Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-11-27
RAILROAD MATTERS.
Rumors About Mutually of Own
ership" of Southern Railways.
The senboard Air Line Now n Factor That
Must 30 Rcckoned With In An, Plan
Relaung to Southern Dusiness-some
Railroad spcouiations of Great Interest.
Baltimore Sun saws:

Yesterdays Baltimore Sun says:
A report that created stir on Satur-
day among some OF the inside interests
in railroad properties was that the
mutually of ownership" feature
which has lately come into prominence
in railroad management would soon
appear in the relations of the Southern
railway. Atlantic Coast line and Sea-
board Air line.
The scurrying around of several men
prominent in some of these properties
indicated that the plausibility of the
story had made deep impression.
DenialS did not dispose of the report
~ iinancier close to some of the in
tereStS in these properties, in discuss
ing the report, said:
There is disposition Just now 20
credit almost anything that saVors of
II deal. and with the public appetite
ready to take In such reports there is
always some one clever enough to start
q plausible story SO far this report
about mutuality Of interests in the
southern railroad situation is largely
SueSSWork. But there is some ground
for expecting that this may eventually
be the settlement Of the Southern stu
alton. 1t is n well-known fact that the
Atlantic Coast line and the Southern
railway have been WORKING harmoni-
OuSlS loT StNcTitl years
Up to the time of the change of
ownership the Old Seaboard system
was thorn in the side of these two
roads. The rate war of three years
ago was an attempt to force the Sea
board into an agreement, but the lat
ter made things so warm that IL was
able TO settle practically on its own
terms. Now the Seaboard is much
more formidable rival. If it was not,
the pressure which has been brought
to bear by opposing New York finan-
cial interests would have prevented the
contamination of it's scheme OF CON
solidation. Our local hnancers re-
member the week before Christmas of
1889, when such II determined effort
was made to crush the Williams syn
dicate, an Incident OF which included
closing the doors of Il New York trust
company that was supposed to he
heavily interested in the Seaboard syn
dicate. The stocks of some OF our local
trust companies who had interests in
the same syndicate were also subjected
TO u bear attack. Things looked ugly,
but the clouds cleared away, and the
Seaboard consolidation became an ac-
complshed fact
The Seaboard property must now be
reckoned with in any plan looking to-
ward handling the Southern business
and the method applied to the trunk
line territory by the New York Cen
trail Pennsylvania- Baltimore and Ohio
deal is a logical, if Il far-or, PLAN This
makes the talk OF a mutually of own
ership possible"
SOME RAILROAD SPECULATIONS.
Relative to some possible great rail
way changes, the Manufacturers Re
cord says:
I'm view of the gigantic railroad
deals which are SO rapidly coming to
the front. may 1t not be possible that
the Pennsylvania Will secure a large
interest in the Southern Railway Com
pany. as it has done in the Chesapeake
and Ohio and the Norfolk and Western.
thus bringing the Pennsylvania-thc
greatest railroad system in some re-
spects in the world-into still more
direct connection with the Southern
and that a combination will be formed
by which the Baltimore and Ohio, the
Southern Pacific and the Seaboard Air
Line will be brought into close relation
ship?
AN extension of the Baltimore and
Ohio to the Seaboard has often been
discussed. and some plans therefor
made. BY such connection the Bal
timore and Ohio would get into the
South not necessarily in rivalry with
but on the same friendly basis on
which all big railroad operations are
now moving.
The chairman of the Board of Direc-
tors of the Southern Pacific road was
on Monday made n director of the Bal
timore and Ohio. thus showing some
possible aniliation or connection be-
tween the Baltimore and Ohio and the
Southern Pacific. Over the Seaboard
Air Line the Baltimore and Ohio could
go into the South to Montgomery and
then by n combination with the Louis
vile and Nashville, or else by an indie
pendent route. direct connection could
l.. IL IL
Southern Pacific, and there would then
he formed a transcontinental system
big enough to rank as one of the big
events of this wonderful age of CON
solidations. The reorganization of the
Baltimore and Ohio was to large ex-
tent financed by Speyer e Co. of New
York. who are also largely Interested
i'll the financial operations of the South
ern Pacific. having recently taken $40
0c00o0 of new bonds of the Southern
Pacific. 1t has been suggested that
Speyer & Co. might also take the bonds
of the Seaboard Air Line. This identi-
fcation of interests would therefore