Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-07-12
Persistent Advertising
Brings Success.
AcIeaNrrC RAILWAY TRUST.

AGIGANTIC RAILWAY TRUST.
The Register has already outlined the
plan supposed to be contemplated by
the Vanderbilt and Morgan railroad in
terests and A. j. Cassatt, of the Penn
s~ylvania system, whereby these three
kings of the railroad world will pool
their issues and divide up the railroad
territory of the United States into five
parts, each to be given over to he alb
solute control of the group of railways
covering it, all these systems working
in harmony together. Talk of this
character has been floating about Wall
street for some time and the recent
acquisition by the New York Central of
the Boston and Albany has given it
fresh impetus.
The railroad interests involved are
gigantic. The Vanderbilt lines include
the New York Central, Lake Shore,
Michigan Central, Boston and Albany,
Big Four, Northwestern, Omaha, FIRE.
mont and Elkhorn, Chesapeake and
Ohio and Delaware and Hudson.
The lines controlled by Pierpont Nor
gan are the Southern. Reading, Erie,
Lehigh Valley, New Haven, Northern
Pacific.
The Pennsylvania, or Cassatt system
comprises the Pennsylvania railroad
and the Pennsylvania Company.
The total invested capital represented
by these lines is $2,545, 230, 900! They
include nearly all the lines between the
Atlantic seaboard and the Mississippi.
About the only important companies
that may be said to be outside of this
circle of influence are the Baltimore and
Ohio, Louisville and Nashville, Illinois
Central and Wabash. All of them,
however, are controlled by banking in
terests which are regarded as friendly
to Messrs. Morgan and Vanderbilt.
August Belmont is the chief factor in
the Louisville and Nashville, and Spey-
er & Co. are behind the Baltimore and
Ohio.
The knowing ones of Wall street have
parcelled out the roads in this gigantic
combine into five groups-the idea
being that those now outside the
charmed circle will be forced to take
sides as soon as the division is made
as follows:
1. Vanderbilt and Morgan allied lines
New England roads, New York Cen
trail, Delaware and Hudson, Ontario and
Western, Lake Shore, Michigan Central,
Wabash, Big Four, Chicago and North
western and Union Pacific.
2. Pennsylvania and Morgan anthra-
cite coal roads-Pennsylvania. Read
ing, Lehigh Valley, Jersey Central,
Erie, Lackawanna, Baltimore and Ohio
and Ohio coal railroads.
8. Morgan's Southern system-South-
ern and Chesapeake and Ohio. with
possibly the Norfolk and Western and
Louisville and Nashville.
4. Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul,
Burlington, Wisconsin Central, North
ern Pacific and Great Northern.
5. Missouri Pacific, Atchison, st. Louis
and San Francisco, Missouri. Kansas
and Texas and Southern Pacific.
These great lines, of course, do not
. include the innumerable smaller roads
tributary to them. Once the gigantic
combine was formed, however, the lit
tie fellows would be at their mercy COM
pletely. 1t is said that there are vari-
u roads in Ohio. Indiana and Michi
gan possibly slated to become branches
OF n of the two great systems. Among
these are the Columbus, Hooking Val
ley and Toledo. which Mr.. Morgan is
recognizing; Toledo and Ohio Central,
Wheeling and Lake Erie, Cleveland,
Lorain and Wheeling; Lake Erie and
Western, Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, Ham
ilton and Dayton and Chicago and
Eastern Illinois. However, at present
there are no signs of negotiations on
foot to acquire any of these properties.
One purpose of getting control of the
principal Ohio roads is said to be to
place the bituminouS coal situation on
a nor profitable basis. And in this
phase of the situation West Virginia
is especially Interested. With the rail-
roads of Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Ohio and Indiana under the control of a
few men, most of the cutting of soft
coal prices could be eliminated, so far