The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-08
RAILROAD NEWS.
Hartman Is Said to Have Sc
cured Santa Fe.
Despite DeniaIs Union Pacific
lis Said to Have Control.
CLOSE ALLIANCE PLAN.
Merger Would Be Prevented by
Fact That Roads Are Parallel
Gossip and Matters of Interest
In Railroad Circles.
CLOSE ALLIANCE PLAN.

Chicago railroad men yesterday de-
ciared that Z. H. Hartman and his
friends have secured enough of the
Atchison stock TO give the Union PACING
interests a working control of the road
This conclusion was reached on reliable
authority, and in spite of the denial of
President Ripley that a change was in
contemplation. 1t was learned that a
block of from 80, 600 to 500, 900 shares of
Atchison stock was secured by a man
heavily interested in Union Pacific.
Buying of Atchison stock in the in
terest of Hartman has been going on
during the last six months, and there IS
no telling how large the amount held
now is. The total of Atchison stock
outstanding is 2,16l,55O shares, repre-
senting a par value of $114,1y9,53O OF
preferred and $101, $50, 500 of common, or
u total of $216, 155,03O.
The annual meeting of the stockhold-
erS of the Atchison will be held in To-
peka next week and il will then develop
what truth there is in the reports that
the Union Pacific practically controls
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fee
Railway company. The opinion is that
Hartman will secure representation on
the Atchison board of directors. 1t IS
not believed he desires absolute control
of the Atchison, but means to hold an
interest large enough to enable him to
dictate its policy and bring about as
close an dIldQCG between the OAlAOA
and Southern Pacific and Atchisen as
possibly can be made without coming
into conflict with the antitrust law
The Atchison parallels the Union and
Southern Pacific railroads all the way
from the Missouri river to the coast,
and the ruling of the United States su-
preme court in the Northern Securities
case, il is believed, would hold good in
this instance if a consolidation of the
Atchison with the Union and Southern
Pacific was attempted
The Union and Southern Pacific and
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Re at
present are the only transcOntinental
terminal lines in California They prac-
tically have monopoly of the state
terminal traffic, and il is of the utmost
importance TO them that the closest re-
lations be maintained to secure good
rates and prevent invasion of territory
by other interests.
Ever since the Atchison secured its
outlet to San Francisco close traffic re-
lations have been maintained between
it and the Hartman lines. practically
amounting to d pool The Santa Fe
uses the Southern Pacific tracks from
MojaVe to Bakersfield, and also runs
its principal through passenger trains
from Los Angeles to San Francisco
over the Southern Pacific's coast line.
aGould's scheme is to secure an indie
pendent outlet to the Pacific coast by
building the Western Pacific railroad
from Salt Lake to San Francisco is
believed to be responsible for Harri- |
mans determination to secure an IN |
tereSt in the AtchiSon. The Gould plan |
has taken definite shape. The surveys |
all have been made and considerable /
preliminary work has been done.
With the AtchiSon closely allied with |
the Union and Southern Pacific and
able to dictate the formers policy, |
Hartman will be in a position to con- |
vince Gould that if the latter should /
carry out his project of extending his I
Rio Grande road to the coast he will
have to meet such competition as |
would make his investment exceeding
ly Improbable.