The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1900-01-25
MAY ABSORB N. & w.
Big Consolidation Of Eastern
Roads Now Probable.
RATE WARS WILL THEN
END.
The Pennsylvania, Baltimore "o
Chesapeake . ohio. and Norfolk
western Included.
Pulaski Sews-RsView)


lished. :.
The Chesapeake and Ohio is generally
looked upon as being controlled D! 81
p;srnopt Morgan and his associates ana
ia ultimate absorption by some strong
company has been the subject oil discus
sion by railroad men generally. 1t is now
ssid that the merger Of the Chesapeake
and Ohio will be with the Baltimore and
that the Norfolk and Western will also
come in under the same merger. men,
owing to the heavy holdings OF fennsyl-
vania interests in Baltimore ana Oh'o
stork. il Ia said, the two roads, formerly
rivals. will be operated in absolute mar
mony, and the Chesapeake and ONO ana
the Norfolk and Western will be eliminat-
ed and everything will be serene IN the
railroad situation.
The New York Tribune has this to say
about the railway situation:
IAN important railroad conference mas
been in progress in this city for the ias'
two DAYS. at the Waldorf Astoria. M' b.
Ingalls,. president Of the Big Four and the
Chesapeake and Ohio systems: Henry FINK
president of the Norfolk and Western, and
A. ]. Cassatt, president Of the Pennsyi-
vauia system, have all been in attendance
John X. Cowan, president of the b"i'i-
more and Ohio, is also said to have been
present. One important matter thar was
disposed of was the rate for hauling coal
Cor the coming year; but this is said 10
have been only an incident of the meeting
and not the real reason for its call
"For sometime it has been known that
the Vanderbilt Morgan interests we're IN
control of the Big Four and Chesapeake
and Ohio. There have been persistent
rumors, too, regarding n combination Oe-
tween the Pennsylvania and Baltimore
and Ohio systems, and Of these two ROADS
with the Vanderbilt systems. A man
usuallv well informed said yesterday that
he had been given to understand that IN
the near future a great combination would
he effected, and that the following ROADS
would be in it: The Boston and name
which es il owns the road, also means the
Maine Central, and the Fitchburg, norm
If Poston. the New York, New Haven and
Hartford, which on account OF its ultimate
traffic relationship with the Pennsylvania
E co,,d not we'll stand aloof, and the Boston
and Albany, now controlled by the Ne"
York Central--thesc roads practically
covering the fields of New England.
Besides these the speaker named the
Pennsylvania, the Baltimore and Ohio, the
Chesapeake and Ohio. the Big -Four, thu
Norfolk and Western and the New lort
Central system, including the Lake Shore
and Michigan Southern and the Michigan
Central. AZ we'll as the Nickel Plate ant
West Shore. He added that he was no
informed as to what the exact form OF thu
combination would be-Whether 1t woul:
amount to actual consolidation or not
hut IL would certainly be Of such natur
"a TO prevent future competition and
consequent cutting of freight and pas
senrer rates. This, he thought, however
was only the beginning, and it was hi
con viction that other roads would be takel
in later. both in the South and West.
A month ago it became known that al
important agreement, the exact details o
which have not yet developed, had bee'
entered into by the Pennsylvania and tn
Baltimore and Ohio-an agreement. how
ever. as result of which it is general
. believed the two roads will cooperate a
friendly competitors. Somewhat south Q
the Baltimore and Ohio runs the Chesa
/ peske and Ohio, extending from Cincin
natl through Richmond to tidewater q
Newport News, and South Of the Chesa
peake and Ohio the Norfolk and Western
10 coming down from Columbus, Ohio, tray
erses the coal fields Of West Virginia an
. Virginia, and passing through Petersburg
whence a branch extends to Richmon
= has it's terminus at Norfolk. AT Roanok
v Va, one line of the Norfolk and Weste'
1 runs nortbward to Hsgerstown, on Il
J Baltimore and Ohio, and reaching Was
y ington by a road from Front Royal.
The Chesapeake and Ohio also has
b branch extending to the National Capiti
J. For two or three weeks there has been
u marked movement in Chesapeake al
a. Ohio on the Stock Exchange, and rumo
]. have been frequent that the control
this system, which has been reckoned
Morgan property, would be apportion
among the Vanderbilt Morgan. Penns!
vania and Baltimore and Ohio interes
D. thus bringing the Chesapeake and Oh
:, into the sphere OF trunk line influence a
ID eliminating 1t from the list of possil
B. rate cutters In the territory between Ci
10 cinnati and Chesapeake Bay.
a. The presence Of President Fink at t
' Waldorf Astoria conference natural
81 leads to the conclusion that the Norfc
- and Western may, like the Chesapea
, aud Ohio, be brought within the scope
the working agreement now operative b
tween the two dominant factors in I