The morning call., 1893-10-25
MONOPOLY IN THE NORTH.
If the Corporation Purchases the
Oregon Pacific.
AGENTS ARE IN THE FIELD.
The Great Northern Also Wants the
Road and May Get Ahead of
President Huntington.

If the Southern Pacific Company sue
ceeds in accomplishing what it desires in
Oregon. before many months have passed
one OF the most important deals ever made
in railroad circles on the Pacific Coast will
take place.
A triangular fight is being made for the
possession of the Oregon Pacific Railway
and its tributary water lines. which will
be settled in the early part of next month.
The Oregon Pa cifc is to be placed on the
market and the Southern Pacific Company
is desirous of becoming proprietor thereof.
1t has recently had Division Superinten-
dent L. r. Field of the Oregon division of
the Southern Pacific system looking over
the Oregon Pacific road. Mr.. Field has
been accompanied by an engineering ex-
pert. and II is reported that the Kentucky
corporation is favorably impressed with
the Oregon Pacific's plant, and that there
are possibilities of the former making the
purchase.
There are other railroad companies,
however. that are interested in the north
ern road. One OF them is the Great
Northern Railway Company. James l.
times millionaire, is one of the largest
shareholders III the Oregon Pacific. Blair
is also one of the principal hackers OF the
Great Northern, and 1t is for his line
that he is making fight to control the
Oregon Pacific. 1t is the Intention OF the
Great Northern TO make connections
with the Oregon line, thus allowing it a
rail and ocean route to San Francisco.
The third party in the fight is the repre-
sentative of numerous small shareholders
in the Oregon Pacific, most of whom re-
side in Philadelphia.
If the Southern Pacific should get con-
troll there it will have the same hold on
the Willamette Valley that 1t now has on
the San Joaquin Valley in California. At
present the Oregon Pacific operates line
of steamers on the Willamette River.
which runs parallel To the Southern Pacific
Railroad line, and holds The latter down to
low rates.
General Agent d. r. Vaughn of the Ore
gOn Pacific said yesterday that he had
known that Mr.. Field and other agents of
the Southern Pacific were going over his
company's road for some days.
The plant of the Oregon Pacific" con-
tinued Mr.. Vaughn, lis valued at about
SIS, COO. There is S250.000 In labor
claims that will have 10 be satisfied in ad-
dition to the outstanding receivers certiti-
Gates amounting to about $500. .000."
The Oregon Pacific operated seventy-two
miles of line TO Corvallis originally. and
did business with only small portion OF
Southern Oregon. An additional fourteen
miles of road was built to Albany, then
about fifty miles more was constructed up
the western slope OF the Cascade Noun
tains which was the hardest part of the
company's work. The road is bonded for
S25,0 600 mile.
On the river division of the Oregon Pa
cific system is operated line of first-cass
river boats, the Bentley. the William M.
Hoag and the Three Sisters. These, with
the iron steamer Willamette Valley which
runs from this port to Yaquina Bay, must
be included in the sale of the plant.
The requirement of proprietorship of
the Oregon Pacific system by the Southern
Pacific would give the latter company su-
premacy over the whole OF Western Ore
gon from the California State line to Port
land.