to form
| parts of these new trunk lines. The
capital already raised or subscribed for
these six lines Is said to be $65, ,000, 900.
and all but $4,000, 900 has been raised
hy private subscriptions of capitalists
or through the Intervention Of con-
struction companies, which take the
securities Of the road they are build
ing. The first intelligent and COM
plete account Of the routes and con-
nections of these new lines appears In
the New York Commercial and FL
mdncidt Chronicle of November 19,
which is our authority for most of the
facts here given.
The names Of most of the new lines
are rather misleading. The New
York, Chicago and st. Louis, for in
stance, will reach but one of the cities
| named In its title. Its route is from
Buffalo to Cleveland, and thence to
Chicago, which will make 1t a COM
petitor all the way, both for local and
through business, with the Lake
Shore and Michigan Southern. At
Buffalo the new Chicago line will
have as Eastern connections--in addi-
ton to the New York Central, the
Erie and the canal route-three new
railroads now being built to that city.
The first of these is the Boston,
Hoosac Tunnel and Western, which
| is to reach from Buffalo to the Hoosac
Tunnel in Massachusetts. The work
on this road Is being prosecuted with
vigor between Schenectady and Syra-
cuse. This line will be parallel with
| the New York Central to the Hudson
River and will compete directly with
it for the New England business.
A second line now in forward
state of construction is the New York,
West Shore and Buffalo. From
Schenectady westward, this line will
be near neighbor to the Central and
the proposed Hoosac Tunnel line.
| The company has purchased the
| Athens braDch of the New York Gen.
trai, which gives it line from Schen-
ectady to the Hudson River at
Athens. From that point branch
TO fha
main line south along the west shore
of the Hudson to the docks of the old
Jersey City and Albany Road, at
Weehawken, opposite New York
City. This company, it is stated has
bought out the property of the New
York, Ontario and Western, running
from Middletown to Oswego, and the
two roads will be connected by short
| line from Middletown to Cornwall-on-
tbe-Hudson. The new road will thus
be, when completed. one of the most
important roads in the State, travers-
ing it from north to south as well as
from east to west.
The third new trunk line under
construction from Buffalo east, is the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western,
which is being extended from Bing-
hampton, New York, to Buffalo, and
will probably be finished next sum-
mer. Mr.. Vanderbilt's railroad war
has thus far had no effect on the new
lines springing up all around him
and within a very short time his road
| will have to divide the railroad traffic
of that State with four other lines, in
stead of one as now. To the west Mr..
Vanderbilt sees not only his Lake
Shore paralleled, but the Erie con-
s~,l &c ;t,
own to Chicago. This Is called the
tend from Marion, Ohio, on the New
York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Road,
to Chicago. 1t will be completed next
summer, and will make through line
from Chicago to New York via Mar
ion and Salamanca 974 miles in
length, or somewhat less that the New
York Central and Lake Shore line.
At Marion the Chicago and Atlantic
will make a second through connec-
tion with a new line called the New
York, Pittsburgh and Chicago, ex-
tending from Marion, Ohio, to Wam-
pun, Pennsylvania, thence by the
Pittsburgh and Western to Red Bank,
thence by the Allegheny Valley Low
Grade Division and Philadelphia and
Erie to Williamsport, thence to New
York by the New Jersey Central, a
total distance of SS7 miles, which is
less than any of the other routes,
either present or proposed. This
route, as the Chronicle observes, is
"less certain, less compact and homo
geneous than the Others" and the
diverse interests of the owners of the
different links seem to stand in the
way of its early consolidation into a
single trunk line.
The Chronicle thus sums up the
prospective additional trunk line
facilities for the 1st of January, 1884:
Two important roads, under strong
management, added to the eastward
line from Chicago-the New York, st.
Louis and Chicago and the Chicago
and Atlantic; three new lines added to
the roads eastward from Buffalo-the
Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western,
the New York, West Shore and Buf.
falo and the Delaware, Laekawanna
aad Western; one new line from
Marion, Ohio, to Red Bank, Pa.-the
J New York, Pittsburgh and Chicago
connecting with the Central of New
Jersey and its leased lines; three new
termini for Western freights will bt
made on the Jersey shore opposite
New York City, Under the in
creased competition thus created the
difficulties of trunk line combinations
and of pooling will be so greatly in
creased that they will become next tC
impossible. Whether the business ol
: the country can support all these roads
1 l. q In]a Ia n WaaxuF linz IVnf