The Cecil Whig., 1885-11-28
THE B. & O.'S BIG MOVE
The Staten Island Railroad a.d Fran
chises Purch ,sed

Bearing Upon Interests of the Trunk
Lines-Details of tile Transaction.
The question of the Baltimore and
Ohia Railroad Company's entrance into
New York has excited great deal of
interest during the past few months.
The curiosity of those interested in the
matter was gratified Saturday when it
was officially announced by the Balti-
more and Ohio that it had absorbed the
Staten Island Railroad. The Staten Is
land Railroad controls nearly the entire
short line OF Staten Island, having either
in operation, in construction or under
survey lines which encircle the island,
and with the immen Sc water front thus
gained, possess beyond all compal ison
the most extensive ana perfect terminal
facilities known to New York.
The contract between the Baltimore
pany was Saturday slgued and executed,
this action immediately following the
formal approval of the stockholders of
the two companies The stock and
bonds of the Rapid Company were then
turned over to Treasurer Ijams, of the
Baltimore and Ohio, who now has them
in his possession. A new board of direc-
tors has been elected and its membership
is largely Baltimore and Ohio, and, in
fact, the Baltimore and Ohio is in full
and complete possession. In order to
connect the new property with the new
Philadelphia Fne, and thus make it a
portion of the Baltimore and OHIO sys-
TEN, a new line will be built from b pund
Brook or thercabouts, which is the ter
minus of the Reading railroad to
EliZabethport, at which point connec
tion will be made with the Staten Island
Rapid Transit Company, thus constitu
ting an entirely new and independent
line into New York. The Baltimore and
Ohio will own more than two miles of
water front on Staten IslaTd. to any part
of which the largest vessels sailing on
the ocean can run, and, indeed every,
vess-l coming through the Narrows from
European ports to New York must pass
the Baltimore and Ohio wharves. From
Staten Island there is now ferry direct
to the battery, but it is the intention of
she company to put on this ferry large
screw steamers which will carry full
trains of cars, and thus a passenger ser
vice will be secured direct to New York
city. As he is we'll known, all the ele-
waited lines of New York city come to a
common terminal point at the Battery,
and there raidiate to all parts of the city
of New York, running up both sides of
Manhattan Island. BY the Baltimore
and Ohio, passengers will be enabled to
take any elevated line. go direct to its
elevated depot at the Battery and there
take the train itself, instead of going
into crowded ferry boat cabins aud suf-
ferng Inconvenience now SO general.
This New York depot will also give di-
rect access to the Broadway street car
lines and various other lines which cen
ter at the Battery, and so be within
few steps of the main Brooklyn ferry
The time across the ferry Will not exceed
Is minutes. and the time to Philadcl-
phia will be made as speedily. if not
more SO, than by existing lines, the rail
route being shorter by this new line
than by any other now constructed. On
oo"eSh iSistii iISCIi Will tuiS water lIbui
there will be put up coal piers from
which coal can be loaded direct into
steamers, also grain warehouses and ele
vators, and piers and docks for other
purposes, from which vessels drawing
deepest water can be loaded without us
ing the lighters, thus doing away with
the most expensive lighterage system
that now has to be used by existing
innS nd nuh hta taAlu al
wi be constructed on the island. as the
Brooklyn side is already well filled and
there is no more room there. and in add-
ton it will be most desirable to have
warehouses so situated that cars can
run alongside of them and vessels can be
loaded and nuloaded without the aid of
lighters. There IS no question but what
Staten Island will be "a large gamer By
the new deal as with the improved ferry
service it will become an exceedingly,
desirable place for macy industries as
we'll as dwellings for the population o!
overcrowded New York. 1t will be re
membered that the Jersey Central Rail
road last summer refused to acc pit the
contract offered by the Baltimore and
Ohio through the Philadelphia and
Reading and this made it necessary for
the Baltimore and Ohio to secure its
own terminal facilities, which. it was
argued by other lines, it could not do.
In fact, on the strength of this belief
has been based very many of the discus
sions that have taken place and given
cause for conviction that the B & O.
would have to eventually seek its en-
trance into New York over existing
lines. 1t is fact that the B. & o. has
secured these most advantageous termi
nails in New York at very much less
expense than would have been incurred
had the Jersey Central accepted the com
pany's proposition. Indeed, SO compar
atively light has been the expense in
gaining its entrance into New York that
very large sums of money thus saved
will be expended in improvements which
will make the B. & o a most decided
power in New York. 1t is stated that
the local revenues of the Staten Island |
RLiiroad are now more than sufficient to |
take care of all its fixed charges. The |
new road to be built will not exceed IS |
miles in length and as this will be put
under contract at the same time as is |
the bridge from EizAbethport over to
the island, the probabilities are that |
both will be completed together. The |
work, OF being heavy in either instance,
cannot be long delayed.
SHE TAKES ANU IBER THIRTY SHOE