Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-07-04

Cleveland, July 1.-THE Leader to-
day will say: Before the LIST of
September all the big companies pro-
ducing bituminous coal will have been
gathered into one organization similar
to the United States Steel corporation.
The capitalization will be enormous,
probably second only to that of the
big steel trust. From what can be
learned work on the big coal trust has
been on the way for a greater length
of time than any Of the other Indus
trial combinations. j. ?. Morgan, an
advocate of the coalition, first started
in with his coal combination three
years ago, making the first move
ments along the line of controlling the
products of the Ohio and West Vir-
ginia fields. At that time he obtained
complete control of the mining prop,
erty in the Hooking and Shawnee val
ley. In order to give an outlet for this
coal he purchased certain railroad
properties. This started the combina-
ton mania along the line of railroad
ownership which has gone to extra
ordinary lengths.
proceedings in the present combin-
alton are similar to those displayed in
the formation of the steel trust. One
year ago all coal properties in the
Pittsburg district which ship coal to
the lakes were merged into one corpo-
ration as the Pittsburg Coal Co.
About the same time the same inter
ests which ship coal from that terri
! tory down the river formed what has
since been known as the Monongahela
| Coal Co., each being a combination of
smaller companies, making an organi-
cation of considerable Importance
| The desire to control other coal terri
tory in the same fashion, that larger
companies might be easier to handle
by Morgan, has led to the selection in
certain sections of confidential agents.
AS the outgrowth of this policy, an or
| ganiZation was completed in Chicago
| ten days ago known as the Illinois Coal
| Co., which owns two-thirds of all coal
| land in Illinois and western Indiana.
About the same time it became gener-
| ally known that M. A. Hanna and
others had about completed the alb
sorption of most of the coal properties
in the Massillon district. This is ex-
pected to be completed in the next ten
days. The West Virginia coal produc-
ton is virtually owned by one COM
pany, the Paramount Coal Co., which
| in turn is the property of the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad. Other interests
in the territory are all owned by the
Norfolk western railway, Chesapeake
& Ohio railway, or Pennsylvania rail
road, all of which, with the Baltimore
e Ohio, now form practically one big
railroad organization, being owned by
one company. Now the Illinois Coal
company, Monongahela Coal company
Paramount Coal company are all to
be collected into one big organization,
the name Of which has not been
| settled. All of these will operated
from one general office, with, however,
auxiliary offices in the immediate vi
cinity of the property and with one
general lake shipping Office in Cleve-
land. In this combination, it is ex-
pected the Pittsburg Coal company
will be the central figure around which
the others will be grouped.
Along with this organization will go
also coal docks and fast loading plants
now owned by the various coal COM
panies, which shall hereafter make
part of the big organization. This
will include those located along Lake
Erie and also on the upper lake ports
THE aim of all this is to effect a