The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-25
VAST IN EXTENT
Is ROCK ISLAND SYSTEM.
Since Its Consolidation with s. A. L.
Reaches $4,000, 900 People.


Reaches $4,000, 900 People.
By a series of movements astound-
ing in their vastness and the boldness
Of their execution, the Chicago, Rock
Island and Pacific Railroad, better
known as the Rock Island" has be-
come the largest railway system in the
world. From an indefinite road lead
ing from nowhere, it has grown, with
in the last few months into system
leading to everywhere. Since May it
has more than doubled its mileage, and
with its 1861 miles of track, now out
strips all its rivals. With its spider
web of iron it reaches to the West the
Northwest, the South and the South
west, finding, by its last achievement
the acquisition of the Seabcard Air
Line-an outlet to the Atlantic and a
tentative gateway into New York over
the Pennsylvania.
With its owned, leased and controlled
lines, it passes through twenty-three
states and territories, covering an area
of 100000 square miles.
AAC laGhS u luG NUN lSldnQ anu
the recently consolidated st. Louis and
San Francisco, or Frisco system, to-
gether with the control of the Seaboard,
lead to the homes and the farms of
100000 people-more than half of the
entire population of the United States.
The resources of these outstretchlng
lands in farm products annually placed
upon the markets are represented by
SO, 900, 000 000-nearly so per cent. of all
the farm products in the country. Along
the lines of the great railroad they
raise st per cent. of the corn grown ~
the rev world. and so per cent. of tic
wheat. They raise the greater par. Of
the z5 0C0, cC1 hogs and the 10, 000,0 900 cat
tie Killed each year.
IL was 10 secure the lions share of
this mass OF traffic, the figures of which
1fe almost beyond conception, that the
new Rock Island was planned. The
project wa: carefully thought out The
possiDil lies of the big combination Of
roads were foreseen. Then the lines
w+re laid. The Old management went
to sleep enc night and left the road 1lt
DOORS, so 7 speak, In the morning the
new mar cgement had control. Yet 1t
was all dc ne so quietly, and in such a
gentl-n sL1y way, that even astute Wall
street never suspected what was going
new deal had been closed with the OLD
Rock Island.
The dominant powers of the new
Rock Island successfully engineered
one OF the most desperate battles on
Wall street in their attempt to enter
st. Louis. First came the news to the
street of the assimilation of numerous
smaller roads-all unimportant in
themselves, but all occupying strategic
nOintG for the prraaf In
temptation. Then came the report of
the combination with the st. Louis and
San Francisco Railway-the Frisco
system. This was followed a few days
ago by the announcement that at the
annual meeting of the Chicago, Rock
Island and Pacific Railway Company,
to be held Oct. 8, next, the stockhold-
ers would be asked to vote on a propo-
sition to issue $500 900 of long-term
consolidated bonds to be secured by a
blanket mortgage covering all the as
sets of the Rock Island system, to bear
interest at 4 per cent, and to mature
jan 1, 1888.
This, right on the furry of a stock
market going to pieces with startling
rapidity, came as a. sensation to Wall
street. The little fellows on the curb
looked wise and made solemn predic-
tions. The big fellows in the banking
houses smiled synically. A few weeks
before they had gathered $500, 900
from the great Pennsylvania system
for a little trick Of underwrlting-a
stock issue Of SIS, 900, OO0 The Rock Is
land did its own underwriting in its
big reconstruction scheme. 1t had the
goods all placed ready for the delivery
before Wall street knew what was go-
ing on.
The acquisition of the Seaboard Air
Line, the last achievement of the Rock
Island, is still fresh in the mind of the
public. They had spanned wide stretch
es of prairies, reaching Minneapolis and
st. Paul on the north. They had found
a great outlet to the south through
New Orleans and Galveston and the
Gulf of Mexico. To the west and the
southwest they had gained Denver,
Kansas City, st. Louis and Ell Paso.
Now they have gotten down to Mem
phis and Birmingham and Atlantic
ports, and with the interest that they
own in the Old Dominion Steamship
Company, and the Richmond, F'reder-
icksburg and Potomac they may, by an
arrangement with the Pennsylvania
Company, run into Washington, Phil
adelphia and New York.
A glance at the Rock Islands great
extent of mileage will show the mag
nitude Of the system. The latest au-
thentic figures are:
Miles.
Chicago. Rock Island and Pacific. 7,22S
st. Louis and San Francisco
CFrisco system) ............... 1889
Seaboard Air Line ................ 2611
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