The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-16
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THE RAILROAD N I GAME
Great Contest On for Growing Traf-
fc Across the Pacific
Ocean.
Harriman's Letting Go Of Certain
Lines 's'': Due to Shifting Of
Interest.
Special to The Journal.

of over 1000 miles Of railroad that has
passed from the actual operating control
OF the Hartman forces or is about so to
pass. of this lost mileage Rock Island
| ana st. Louis & San Francisco will Sc
cure nearly 1,40O miles
Inns interesting phenomenon is viewed
with no little perturbation by the Wall
street public. It is so utterly a change
Of policy on the part Of Mr. Harriman
that It has caused no end OF uneasiness.
Largely as a result of it both Southern
Pacific and Union Pacific stocks have
been decidedly heavy, nobody appar-
emily being willing to take hold Of either
OF them while the policy and meaning OF
MI: Hartman are not clear.
one OF the gentlemen who control the
ROCK Island system made the following
| Significant remark the other day:
! The great western railroad Of the fu-
ture must control port on the north
racine coast and another port either on
the Great Lakes, the Atlantic seaboard
| or the gulf. ''.sa
Mr.. Hartman has hitherto controlled,
or practically controlled New Orleans and
San Francisco. It would appear at first
glance, therefore, that his double system
comes as near fulfilling the requirements
OF the system of the future as viewed
by Rock Island as does any other rail-
road IN the United States. On closer
observation, however, it becomes mani
case. All the nowar ~ M 10 ,,.;,,, ,a. :,
cannot hold New Orleans. and San Fran Fran
cisco is fast losing Its dominancy over the
Pacific trade. Our Rock Island authority
did not refer to San francisco when" he
spoke Of q, north Pacific mort In noint
of fact he was talking about Eureka
Herein lies the secret. ~ the Ha rrinoa y
sales. Two Years Of keen connetition
with the Northern Securities lines have
taught Mr.. Hartman that he cannot
to San. Francisco and at the same, time
dominate the G.ans Pacific trade. The
competition of Rock Island and the NAL
lory line will teach him the same thing
with regard to gulf trade. Mr.. Harri-
man has recognized this. fact.
The result is that he has determined
to get rid Of all superduous lines, and
possibly ell the lines south Of San Fran
cisco and to bend his energies to the
saving Of the Uricn Pacific To do this
he must throw all his power into cofnpeti-
ton with the lines CT Northern Securities
That powerful northern combination has
built UP at the north Pacific ports a
traffic largely drawn from San Francisco.
While the steam ship companies running
out of the latter pert have been steadily
running behind in their earnings Mr.. Hill
has actually dared, to plan to put upon
the Pacific a fleet trading from the north
ern ports that is double, of, the fleet Of 1901
The Canadian Pacific has also largely in
creased its fleet II issInot that the de-
|velopment Of the south, and southwest has
in any way been checked nor is it that
the progress Of the north has been phe-
nominal. It is simply that Mr. Hill has
made the railroads Of the north the line
Of least resistance and that traffic. has
therefore flowed along those lines q as
naturally as river seeks the deepest
channel In other words Mr. Hill has
made a rate on thru traffic from Chicago
to Seattle that Mr. Hartman has never
dared to meet on thru traffic from Omaha
to San Francisco
Mr.. Hill declares and declares with a,
full conviction that he is able To fulfil HIS
declaration, that In the future he 8SwilI
make rate from Chicago to Seattle on
freight intended for the orient. that viii
make the present rates look high that
declaration is a direct defiance to M.
Hartman and the Hartman lines.
# Henry McGraw, a prominent British en-
gineer, who has spent twenty years in
studying the commerce OF Japan and
China, says: .s5s
Within ten years Seattle will be the
Liverpool of the Pacific. II no,,st finally
dominate the trans Pacific trade, and +
am much mistaken If it does not f1nal,v
come closer to dominating the entire. tra :,
flc of the orient than dos $Iivernool ana
Southampton at the present day II Ia :
but one possible rival. and that is. Van
couyer.'' =" - :. 90 =.
Mr.. Hartman ca nnot stav The fa11ins
fortunes of the southern ports. r. he
makes rates to San Francisco over 1is
present lines to compete with the rates IF
Mr.. Hill and Canadian Pacific. Union Pa
cific with its tremendous canitalizo +;ov
and its inland terminal 81 On : ,s 80
into the hands ofRa receiver uit,,i,, = 20 ~
years. Mr. Harr,n,an Ern1.,s Nv,
what the northern no 1,nrts de,,. "a W. IT,
knows that. Portland vii, ,,nt lae,,,, -
suburb of San Franciscn IN +,,a7a Pna;aa
trade. Portland to- 1ay ia c1a ~ ,i,s -
be made something more Thar = =, aro
local port of coastwise traff3c and =
Hill stands ready TO accornmo , Port.
| land In its desire if Mr.. Harriman w,11
not. The traffic that Mr.. Hill exnecfs n
gather in the Orient he can lust as we'll
as divide between Seattle and Portland
US This is the secret of the new dena r+,,re
in Mr.. Harriman's policy. No man tn.da, ),
can say that Mr.. Hill Is the onlv onro,, an
| to be feared in the Pacific l'tra ff1
Every man who Studies the si+,,a4;a,,
closely m,,st see a. ) ela,,ea ~, 1917
cific traffic As Essential IF tba no .,
lines lose HIS he III
Northern Securities will he s,,ch rs -
as has never Vet grown IN IN the g hista,',
( 81 no