Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-12-20
new YORK TO SEATTLE
Single System to Connect the
East and Northwest.
LATEST BIG RAILROAD SCHEME.

siastically Advocated by James J.
Hill and IL Said to Have the Sup
port Of J. Pierpont Morgan-Com-
Aunity of Interest On . Vast Scale.
Under the control Of ]. P. Morgan
and j. ]. Hill there will soon be estab-
lished a new railroad system from
New York to the Pacific coast which
will be under one name and one man
agement. says the Brooklyn Daily Ea-
gle.
For many years railroad men have
cherished the hope that such a plan as
this would be carried out, but there
have always been grave difficulties in
the way. The advantages of a railroad
under one management traversing the
country from New York to the Pacific
have always been sufficiently apparent,
and more than man has attempted
to realize this ideal. The main diff
Guilty has always been in securing the
controlling rights. 1t has been easy
enough usually to secure the first few
sections Of the proposed system. but it
has been exceedingly difficult to obtain
any more mainly because the owners
of the desired property have been un-
able to resist the temptation of de-
handing impossible prices. More than
IL attempt has been made to obtain
control of enough railroads to allow Of
.nc vousu.tlation of several into one
transcoiilineEtal system. but that plan,
too, has been clleckmated by observ-
ing officials of other railroads who OBJ
%jectcG to competition.
Because of these reasons it has long
been evident that the only chance for
the DEVELOPMENT of n transcontinental
la.lroad il. III the possibility of COM
bination between some of the existing
railroads. but even the most sanguine
saw little hope of this being accom-
plisllcd. 1t was realized that very few
rai'road managers would be willing to
allow The identity of their systems to
be lost by being merged into any such
comprehensive scheme, and this objec-
ton would arise from business rather
than from sentimental reasons.
Only one man was bold enough to
prophcsy Il year ago that many great
railroad consultations would soon be
accomplished and that among them a
transcontinental railroad would be
created. That prophet was listened to
not because any mi then credited his
predictions. but because the seer was
George j. Gould. Time has shown that
Mr.. Gould was right. however, for al
ready there are significant Indications
THAT the methods which James ]. Hill
found so effective in building up the
Great Northern railroad system will be
applied to the Erie railroad. Many i'm
portant changes in the Erie's manage
ment have already been made on lines
suggested by Mr.. Hill. and if no sutti-
cient obstacle is interposed the Erie is
likely to he the first link in the system
of railroads which. under one head and
management. will become the long ex-
pected transcontinental railroad.
Many causes have led to the selection
of the Erie for this important position,
not the least being the fact that it pos
~sesscs the only really direct line be-
tween New York and Chicago. Aside
from this there is the fact that tile
people who are most interested i'm the
creation of an efficient t~ranscontinen-
tai line have practically secured control
OF the Erie and can use-it in any way
they desire for the furtllerance of their
plans. The 1.ch:gh Valley railroad.
which was at one time a considerable
rival of the Erie. has also been brought
under the control of the Hill interests,
SO that all opposition from that quar-
ter has been clrectually prevented. The
exact power OF the combination which
intends To create Il trallscontinentnI
system can perhaps be shown best hy
Il consideration of the railroads which
are already under the domination of
Mi. Morgan and Mr.. Hill. Among these
railroads are:
Miles
The Northern tactic. 5.isi
The Great Northern. 5.A.s
Chicago. burlington and Quincy 1.S5;
r.'ie 80
Monon 81
leliigh Valley eli:
keaGi;ig l,i5
Jersey Central GT
' southern I,Gl.
LII other words. the Morgan-Hill com.
iI1C lstllIOiUS llilN NY
Il combined mileage of $4,000 miles
The approximate distance from New
York to Seattle by existing routes is
about 5000 miles.
j. L. Morgan personally dominates
more railroad mileage than any other
$ inaa in the United States. and when hs
r Is considered in combination With j
j. Hill it is usually as the absolute
: controller of the transportation situa
ton. If Mr.. Hill and MIR. Morgan wcr.
fully agreed upon the ACCESSIBILITY OF
creating Il great transcontinental rail
road. they could make such Il combina
! ton effective tomorrow. At present
however. this exact measure of agree
ment between the two powers Ices no
seem to exist. 1t is Il Wall street Sc
I cret that while Mr.. Hill is cnthusias
tically in favor OF such Il railroad MI
Morgan is doubtful of its present nd
Visibility. 1t is perhaps the one an,
= only business subject upon which thes
two men do not agree. Wall stree