Evening star., 1896-09-11
AFFECTED BY HARD TIMES
Influence Of the Pennsylvania and
Baltimore and Ohio Roads.
WORK OF CONSTRUCTION

thus undertaken. The reports of progress
that have been made from time to time
have Indicated that the work has been
pushed with a certain degree of enter
prise, but the stories of shortened finances
have been heard with such frequency of
late that a general belief has spread
among the people who are expecting i'm
proved transit facilities on this suburban
route that the expectations of the COM
pany could not easily be realized.
Some measure Of verifcation of these
rumors is now had in the announcement
that In Baltimore yesterday Judge Dob
Ter OF the circuit court granted an order
requiring the Baltimore and Catonsville
Construction Company, which is building
this electric line, to show cause why a
ceiver should not be appointed for that cor
poration. This action was taken on the
application of four of the largest creditors
OF the construction company, the West
inshouse Electric and Manufacturing Com
pany. the Baltimore Traction Company,
the s. Warfield Manufacturing Company
and Thomas c. Basshor & Company. Sub
sequently the Warfield Company and Bass
hor Company withdrew from the appli-
cation for the receivership, but the West
inghouse and Traction companies, whose
claims are heaviest of all, remained in the
action, and Judge Dobler granted an or
der, returRable next Tuesday.
Nature of Proceedings.
From all appearances the proceedings are
OF friendly nature and are designed to
insure the construction of the road by pro-
tecting the construction company from the
embarrassment of forced collection of
debts that might result from a continuation
under the present conditions. In the appi-
cation for receiver the creditors recite
that the Baltimore and Catonsville Con-
struction Company entered into a contract
June -. 1895. with the Columbia and Mary
land Railway Company to construct dou-
BILE track road from Baltimore to Washing
ton to connect with the tracks of the Eek
ington and Belt roads in this city. The bill
states that the contract reQuired-the con-
struetion company to transfer to the
Columbia and Maryland company 1O,625
shares of stock of the lexington road and
5000 shares of the Belt road, together with
large amounts of stocks and bonds of other
this transfer and in payment for the con-
struction of the road the Columbia and
Maryland company agreed to transfer to
the construction company $1,000 shares Of
share, fully paid. and worcestershire. and
$5,5OO,OOO of the bonds of the Columbia and
Maryland Railway Company. The construc-
ton company was originally incorporated
with a capital stock of $4,000, which was
afterward increased to So, ,OOO. ---.
The bill for the appointment of receiver
recites the fact that until a few days ago
the building of the road had proceeded
Satisfactorily, anu ABOUT udu Deen
expended in the laying of track and the COM
rlencement of the construction Of two large
power houses, one at Leicester, Howard
county, and the other at Lakeland, near
Paint branch, Prince Georges county.
This money for the construction was main
ly derived from the sale of bonds Of the
Columbia and Maryland company. but the
applicants for a receiver state that the con-
struction company has practically exhaust
ed the funds thus derived, and has no other
money with which to prosecute the work.
1t is set forth that owing to the unsettled
condition OF the money market and the un-
usual strRigency due to fear of a possible
change in the currency system of the Unit
ed States the securities of the company,
which in ordinary times would be salable,
are today almost without a market, and
cannot be disposed of by the construction
company, except at very great sacrifice,
If at all.
The application goes on to recite that the
construction company has incurred obliga-
tons amounting to $5OO.OOO, Of which $780,
go is due to the Westinghouse Electric
Company. Several Of the creditors that did
r OF join in the application for receiver
skip are now pressing the company and
threatening suit, and one has actually in
stituted proceedings. 1t is. therefore. asked
that a receiver be appointed to protect the
assets Of the company and insure the COM
pletion of the work, which the bill states is
a great public enterprise of magnificent
proportions.
Next Tuesday the construction company
will appear In court to resist the appoint
ment Of receiver on the ground that such
of the construc ton company are at pres
ent managed by the following officers: Col.
II. t. Douglass. president; John Hubner,
vice president: r. Stanley Carswell, treas
Schoepf. general manager: direc tors. r. s.
Carswell, s. F. Tyler, T. E. Hambleton, D.
w. Newbold, George Yokel and John Hub
ner. The receiver. If appointed, would take
the place Of these officials.
Work of Construction.
The actual work Of construction is under
the direction of Mr.. w. Kesley Schoepf,
formerly general manager AMI super
intendent Of the lexington and Belt
railway companies in this city. He
resigned the latter position several
more to take the active charge of the
construction work. Yesterday afternoon
Mr.. Schoepf expressed his entire confidence
In the success Of the >intercity enterprise
for traffic by March 1. 1897. He said that
the construction work is now in an ad-
vanced stage. At the Washington end the
roadbed and the masonry are all ready for
the laying of the tracks from the boundary
line to Lakeland. ten miles out. where the
southern power house Is to be located,
while at the Baltimore end the road has
been practically completed from the city
" EliiCott Cltys a Instance OF
teen miles. The middle section, q stretch
Of fifteen miles, remains to be built 1t
was the plan Of the company to construct
this part of the road last and to give the
citizens of Baltimore and Washington i'm
mediate access to the suburban points en-
and near the Washington branch of the
Baltimore and Ohio road, which is practi-
caily paralleled by the trolley construc-
tion. 1t was designed later to supply the
link between the cities by building a road
from Lakeland to Ellicott City and run
through trains from Baltimore to Washing
ten IN direct competition with the Balti-
more and Ohio.
This close competition that Is promised
between the trolley line and the steam
railroad line has given color to rumor
that has circulated Of late that there is a
close connection between the Pennsylva-
MIA Railroad Company and the Baltimore
ard Washington electric line. 1t has been
recently pointed out that the Pennsylvania
road has already gone Into the trolley
service between Washington and Alexan-
dria, and that the company Is in fact about
to take possession, 1t Is now stated, of the
Alexandria service on that line. Several
months ago 1t was rumored, but not pub
lished, that the Pennsylvania was in moral
sympathy. If not In financial Relationship,
with the proposition to parallel the Bal
timore and Ohio between Washington and
Baltimore. in the hope not Of injuring the
through traffic, but OF quitting of a propor-
ticn Of the revenue obtained from the
strictly suburban travel. which extends out