The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-05-24
sEABoaRD AND 'FsIsCo.
Two Great Railway System Work
ing Together.
Connections to be Built That Will Give
Frisco and Seaboa7d Air Line
Through Line From St. Louis to
Atlanta.

The report that the Tennessee Cen
tral railway system had been absoc bed
by the Frisco and that the later road
would build extensions to connect with
the Seaboard Air Line, thus forming a
new transcontlnental railway system,
has been confirmed by representative
of the Tennessee Central railroad, who
is among the visitors to the T. P. a.
convention in Savannah. Like most
railroad officials he preferred that his
name be not used in connection With
the statement, but was positive in his
story of the consolidation of the sJs-
TENS.
It is an accepted fact among the
Tennessee Central men that lit was
the Frisco which was behiud the
| building of the Tennessee Central and
on the Illinois Genital as was at first
Supposed, % said the official. cit was
the Frisco that put up the money for
the new road and it had control Of
the Tennessee Central from the start.
In fact, the securities OF the new road
were in safe deposit vault in st.
Louis subject to demand of the Frisco
at any time.
The plans of the Frisco system are
to build from Joppa, ILL.,, to the wes.-
ern terminus OF thu Tennessee Gen.
t1sl at Hopkinsvill, Ky. From the
eastern terminus at hartman, Tenn,
connecting road will be bnilt to
Rockville and from there to Sewer
Vile aud across the mountains to
Asheville, N G. This road will be
still further extended to Rutherford
tor, n. c., a terminal point of the
Seaboard Air Line. 1t is certainty
that the Seaboard will become the
eastern factor in the Frisco trans
continental system, as it is well known
that the Frisco owns controlling in
terest the stock OF the Seaboard, or
at least the stock is controlled by the
same interests.
Local officials of the Seaboald will
not talk Of the proposed consolidation
or connection with the 'Friso, say
ing that it did not come under their
departments aad they were ignorant of
matters of tins kind. 1t is the general
belief among railroad men, however,
that the plans are as outlined above.
The building of tie system as plann-
ed would mean an enormous increase
in power for the two great systems.
It would give an entirely new system
across the eastern half of the continent
Joining t--ities west Of the Mls>ls-
s;cpi with those of the Atlantic coast
The Tennessee Central which was
built in the face of strenuous opposi
tion by other roads and which is in
itself but of minor Importance. has
become an important factor in the bat
tie between the powerful system, and
the Frisco, always recognized as one
of the fighting roads of the West, will
Introduce new complication III the
var of the railroads. It is no small
undertaking which as planned py the
Frisco and the Seaboard The con.
Meeting road from Joppa to Hopkins
Vile will be of comparatively SPORT
leneht, but it must bridge the Cum
berland and Tennessee rivers and
e-ablish ferry across the Ohio near
Paducah It is the eastern connections
which will be the greatest problem
and expense.
As the crow flies it IS about 300
miles from hartman to Rutherford
ton, from the scale of the railway
maps, but the road would necessarily
bave much greater mileage than this.
| 1t would pass through the mountain
GUS regions of East Tennessee and
cross the Great Smokes into North
Carolina It would mean an enormous
expense and many engineering prolems
would be encountered, hut with rail
ways today expense is the last thing
to be considered when the desired end
is to be ACCOMPLISHED.
It is b lieved that the Seabord will
take charge of part of the extension
from Rutberfordton toward the West,
but the greater part of the new sys-
tenn will belong to the Frisco. The
two systems would connect all the
greater cities Of the East and West.