The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-11-24
It IS PRESTO, CHANGE !
The Reading Meets the Little Schuylkill
Railroad Bluff.
| GAME THAT EXCITES INTEREST.
AN OFFER OF REDUCED RENTAL BY THE
READING REFUSED.
NEW LINE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
If the Little schuylkill Insists Upon Itt
Refusal the P. & R. Railroad Will
Run It's Trains to Pottsville via
Boston Run and Frackville.

One Of the most important movements in
local railroad circles in recent years has been
inaugurated by the Receivers of the Phla-
delphia & Reading Railroad Company About
eight hundred navvies are now engaged in
changing the tracks of the road and by the
first of next month it is expected that there
will be an astonishing change in route of the
company between Mahanoy Plane and Port
Clinton. If the steps now taken are con
tinued to the time stated the famous Cannon
BALI will no longer fly through the Gilber-
ton valley to Mahanoy City, through the
East Mahanoy tunnel and on to Port Clinton
by way Of East Mahanoy junction lake
side) and Tamaqua and the two last named
points will be cut off from the main line.
The cause Of the movement is disagree
ment over the amount of dividend that
should be paid on certain stock 1t seems
that the Little Schuylkill Railroad Company
owned a single track line from Port Clinton
to East Mahanoy Junction and the East
MahanOy Railroad Company owns a similar
line from the Junction to the bridge crossing
Waste House Run and located about 25O
yards east of the st. Nicholas station About
thirty, or more years ago these two lines
were leased by the Philadelphia & Reading
Railroad Company at an annual rental equal
to seven per cent. ON their capital stock
Ever since that time these lines have formed
an important part of the great net work of
railways which the P. & X. Il, R. Co. has
built up. Last September, when the P. & r.
system was sold at foreclosure, it became
necessary to prepare to make new agreements
for leased lines, etc, and negotiations were
begun with the Little Schuylkill and East
Mahanoy Railroad companies for renewal
of the lease of their lines An offer of
five per cent. on their capital stock was made,
but met with dissent. The new owners of
the p. & X. argued that wartime prices
should not prevail in this generation and re-
fused to increase their offer The directors
of the Little Schuylkill and East AIahanoy
roads had until yesterday to decide whether
they would accept the offer.
Before the time fixed it became noised
about that the two lines would refuse to
accept and as in such an event the p. & r.
would be obliged to vacate the lines con-
trolled by the lessons, the p. & r. officials
prepared for the alternative and this caused
the visit of Vice President voorhees, and
General Superintendent Sweigard to this
vicinity last Thursday upon which occasion
to connect the P. & r. with the Pennsvl-
yania Railroad as soon as definite notice of
refusal would be received from the Little
Schuylkill and East Mahanoy Railroad com.
panies. This notice, it is said was received
yesterday and the P. & r. officials at once
telegraphed instructions to begin work at the
new connections at once
Division superintendent Bertolet of
MahaOny plaua had oil bic igpoe;t;o,,, ,,,.Ir ~
to obey the orders and by five O'Clock last
evening he had large gang of navvies at
work. When HERALD reporter visited the
scene at $50 last night he found three engines
with three derricks and fiat cars manned by
about two hundred navvies at work along the
track between st. Nicholas and a point
short distance west of the old Boston Run
turnpike. Ballast crews of Reading, Tama-
qua aud Mahanoy Plane were represented in
the aggregation and the men were working
like beavers unloading and distributing rails,
switches and timber. kilograms were flashed
along the line to send all the navvies accessi-
BILE to st. Nicholas and have them report there
for duty so that the work of connection
might be pushed with all possible speed night
and day and completed by next Tuesday,
December 1st., when the Philadelphia and
hSdulhk lAdAlNdg Company lut new ONutISt
will take charge of the P. & r. system. The
present force of 700 navvies will in all
probability be increased by tonight, at which
time an electric light plant on wheels sent on
from Reading will furnish light for the
operations.
Last night Assistant Division Engineer j.
H. Stackhouse, of Wlliamsport, was on the
scene directing the work and at about ten
a., L.
Ward, of Williamsport, and c. o. Smith, Of
Smith & Champion the Mahanoy City con-
tractors, arrived upon the grounds in the
combination car and engine Transit They
spent about ten minutes in consultation with
Engineer Stackhouse as to the progress of the
work.
The plans are to make switch at a point
on the north side Of the valley about a quar-
ter of a mile west of the ST. Nicholas station,
and about three hundred feet west of the
old Boston Run turn pike, and run track
from this switch in a southwesterly direction
to the Pennsylvania railroad connecting
with it at point about midway between the
Boston Run and Draper collieries ON the
southern side of the valley. This piece of
track will be about 500 yards long and an
enormous amount Of filling will be required
TO cross the swamp and reach the high grade
Of the Pennsylvania road. Extensive trestle
work will also be required.
When this connection is completed and on
and after December lst, next unless an agree
ment is reached on releasing of the old
lines in the meantime, the p. & passenger
trains, including the famous Cannon Ball, ="
will run east from Mahanoy Plane to the
switch at Boston Run then southwest over
the track now being laid and over the Penn
sylvania mountain line to Frackville; thence
over the p. & r. company's own line to Potts