The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-04-03
Canton & East Liverpool
Railroad Sale Was Or
igin Of Pennsylvania
Wabash Fight.


a battle for millions among financial
giants. which is now being fought out
in Wall street, principally on the foor
OF the New York stock exchange.
This fight. contested by the Wabash
and Standard Oil. interests on one
hand and the Pennsylvania and B. &
o.. on the other, i'm which the entire
railroad situation in the United
States is now involved, has its seat Of
trouble in eastern Ohio and weste. II
Pennsylvania.
Probably few persons are aware
that the whole fight had It's origin i'll
the formation, about six years ago,
of the Canton & East Liverpool rail-
road company. by local capital. That
this statement might not appear falla-
cious it is made on the authority Of
former stockholders in that line, and
also high railroad authorities IN New
York.
Two decades ago, the volume OF
trans-continental traffic became so
great that railroads attempted to re-
lieve the situation, and the great sys-
tens worked to shorten the distance
between New York and Chicago.
Roads constructed in the early fftles,
without regard to level or course were
thoroughly overhauled, curves elimi-
mated. grades maintained, -tunne.s
mill
mile gained.
HOW THE FIGHT STARTED.
The axiom, for every mile million,
was literally true, and even then the
railroads profited hundred fold. The
great systems conld still double their
tracks, and then double them again.
The Lake Shore and the Pennsylvania
did so. The New York Central did
likewise. and this chain managed un-
der the Vanderbilt regime, had moth
ing to fear from the opposition, in
cluding the old b. q o., the Erie. AID
the Nickel Plate and allied lines. No
one believed that the B. & o. Gould
find shorter course between north
eastern Ohio and Pttsburg than the
Pennsylvania route and the idea
thai the Erie, ready for a receiver,
could raise funds to eliminate its
countless curves was poo-poohed on
Wall street and among railway en-
gineers as well.
The Pennsylvania, ever alert 70 its
own defense as we'll as aggressive pol
icy, discovered advantages rival lines
might gain and camped upon the STRAIT
egic ground
Ia g1N n
Brooks, r. b. Turner, James McCrea
and lesser Pennsylvania officials, at
length found that by constructing a
line leaving Fort Wayne at Canton
and connecting with the C. &. p, an
other Pennsy property, at East Liver
pool, tie grade out OF Pittsburg would
be cut down and the distance short
ened.
This projected line would clip miles
off the route, would have great STRAIT
egic value, and its grade was easy. II
followed along the route of the canal.
Brooks and his associates pushed the
work of surveys, the engineers fol-
JDwing the canal level.
For some reason, however, the read
was not constructed.
Then q few business men organized
the Canton & East Liverpool railroad.
Their efforts were made unostenta-
tiously, but their plans were well-laid
They had the control eventually of the
same route formerly held by the Pitts
burg capitalists, which in new hands
became a menace to two roads, the
Pennsylvania and the Baltimore &
Ohio. The latter railroad, realizing
what the acquisition of such vantage
ground meant, purchased the Canton
e. East Liverpool company holdings.
The stockholders in the latter COM
pany received triple profits, taking out
So for every dollar put in.
Then the Pennsylvania fioated a
large Indebtedness and purchased the
controlling interest in the b. & o..
In the light of subsequent develop
ments in this territory there is no
doubt that the purchase was made to
retaliate for the pre-emption of the
strategic ground by the B. &c O..
ahead of the Pennsylvania.
- WAR ON CASSATT. o
Then the Rockefeller interests took
n hand. and the war. begun when the
Pennsylvania railroad took hand In
the oil business, was relentlessly push
ed between Cassatt and the Pennsyl-
yania on the one side, and Rockefel-
Ter and the Standard Oil company on
the other. Cassatt had failed in the
oil business. 1t was now up to the
Rockefeller element, now on the Of
fensiye. to go into the railroad busi-
ness. They did so, and the Wabash
was selected as the weapon with
which to combat the Pennsylvania 1t
had the only other means OF short
route into Pittsburg. Instead of par
alleIing the Fort Wayne road, as the
NB. 4 O. acquisition did, 1t paralleled
the Panhandle, leaving the Wheeling
1T Mingo and striking cross country
into Pittsburg. The completion of
that line. which Is now only q mat
ter OF few months. was fought al
every foot by the Pennsylvapia. Rock
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