The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-29
THEPLOT NOW THICKENS'
ANOTHER CHAPTER IN RAIL
 ROAD PUZZLE.
Latest Story is That the Atlantic Coast Line Has Secured the L. G N.--Possibilities
 Opened, If True.

comes more ana more complicated ana certain people in this section are com pletely in despair as to where they are at"
 The latest is that the Morgan interests have turned the Louisville and Nashville over to the Atlantic Coast Line people, and If true it means a number of possi- biiities. One is that the route from Au- gusta. Ga, to Montgomery may at last be made into one division. Colonel Thom- as Scott is now General Manager of the Georgia Railroad lfrom Auguata to At lanta. Long before the Atlantic Coast Line-Plant System deal. the Louisville and Nashville turned over their interest in the Georgia Road 10 the Coast Line people. President Waters of the Coast Line at the same time being put on the Board of Directors of the Western of Alabama in place of President Milton H. Smith of the Louisville and Nashville. Whether this unloading was done by the L. and N. people to play for even with the Georgia Central or not is not known and probably will never be. Now if this last Coast Line story is true, they have the choice of two routes from here to F1orlda-either over the Plant division or over the Louisville and Nashville via Georgiana, Geneva and Cottondale. where a junction with the Pensacola division Ot ttlS 1<. anu N lb tHa0C.f EEOlu tNt1 junction a straight shoot Is had to River Junction where a branch of the Plant gets into Jacksonville and Florida points, though the Florida. Central and Penin- suia division of the Seaboard has the most direct line from River Junction to the Florida metropolis. 1t is within the bounds of possibilities that if the l.. and N. has followed the Plant into the arms of the Coast Line, the latter road will have the work stopped on the Alabama and Florida division of the L. and N. Trains are now running from Montgomery to Graceville and the original program was to build from Graceville to Cotton dale or Mariana, thus affordlng very much shorter line from Montgomery to Jacksonville than from here to Jackson vile by the Plant. It may be that hav- ing the Plant route already the Coast Line people will not care to extend the line from Graceville to Mariana--time will show that,
 The Coast Line Louisville and Nashville story may or may not be true, but in view of the facts the recent visits of President Waters to Montgomery and this territory are significant. It will be remembered that when the Louisville and Nashville and Western were starting the joint depot In Selma, President Waters of the Coast Line accompanied President Smith of the l.. and N. and General Man ager WIckersham of the Western Co Sel- ma, where he took part in the deal for the warehouse property that Selma de- pot Is now on.
 The Associated Press had the foIlswing in regard to the story yesterday morning:
 Baltimore, July 27.-It Is impossible to obtain an authoritative expression or opinion on the statement that negotia- tions are pending looking to the absorp- ton by the Atlantic Coast IAne of the Louisville and Nashville. which is con- trolled by J. P. Morgan & Co, In finan- cial circles here the general impression prevails that the report Is we'll founded.
 T think Mr, Morgan has already prac- tically turned the road over to the Coast Line" said a member of one of the lead- ing banking firms. The two roads do not parallel anywhere. and have a physical connection at Augusta. Ga, through the Georgia Railroad, which, runs from Att lanta to Augusta. and which ig tsased jointly by them.
 "'Such deal would eliminate that hos tility in Tennessee and Kentucky which has been aroused by the rumor that the Louisville and Nashville will be merged with the Southern Railway. These roads parallel and are competitors In both States, and following the report Gov efn0f MCIAllHn or IGHnC6A5G mas N2IE&b~ eled to call a special session of tine Legis- latura to pass a law that would prevent merger. It Is thought that when Mfr. Morgan purchased the Louisville and Nashville he had in view it's transfer to the Coast Line. t6
 Morgan & Co. manage the Southern Railway and have been working in com pIete harmony with the Coast Line. The absorption of the Louisville and Nashville would give the Coast Line control of the railroad situation In the southeast of the Mississippi River"
 The outstanding stock of the Louisville and Nashville amounts to sso.00o,c0o and if the plan Of Morgan & Co. to pay si5o a share for it is carried out, ss0. co., 600 win be required to complete the deal.
 Tn round numbers the combined mIle- age of the Coast Line system and the Louisville and Nashville Is 9.i00
 Henry Walters and Michael Jenkins, who control the affairs of the Coast Line. are out of the city. Mir. Walters is thought to be in New York and would likely conduct the negotiations with Mir. Morgan or his representatives. Mir. Jen- kins left Baltimore Thursday with his family for the White Mountains.
 Mfr. Walters is Vice~PresIdent of the Coast Line Railroad Company and pres- ent President of the parent company. Mir. Jenkins Is a director of the former and President of the latter. Waldo Newcomer, another Coast Line official. Is away on his vacation.
 The Mobile Register of Sunday says:
 MT. Joseph Hodglon, lately appointed general agent for Cuba of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. and Mir. B. M. Flip pin, export agent of the same road, left yesterday for Havana on the stea mship CorvaJa. Mir. Flippln will return about the 10th of August"
 Joseph Hodgson Is very popular young man. He has many friends here who hope he will have a successful career Tn the railroad field in Cuba
 Engineer Frank Elsco of Clinton, Ia., who has just been paced on the pension list of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company. has one of the most remarkable records of any locomotive CT gineer in the world. For forty-two consecutive years he was employed as an engineer on the Northwestern Road.
 Engineer Siseo has kept an accurate account of the miles he has travelled. The total figures uo 1.402.iO7 miles. Had