Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-23
JAY G0ULDIN THE SOUTH.
IMPORTANT MOVES ON THE
RAILWAY CHESSBOARD.


The seney System Gobb1ed-The Erlan
ger Syndicate to Sell Out-From New
! York to Mexico-FOur Atlantic anS
Two Gulf Outlets-Savannah in tn,
Game-Important, If True.
INDIAN SPRING, June 2I.-I vester
DAY met a gentleman on his way tC
Knoxville, Tenn, to attend the meeting
of the directors of the East Tennessee
Virginia and Georgia Railroad. He was
not director, but a railroad man of large
experience, and he discussed questions
with earnestness and with intelligence.
/ asked:
''What will be the result of the meeting
at Knoxville next Saturday,
"There will be large gathering of men
from the various roads connected with this
system. The business has already been
outlined, and the action of the convention
Will be merely formal, in order to give
legal sanction to what has already been
determined on. 1t is not anticipated that
anything will occur which will interfere
with the proposed programme"
"WillJay Gould, as it has been reported,
SSb pOSSeSSiOH OI I0tS SNSIenls'S
"He has possession, already, in fact.
and only awaits the action OF this con-
ventiOn to take formal hold of it. The
terms have been settled upon. He has
the privilege of taking lease for 999
years, or to merge it into what is known
as his Southwestern system. / do not know
which he will choose. One thing is GER
tain, he is making the biggest railroad
move ever known in the South. This is
only one of several roads which will fall
into his hands. With this one only he
could not accomplish what he designs. A
few weeks will disclose his hands,
'HWhat other roads or systems do YOU
suppose he will become pOssessor of?''
Well, have no positive knowledge, and
yet am confident that negotiations are
going on in another direction. 1t has
been known in railroad circles for some
time that the Erlanger syndicate are not
satisfied with the result of their invest
ments in the South. They were forced to
take possession of the Alabama Southern.
Then to make it prOfitably remuneratiye.
they leased the Cincinnati Southern.
feeling it a necessity to have a Vicks-
burg connection and to reach New Or
leans and Shreveport, La. This they Sc
cured. The management failed to realize
what they anticipated, and when thev
called for more money, the Erlangers re-
spectfully declined any further invest
ment. The Erlanger stock in the Cincin-
natl Southern, of which they own 81 per
cent, declined, and this week it
Is quoted at 20: | am now assured
that Mr.. Jay Gould has purchased a con-
trolling interest in the Erlanger system
and its connections, which includes the
Cincinnati Southern, and that in short
while he will take possession of this entire
SYSTEM"
'Does that purchase include their in
vestment in South GeOrgia-the Bruns-
wick and Western?'
81 so understand it. 1t will be made a
feeder to one or the other of his main
lines, but whether it will be the East Ten
nessee, Virginia and Georgia or the Ala
bama, cannot tell. He had to take all
in order to get what he wanted. His main
object is to secure short line from New
York, Philadelphia and Baltimore to New
Orleans and shreveport, where it will
connect with his Texas and Mexico sVs-
TEN. The securing of these roads will
give him the shortest line by one or two
hundred miles.'
(which system will furnish this short
liner"
sit will require both. If he could have
secured it by one he would have had no
use for the other. His main line Will be
over the Tennessee and Virginia Air Line
to its southwestern terminus, where the
Erlanger system comes in and continues
to Shreveport
''Well, what of this Georgia division?r
sit will be operated as a through line
from the West. This road is now bringing
thousands Of bushels of grain from Ten
nessee and points further West to Savan-
nah and Brunswick, which is shipped by
sea to the Eastern and Northern markets,
Nv is al
volume of business will increase a thou
sand fold. A through train viii be put on
between Cincinnati and Jacksonville and
Northern and Western visitors to Florida
will find it the quickest and most comfort
able route to the Land of Flowers
'Will these trains continue by the Way
cross Short Line?"
"Oh, no! l forgot to tell you that Mr..
Gould, who has made two or three visits
to Florida, had become virtually posses
sor Of the Transit Railroad and all its
branches, adding another magnificent
seaport to his system, at Fernandina, as
well as Gulf port at Cedar Keys. AS
soon as the formal transfer can be made a
road will be built from point on the old
Macon and Brunswick road, thirteen
miles below Jesup, to connect with the
Jacksonville branch of the Transit road
at Harris crossing. This will give
an all rail connection with jacksonville.
The details for this extension are all
made, and work will soon commence
''This looks like Mr.. Gould is to hold the
key to Southern transportation?
''You may rest assured that Mr.. Gould
does nothing on limited scale. These
plans have been maturing for two or three
years, and the Opportune moment has
just arrived for this cOnsummation. You
remember Il few years ago it was said Mr..
Gould had gone to Florida to rest a
few weeks. But he did not rest much.
This whole scheme presented itself to his
mind, and he has been watching
the movements of the waters ever since.
And you may tell your friends in Savan-
nah that in less than five years jay Gould
will be in Savannah dividing the traffic
with Captain Raoul and Colonel Plant.
A road will be- built from a point below
Lumber City direct to Savannah, for the
Forest City is too good point to escape
the eye of this wonderful railroad mag
nate. He must have "his own line,''
''What is to become Of that magnificent
yacht we have heard so much abOutY'
swell, don't know anything about
that. But you see he could make it use
full in visiting his seaports. There are
Norfolk, Savannah, Brunswick, and Fer
nandina on the Atlantic, and New Or
leans and Ceday Keys ON the Gulf of
way"
''This is a magnificent scheme, and if
carried out will put new phase to rail-
rOading in the South. When do you sup
pose those developments will be made
public?'
81 think next Sundays kilograms will
contain much of what I have been talk
ing about, and sixty days, think, will
develop the whole PLAN"
"Do you think there will be many
changes at this meeting, at Knoxville, in
the management of the East Tennessee. /
Virginia and Georgia Railroad ?',
'Yes; there will be some, but to what
extent l cannot tell. Gen. Fink will be
retained as General Manager, and think
Col. Pope Will retain his position, AS to
others, can't say"
This information ! give to the readers
of the News as it was given me, There
may be mere in it than one would like TO
believe, 81.
Four Hanged in One Town.
LITTLE Rock, ARK, June 22.-At