New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-06
FOR RAILWAY HARMONY.
A SIGNIFICANT CONFERENCE AT THE
WALDORF-ASTORIA.

| CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO AND NORFOLK AND WEST
ERN BELIEVED TO BE LIKELY TO JOIN THE
BALTIMORE AND OHIO IN THE PENNsYL-
| vANIA-CENTRAL AGREEMENr-CoNCEN-
TRArIoN IN NEw-ENG1.AND
An important railroad conference has been in
! progress in this city for the last two days at
| the Waldorf-Astoria. M E. Ingalls,, president
of the Big Four and Chesapeake and Ohio sys-
tens; Henry Fink president Of the Norfolk and
Western. and A j. Cassatt, president of the
! Pennsylvania system have all been in attend
ance. John K. Cowen, president of the Balti-
more and Ohio, is also said to have been pres
! ent. One important matter that was disposed
| of was the rate for hauling coal for the com
! ing year; but this is said to have been only an
| incident of the meeting and not the real reason
! for it's call
For some time it has been known that the
| Vanderbilt Morgan interests were In control of
| the Big Four and the Chesapeake and Ohio.
| There have been persistent rumors too, regard
| ing a combination between the Pennsylvania
and Baltimore and Ohio systems and of these
two roads with the Vanderbilt systems. A mar
usually well informed said yesterday that he
had been given to understand that in the near
future great combination would be effected,
and that the following roads would be in it:
| The Boston and Maine which, as ii owns the
road also means the Maine Central, and the
Fitchburg, north of Boston, the New-York.
/ Haven and Hartford, which on account of
its ultimate traffic relationship with the Penn
sylvania could not we'll stand aloof and the Bos-
ton and Albany, controlled by the New
York Central-these roads practically covering
the field of New-England Besides these the
speaker named the Pennsylvania, the Baltimore
and Ohio, the Chesapeake and Ohio the Big
Four, the Norfolk and Western, and the New
York Central system including the Lake Shore
and Michigan Southern and the Michigan Cen
trail. we'll as the Nickel Plate and West
Shore. He added that he not informed as
to what the exact form of the combination would
be-whether 1t would amount to actual consoli-
dation or not-but 1t would certainly be of such
nature as to prevent future competition and
consequent cutting of freight and passenger
rates. This he thought, however was only the
beginning, and it his conviction that other
roads would be taken in later, both in the South
and West
RUMORS IN WALL STREET
For two or three days there have been per-
sistent rumors in Wall Street that a railroad
combination of the first magnitude was impend-
ing, but there has been much mystery as to the
| identity of the roads concerned. While the
stories printed from time to time of consolida-
ton of all the railroads of the Middle and East
ern States may be dismissed as impossible and
absurd, still it is an undoubted and significant
fact that the trend of the times is toward unfit
cation and harmonious agreement. The last
two or three years have witnessed the unifca-
ton of the New-York Central system by the
virtual absorption into the New-York Central
and Hudson River Railroad Company of the
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern which con-
trolls the Nickel Plate road the West Shore
and the Michigan Central 1t has for a good
WI he haIia =
road fnanciers that in the future the rail-
roads of New-England would be operated under
a single ownership control and this predic-
ton apparently Is approaching it's realization
a year ago last month the New-York Central
interests secured control of the Rutland Rail-
read, the purchasing syndicate including w K
Vanderbilt and Dr.. w. Seward Webb The Rut-
land road is intimately connected with the
Fitchburg, and little later the New-York Cen
tral made its first overtures toward obtaining
lease of the latter property. These negotiations
were not successful. and the Central made an
arrangement, ratified only a week or two ago.
whereby it obtained control of the Boston and
Albany on a long lease. Advices from Boston
yesterday quoted the president of the Boston
and Maine-wnich company, already noted.
controls the Maine Central-as admitting that
his road was in negotiation for the leasing of the
Fitchburg. With the Fitchburg the Boston and
Maine would have a western outlet from Bos-
ton, and the Rutland road without the Fitch
burg would be unable to realize it's project
of establishing a new Vanderbilt line between
New-England and the West.
But Wall Street opinion has coincided with
the view of The Tribune's informant, that the
Boston and Maine was soon to pass under the
control of the New-York Central. There re-
mains in New-England the big New-York New
Haven and Hartford road which, although it
may not be taken over by any other company is
still not likely to be a disturber of harmony for
]. Pterpont Morgan and Senator Depew are
among it's directors, and another is William
Rockefeller, who not long ago entered the New
York Central Board as successor to the late
Cornelius Vanderbilt. Moreover the New-Haven
road is in close business relations with the
Pennsylvania, between which great system and
the New-York Central a compact of amity
exists.
NOT ONLY IN THE EAST.
But not only in the East do the signs point to.
combination and concord A month ago it be-
came known that important agreement, the
exact details of which have not yet developed,
had been entered into between the Pennsylvania
and the Baltimore and Ohio-an agreement how
ever, as result of which it is generally believed
the two roads will be operated as friendly
petitors. Somewhat south of the Baltimore and
Ohio runs the Chesapeake and Ohio, extending
from Cincinnati through Richmond to tidewater
at Newport News. and south of the Chesapeake
and Ohio the Norfolk and Western, coming down
from Columbus Ohio, traverses the coal fields of
West Virginia and Virginia, and passing through
Petersburg whence branch extends TO Rich
mond has its terminus at Norfolk At Roanoke.
Va one line OF the Norfolk and Western runs