Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-12
G OMIN G TOGET HE R
The Close Relationship Between the Pennsyl-
vania and B and O.
Freight Wars Are Things of the Past
The Question of a Union
Station.

| The purchase of a block of stock of the
| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company by
| the Pennsylvania company. which is not
denied in circles where reliable information
| in regard to the movements in the railroad
world is supposed to be found, has given
rise to a good deal of gossip. especially
along the line that such transac tion points
to a practical merging of these two corpo-
ratons in the near future. 1t is believed
by men who are we'll posted that such a
conclusion. which is in the first place it is
claimed. a mere inference is not justified
by the facts. for it is not seriously claimed
by any one WHO is at all responsible that
the Pennsylvania company has secured
anything like a controlling interest in the
stock of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
even though the block of stock that is said
to nave recently been purchased by the
former company runs up to ten thousand
1t is explained that this purchase is
merely III furthcTance of the underSt landing
reached by the principal railroad lines of
the country that it is necessary they should
come together in regard to freight rates,
and try to accomplish what they failed to
effect by legislation through the proposed
pooling bill 1t is believed the disposition
to cut rates, as Mr.. John X. Cowen of the
Baltimore and Ohio was recently quoted as
saying in an interview will be removed
through the financial and managing inter-
eSts IN the properties. If this is accom-
phShed ana Mr.. Cowen speaks as If 1t
had been then in his opinion the rate war
Is thing of the past and is not likely to
occur again.
With this view that the PENNSYLVANIA
and the Baltimore and Ohio will have now
ana Will continue to have interests in COM
mon of purely financial and business
character. with no further element how
ever, of organic union. the question that
suggests itself, and especially to those who
are interested in the conditions surrounding
the entrance of the two roads in this city,
Is what. If any, effect that understanding
VIII have upon the problem of the i'm
provement of the terminal facilities of the
two roads in this city. 1t is recognized
there are no matters of more importance
and interest to this community than the
substitution of some modern method of
bringing the railroads into and through the
city other than by the grade crossing, with
its annual harvest of death and its blight
ing influence upon the development of sec
tons of the city and its interference with
the commercial life of the city.
Both companies have during the past few
weeks presented to Congress plans for ele-
waiting and depressing their tracks within
the urban limits In both cases the under
taking will involve large outlay of money,
and the query has arisen as to whether I'M
der the changed conditions and the estab
nShment of fraternal relations in regard to
the main business of the two companies
there is not a possibility of the two roads
coming together on this subject and agree
ing upon some plan for a common terminal
in this city.
Some railroad officials have been ques-
toned along this line, but only with the
result of eliciting the Information that such
an idea had not been preached yet and
it was impossible to say what might be
done in the future The attitude of those
questioned seemed TO be one of not having
any definite knowledge. for the reason that
the relations of the two companies so re-
Gently assumed are not of the kind to
warrant the taking up of a matter of this
sort. Whether such a time will ever come
was thought to be a question that could not
be answered at this time.