Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-26
THE IOWA CENTRAL.
Believed That the Illinois Central
is Behind the Big Deal.
A GREAT THING FOR THE ROAD,
Will BE Made Trunk Line. to the
Great benefit Of tile Terri
tory Thru Which 1t
Runs.


Marshalltown Times Republicans: Is
is generally surmised here that the
purchase by the NJ. & st. i. railway is
only way of stating the transfer, and
that there is something back Of the
deal as yet not announced. This sdme-
thing has led to great many rumors,
but railroad men in general are wont
to believe that the Illinois Central,
which is supposed by some to dictate
the policy of the NJ. & St. L., is behind
the new scheme and in time will con.
troll the Iowa Central. In other words,
| it is claimed the purchase of the Iowa
Central is practically made by the Illi-
nois Central railway company. The
new directors of the road, however, ARE
| not Illinois Central men. Mr.. Morse's
statement in Wednesdays telegram
that it was transfer to Southern Pa
cific interest would also discredit the
Illinois Central story.
Great for tile Property. l.
The change, however, is the greatest
thing for the property that has ever
happened to it, and the chances now
are that money will be spent to im-
prove the road and put it on paying
basis, making out, of it a railroad in
every sense of the word, and equal, if
not ahead, of any road in its class, The
new men interested in the property
represent a vast amount of capital and
nearly all of them are men actively en-
gagged in railroad work they are rail-
road" men. The transfer, therefore,
means that the Iowa Central will be
operated as a railroad should be.
| Who New Directors Are.
The new directors of the Iowa Cen
trail, as stated above, are practically all
thoro railroad men. George Checker
is second vice president Of the South
Tern Pacific railroad, with headquarters
lat San francisco; Paul Morton, Of Chi
lcago, is vice president of the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe, and is actively
connected with the operation aud die
ltation of the policy of that road; T. P.
Shonts is president and general mana
| ger of the Indiana, Illinois g. Iowa rail
way, with headquarters in Chicago; 4.
F. Day, the new general manager and
second vice president of the Central,
is vice president and general manager
of the Minneapolis & st. Louis, with
headquarters att, Minneapolis; Edwin
Hawley is president of the M. & st. L.,
with headqnarte in New York; r. H.
Davis is treasurer of the M. & ST. L.,
with headquarters in New York; j. E.
Series is vice president of the Tennes
see Northern railway and closely iden-
4 titled with the sugar trust; Edwin
Langdon is president of the Central
/ National bank of New York City, and
Z. c. Weir is president of the Adams
Express Company.
The difference between these men
and many of those just resigned as
Iowa Central directors is very notice
able. The old directors, altho promi.
nent in business affairs and influential
were not railroad men nor actively en-.
Gagged with the property in their line
of duties.
Territory Will BE Benefted.
While the purchase is the best thing
for the road it is also the best thing
for the property thru which the road
passes. If the Milwaukee should
have obtained possession of the road
as was talked for SO long, the Iowa
\ Central would never have been any
thing but branch line. Now il
means that in time the Iowa Contra
| will be part of one of the big trunl
lines, presumably the Illinois Central
The consolidated M. & st. J.. and low;
4 Central lines form a road of abou
1900 miles in length, and grea-
amount of business will be moved thi.
way hereafter. The Mississippi Vale,
and the Missouri river points will hav
an eastern outlet via Peoria, an,
with the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville
now in the hands Of receiver, which
is surmised will fall into the hands O
the Illinois Central, will give the Iii
MON and Iowa Centrals direct connec
). ton from the north and west to New
il Orleans, thru Marshalltown and vi;
Peoria.
4 The general sentiment here among
railroad men seems to be that for tn,
4 present the Central will be operated
independently, and that the general of
fees will Still remain in Marshalltown
altho the policy of the road will b,
| dictated from the offices of the NJ. &
i st. L., by General Manager Day, whs
will still remain in Minneapolis.
The New Manager.
j Vice President and General Manage
| L. F. Day, of the Minneapolis and ST
Paul railway, the man who is to pre-
side in the future over the destinie
of the Iowa Central, spent part .
the day in the city visiting the. prop
erty in which he has SO recently &C
quired an interest. Mr.. Day arrived II
9:35 o'clock in the company's bus
J mess car ''Hawkeye' attached to pas
senger No 1, being in company Wit
Chief Engineer Fl. R. Kelly, of the N
) & ST T.; Mr.. Clarke, General Superi1
tendent Huntington and Chief Eng
/ neer E. C. Macy, of the Central. GeneI
al Auditor G. I.asWasson arrived HON
Thursday evening on the "Iowa."
The "Hawkeye" came up from Pc
!. oria Thursday evening on passenge
No. S and was detached at Oslalooss
making a trip as q special over tn
Abba and Centerville to Abba, wher
the night was spent. The trip owe
: the line can hardly be considered on
: In of;o,, 4 h o,,e. has haar how