The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-06
GIGANTIC SCHEME.
To Combine All the Big Rail-
roads of the Country.

New York, Jan. 6.-The Tribune says:
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 & Ohio systems; Henry
Fink, president of the Norfolk & West
ern and A. J. Cassat, president of the
Pennsylvania system, have all been in
attendance. John K. CoWen, president
of the Baltimore & Ohio, is also said to
have been present. One important mat
ter disposed of was the rate for hauling
coal for the coming year; but this is
said to have been only an incident OF
the meeting.
For some time it has been known that
the Observation-Disclosures interests were
in control of the Big Four and the
persistent rumOrS, too, regarding
combination between the Pennsylvania
and the Baltimore & Ohio systems and
of these two roads with the Vanderbilt
systems. A man usually well Informed
said that he had been given to under
stand that in the near future great
combination would be effected and that
the following roads would be in it: The
Boston & Maine, which, as it owns the
road, also means the Maine Central and
the Fitchburg, north of Boston; the
New York, New Haven & Hartford,
which on account of its ultimate traffic
relationship with the Pennsylvania
could not well stand aloof and the Bos-
ton & Albany, now controlled by the
New York Central-theSe roads prac-
tically covering the field of New Eng
land. Besides these the speaker named
the Pennsylvania, the Baltimore &
Ohio, the Chesapeake & Ohio, the Big
Four, the Norfolk & Western and the
New York Central system, including the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and
the Michigan Central, as well as the
Nickel Plate and West Shore. He added
that he was not Informed as to what
the exact form of the combina ton
Esa-- n l1nr n
actual consolidation or not-but it
would certainly be of such a nature as
to prevent future competition and
consequent cutting of freight and pas
senger rates. This he thought, however,
was only the beginning and it was his
conviction that other roads may be
taken in later, both in the south and
west.
For two or three days there have been
persistent rumOrS in Wall street that
railroad combination of the first mag
nitude was impending, but there has
been much mystery as to the identity
OF the roads concerned. While the
stories printed from time to time of a
consolidation of all the railroads of the
middle and eastern states may be dis
missed as impossible, the trend of the
times is toward unification and har-
mOniOuS agreement. The last two or
three years have witnessed the unifica-
ton of the New York Central system
It has for a good while been the belief
that in the near future the railroads of
New England would be operated under
a single ownership or control.
A year ago the New York Central in
terests secured control of the Rutland
railroad. The Rutland road is intimate
ly connected with the F'itcnburg and
later the New York Central made over
lures toward obtaining a lease of the
latter property. These negotiations
were not successful and the Central
made an arrangement whereby it OBJ
tanned control of the Boston & Albany
on a long lease Advices from Boston
quote the president of the Boston SS
Maine as admitting that his road was
in negotiation for the leasing of the
Fitchburg. With the Fitchburg the
Boston & Maine would have a western
outlet from Boston.
But Wall street opinion has conceded
with the view of the Tribune's inform
ant, that the Boston & Maine were soon
to pass under the control of the New
York Central. There remains in New
England the big New York, New Haven
& Hartford road which although it may
not be taken over by any other COM
pany is still not likely to be a disturber
of harmony, for J. Pierpont Morgan and
Senator Depew are among its directors
and another is William Rockefeller
who recently entered the New York
Haven road is in close business rela-
lions with the Pennsylvania, between
which system and the New York Cen
trail a. compact of amity exists.
A month ago it became known that
an important agreement had been en-
tered into between the Pennsylvania
and the Baltimore & Ohio-an agree
ment as a result of which it Is generally
believed the two roads will be operated
as friendly competitors. South of the
Baltimore & Ohio runs the Chesapeake
& Ohio and south of the Chesapeake &
Ohio the Norfolk & Western.
For two or three weeks there has
been a marked movement in Chesa-
peake & Ohio on the stock exchange,
anG rumors have been frequent that the
control of this system would be appor-
toned among the Vanderbilt-Morga
Pennsylvania and Baltimore & Ohio in
terests, thus bringing the Chesapeake
& Ohio into the sphere of trunk line
| influence. The presence of President
Fink at the WaldOrf-AstOria, confer
ence, naturally leads to the conclusion
that the Norfolk & Western may like
the Chesapeake & Ohio be brought with
in the scope OF the working agreement
now operative between the New York
| Central and the Pennsylvania. And so
| with the railways of New England
! controlled by one or both of these great
| systems, with the Big Four already a
| Vanderbilt property, the Erie a. Morgan
| property, the Lackawanna dominated
! by the Vanderbilt's with the Chesa-
! pea.ke & Ohio, the Baltimore & Ohio
! and the Norfolk & Western acting in
| harmony and all parties to the New
York Central Pennsylvania compact
with the Southern railway controlled
| by Morgan interests, the Louisville &.
| Nashville controlled by Mr. Eelmont
and the Illinois Central by Mr.. fEarri-
man, it would appear that the de- $ of
rate war decentralization in the east. the
south and the central states may pe
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