Omaha daily bee., 1881-08-18
SWALLOWED.
jay Gould Assimilates the Mis-
sisslppi Valley Barge
Line.
The River Route Now Owned by
the Railroad millionaire.

st. Louis Post. Dispatch, August Il.
For some days past there have been
a great many rumors current upon
Change to the effect that the Gould
combination had been negotiating for
the purchase of the Mississippi Val
ley Transportation Company. This
morning the news was confirmed by
kilograms and different gentlemen ON
Change. The consolidation was per-
fected in New York to-day, but the
negotiations have been going on for
some time past-at least a month.
The new company, to be called the
Mississippi Barge Line, will have a
cash capital of IS, 1000, 900. Mr.. Haar-
stick, of the NJ V. T. Company, will
probably be the president of the new
company, which, however, will be
controlled by the Gould interest. Mr..
Haarstick and Mr.. Lourey are both at
present in New York perfecting the
details of the. consolidation, which
will not, however, take long to do. In
fact, Mr.. Haarstick is expected home
almost Immediately. The Mississippi
Valley transportation Company is the
Oldest and the largest on the river. 1t
has seven tow-boats and forty-two
barges, with a carrying capac ty of
2,100, 900 bushels, and seven barges
now building with an additional
capacity of ACC, 900 bushels. Its
capital is 81, ZOO, 900, of which $780,.
900 is paid up. To show how the en-
terprise has paid, but little more than
half the stock was paid up originally,
the balance being made up by the
earnings of the company. 1t is owned
by III. G. Haarstick, G. ID. Capen,
Mr.. Huse, of Huse, LOOMS g. Co.,
the T%hornburg, estate, Geo. H. Rhea
and E. o. Stanard, Mr.. Haarstick
owning about 5000, 600 of stock, and
the balance being divided out pretty
equally among the others. The st.
Louis and New Orleans company,
commonly called the Gould Line, has
five tows and n building. 1t has
thirty five barges with a carrying
capacity Of 1,65O, 900 bushels and
fifteen barges building with a
capacity of 100000 bushels more.
1t has a paid up capital of
800, 900, of which Jay Gould and
his party own S4O0, 900. Capt. Lou
rey owns $140, 900, and the balance is
parceled out in $4,000 blocks. The
two companies solidify on the basis of
81, 900, 900 for the Mississippi valley
and $500, 600 for the Gould line, and
the stock of the new company will be
issued for the old on that basis.
There will be ST. 200, 900 additional
put in, making the g capital stock
50, 200, 900, a great part of which will
be put up by the Gould combination,
at least 5000, 600, and the balance of
the stock will be sold. This addi-
tional 81, 200, 900 will be Immediately
put into barges and towns, making an
additional fleet of ten tugs and sixty
barges, with a carrying capacity of
5000, 600 bushels. The new COM
pany will then have twenty-three tugs
and 149 barges, with a total capacity
of $3.50, 900 bushels.
1t will throw some light upon the
subject to know that the American
Transportation Company has two tugs
anC ten barges with a carrying capa-
city of 400, 600 bushels and one Co.,
600 bushel barge building. The
Mound City Line has one tug and
nine barges with a carrying capacity
OF $40, 900, with two $4,000 bushel
barges now building. From this it
a be at nee seen that the CONSOLE
dated company will overshadow all
competition. 1t will be able to take
care of all the carrying done out of
this port. The subject is one of in
tense interest on Change, where river
Improvement and carriage are vital
questions of the hour, and a great
many divers views are expressed upon
the subject, many fearing that the
utter futility of an attempt at COM
petition with a company as strong as
this will have the effect of making
this the only barge line on the river.
1t is rumored again hat Mr.. Keene is
negotiating for a controlling interest
in the Anchor Line, and that he will
contest the ownership of the river
route with Jay Gould.