Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-28
LIE RAILROAD COMBINE.

THE RAILROAD COMBINE.
Due to the Inters-"'a Commerce Lavv-yan-
derbflt' at Acquisition.
One of the fruIts of the Interstate CONS.
merce law has been the consolidation of
three Indianapolis systems Of railroads
into one. Recently the Bee Line and the
Big -Four became one and now the Ohio,
Indiana and Western, better known as
the Indiana, Bloomington ana Western,
is absorbed and made part of that unit.
''The interstate law has cut our earnings
on the western division in two, said
General Manager Henderson. In
word the law has de-
strOyed profits on local rates.
Small railroads which lived because they
did prosperous local business and not
because they had any great amount of
through traffic, have been driven to the
wall. Local rates universally we're, I'M
der the old regime, higher proportion
ately than through. Now they must be
pToportionate parts of the through rates,
based on mileage. The tendency toward
consolidation, that through systems may
be extended ana supplied with numerous
feeders, has thus been strengthened.
With the property made Improbable,
charges basis, the Ohio, Indiana and
Western were found to be seeking buyers
when the Ingalls, Vanderbilt looked for
"feeders. -
With the consolidation of the Ohio,
Indiana and Western, the railroads of
Indianapolis VIII virtually be in the
hands of six companies: The Pennsyl-
vania controlling the Pan Handle prop
er, the Jacksonville, Madison and In
dianapolis, the Indianapolis and Vim
cennes, the Chicago Pan Handle, and
to all intents and purposes, the Van
dalia-fve lines; the Vanderbilt-Ingalls
lines, controlling the Cincinnati division
of the Big Four, the Lafayette Chicago
division the Bee Line, the Indianapolis
and ST. Louis, the Peoria division of the
Ohio, Indianapolis and Western, and the
eastern divison-six lines; the Cincin-
natl, Hamilton and Dayton, controlling
the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Indianapo-
lis-oue line; the Lake Erie and Western
one line (the old Indianapolis, Peru and
Chicago the Louisville New Albany and
Chicago. Monon division-one line, and
the indianapolis, Decatur and Spring
fielu-one line; in all, fifteen lines, not
including the Cincinnati, Wabash
and Michigan, which is virtually an
independ ent line but has no independent
route INTO the city. OF these the In
dianapolis, Decatur and Springfield may
be said TO be on the market. 1t suffers
from the same causes which have forced
the Ohio, Indiana and Western to- new
adjustment The other lines are already
parts of self-sustaining systems and pos
sibIy with the exception indicated, the
consolidation of Indianapolis lines may
now for time cease.
The absorption of the Ohio, Indiana
and Western means much TO Indian
apoIis. It makes this city the geograph-
ic and strategic head of what originally
was SIX lines of road radiating to every
large city in the Mississippi valley. One
question which Immediately comes to
the front is the location of shops for this
immense system. It is understood to be
a grave question as to whether the
Brightwood shops can be satisfactorily
maintained as the central shops for all
their lines. For one division Of
the Ohio, Indiana and Western, and for
the Bee Line they are convenient. They
will be insufficient unless enlarged for
ali the lines. The Ohio, Indiana and
Western brings practically no additional
shop capacity to the new system. Are
the Brightwood shops available for the
whole system? Can they be enlarged
and maintained TO advantage?
These are questions that Mr.. In
gals is understood to be consider
ing. If he takes a notion that
the Brightwood shops will not do
to build to, he will, tits said buy ground
elsewhere and put up new and commodi-
Gus shops to suit his convenience. OF
course there is too much invested at
Brightwood to be thrown away, and
shops of some kind will doubtless always
be maintained there.
The consolidation of the Ohio, Indiana
and Western with the Vanderbilt lines
may lie completed any day by the resg-
nation of the Ohio, Indiana and Western
officers by agreement, and the installa-
ton of MR, ingalls, and his associates -
LIndianapesjs News