New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-10-16
A DISTURBER or HARMONY.
SOUTH PENNSYLVANIA NO COMPETITOR

A ROAD WITH HEAVY GRADES THAT COULD ONLY
BE OPERATED AT ENORMOUS Expense.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct IS Special. -Examiner John
H. Weiss began taking testimony for the defence the
Continental Hotel this morning in the suit of the State
spaiast the transfer of the Beech Greek and South
PENNSYLVANIA railroads to the Pennsylv ania Railroad
Company President Roberts was the first witness aad
was accompanied to the stand by his attorney, Wayne
Macyeagh. aud Judge Logan. The latter reminded
him that he had forgotten to give the history Of the
NEGOTIATIONS from the famous Merton meeting at Mr.
Thomson's house until the meeting at Saratoga. Mr.
Roberts SAID that up to about July 90 he under
the impression that he president of the Bedford
and Bridgeport road but then he learned that Captain
Green one of the presidents OF the Pennsy lyana
Railroad Company its president. On that day be
had a conference with Captain Green and informed him
of what had transpired with reference to IT, negoa
lions and explained that the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company would probably be called upon to indorse
the So 900 600 which the Bridgeport road to de-
liver in bonds On August 81, be saw Mr.. Depew in
Saratoga lie wanted to talk the trunk line situa
ton and what position they were going to take be-
tore the United States Senate Committee, then in
session there He declared that the South Pennsyya
MIA railroad not, in itself, competitor OF the
Pennsylvania Railroad. What little traffic the South
PENNSYLVANIA would receive had natural tendency to
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. There was abso-
uely no traffic along the line of the South Pennsyya
mia that the Pennsylvania Railroad Company could
compete for He was prepared as an engineer to sag
that traffic be taken cheaper over The Gcnnsyvana
road than over the South Pennsylvania; that by rea
son of the equation of grades the distance OF the South
Pennsylvania line through the State was thirty miles
longer than the Pennsylyania railroad In answer
to Mr.. Cassdy's question. " If this road Is SO bad
niece of engineering and is not competitor OF the
Pennsylvania Railroad, why did you spend so great an
amount of money TO get 1t I" .
Because it was one OF the elements which dis
turbing the trunk line harmony, and we would baye
given far greater sum to secure adjustment of the
difficulties Ii TIE settlement VI these tfat we
were trying In itself the South Pennsy yana
was useless piece OF property and the Pe1nsyiyana
Railroad Company could secure control OF the Soath
Pennsylvania It could make connection with its Bed
ford and Bridgeport road and get better opening into
the Cumberland coal regions than the Baltimore aOd
Ohio had BY this method the distance could be short
ened sixty miles,
80. by getting control of the South Pennsy lTans
you would only shut ont competition from the west
by preventing connections with the Western and
Reading lines. but get profitable thing tor the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company"
- That question is very ingenionsly put, repec MT
Roberts The Western lines approaching the south
PENNSYLVANIA naturally hostile in their interests 70
that road and utilization with them Is really out OF tue
question So far as getting profit by securing better
connection for the Cumberland coal region cnncened
the matter would have been profitable to the Pennsy-
vania Railroad and if the matter had been left TO my
Judgment would never have had anything TO do with
these negotiations. Mr.. Thomson, Captain Green, and
other officers were In favor OF the purchase anu
yielded my Judgment TO their"
John A, Wright, an old engineer, who frrt surveyed
the locality as early as 1885 and subsequently az
different intervals testified that the road is series
of ,ndulating grades which only be operated at
enormous expense. There would be no local competl-
ton. The roads would have TO be parallel to be com
petitors He gained this view after reading that
" monster OF ignorance the new constitution OF tho
State - u,
William NJ Singery, proprietor of :" The Record"
was called and m answer to question from Mr.. Mae
Veagh as his politics. said that he was Democrat
that he did not write the articles In " The Record,
nor did he directly Indirectly inspire the proceed
ipgs instituted by the Attorney General.