The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-06
AMERICAS GREAT
STREET RAILWAY KINGS

0lntEl NAIL WAT klNdS
Continued from page I'D
stocks. At the present time the control
OF the largest gas company in the city
Is undoubtedly in the hands of men
Identified with the Standard Oil. and a
determined effort has been made under
Its leadership to bring all the companies
in the city into one combination. This
movement viii undoubtedly succeed in
| time, and it probably would have been
carried through before this except for
| the opposition of Standard Gas, which
is Familiarity known as Russell Sages
| company.
Annex Chicago Through Yerkes.
While the corporation kings were
adding New York TO their dominion,
they were busy, under cover of the
name and through the person of their
agent, Yerkes, in carrying out the same
process in Chicago. The progress OF
the street railway trust and gas COM
bine in the western metropolis was so
thoroughly discussed at the recent mu-
nicipal election that it is tolerably IA
maliar. At the present time Yerkes has
retired from the nominal control of the
Chicago systems, and they are openly
under the direction of the Whitney,
Widener- Ell1ins organization
Pittsburg and New Jersey Added.
1t might seem that the control of
transportation facilities in the three
largest cities of the country would be
enough to command all the energies of
any three men. But such is not the
case. In the intervals between their
larger operations they have had time TO
absorb the Baltimore street railways.
the suburban systems of New Jersey
and the important suburban lines in
Westchester county, to the north OF
New York. and on Long Island outside
of Brooklyn.
One of the most recent moves on the
part of the combination has been to
secure control OF the principal lines in
Pittsburg by taking over the company
formerly controlled by State Senator
Magee.
A move of vast Importance on the
part of these municipal corporation
magnates has been persistently rumor-
ed, and negotiations looking toward it
have undoubtedly taken place. This Is
the addition of Brooklyn Rapid Transit
and the Third avenue line in Manhat-
tan to the combination. If this project
is carried through, as it is likely to be
sooner or later, it will give these street
railway autocrats the control of prac-
tically all the transportation facilities
of greater New York
A big Four" Possibly.
This development may have the fur
Their effect of changing the triumvirate
into a big four" The late eX-Govern- |
or Flower of New York had control of |
the fortunes of the Brooklyn lines down |
to the time of his death. His successor |
in this. as we'll as in Chicago Gas and |
other interests with which he was iden- |
titled, is. generally recognized as An !
thony L. Brady If the rumored COM /
takes place Mr.. Brady's abil- |
ity and financial power will no doubt |
give him an influence in the counsels |
of the leaders equal to that of any of 7.
the others.
AS is the case with Whitney, Wide
ner and Elkins. Mr.. Brady's fortune /
and influence represents the profits and |
power resulting from the control of !
franchises. He laid its foun-
dation in gas, electric and street rail- !
way enterprises in Troy and Albany,
and later advanced on the metropolis,
where he built the famous "Huckle
berry road and became associated with
Mr.. Flower. His accession to the COM
bination represented by the other three /
would extend their control not only to
Providence. Albany, Troy and other
smaller cities.
In Electricity, Gas and Air.
Mr.. Whitney and his associates were
not content merely to control the eX-
listing means of streets travel. When
electricity appeared as the dominant
power in street car propulsion, they
proceeded to get into electricity. Mr..
Whitney saw the advantages which the
control of the streets of New York Of
fered to a big electric company, so he
the New York Light, Heat &
Power company, over which there was
much squabbling among the legislators
at Albany last winter The Edison
Electric company is known to be
largely IN the control of Standard Oil
interests, and the two other great cleo
trio concerns of the country, the Wal
ker and Westinghouse, We're recently
united through the efforts of the indie
fatigable Mr.. Brady. This may furnish !
an added inducement to the great pro-
noters to bring Mr.. Brady into har-
nony with themselves. so that the
luartette shall be undisputed kings of
electricity as well as of gas and trac-
ion If electricity is the general agent
or street car propulsion, compressed
iir has demonstrated its usefulness in
particular localities. Mr.. Whitney and
lis Philadelphia friends saw the adj
disability of getting control of COM
PRESSED air. They did this by taking
he inventors of the system and the
promoters of its stock under their
wings. The financiers of Wall street
md elsewhere recently awakened to
he fact that the American Air Power
ompany had become a Whitney con-
ern when il was announced that air
ars were to be put on some of the
,hicago and New York lines. and when
Harry Payne Whitney, son of the ex-
ecretary, was put in charge of the
,hicago end of the air power enter
rise.
Interested In Automobiles.
More recent even than the develop
nent of compressed air as a motive
ower is the rise of the automobile as
means of street traction and trans
The trio saw it coming, in
its meaning, and realized the
esirability of getting ii into line with
heir other enterprises. They began by
control of the electric storage
ompany of Philadelphia. Since then
Their companies have been organized in
'ew York and Chicago. and a super
fSory company has been formed. which
5 to have the general direction Of the
lectric vehicle business in the different
titles.
Aside from these giant interests the
Ha,- rr bo