The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-09-09
VANDERBILT SYSTEM
Something of the Vast Net Work OF
Roads Under Their control-lt Is
to Enter This Section.

As Greene county's railroad devel.
opment eem to have shifted from
the Gould to the vanderbilts. for
keeps, a review of the company we
are about to get into may prove both
interesting and instructive.
1. Cornelius Vanderbilt, commonly
called commodore, was born on Staten
Island. N. Y, 1894. At the age of 10
he embarked in the ferry business;
later lie became a steamboat owner
and at the breaking out of the Civil
war, he presented the government
with the steamer Vanderbilt valued
at $S00,000 He was the first man to
see the future of railroad transporta.
ton and he established the New York
Central. which, considering its New
York City terminals. and its II, 900
miles of ramified lines in the richest
part Of the United States. is the most
valuable transportation property In
the world. The proof of its central
location Is found in the fact, that
over one.half of the population of the
U. s. lives within the territory Gov
cred by the Vanderbilt lines. Added
to this, is the fact that the Vanderbilt.
steamboats, plow all of the great Lakes.
with the speed and capacity of ri.
gantic freight trains, multiplied many
times.
2. In 1881 the New York Central
railroad was but II miles in length
now 1t takes in Boston, New York.
Albany. Montreal. Buffalo. Toronto,
Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Mackinaw
City, Milwaukee, Chicago, Clinton.
Peoria, st. Louis, Cairo, indianapolis.
Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus.
Wheeling, Pittsburg. Staunton, Rich
mond, Norfolk and Washington City.
besides a thousand intermediate
points.
To this enumeration, there should
be added the spheres Of Vanderbilt
influence" which would take In the
whole Northwest, with the Chicago
6 Northwestern system and its
branches of 5000 miles. reaching as
far as Wyoming. piercing the Black
Hills, and pushing its docks from Du.
luth into Lake Superior. 1t also lines
up with the st. Paul, and Alton, and
Union Pacific, and Burlington. In
fact the New York Central, the Lake
Shore, the Michigan Central, the Big
-Four, are on traffic terms with every
body's railroad that carries a solitary
passenger or a single pound Of freight.
1t is not a pirate but a personal sys-
TEN, consolidated and a~rticulated to
the highest possible point of eff.
cheney. ItAcan take care Of itself, jol.
lily well, but prefers not to fight.
The Vanderbilt system threads the
Mississippi and Missouri river valleys,
the grain-growing centre Of the Uni.
ted States. Grain is so per cent. Of
the eastbound business Of the Lake
Shore road from Chicago, but the In.
dustrial activities of Indiana, Michi.
gan. Ohio and Pennsylvania are such
that this enormous item is but 8 per
cent OF tht total business Of the Lake
Shore. 2o0,0O0.0oO bushels Of grain
pass through the Chicago gateway,
every year and the yanderbilts have
four lines into the Windy City.
4. 1t will be seen by this cursory
review Of the situation" that IL the
Vanderbilts construct their southern
line to Norfolk, it will open up, lit
orally. oceans Of trade, for the port
is n Of the most important in the
United States. The harbor is excel
lent, being %capacious, safe accessible.
and its entrance defended by two
strong forts. II Waynesburg should
be so fortunate as to be connected up
with this great system, as the Times
believes she will be, our calling and
election will be assured and better
served. than IL the Gould system had
been extended through here to Bal.
timore as designated and promised. In
the meantime well work and pray
that the Little Kanawna railroad cat
may jump u way and light squarely
on all ~fours.-Waynesburg Times.
BALTIMORE & OHIO RAILROAD.
Ntch+ Ex. I.