Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-12
THROUGH LINE
VanderbiltS Are Figuring
on Having One.
THE ROADS IN THE DEAL.
And the Relations They Now Hold to
One Another--Other Transc0nti-
mental Combines Are Said to be in
Progress of Formation.

New York, July 12.-The Tribune says:
One of the certainties of the not distant
future, in the opinion of Wall street, is
the establishment of a trans-cOntinental
railway line under Vanderbilt control.
The Boston & Albany, the New York
Central n the West Shore are the Van
derbilt lines linking New York and Bos-
ton, the great cities of the eastern sea-
board, with Buffalo. and Buffalo is joined
to Chicago by the Lake Shore. the NTH
igan Central and the Nickel Plate. The
Chicago Northwestern. which is practi-
cally a Vanderbilt road, stretches west
ward from Chicago to Omaha, where it
meets the Union Pacific, a controlling in
terest in which also the Vanderbilts are
credited with holding. The western ter
mini of the Union Pacific are Granger,
Wyo., and Ogden. Utah, at Doth points
the road connecting with the Oregon
Shor line. From Granger, the Short
Line runs northward to Huntington, Ore,
where it connects with the Q. r. & N.
nne,~ extending to the Pacific coast at
Portland and from Ogden a branch Of
the Short Line goes southwark to Milford,
Utah, from which place the Utah & Pa
cific is being built into California, it is
reported, with a view to enabling the
Union Pacific to gain entrance to San
Francisco. .,"
AS already said, the Vanderbilts are
commonly understood to control both the
Northwestern n Union Pacific. But
the Union Pacific in turn controls the
Oregon Short Line, owning $2s, 023, 700 OF
its $27,46O,1 100 capital stock, n the Ore
gon Short Lin virtually controls the
Oregon Railway & Navigation company,
owning more than SIG, O00, 600 Of it's $24,-
O0O,OW common stock, a controlling in
terest in the $11. 900. 600 preferred stock,
however, being held by the Union Pacific,
Northern Pacific and Great Northern.
The voting power of the Oregon Railway
& Navigation company stock, it should
be said, is lodged with the Central
Trust company of New York, the
preferred stock having the right to nomi-
nate ten directors and the common five.
With those several controls within con-
trolls. Wall street argues, it will not be
beyond the power of William K. Wander
bilt to realize the ambition which he is
everywhere believed to cherish of coal
escing these connecting lines into a vast
system from ocean to ocean.
While it is well understood a cordial
standing exists between the New York
under the broad management of
William K. Vanderbilt, and the Penn
s%ylvania, under the guidance Of it's new
president. A. j. Cassatt. this understand
ing extending to the development of plans
for a division of territory in New England
and to an agreement to act together in
the maintenance of rates, no one now be-
lieves, if indeed, anyone ever has be-
Ieved, that a consolidation of these two
great systems, occupying such an i'm
portant part of the field east of Chicago.
would be effected. AS these natural
rivals in business are working in har-
mony east of Chicago, so they may, bye
and bye be found competing on a basis
OF good faith and mutual regard in the
western country, for rumors are begin
ming to be heard with increasing persist
ency that the Pennsylvania. like the New
York Central, is contemplating an extern
sion of its lines to the Pacific. The Atch-
ison, Topeka & Santa Fe is the road
which report has it will be combined with
the Pennsylvania to form the second
great trans-continental system. The
Atchison is in itself an enormous sys-
tenn, with it's nearly 1000 miles of length
and its capital stock of 1928 900, 900, m
bonds outstanding to the amount of
S126, eco, 1000. but this is an area of colossal
combinations, and it is We'll within the
bounds of possibilities that the two sys-
TENS may coalesce. The Atchison has a
clear line all the way from Chicago to
Mojave, in southern California. 1t uses
the Southern Pacific's tracks for the 6s
miles between Mojave and bakersfield.
from the latter place reaching San Fran
cisco by the line acquired by it last year,
the San Francisco & San Joaqin Valley
road. Recently the buying of Atchison
has been for the account of substantial
interests. h Rockefellers are heavy
owners Of Atchison securities. and it is
a significant fact that the Rockefellers
have. within the last month, been active
buyers of Pennsylvania stock.
A third tra%ns-continental line, it is be-
lieved by not a few observers of the
trend of railway ownership and %affilia-
ton. will some day be formed by the
consolidation of the Baltimore & Ohio,
the Great Northern and the Northern Pa
ciic. but this combination is thought %
be further away than either of the other