New-York tribune., 1900-10-28
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
NEW SOUTHERN PACIFIC PRESIDENT
THE PACIFIC MAIL STORY-SUI-
eide OF BUSINESS MAN
GBr 7EnEoRArr TO THE rRIBuxE.l

pends on the character Of the who is to be
ct the head Of this big railroad system. Mr..
Hays of the Grand Trunk line is well known to
the local officials Of the Southern Pacific and
they expressed satisfaction that the choice had
fallen who viii be sure to make many
friends in his new field of work It was the
part Of wisdom to select a new from the
East as he viii come here with no entangle-
ments and no enmities and a manager Of Mr..
Hays's executive ability and long experience
will be sure to remove much Of the prejudice
which exists against the Southern Pacific. A
great part Of this anti-railroad feeling is simply
a relic of earlier days. when railroad managers
arbitrary and dictatorial and people were
influenced by the sand lot demagogism of Kear-
ny and his followers. Most OF the bitter fights
between the railroad company and the different
towns Of California could have been compro-
nnised by little diplomacy. and bad blood thus
averted. II is to be hoped that Mr.. Hays will be
able 20 bring about the same friendly feeling
toward the Southern Pacific that exists in the
East toward great railroad companies like the
New-York Central and the Pennsylvania.
The San Joaquin Valley Railroad. which is
now part OF the Santa Fe system. reports a
deficit for the last fiscal year of S216, 795. This
is largely due to the great falling off in passen-
ger and freight business since the active COM
petition with the Southern Pacific has ended.
The net income was SIPS, ,149 but the fixed
charges amount to S344 944. Next year the road
will make far better showing, as it will share
in the benefits of the through traffic over the
Santa Fe system.
The news Of big deal in Pacific Mail securi-
ties, whereby a syndicate, headed by E. H
Hartman and w K Vanderbilt, is credited
with having secured control of the steamship
company, was received in local railroad circles
with a considerable degree Of surprise. People
who have watched the heavy dealings in Pacific
Mail stock in New-York recently have been
anziously awaiting some announcement in ex-
nlsnation Of It all, but the intelligence that
the control OF the company has passed from the
Huntington interests to the Vanderbilts came
Unexpectedly and is not accepted by well in
formed railroad men as being entirely correct
The announcement from New-York that the
Pacific Mail is TO become link in the through
transportation system from New-York to the
Orient, controlled outright by the Vanderbilt in
terests, and win cease TO be an exclusive ocean
connection OF the Southern Pacific, is regarded
piece Of nonsensical guessworl. If the Har-
riman-Vanderbilt syndicate has secured control
Of the company, TO accept the oracular views of
well informed railroad officials, the only effect Of
the deal win be to for the Vanderbilt lines
east Of Ogden a profitable Asiatic traffic, which |
IS now shared to greater or less extent by all
transcontinental and Eastern lines. So far as
surface Indications CO. it is said. the Pacific Mail
viii continue in the uninterrupted tenor of its
way as the ocean connection of the Southern
Pacific though possibly with some changes OF
management.
It is necessarily so from the very nature Of
the traffic which II handles and for the further
important reason that the traffic which it brings
into this port must TO a large extent go East by
nay Of Ogden. AS prominent traffic officials ex-
planned. the Southern Pacific has never in the
past enjoyed the advantage Of q long haul on
Asiatic freight by it's Sunset Gulf line. for the
reason that tea and silk shipments which form
the great bulk OF the business coming here from
the Orient, are Of such value to require rapid
transportation to the East by the shortest route
on an expedited train schedule.
1t has not come to the knowledge Of any one
that the Vanderbilt interests control rail line
out Of San Francisco, and there Is no hint that
the Pacific Mail will abandon San Francisco for
a Northern port so that the pretty picture of
the through Vanderbilt system Of transportation
from New-York to Asia. as portrayed in New
York dispatches, becomes to the analytical eye
OF traffic men more Of fable than Of fact.
The Pacific Commercial Museum was formally
organized this week. with Irving NJ Scott, the
builder OF the Oregon and the Wisconsin, as
president. Eugene F. Goadwin was elected
was appointed, consisting Of Joseph D. Grant, |
fsufus P. Jennings and NJ Greenebaum. The
SoJect OF the museum is to develop California.
trade, and especially commerce with countries
around the Pacific and Indian oceans.
The suicide Of Captain Elmer E Ewing. Coast
manager for the Welsbach Lighting Company,
was great shock to his many friends in Grand
Army posts and in the Central Methodist Epis-
eopal Church, OF which he a prominent
member. II is admitted that his mind had been
failing for many months and that he had con-
FUSED his own accounts and those of the COM
pany which he had represented for years. When
the Eastern representative Of the company came
here to investigate Captain Ewing's irregulari-
ties were discovered and he was asked to re-
sign He complied and then sought death by
inha1ng gas Ewing failed in business in Ohio
years ago. but strict his sense of honor
that he paid all his debts. amounting to $4,000.
he was well known to Grand Army men by his
book OF poems. "Bugles and Bells.'
Colonel Oscar A Long, depot uuartermaster
OF this Department, and superintendent of the
transport service at San Francisco. is now in
Washington IN conference with his superiors in
regard TO improving the transport service. Colo
mel Longs experience in shipping men and stores
opinions valuable He will also endeavor to
have the Government buy Army supplies here
instead of at the East This change would not
only help California trade. but it would save the
Government q large sum annually.
A new play, "a Soldier of the Empire" was
produced this week at the Alcazar, the author
Howard Hall, taking the leading role. Local
critics found Il full Of sophomore rhetoric with
a crude plot and cruder characters Next week
Stuart Robson appears at the Columbia in "Oli-
yer Goldsmith" and he is sure Of a warm re-
ceptiOn. The director Of the Tivoh Opera House
gave at the symphony concert on Thursday
fine rendering of Berliozs Symphonic Fantas-
nque," the first time it was ever given here.
season here would be the greatest success ever
recorded in the city, for the first days sale of
season tickets and boxes yielded $65,000. AS
the best seats sold for S100 for the season, this
q will hrfr