Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-05-26
Cleveland Leader, May zss

OF the Goulus to gain an entrance to
New York through the purchase of
either the Lackawanna or the Lehigh
Valley railroad, in which they were
checkmated by the Va%nderbilts. came
out yesterday in the report that the re-
cent heavy buying OF Erie railroad COM
mon STOCK n also of the preferred
stock has been by the same ambitious
| parties.
The Wabash railroad and its hackers.
the Gouids, are said to be taking advan-
tage OF the strained relations between
j.. J.. Hill and the Vanderbilt and Penn
sylvania railroad interests and are also
relying for assistance in the present
maneuver upon the friendly relations
with John D. Rockefeller i n the South
west, to push them through the only
unguarded gateway. The Erie is cred
TIED as being the only eastern property
where the interests antagonistic to the
Gould progress have not the controll-
ing voice, and the Wabash and Missouri
Pacific factors are hard at work trying
to gain a
FOothOld in That Direction,
All of this is borne out in the trans
actions OF the last ten days. Erie rail-
road common stock has been selling in
large blocks daily and the preferred is
now and has been the basis of heavy
operations. Under the influence of the
increased interest the shares have been
gradually going up until a point has
been reached where some popular sig
nifcance has been attached to the
movement. On the face of it, the re-
ports do not harmonic with recent oc-
c~urrences, but conditions are changing
and may have caused an upheaval. For
instance, it is generally understood that
the Northern Pacific furry was caused
by an onslaught perpetrated by the
Gouid-Harriman-Kuhn- Loeb combina-
ton, hence 1t would hardly seem now
that the Goulds and Hill should be
found ,h%obnobbing together to defeat the
plans of the Vanderbilt Pennsylvania
interests. Since Mr.. Hill is himself
out of caste for the time being with the
Vanderbilt and Pennsylvania interests,
because his plans conflict with theirs in
the northwest. it is not out OF reason
that he should combine with the other
interests west of the Mississippi in in
surfing to both an outlet to the seaboard,
which is not obtainable by easy means
now. The report has it, therefore, that
the Rockefeller and Hill interests in the
Erie are to be augmented by the Goulds,
who are buying enough stock to nave a
voice. Whether this means that the
Morgan interests are to be outclassed
remains to be seen, although it is not
supposed that the reported breach be-
tween Messrs. Hill and Morgan has
gone to the extent of
Causing a Separation.
The purchase of the Erie stock by the
Goulds may at last give them the de-
sired outlet 70 the coast, although this
outlet is not to be obtained without a
struggle and the present movement is
but leading up to the contest, if current
reports are to be relied upon. The
Goulds, by a close understanding with
the Erie, would have the routes they de-
sire. The Erie would form a connect
ing link between the Wabash's Buffalo
line and New York. it would give the
Missouri Pacific a chance to form an
eastern line through Cincinnati; and it
would also give another lake line for
the Pittsburg road.
Although this deal appears now to be
~ SoAA -l4O1C hCaAl la ALS
than any one which has yet been at
tempted-the one resource at hand of
the Gould interests is not being neglect
ed. The road is fighting for its en-
trance to Pittsburg with all the vigor
it possesses and despite possible topo-
graphical hindrances is making prepar-
ations to enter Chat city. In fact, Jos.
Ramsey, Jr., the general manager of the
Wabash and the president of the
Wheeling & Lake Erie, was in this city
yesterday and report has it that he was
making arrangements to push the
Gould lines into Pittsburg. Mr.. Ram
sey has said On several occasions that
his company would not spend to much
money in getting ready to enter Pitts
burg if it did not intend to do 1t after
a while. The report that the road is to
be built into Pittsburg brings out the
statement that the Goulds are deter
mined to reach New York at all hazards
and the last resort is reported to be
that it will follow the Carnegie right OF
way and build its own line through
Pittsburg if it fails in all other under
takings. If the Erie agreement goes
through and that route is gained as an
outlet for the Wabash to the east it
will not be necessary to build a road to
tidewater.
BUSINESS NOTES.