Evening capital., 1905-04-20
PENNSYLVANIA TOCONE HERE
GREAT SYSTEM TO ESTAB-
LISH A TERMINAL.
Indications That Old Line Viii
Pass Under The Control of
CaSsett-What 1t
May Mean.

teENieWs anu UlScuSSlO0S OF interested
parties in Annapolis and Baltimore
relative to the contemplated electric
road between Annapolis. Washington
and Baltimore, and discussion of the
same there have been developments
of a most startling nature. Facts
have been adduced and conditions con
fronted which will probably spreclude
the possibility of Annapolis securing
an electric road
Better still, however, THE ancient
city is on the eve of having this a
stem terminal of one of the largest
trunk systems in the country. the feed.
er OF main line and the gradual
opening mp of port which years ago
should have been its own. Some of
the gigantic shipping, the export aud
coastwise trade which has been stead
lily going to Baltimore for years will
be diverted to this point.
1t is no mere fancy of the brain.
no chimera OF an overwroked imagi-
nation, but almost an assured fact
which will rebound to the credit of
Annapolis "A thousand fold, which
will lift it from the lethargy of wears
and place 1t in the forefront of what
are practically coast ports and give
AAo RbOIAN Ah Vi ktlIlnk
some OF that money which has been
slipping through their fingers for
years. Such is the nature of the con
templated improvements that thous.
ands of dollars will he expended, the
dream of a Drum Point railroad will
look small in comparison and the flags
of many nations will float from the
masthead of American bottoms This
will be the outcome of the discovery
that the charters, amended aud other
wise, of the contemplated railroad will
prevent the originators of the plan to
make use of the Annapolis, Washing
ton & Baltimore Railroad rights of
way and equipment.
The only possible way by which this
could be done would be to operate
the road under its cid charter of years
ago, when it was known as the An.
napolis q Elk Ridge Railroad. The
charter of the electric road forbids it's
consolidation with any parallel road as
the object of the legislature was to
stimulate competition and not to
strangle it. II the so-called old road
was equipped electrically the fietd
would still remain open for another
road TO come in, to secure a new right
OF way and begin the carrying of pas
sengers while the other was still in a
formative state.
The charter does not permit Of any
consolidation with steam road and
the plans TO electrify the old road and
connect with the semi completed por-
tlon OF the road seems to be entirely
Knocked out and only possible to
change by an act of Legislature, which
would be hard to secure. Just as
these important facts in connection
with the impracticabiIiy of starting
the electric road were being discussed
the Pennsylvania railroad appeared on
the scene. It was found that the
terminal and shipping points in Bal.
timore were inadequate to care for the
great increase of business of the road
and the officials, actuated by no
smoother and more astute raiIroader
than j. j. Cassett himself, turned their
eyes toward Annapolis. The Annapo-
lis a. Baltimore Short Line railroad
was approached in the matter, prices
were discussed and every effort was
made on both sides TO get together.
The Browns, however, were not dying
to sell unless they could secure their
own price. The Pennsylvania. rail
road, on the other hand, did not care
TO pay anything more for the property
than it could help. 1t found the
price of the Browns too high and over
lures were then made TO the owners
of the old line, which is in the hands
of those who took over the properties
of the old line.
They were ready to talk business 1t
took but short time to arrive at the
valuation of the road, the cost of the
valuable fills which had been made on
the part of the line leading from
Washington to Baltimore and any real
or anticipated advance in the yalua-
tion of the old line. The price of
$235, 900 at which the old line had
been held for years was exceeded to a
considerable extent but the PennsyI-
vania people were still ready to talk
business. Several officials were sent
over the line. made a careful inspec-
tion aud must have made favorable
report. At any rate the negotiations
are still on and if there is not some-
thing of an entirely unexpected nature
to interrupt they will be carried to
fruition. That will mean the extern
sion OF the line entirely to tidewater.
the building of large docks to care
AOt COu6tN AcC fAnu lOIClkn
and the use of the new railroad near
Odenton for intermediate yards be-
tween Baltimore and Washington.
1t was the old residents of the city
who stood in the way of these i'm
provements for years, as they did not
want it to become. anything more than
resident section. Times have changed,
however, to such an extent that An
napolisf would welcome with open
arms anything in the nature of i'm
proyements which would provide a
more or less steady income TO large
number of its residents Gossip is also
abroad that IN the event of the Penn
sylyania railroad doing as set forth
above the Baltimore 4 Annapolis
Short Line railroad will replace its
steam equipment with electricity,
give long schedule and operate cars
under a half hour headWay. These
facts are practically authentic and the
chances are that in very few days
the announcement of the contemplat-
ed changes which mean SO much TO
the city will be made known.