The Jersey City news., 1901-12-14
WON'T FIGHT P.R.R.
New York Centraps Inter
ests Not Endangered By
Proposed Railroad
Tunnel.
OTHER COMPANIES MAY OPPOSE
vanderbilts Say the New IN
dertaking Was Inevitable
President Bald
wins News.

The Pennsylvania r. r. Co.'S scheme to
build tunnel from Jersey City to New
| York is not to be opposed by the New
| York Central r. r.. That statement was
given out to the newspapers today by one
closely connected with the Vanderbilts
interests. He said
"On the other hand the Vanderbilts
recognize that such a plan as the Penn
sylvania R. R. proposes was inevitable
and that all the railroads entering Jersey
City and Hoboken would eventually pour
into New York by a tunnel.
There is no reason why the New York
Central management should feel uneasy
or aggrieved at this proposed action Of
| the Pennsylvania Railroad. Several years
are bound to elapse before the plans un-
/ der discussion can be carried out, and in
the meantime the New York Central ex-
1 poets to perfect its system of local SER
vice to degree that will enable it to
| handle efficiently all of the traffic to
| which it is naturally entitled. The New
/ York Central and the Pennsylvania roads
can never be competitors in local traffic,
and competition in through traffic to
Chicago and Western points must always
necessarily be comparatively small be-
| cause the two roads have radically diff
! fefent routes.
You will be safe in saying, that the
any aggressive fight against the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad. Nothing is to be gained
by such fight for the reason that the
New York Central does not fear any in
/ jury to its special interests because of the
Il ~, ;,,+o he HI ,,,f
of New York City, and, Furthermore. the
joint interests of these two great rail-
road systems in PENNSYLVANIA are very
extensive and advantageous. In some in
stances the New York Central and the
Pennsylvania have both lines jointly in
| Pennsylvania
There would be no object in the Van
derbilts acquiring control of the Phila-
delphia and Reading A traffic alliance
already exists between the Reading road
and the Beech Creek division of the New
York Central which is mutually satis-
factory. This alliance relates to the coal
traffic, and l am certain that the New
| York Central has no desire to enter into
competition with the Pennsylvania roa@
for local competition in passenger traffic.
The fact that ]. Pierpont Morgan prac-
tically controls the Reading is sufficient
guarantee that the interests of the New
York Central will be protected in that
quarter Mr.. Morgan is a member of the
New York Central Executive Commit
! tee"
The executive officers Of trunk lines
other than the New York Central are
more exercised over the effect of the
Pennsylvania Railroads. tunnel scheme
than are the Vanderbilt roads-New
York Central and West Shore. The Erie,
the Lackawanna, the Jersey Central, the
Lehigh Valley and the Reading will all
be placed at disadvantage when the
Pennsylvania is able to remove its metro
politan terminal from the jersey shore
to New York City. The railroad companies
named had been invited to unite with the
Pennsylvania Railroad in guaranteeing
the bonds of the proposed North River
bridge Each declined on the ground that
the advantage to be gained did not seem
TO warrant the expense. Now there is
much discussion among the Pennsyl-
vania's rivals as to the financial advan-
tage that the Pennsylva MIA will secure py
! obtaining an exclusive entrance into New
York.
President w. H Baldwin, Jr., of the
Long Island Railroad, said yesterday
that the great station to be constructed
for the joint use of the Pennsylvania and
the Long Island railroads, on the prop
erty bounded by Thirty-first and Thirty
third streets and Seventh and Tenth ave-
nues in this city would be modelled af-
ter the Quai d'Orsay station of the Or
leans Railway in Paris.
"Only the station to be built by the
Pennsylvania road in New York will be
double the size of the Quai d'Orsay sta
tion,'' said President Baldwin.
With regard to the time that would be
required to complete the proposed tunnel
| work Mr.. Baldwin was unable to give and
information. He was not prepared to say
whether the work would be let out in sec
tions or done under contract, but he was
confident that no time would be lost in
carrying out the scheme as outlined by
President Cassatt of the Pennsylvania
road.
| Formal application will be made in about
three weeks to the New York State Rail-
road Commission by the Pennsylvania for
1 authority to build an underground road
and subsequently the Board of Aldermen
of New York city will be asked for a
franchise for constructing the under
ground road. The cooperation of the
new York city authorities will also be
required in the construction OF the sur
face station at Thirty-third street and its
approaches
! "A railroad officer said yesterday
THE Pennsylvania Railroad is not de-
veloping a gold mine in carrying through
| this admirable tunnel project. 1t will be
la great thing for New York and Long
Island, but whether tits 30 great thing
! for the Pennsylvania road remains to be
seen. The estimated cost of constructing
| this proposed tunnel and stations is s50-
100000 Interest on this amount Of Penn
sylvania Railroad bonds at--say s1a per
cent nt-would be 81, 10000 per annum Add
to THE the $1,00o.0oO yearly profit that the
Pennsylvania Railroad will lose from its
/ Jersey City ferries and you have 81, 75o. 900
handicap, which the Pennsylvania road
/ must overcome before it begins to make
any profit on its enterprise, and this en-
terprise, mind YOU relates entirely to pas
lsenger and small Marcel fra affic :,