New-York tribune., 1894-04-20
CHAUNCEY NJ. DEPEW'S TRIP.
OBSERVER AND PHILOSOPHER. x.
WHAT HE SAW IN THE WEST AND THE
LESSONS HE DREW.

THINK THAT THE BEDROCK OF THE DEPREs-
SION HAS BEEN REACHED-wHAT ONE
MANUFACTURER THOUGHT OF SENATOR
HILLS SPEECH PROSPEROUS ST.
LOUIS - DEVELOPMENT OF THE
NATURAL GAS REGIoN-LAsT BUT
NOT LEAST COMES POLITICS.
Chauncey NJ. Depew reached home yesterday
morning at about II O'Clock after absence OF ten
days on tour OF inspection Of the Vanderbilt INES
east OF Chicago and ST. Louis. Cornelius Nahder-
bilt and Mr. Depew left this city on TUESDAY even
Ing April TO- over the Pennsylvania Railroad TOT
Washington, whence they travelled westward oy
the Chesapeake and Ohio, taking In the f'S four
system They returned by way of Chicago, Cleve-
land and Buffalo. spending Wednesday In Albany
in attendance on the annual meetings or the New
York Central and West Shore companies. Mr.. van
derbilt came directly home after the meeting anu
reached New-York about o'clock Wednesday aiter-
noon Mr. Depew remained in Albany, where Win
Governor Flower and Lieutenant-G Governor sheehan
he was a guest at the annual dinner given oS '"e
Senate at the Hotel Kenmore.
To a Tribune reporter. Mr. Depew yesterday gave
a general review of his experiences during the TRIP
and his impressions respecting industrial and po-
litcal conditions.
'Mr Cornelius Vanderbilt and myself. said MT
10. for an inspection of the Chesapeake and ONO
and the Big Four lines. expecting 10 include aIso
mart of the Lake Shore. BY going around on our
return over the Rome Watortown and Ogdensours
we covered In the nine days Of our trip 5'W hlIes
or course. except where were doubling on the
track we did not travel at night but sept IN 'he
soMD FAST TRAVELLING.
"You see" said Mr. Depew "Mr. Newell has been
snendng a great deal OF money during the last two
years In removing grades from the Lake Shore
track To prove his confidence In his theories
and TO confirm or faith he carried us over MS ihe
!, an average speed Of a mile a minute. From
Cleveland east his confidence seemed TO Increase
and so he increased our speed. We made ninety
five miles from Cleveland to Ashtabula in ninety
five minutes including four minutes in stops Tor
water and about three minutes in Sowing up for
going in and passing through stations one paruc-
,l,ar twenty miles we rolled of In exactly forty
eight seconds to the mile. which Is at the rate OF
seven;y-nve miles an hour There were about l'O
tons in our special and flying along at seventy
miles an hour presents possibilities OF a sudden exit
from this ana OF rapl entrance into the otner
world which accelerate the pulse Of even veteran
railroad man.
The preparations for the Worlds Fair traffic OF
last year" continued Mr. Depew. gave all the
Western lines a surplus Of equipment, which they
never would have had otherwise so that the Big
Four especially is in better shape to do business
when 1t revives than ii ever was before Inc
physical conditions OF the properties were also I'M
proved in anticipation OF the heavy traffic for the
Fair and indeed, all the roads west are getting
the benefit OF It in these trying and dull times
II enables them safely to suspend large amount
= what would otherwise be necessary repair and
maintenance work The Big Four has practically
more than doubled it's terminal facilities since we
went over the line year ago. IL Will be remen-
bered that several properties were leased, and when
the panic struck the country they had not got
into proper working order with the main system
but at the junction points there are now terminal
facilities sufficient FOR the next twenty-five years
and also new shops, thoroughly equipped
AWAITING THE BUSINESS REVIVAL
Mr. Depew was asked as to the prevailing senti-
rnent among business men in the Interior respect
Ing the prospects Of early Industrial revival
well" replied Mr. Depew, "in Ohio, Illinois and
Indiana which the states we travelled over
thor ughly the general sentiment among business
men-and we made IT a point to meet them wher
ever we went-was that hard pan had been
reached 1t does not seem possible for things to
become any worse. or for them to return to the
conditions 4 four months abo. There Is undoubt-
edly a slow revival of business at both the small
places and the large centres-and 1t appears to be
a healthy revival
1T would be very much greater except for the
uncertainty as to tariff legislation. About 45 per
cent Of the furnaces in the Mahonlng Valley have
been put in blast. Most OF the manufacturing In
dustries at all points have opened their shops and
are doing business but only sufficient to meet orders
from day to day"
There are some interesting features associated
with Industrial panics" continued Mr.. Depew,
fectlvely. "An officer Of one OF our Western lines
an old gentleman, told us that he remembered dis
;inctly the panic OF 1897. and that there prac
tlcally no revival Of business until the adoption OF
Mr.. Clay's tariff OF 1872 Students of pancs gen
orally are aware that the depression of 1851 lasted
until 1862, when there was a tremendous boom in
everything following the enactment Of the Morrill,
tariff though it is but just to say that there were
other causes which were very potent. The panic
OF 1873 was felt until 1873.
THE conditions now. however. in the common
Judgment OF Western business different
They believe that II the tariff radicals free-trad
ers are routed, the prosperous conditions which ex
sted during the later years of the Harrison Ad-
ministration after the present tariff had got into
full force would Immediately return. The country
would understand that it could safely do business
under the conditions on which 1t had prospered.
DEVELOPMENT DUE TO NATURAL GAS
"And now" said Mr. Depew. suppose we exhil-
arate somewhat this solemn experience meeting of
ours by turning our attention TO the subject OF
natural gas. While you and both know a great
deal about IT under certain forms Of development
in the metropolis. for instance, there many
OF your readers VINO nave not Witnessed lts ueVeiop
ment and power in the way In which | have just
witnessed IT, II is element OF great force under
proper conditions Of control Well. TO proceed: We
spent two days examining the natural-gas belt Of
Indiana. II is a most interesting development. The
growth OF towns more rapid there than in any
booming Western State. until the panic suspended
everything at the beginning OF last year The sup
ply of gas seems 10 be lnexhaustbe. and covers
such large extent OF territory that II the legisa
tive conditions were favorable. there would be an
immediate and healthy growth in that section
The gas can De had anywhere for the boring: the
expense of handling and using 1t is comparatively
so much less than that OF coal that 1t would attract
from other places manufactures OF al. kinds. and
would enable them TO conduct their business upon a
basis OF cost which would make this region a most
dangerous competitor with Plttsburg, Birmingham.
Chicago and Cleveland. We stopped at one station.
for instance where the entire population were pres
ent to welcome US. IL is village which had grown