Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-10-07
new YORK TO SEATTLE
Single System to Connect the
East and Northwest.
LATEST BIG RAILROAD SCHEME.

Great Combination which IL EnthV.
siasticaIly Advocated by James J.
Hill and II Said to Have the Sup
Is port Of J. Pierpont MorGan-Com-
munity Of Interest ON . Vast Scale.
Under the control Of ]. P. Morgan
and j. 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-
60.
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 railroad
under one management traversing the
country from New York to the Pacific
have always been sufficiently apparent,
and more than one man has attempted
to realize this ideal. The main diff
Guilty has always been In recurring 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 I'm.
able to resist the temptation Of de.
manding impossible prices. More than
one attempt has been made to obtain
control Of enough railroads to allow Of
the consolidation of several into one
transcontinental system, but that plan.
too, has been checkmated by observ-
ing officials of other railroads who OBJ
jected to competition.
Because of these reasons 1t has long
been evident that the only chance for
the development of transcontipental
railroad lay in the possibility of COM
bination between some Of the existing
railroads, but even the most sanguine
saw little hope Of this being accom-
plished. 1t was realized that very few
railroad 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-
t.a, would arise from business rather
than from sentimental reasons.
c.. one man was bold enough to
prophesy year ago that many great
1ail.oa ansolidations would soon be
accomplished and that among them a
transcontinental railroad would be
created. That prophet was listened to
not because any one 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 II no sutfi-
cient obstacle is interposed the Erie is
likely to be 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 1t pos
sesses the only really direct line be-
tween New York and Chicago. Aside
from this there Is the fact that the
people who are most interested In the
creation of an efficient transcontinen-
tai line have practically secured control
of the Erie and can use it in any way
they desire for the furtherance of their
plans. The Lehigh Valley railroad,
which was at one time a considerable
rival of the Erie. has also been brought
go that all opposition from that quar-
ter has been effectually prevented. The
exact power of the combination which
intends to create transcOntinental
system can perhaps be shown best by
consideration of the railroads which
nre already under the domination Of
Mr.. Morgan and Mr.. HILL Among these
railroads are:
Miles.
The Northern Pacific ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ,4S7
The Great Northern. 5,47S
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy ........... 1850
Erie Observation-Disclosures. 2,271
konon OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. SAG
LehiGh Valley 2.17S
hsaoln& l.tO4
jersey Centfai .......... %................... bf
/ ooutheJn I,ol9
In other Words the Morgan Eth CON-
binatlon controls nine railroads having
a combined mileage of $500 miles.
The approximate distance from New
Fork to Seattle by existing routes Is