St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-10
Was the Rumop Of the B. & Or
Alliance With Local
Roads.
Northern Pacific and WiScOn.
sin Central Officials
Laugh at 1t.
The Saskatchewan Valley At.
tracing Railroads To-
wards It's Wheat,
Local Railroad Intelligence
and Gossip Of the Sew
eral Offices.

Sensational dispatches were published
in Chicago and st. Paul papers yester.
day to the effect that the Northern Pa
cific and Wisconsin Central railroads
were about to form coalition with the
Baltimore & Ohio, and that the first
men toned road would build railroad
to Alaska. w. S. Mellen. general mans
ager of the Northern Pacific, and S. Il.
Ainslie, general manager of the Wisa
consin Central, were asked yesterday
what there was in it. They both
laughed, saying they had heard abso.
lutely nothing of il except what they
had read in the papers, and entirely dis
credited the rumor.
The origin of the rumor lies, doubt.
less, in the fact that the Baltimore &
Ohio has been looking for terminal ia.
cilities in Chicago. While there the
officials of the road examined the new
depot and terminals of the Northern
Pacific and Wisconsin Central. The
rumor is by no means new, however, o
similar article having been widely
printed six months ago. The cOnSolidas
ton of the Northern Pacific and Wis
consiD Central was admitted at the time
to be with view to eastern extension.
but it is the Grand Trunk and not the
Baltimore & Ohio with which the
Northern Pacific desires closer ALI.
ance. The Grand Trunk is road thas
has been disappointed in its projects on
more than one occasion, and has an
aching desire to tap the Northwest sOaS
to come into competition with its hered.
itary rival. the Canadian Pacific. The
Qftpr
South Shore & Atlantic at the time Van
Horne snapped it up, and was much
rhagrined at the way in which the
Canadian Pacific euchered it. The
great wheat regions of the Saskatche.
wan have caused the directors of the
Grand Trunk to cast their eyes
westward for a means of tapping
them. The Northern Pacific's eX-
tension in Manitoba and the
Canadian Northwest made it a most de.
sirable ally. The Manitoba road was
out of the question in this connection,
being so intimately associated with thA
leading men of the Canadian Pacific.
The Northern Pacific has had its eyes
turned eastward for trunk line ally so
as to give it equal facilities on the At.
lantic as it has on the Pacific coast, and
enable it to run through trains from
OCGdl 10 OccdH. lHtS Is Iut ulCdlIl OA
Henry Wizards life. and as both lines
would receive mutual benefit from tila
alliance, it is only question of time be-
fore the Grand Trunk becomes a por.
ton of the NoI oIthern Pacific system, SO
far, at least, as the purposes of shipping
are concerned. The Wisconsin Central
depot and terminals in Chicago will ac.
modate all the lines and a traffic ar
rangement with the Baltimore 81 Ohio
is the utmost that is likely to happen.
As for the story that the Northern
Pacific will build to Alaska, such q
rumor is wildly absurd. No one credits
it and most people would think Willard
and Oakes had lost their senses if there
was any truth in the rumor. The dis.
tance is vast and such line would run
through an absolutely unsettled region.
1t would have to compete against fine
line of steamers making short time and
an easy trip on practically inland
waters. Such competition would be too
much for them for many years to come.
and though railroad down the Macken-
zie river basin is practical certainty at
some time, 1t must be at pretty distans
date