Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-18
MILWAUKEE, INVADED
Pittsburg Capitalists Buy the Cream
City Passenger Railway
FOR NEARLY A MILLION DOLLARS.
4 Local Syndicate Secures Valuable
Traction Franchises.
ELECTRICITY TO REPLACE HORSEPOWER

Sundry Pittsburgers will acquire by
purchase to-day the Cream City Passenger
Railway, of Milwaukee, by virtue of paying
therefor the sum of $500, 900. The purchase
includes everything possessed by the corpo-
| ration.
The Pittsburg gentlemen who are in the
syndicate are the following well-known
! moneyed men: John W. Chalfant A. NJ.
Byers, A. W. Mellon, w. L. Van Kirk,
John Moorhead and others. just who the
''others" are cannot be learned, but the
above names are secured from an authorita-
tive source. Representatives of Mr.. Chaltant
and the other interested parties have been
passing back and forth between the Cream
City and Pittsburg for two or three weeks.
The deal will be closed this afternoon by
three gentlemen who. boarded the limited
last night at Union depot, bound for Chi
cago, whence they will 90 to Milwaukee.
One of the party carried 5000. 900 in his in
side pocket. 1t was in the shape of certified
checks and bills of hair-raising size. The
papers will pass by 5 o'clock this after
noon.
VALUE OF THE PURCHASE.
The Cream City Passenger railway is
% miles in length, and the most COM
prehensiye system in Milwaukee. 1t
traverses the principal streets of the buff
colored city, and connects the various depots
and hotels. The road is esteemed dirt cheap,
and would easily bring twice as much if
handled in the manner the Philadelphia
syndicates employs. Just how the Pitts
burg syndicate managed to secure it so
cheaply is not known, but it is rumored that
the adroit negotiations of Mr.. Arthur
Kennedy were no small factor in the COM
pletion of the deal. AS compared with other
recent sales and the usual amounts of capi-
talization per mile, as well as the record of
passenger traffic, the road would be held at
between two and three million dollars.
Milwaukeeans will be given rapid transit
on the Sprague electric system plan just as
soon as the change can be made. The road
has an Indifferent equipment OF horses and
antediluvian cars. The new cars will be
built for the company by Pullman, and the
contract will be let without delay. The
Sprague Electric Company has a man en-
route to Milwaukee, and he will imme-
diately commence making an estimate. A
large power house will displace each of the
two sets of horse stables.
TO BE HURRIED UP.
An effort will be made to rush the change
from horses to electricity, in order to catch
the immense summer traffic to the Lake
Shore resorts. 1t is confidently expected
to double the receipts Of the company by
the change in motive power.
A gentleman who is onto the deal states
that there is some leaning toward the
Thomson Houston storage battery motor,
but that as compared with the Sprague sys-
tenn, the latter was the favorite on account
of the practical demonstration afforded by
the Pleasant Valley line. The Sprague peo-
pie are now showing an extra inducementin in
The new pole is neatly cased with wood for
a distance of 10 feet from the ground, thus
providing safe and cheap insulation.
Further Information about the Milwaukee
deal will be afforded when the Pittsburgers
return, within day or two.