The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-02-14

Peace and Old Rates TO stop the war
Morgan said to he Making Deal.

Marian said to he Making Deal.
The Chesapeake and Ohio railway Is, IL
is said. 20 be made the instrument by
which an end WILL ii Is hoped, be put 10
the soft coal rate war. which mas Deeu
raging between all the principal railway
companies in this section of the country
for many weeks past. 1t Is declared on
what seems to be the best OF authority
that Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan as an IN
fluential friend Of the owners OF me
Chesapeake and Ohio, has been appealed
10 by those whose coal and transportation
business is regarded as at stake, 10 &c
wise some plan by which the coal trade
and especially the transportation porlioh'
will be restored TO a paying OASIS.
II viii be remembered that some days
AGO the Star published a statement from
Receivers Cowen and Murray OF the p"l-
timore and ohio, denying the up-lo-tha.
time oft-repeated charge that the bdl1'-
more and Ohio was cutting the laIll III
the transportation OF the produce lfo"
the mines to the Atlantic seapor.s'
Now. however. the Pennsylvania com
nanv is charged with cutting rates out
This is denied By its onicials), ana TINS Is
founded on the fact that certain large
simmer has been making contracts iVi
delivery In Philadelphia or coal, NhlCh
can be gotten there only over the Ieuh-
svlvania lines, for sixty cents a ton less
than the ruling price.
The interesting fact has been developer
since the fight began that the coal on
which there has been the most cutting
and also the cutting that has secured the
most orders. have been those which are
Skinned over the lines Of railroads IN
which Mr.. MOrgans influence Is either
! paramount or at any rate ielt 10 Il Coh-
! siderable extent. where Mr.. Morgan can
work through the vanderbilt lh'eres,''
which control them, and through the
/ Philadelphia and Reading, which does
part OF the hauling.
THE star has already announced that a
traffic arrangement has been made be-
| tween the Baltimore and ohio ana tne
Philadelphia and Reading, under the
| terms of which tho former delivers 10 the
latter $50 cars Of soft coal per day al
! Cherry Run. ". Va, all or wnich Is put
| on sale I'm the eastern markets. Follow
ing this comes the statement that the
Philadelphia and Reading has adaeu
| new element Of disturbance 10 eAis'lhs
conditions by proposing hereafter 10 sen
| soft coal for some of It's shippers ne
entrance of a new competitor into heid
! said TO be already suffering IRON over
| cononetition is not, Il Is asserted, likely
! TO be conducive TO stability OF rates. es-
! neciallv when the new competitor nap
| pens to be a railroad.
! According 10 usually well-intormed CIR
clos. the Pennsylvania railroad IS salu 10
regard the situation with some anxiety
especially during the past ten days, when
the Morgan rumors have been more hu-
merous than ever. officials OF the felh-
svlyania have II is said, been claiming
that ON and after April l peace and rates
would be restored by the Baltimore ara
Ohio Withdrawing the Fairmont Goa, the
shipment OF which has served 70 lower
the prices I'm the Atlantic seaboard cities
from the tide-water market, and shipping
the entire product west, as was iotihelly
done The Farmont shippers Idnic
contracts with the Baltimore anu C"io
expire on the date mentioned, but from
nresant indications there is no reason 10
! beliove that the tonnage OF when the
Reading has now a part Of the maui Will
ba diverted in its entirety TO us ola mar %
kots I'm the west. II is further clalheu
that the baltimore and Ohio is not only
| satisfied TO handle all the falrmoht toh-
| mage. but is oven endeavoring TO increase
! The production 1t Is also reported that II
prominent official Of the George creek
| coal Company which is understood 10 De
ciosolv allied to the Baltimore and ONO
company is now at Fairmont negoliauhE
for the purchase Of an extensive tract OF
coal land there. ,, .
"The condition OF the trade said 4
leading operator TO a Star reporter polh
nrosont and future. thus offers many dis
turbng uncertainties. and the mos III
teresting question before the bltuminous
onerators seems 10 be: Is Plerpont MOT
can now taking. OF is he about 10 take
an active part in the shaping OF soft coal
amairs2 49,. -,
"It is not generally known that two or
three years ago Mr.. Morgan was asked
by leading interests to UNDERTAKE III,
formation Of a soft coal combination H
the form Of a combination. ana 10 pl,''
the bituminous trade on = staDlo iou ,tsi.i
tion bv the organization OF a comDlna
ZION. which should embrace the maJorltS
~ the leading producers shipping the!
| output 10 the Atlantic seaooard.
p "He declined 10 take active steps IN I'M
matter then. but the general impression
I A. mat he has kept 1t In mind ever since
ord mar he has been working in his owl
= vav. II IS not likely that If such tnin'
D. were contemplated the public "oulu %
informed Of it before all the plans "ei
n "Denials are. therefore. 10 be expected
- PM can tell YOU this; that the railroad
a directly or indirectly under Mr.. Morgan
T. influence are pursuing a policy diiiicult Z
explain in any other way than Dy the a.
o sumption that he has some coup IN We"
tbat some of the Pennsylvania railroa
= | officials seem uneasy, that the ttdue
,, drifting toward utter Generalization, an
" that strong and radical measures ar
needed to prevent II from doing so alto
gethcr. and ina. since there Us now u
{ oreanization among the shippers, the
u NAV better be organized by ono stroh
II interest than by a score OF weak one'
. one commanding influence Is needed, nc
e a dozen vacilating spirits
"It may be that Mr.. Morgan VIII wa
II until tho trade IS I'm such q demoralze
l. condition as TO be ready 10 acquiesce
l. any plan that may he presented. IL thi
is the case. and Mr.. Morgans roads kee
k on doing what l hear they are now d'
N inc I don't think we shall have 10 wa
AZ more than few months. The best gei
IT eral is one who knows both when 10 wa
and when 10 strike Mr.. Morgan Is az
e. rnittedlv a born financial general
~ In speaking on this subject a leadir
10 baltimore and Ohio official said 10 st.
* reporter: Some years ago the renlsy
- vania and the Baltimore and Ohio con
panies carried about all the steam co
- 10 tho seaboard. and history shows th'
81 they practically participated equally
-, any benefit arising from this tratnc. II
- ter on when there was a development
nc tho coal-mining interests in other local
- ties. notably in those adjacent to the NO
- folk and Western and Chesapeake al
ne Ohio roads. the market or course, ie
lie that the field was widened. From III
ures that are available II appears that q
OF little lnroad has been made on the pc
centage previously handled by u
pennsylvania railroad but the proporti'
..t.I ~