The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-05-09
FOR A BIG RAILROAD TRUST.
REPORT THAT DETAILS ARE BEIyG
 WORKED OUT,
A High Official of the Vanderbilt Lines in Cleveland Credited With the state- ment That the Consolidation May be Completed Within tho Next Few Weeks-Some of the Plans.

Cleveland, May S.--The Leader to-
 morrow will say According to high 1 official of the Vanderbilt lines in this city, the details of big railroad trust
 which is to include all the lines between
 Boston and Chicago are now being
 worked out and the consolidation may be completed within the next few weeks. The recent purchase of short lines In
 New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana
 and Illinois was in line with the plan
 proposed for the consolidation. It is
 not the purpose to have all the lines
 under one management exactly, but to japportion them among the Pennsylva-
 mia company, the Vanderbilt interests
 and the Baltimore and Ohio company
 when it shall have been reorganiEed.
 giving to each system the lines that 1t
 can use to the best advantage.
 The first inkling of the scope of the
 plan came when the Vanderbilts am
 nounced the other day that they con-
 trolled all the roads in New England
 with the exception of Boston and Albany,
 with which they now have traffic
 agreement and which they expect to
 take in soon. The vanderbiIts now con- trol all the trunk lines between Buffalo and New York with the exception of the Erie, the Lackawanna and the Lehigh Valley The Erie, it is said, will come under the control of the Vanderbilts through the influence of the Morgans, while the Lehigh Valley may go to the Baltimore and Ohio. The Lackawanna is now operated in conjunction with the Nickel Plate a Vanderbilt line. West of Buffalo the Vanderbilts have the Lake Shore, the Nickel Plate, the Pitts- burg and Lake Erie, the Big Four, the Michigan Central, which, with the Flint and Pere Marquette that is soon to ba absorbed, will give line in Michigan. The Big Four west is to be operated in connection with the Monon, recently purchased by the Morgans, and the Cin- Hamilton and Dayton is ex- pected to be absorbed soon. The Lake Erie and Western, acquired by the is expected to give the Van- derbilts a line from Sandusky to Peoria, Ill. These roads, with the Hooking Valley, the Ohio Central, the Columbus; Sandusky and Hooking and the Detroit, Lima and Northern, will about conn plete the Vanderbilt system
 The Pennsylvania. which has an if1- mensei system already under its con- trol, is expected to acquire the Cleve- land, Akron and Columbus, with which it has traffic arrangement at pres- ant the Wheeling and Lake Erie, the Cleveland, Canton and Southern and he Ohio Southern, as well as some mifi- ,r lines. The Baltimore and Ohio is al- otted the Lehigh Valley (possibly), the Cherry Creek road. which, with the Philadelphia and Reading would form l through line from Pittsburg to New York, the Baltimore and Ohio Soutf- western giving a. line to Cincinnati and he Southwest; the Pittsburg and Vest 'rn, the Cleveland terminal and Valley, md the Northern Ohio, opening short ines through from Plttsburg to Cleve- and and Chicago; as well as the Cleve- and. Lorraine and Wheeling. The purpose of the consolidation is said to 'e to prevent rate cutting and to ac- omplish practically what the Joint raffic association was organized to do.