The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-04-23
THREE GREAT SYSTEMS.
Great Mort. ern, Northern Pacific, and
Burlington.

Burlington.
The gigantic deal by which the great
properties of the Chicago, Burlington,
& Quincy, the Great Northern and the
Northern Pacific railroads have been
brought under the same general finan-
cial control, is practically completed,
says the Minneapolis Journal. But
few men OF affairs now deny that the
Morgan-Hill interests have been sue
cessful in TINS latest and most stu
pendous combination of railroad inter-
ests. President Hill, of the Great
Northern, does not deny the story,
and so accurate and we'll digested are
the details for weeks that there is no
longer a semblance of denial. The
best traffic men in the country believe
that the conservation, or rather imam
cial arrangement, has taken place, and
when traffic men see a thing clearly,
it is pretty apt to be there.
The magnitude OF the so-called Bur-
llngton deal is but little understood
wen by railroad men. 1t not only
brings nearly 10, 900 males of railroad
under one financial head, but it places
the entire transportation facilities of
the northern middle west IN the con
troll Of n set of men.
The Burlington with its various
branches, controls 8,061 miles of road.
These lines include the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy, the burlington &
Missouri, the Kansas City, st. Joe &
Council Bluffs, Hannibal & st. Joseph,
Keokuk & Great Western, St. Louis,
Keokuk & Northwestern, Chicago,
Burlington & Kansas City, Burlington
& Western, and the Burlington &
Northwestern. The Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy and the Burlington &
Missouri, which constitute the Burling-
ton system proper, contain 6,445 miles
of ROAD. .* " rs
The two big transcontinental lines,
the Great NOrLnern n the Northern
Pacific, nave also immense mileages.
The former WI it's branches covers
5,411 miles, while the Northern Paci-
nc boasts 1854 miles, inclualng It's
branches.
The dominant factor in this great
combination is James J. Hill, backed
by the worlds greatest banker, J.. Pier
pont Morgan, whose financial holdings
ruiz into the hundreds OF MONS.
There is much speculation among
railroad men as to the effect the
Burlington deal will have on the nor...-
west. Many are disposed to take a
gloomy view of the situation, and to
predict that other big combinations
must follow as a matter OF self-pres-
ervation, by systems like the Milwau-
kee and the Northwestern. In any
event, the development of the Burling-
ton scheme will be watched with in
tense interest.
The northwestern country and the
railroads that lead out of it to the
Paclnc coas. are we'll understood by
Minnesota people, but the significance
of the Burlington's acquisition is not
so apparent. The Burlington has a
perfect network of railroads covering
the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska,
Kansas, COLORADO, Wyoming, South
Dakota and Montana. Its western
terminus is Billings, Mont, and it's
determination to build on to the coast
LED to the financial understanding
which has brought the property into
sympathetic relationship, # nothing
more, wit The Northern Pacific.
The Erie road, from New York to
Chicago, which is dominated by the
same financial interests, is the great
eastern link in the line from the At
antic to the Pacific.