New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-12-26
Mammoth Conamercial Nom,ansflon,

The latest scheme credited to the fertile
brain of President A. B. Stickney .of the Chi
cago, st. Paul 6 Kansas City railroad. is
nothing more nor less than the purchase
and unification of the entire traffic interests
of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, and the
consolidation of the st. Paul & Duluth, Du-
luth & Iron Range and the Kansas City
railroads with the river levees in one grand
system.
Mr.. Stickneys object is to control the two
great factors in the freight business-the
iron ore and coal shipments. He will take
the iron ore from the mines about Lake SUI
pcrior, bring it by rail to st. Paul, and trans
ship it here by boat down the Mississippi
river and up the Ohio river to the iron mills
at PIttsbnrg He will bring the coal back
over the same route from the mines of Penn
sylyanla, and Will make st. Paul the distri-
buting point for the entire Northwest.
here is every reason to believe that Mr..
St1ckney g plans have already been consum-
mated. Ii thisisso the Western railroads and
the transportation lines of the great lakes
will no longer control the situation
& a dispatch from Pittsburg stated that syn
dlcare OF Pittsburg capitalists have about
completed thepurchase Of Gray S Iron line and
had secured controlling interests in the s.Dia-
mond DO line. Simultaneously came the
announcement of the purchase of the old
Davidson line, or the st. Paul & st. Lonis
Packet line by a syndicate of ST. Paul men.
composed of Messrs. G. H. Petsch, r. T.
O'Connor, Z. A. Prendergast, r. G.. Lang.
William Hamm and II. f. Stevens. One Of
the gentlemen interested said:
The construction of immense coal and ore
docks at South st. Paul will begin at once
and at least $3.50, 600 will be expended on
these improvements. Mr.. Stieknev has lone
had in his mind the necessity ofextending his
system to Duluth and to the iron mines. He
has considered the building of new line,
but to get hold of the st. Paul & Duluth is
more desirable. By bringing the ore to st.
Paul, and thence to Pittsburg by the river
route, instead of via the lake route as most of
1t goes now, it will have to be rehandled
but once instead of twice. This is one great
argument in favor of the plan. Pittsburp
must have the ore. OF late years the Pitts
burg, capitalists have become alarmed at the
increase OF the iron manufacturing, Industries
of Toledo, Cleveland, Buffalo and other ports,
made possible by their easier access to the
mines. The cost of getting the ore to Pitts
burg will be greatly lessened by utilizing the
rivers, and this condition alone makes the
Pittsburg men take hold of the new scheme
with will. The great benefit which St. Paul
will derive is obvious. She need no longer
sigh Tor q waterway to the lakes or look
with jealous eyes on the commercial growth
of Duluth. She will be in reality as well as
name the head of navigation of the great
llYei, anu VIII De91n TO reap the profits other
geographical position. The river traffic will
be thoroughly revived and put back on the
tlourishing basis of early days. The purchase
OF the old lines is only preliminary 1t was
necessary to get the wharfage and other
facilities
There is no doubt that the buying up of
the river lines by Pittsburg and ST. Paul
people is in furtherance Of Mr.. Stickney's
scheme. One the St. Paul men admitted
this when questioned. Mr. Stickney is at
present in the East
The trip from St. Paul to Pittsburg can be
made in from seven to ten days by steam
er towing three barges of 3, 900 tons capac-
lty The traffic will not of course, be
confined to coal and ore alone but
merchandise freight Of all description will be
taken. St. Paul merchants can get their i'm
portations from the seaport via Pittsburg as
well as by the Buffalo-Duluth route. The
way freight business will not be neglected,
and special attention will be given to the
passenger and excursion business A side is
sue will be the running of "a fine new excur-
sion boat between ST. Paul and Red Wing
during the summer months.