Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-05-09
GIGANTIC RAILROAD trust

ulul1tyIlU HiilLltutJU tuUVl
To Control All Lines Between Boston
and Chicago,
SAID TO BE IN THE COURSE OF
FORMATION - CONSOLIDATION
MAY BE COMPLETED WITHIN A
FEW DAYS-THERE ARE TO BE
THREE DIVISIONS, UNDER
DOMINANCE OF THE NEW
YORK CENTRAL, PENNSYL-
VANIA AND BALTIMORE &
OHIO COMPANIES-A DEVICE
TO DO AWAY WITH RATE CUT
TING AND TO SUPPLANT THE
JOINT TRAFFIC ASSOCIATION.
Cleveland, Ohio, May S.-According
to high official of the Vanderbilt lines
in this city, the details of big rail-
road trust which is to include all the
lines between Boston and Chicago, are
now being worked out and the consoll-
dation may be completed within the
next few weeks. The recent purchase
of short lines in New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, was
in lire with the plans for the CONSOLE
dation which has been in contempla-
ton.
1t is not the purpose to have all the
lines under one management exactly,
but to apportion them among the
Pennsylvania Company, the Wander
bilt interests and the Baltimore and
,xyha CHI have hnQn
re-organized, giving to each system the
lines that it can use to the best ad-
vantage.
The first inkling of the scope of the
plan came when the Vanderbilts an
nounced the other day that they con-
trolled all the roads in New England
with the exception of the Boston &
Albany, with which they now have
traffic agreement, and which they ex
pect to take in soon. The Vanderbilts
now control all the trunk lines be-
tween Buffalo and New York with the
exception of the Erie, the Lackawana
and the Lehigh Valley. The Erie, it
is said, will come under the control of
the Vanderbilts through tr : influence
of the Morgans, while the Lohigh Val
ley may go to the Baltimore & Ohio.
The LackaWana is now operated in
connection with the Nickel Plate, a
Vanderbilt line.
West of Buffalo. the Vanderbilts
have the Lake Shore, the Nickel Plate,
the Pittsburg G Lake Erie, the Big
Four, the Michigan Central, which,
with the Flint & Pere Marquette that
is soon to be absorbed, will give a line
in Michigan. The Big Four west is to
be operated in connection with the
Monon, recently purchased by the Nor
gans, and the Cincinnati, Hamilton &
Dayton is expected to be absorbed The
Lake Erie & Western, acquired by the
Morgans, is expected to give the Van
derbilts a line from Sandusky to
Peoria, Ills. These roads, with the
Hooking Valley, the Ohio Central, the
Columbus, Sandusky & Hooking and
the Detroit, Lima & Northern, will
about complete the Vanderbilt system.
The Pennsylvania, which has an i'm
mense system already under its con-
troll, is expected to acquire the Cleve-
land, Akron C Columbus, with which
it has traffic arrangement at present,
the Wheeling & Lake Erie, the Cleve-
land Canton & Southern, and the Ohio
Southern, as well as some minor
lines
The B. & O. is allotted the Lehigh
Valley (possibly), the Cherry Creek
road, which, with the Philadelphia &
Reading. would form a through line
from Pittsburg to New York; the Bal
timore & Ohio Southwestern. giving a
line to Cincinnati and st. Louis, the
Pittsburg & Western, the Cleveland
Terminal & Valley and the Northern
Ohio, opening short lines through from
Pittsburg to Cleveland and Chicago, as
we'll as the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheel
ing.
These are the outlines only of the
plan which is now being worked out,
but those who have been watching the
changes in the railroad world do not
doubt that it will be carried through
successfully.
The purpose of the consolidation is
said to be to prevent rate cutting and
to accomplish practically what the
Joint Traffic Association was organized
to do