Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-12-09
THE EMPIRE CITY
Jay GOUlD'S GIGANTIC RAILWAY
PLANS.
Bold Moves at the East for Freight Business
y How the Scheme Is Managed-A Mil
lion Mouths Daily Fed BY the Rail
road kings. J. I.
HoME OF THEoLD DEm0cRsTIcIIADEH
Special Correspondence ofMe Repiser.


Nyw YORK, December NO one can
witness the progress of the desperate strug-
gle between the great railroad tfunk-lines
without being impressed with the magni-
tude Of the interests at stake, and the mag
nitude of the results that are 70 follow.
The contest involves millions of property,
viewed as individual investments, but also
in general way, it involves the lsuprema'
cy in the control and directions Of the trade
and commerce of the country
- Jay Gould is picking up one by one the
reins which control the through traffic of
the entire continent. For several years
past his attention has been devoted almost
exclusively to getting possession of those
roads i'll
The West and South,
which control the supply of freight OF
late he has turned his attention to the
Eastern roads, which make the demand.
The Lackawanna extension to Buffalo and
the Jersey Central connection, give him
the largest and most desirable shipping ia
cilities controlled by any road coming to
tide-water-far superior to the Pennsylva-
mia and Erie, and only approached by the
New York Central.
It will be only very few years before he
and those associated with him will control
the sources of freight, and will be able to
get business. am led to these remarks by
noticing the cleverness OF the double
pulr' he has just perfected on the New
England trade, cutting off Vanderbilts
almost monopoly of the supply Of Western
grain over the Boston and Albany road,
and taking away the Hudson River roads
alliance with the various roads to Boston,
which, as your readers know, all cOncen-
trate in the Grand Central Depot in Forty
second street.
How the Ball Was Started.
Some years since General James II. Will
son, very bright railroad man, obtained
control of one or two little local roads in
New England. BY building airline con-
nectiOns between them and adding link
to join them to the old New York and New
Haven road, he established altogether the
shortest route to Boston, es well as one Of
the most pleasant. The old roads tried to
break him up but failed, as they too have
to get into this city over the New York
and New Haven. General Wilson then
succeeded in getting control of the old
Boston, Hartford and Erie road, which pro-
jeCt had been before the public for many
years, and on which much money had been
squandered and more stolen. This road he
connected with his own, and with outside
aid obtained the money to actually carry it
through in proper shape to the Hudson
river, where, by aid of bridge, he con-
nected directly with the Erie. giving him
the through freight from the West to Bos-
ton, and by the use of a cross road connect
ing with the Pennsylvania railroad, he OBJ
tained the all-rail coal traffic to the New
England States, which is sometimes i'm
menSe.
GouId's Tentaeles at Work.
Mr.. Gould now comes on the scene, pays
General Wilson and his friends round
sum for all they have spent, and gobbles
up both the New York and New England
and the Boston, Hartford and Erie roads.
His next move is to obtain, if possible,
sole control of the New York and New
Haven, which is the key to the position at
this end. He therefore offers to- Svturuutee
10 per cent. dividends on the stock, pay all
the interest, and maintain the road in per-
feet repair. This might not appear
tempting induCement to the
stockholders of road hitherto mOnop-
olizing the Eastern passenger business, but
they know that the monopoly cant last for
ever. Moreover, the Lackawanna's lease
of the Morris and Essex, and similarly the
Pennsylvania lease of the United Rail
ways of New Jersey, at fixed rates of high
dividend, has in the long run proved a
blessing to the stockholders Of the roads,
and through it gave the lessees an outlet to
tide water at this point, it has cost them a
mint of money.
If Gould Succeeds
| in getting the lease he will build an enor-
nous freight and passenger depot for
| New York and New Haven road on
| the north side of Harlem river, make an
inclined plane on the track of the Second
| Avenue Elevated road, which he controls,
| and run down over that to the corner of
| Twenty-seventh street and Second avenue,
where he has secured an entire square
bounded by four streets, and on which he
will Immediately erect magnificent pas
senger depot BY means of mammoth
transfer ferry boats, he will run his through
passenger cars from Boston to the West
and South direct from the Harlem river to
| the New Jersey Central and the Lacka-
wanna tracks at Jersey City.
These marvellous performances of Jay
Gould read more like fiction than a sober
tale. He has at this moment 10000 men
employed in pushing his new road
through Mexico, and thousands more in
building and extending other roads all over
the West and South. A well informed
railway man tells me that there are a mil
lion mouths daily fed in this country with
food gained wholly from employment fur
nished by Jay Gould.
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