Evening star., 1898-08-17
IMPORTANT RAILWAY DEAL
President Ingalls, Of chesapeake System
Makes Big Purchase.
Secures Controlling interest In Mo-
non Route, Giving @. and o.
Through Line to Chicago.

The announcements is made semi-officially
| that Pre~ident Ingalls, of the Chesapeake
and Ohio and Big Four Railway Companies
| has succeeded in arranging the most i'm
| portant railway deal of the year, the effect
| of which will be to practically give the
| Chesapeake and Ohio a through line of it's
| own between Chicago and St. Louis. via
Cincinnati and Indianapolis. In order to
er1nS this about, President Ingalls, has, it
! Is understood. purchased for the capitalists
owning the two roads named a controlling
interest In the Moron route which runs be-
tween Chicago and Indianapolis, and in the
Cincinnati. Hamilton and Dayton road.
The Big Four is controlled by the Van
derbiits and this road is operated in close
connection with the Chesapeake and Ohio.
II the entire program is carried out, it is
believed it will greatly strengthen the west
ern Vanderbilt system and lead to the plac-
ing of rates in a much disturbed territory
on firmer basis.
Strictly speaking the majority of the
Monon stock has been acquired by the
financial interests that control the Big
Four, not by the railroad proper although
the effect is the same, and it is under
stood to be the intention to turn the prop
erty over to the Big Four at no distant
| date The acquisition of the Monon will
into Chicago over the Chicago and West
Indiana tracks The Monon has, with four
other companies, control of the stock of
the little road. The Big Four has been de-
pendent upon the Illinois Central for an
entrance into Chicago, having to pay Tor
the use of fifty-six miles of the tracks.
Added Mileage.
The acquisition of the Monon will add
$50 more miles to the Big Fours system
of SSS miles, and, with the Cincinnati,
Hamilton and Dayton, its combined length
will be 3,015 miles. In addition to this, the
Big Four operates rearly 400 miles of other
tracks. The Monon extends from Chicago
to Indie ma polls, and from Michigan City
to New Albany, the two lines crossing each
other at Monon. 1t also has two small
branches in Southern Indiana.
The line from Indianapolis to Chicago
only in sense parallels the Big Four for
part of the distance. Otherwise the two
systems supplement each other, and will
be able to give exchange considerable busi-
ness which formerly went to other sys-
TENS.
The c., H. and D., in connection with
which the late Henry s. Ives won notoriety,
traverses much of the territory of the Big
Four, but 1t would add much new territory
to the Vanderbilt system. The c.. H. and
D. extends from Cincinnati to Toledo, from
Cincinnati to indianapolis, from Cincinnati
to Ironton and from indianapolis to Deca-
Four for any distance lis that from Gin
cinnati to Indianapolis
1t is calculated, however, that a combina-
ton of the two SYSTEMS would lead to q
greater uniformity of rates and that both
companies would be "a gamer. The Big
-Four has line into Toledo, and if it ac-
quires the Hamilton and Dayton road the
latter will afford a short and convenient
connection between the Big Four and Lake
Shore for connection with Michigan points.
The Coal Trade
Apropos of the present combination plans
for the purpose of strengthening the posi-
ton of the Vanderbilt lines in. Indiana and
Ohio, it is interesting to note that during
the last two or three years there have been
several schemes on foot to. bring the rail-
roads of that region into closer harmony
and place them more profitable foot
ing Most of them are5interested in btu
minous coal mines and derive a large part
of their revenue from hauling soft coal
For several years they have been waging
sharp warfare among themselves each to
secure the lions share of this coal busi-
ness and to place their products ON the
market more cheaply than their COM
pettOrs
1t was for the purpose of restoring har-
mony and getting a reasonable profit out
of the coal trade that the Ohio railroads
organized a central selling agency for
handling all the products of the mines
This has met with fair success, considering
that it was only an experiment
1t is believed, however, that the most eff
fective way to place the Ohio reads on a
profitable basis is by consolidation. In this
way there may be a 4urtailment of ex-
penSes of operation, as well g reduction
in office and agency expenses.