Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-01
Prospect of New Railway Between
Baltimore and Washington.
CONTROLLED BY MORGAN INTERESTS
Offer Made to Purchase Western
Maryland Franchise.
OF thine OF SITUATION

/ Inc acquisition recently Of a controlling
| interest i'm the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road Company by the Pennsylvania Rail
way Company. which was first announced
| in The Star. will. IL is believed result in
the building of another steam railway be-
tween this city and Baltimore. As the case
/ now stands the route traversed by the Bal
| timore and Ohio trains between Washing
! ton and New York is in the hands of capt.
/ taists whose business interests conflict
/ the Pennsylvania having control of the
/ Washington end Of the line and as far
north as Philadelphia and two rival roads.
! the Reading and Jersey Central both of
! which are controlled and Il is said viz
tually owned by J. Pierpont Morgan domI-
mating that part between Philadelphia and
| New York.
ii is not anticipated that war win break
/ out between the parties I'm interest but the
Wen known aggressiveness OF those at the
| head of the Pennsylvania and the similar
| spirit evidenced by Mr. Morgan leads to
| the conclusion that the present state of az
! fairs win not long continue. With the
! pennsylvania i'm control of the Baltimore
ana ONO to its northern terminus at Phila-
! delphia there Is gap between the south
ern and its northern connections which
! judging by what has been done I'm other
parts OF the country where Mr.. Morgan's
! interests Were involved, are anything but
pleasant to contemplate. for neither the
/ Pennsylvania nor Mr.. Morgan desires TO he
under any obligation to the other In is
| further believed that the Pennsylvania can
! easily afford TO have the contract for the
! running of Baltimore and Ohio trains be-
| tween Philadelphia and New York abro-
gated as 1t would be an easy matter to
| form junction between the Baltimore aud
ONO tracks and those of the PENNSYLVANIA
near Grays ferry i'm the suburbs of PhfIa-
delphia, and from that point run all trains
from the south to New York over fits own
| tracks. of which it has four. all the way
from Philadelphia to Jersey City.
Offer for Western Maryland
In this connection a tender reported to
lave been made a day two ago from
some northern capitalists. who, II is be-
lieved. represented J. p Morgan. TO the
mayor and finance commissioners of Balti-
more for the purchase of the Western
Maryland railroad becomes unusually IN
teresting. The Western Maryland Is vlr-
tually the property of the city of Balti-
more, which has more than Ssaeaoao In
vested in it. The capital stock is consider
ably less than that sum, but the city has
from time to time during many years.
until quite recently, advanced the West
ern Maryland company money to pay in
terest on its bonds, and that money to
large extent remains unpaid, and is looked
upon by the city and others interested as
a mortgage on the property. During the
past year or two however, the business of
the company has Increased much that
President Hood became able to meet the
current interest at maturity, and with the
continuation of prosperity it is believed
the road could soon meet the interest on
all its bonded indebtedness.
The special value OF the Western Mary
land at this time lies in the fact that
with the building of a few miles of track
it would give the Philadelphia and Read
ing, which, as before stated. is a Morgan
road direct line between Harrisburg and
| Baltimore, and to deep water, between
which points 1t would parallel the North
| ern Central division Of the Pennsylvania
| system. There is already a traffic ar
/ rangement between the Reading and West
ern Maryland. but the former has not been
able to make use Of the latter's tracks
between the points named because of the
short gaps in the line. The Reading does,
however, use a large part of that portion
of the Western Maryland which lies in The
western part of the state of Maryland. and
there is an immense hauling of freight Of
all kinds. but principally coal, betwee0
Shippensburg on the Reading and Cherry
Run, w. Va. the Baltimore and Ohio
via the Western Maryland.
Has Valuable Franchise.
But outside of the fact that the posses
sion of the Western Maryland railroad
would give the Reading route of its own
to Baltimore and deep water the former
has been granted charter for various
privileges which at conservative estimate
are worth many millions of dollars. 1t has
authority to'construct belt line around
the greater part of Baltimore city with
grade crossings from Fulton station, where
there is switch which connects with the
Baltimore and Potomac tracks, south to
such points the company may designate.
thence east to where vessels drawing thirty
feet of water may load without difficulty.
The charter further allows the company
to build an elevated railway over the bed
Of Jones Falls, a stream running through
the city from north to south. These tracks
are authorized retaining walls which
were built at the expense Of the taxpayers
of several millions of dollars, with the priv
ilege of a station already built i'm the very
heart of the business section.
With the Reading in a position to run
its trains to Baltimore from the north and
west. it would need but the construction Of
about forty miles of track to give II an en-
trance of its own into Washington.
Recently there has been active buying of
stock of the United Railways of Baltimore,
which controls an electric road from Bal
| timore to Ellicott City. Md. and which
was originally intended to form a part OF
the through electric line between this city
and Baltimore. AS is Well known, the
Washington Traction Syndicate is the
owner of that portion of the same line
which extends from Washington to Ber-
wyn. Md. 1t is believed that some arrange
ment will be made with these two compa-
MES for the use of their tracks and va
rious charter rights, and the gap of twenty
miles between Berwyn and Ellicott City
constructed by the Reading company.
Advices from Philadelphia state that the
Reading Will, from and after tomorrow.
have a new president. the present in
cumbent. Mr. Joseph S. Harris being about
TO retire. he man selected TO succeed MIR.
Harris is Mr.. George F. Baer. an attor-
ney of Reading, Pa. who assisted in the
reorganization of the Reading company.
He eventually became director in the cor
poratfon and has played prominent part
In its management. Through various trans
actions he has for some time past been in
close relation with Mr. Morgan and other
leading mine and railway owners.
Will Direct Entire System.
Mr.. Baer will assume charge not only OF
no Rpadino h1rt Of he
which was recently acquired. He Will direct
the entire system. With the Jersey Cen
trail in its control, the Reading is at the
head Of the anthracite coal corporations
1t is practically the sole owner of the vast
and valuable undeveloped territory in the
state Of Pennsylvania. 1t is, therefore the
purpose, apparently, of the new owners, OF
which Mr.. j. p. Morgan is the most promi-
nent, to develop the company and reorgan-
lie its various departments in order to con-
Duct its great business economically and
secure good returns to its stockholders.
that end the change N the presidenrv