Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-20
sEABoARD AIR LINE NOT SOLD.
President Hoffman Says There Il No Truth
I'm the Rumor.

BALTIMORE, MD. December 10
(Special.) )-President r.. c. Hoffman, OF
the Seaboard Airline. to-day denied that
his company would be absorbed by the
Southern Railway Company. In an in
terview he said:
",Tbere is not q semblance Of truth In
the rumors The Southern Railway Com
pany has made no proposition, directly or
indirectly, for the purchase or control
of the Scaboard Airline. i am at q JOSS
to understand how such rumors got into
circulation, but surmise that they are
the idle talk of some busybody. l went
to New York to attend a directors
meeting OF the Old Dominion Steamship
line. and after had finished that busi-
ness I boarded the next train and return
cd home. / did not meet Mr.. Samuel
Snencer or any other official OF the
southern Railway Company while / was
in New York; nor have / seen anybody
connected with that company for sew
eral weeks. The owners OF the Seaboard
Airline are well pleased with their
property, and they have reason to be,
for the road is getting its share OF all
business offering and making money
DENIAL FROM MR.. HOFFMAN,.
BALTIMORE. December 19.-The Manu-
facturers' Record states that IL is au-
thoriZed by Mr. X. G. Hoffman, president
of the Seaboard Airline, 10 positively
state that there is no truth In the re-
ports that have been circulated that the
Southern Railway Company has absorbed
or will absorb. the Seaboard system. Mr..
Hoffman says that such proposition has
not even been broached TO his company,
and that the only recent conference he
..ft( (faln wfTaC oil N
cotton rates. when President Spencer, OF
the Southern. was in Baltimore, Few
weeks ago.
REPORT NOT TRUE.
COLUMBIA, S. c.. December 19.-In
response TO an inquiry by wire. Presi-
dent Childs, OF the Columbia. Newberry
and Laurens railroad. to-day received
the following telegram from President
Hoffman. of the Seaboard Airline sys-
TEN, relating TO the alleged sale OF his
road to the Southern system: mo. sir;
IL is not true. 1t Is manufactured out OF
whole CLOTH"
DENIAL FROM MR.. SPENCER.
NEW YORK, December 19.-President
Samuel Spencer OF the Southern Railway
Company, to-day denied the report that
the Southern Railway Company was
about to absorb the Seaboard Airline
into its system.
How the Report Originated.
The report that the Southern Railway
Company had absorbed the Seaboard Air
Line was generally discussed in railroad
circles here yesterday. but gentlemen who
were in position to know whereof they
spoke said they did not believe there was
anything in it. One Of the directors OF
the Seaboard said that he had heard no
thing of such a deal, and did not think
there could be the slightest foundation
for the report. Another gentleman, who
keeps In touch with all the railroad news.
said that since the death Of Mr.. Robin.
son, the president OF the Seaboard, 1t had
on several occasions been rumored that
II would be absorbed by some other line,
but these rumors were. as a rule, started
pretty much on the principle Of jumping
to conclusions.
At the Byrd-Street station IL was said
that the report OF the merger or alb
sorption got out through a conductor. who
stated that a telegraph operator told him
a telegram had been sent over the wires
announcing the deal.