The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-26
Railroad News

the Illinois Central Railroad ana Ihe Southern Railway?
 That is q much discussed question among railroad officials all over the country just now and it Is being talked some in Nashville. says The NashVilie American.
 Evidently there is a deal between these two great railroads that has not heen' officially explained but those nearest the official heads of the two roads say that there is nothing in, the way of a consolidation In prospect.
 Tn the past seven or eight months the Illinois Central and Southern Rali- way have made several irn s)rtant 1oine deals, the principal one being the pur- chase of the Tennessee Central Rail road and entering Nashville. This deal. however, is of little more inl- portance than several others that are said to have been made by those roads since the Tennessee Central deal was consuminated
 From Chicago and Birmingham comes the report that the Illinois cen traI has arranged with the southern to enter Birmingham over that me and that over the short line to DC punt there by the Illinois Central the Mobile and Ohio, Southern property, Is also l to enter Birmingham, This will give the Illinois Central one line into Bir- mingham and the Southern practically | five lines.
 Middle tennessee has heretofore I hen off the lines of both these roads and the story has it that one or the purposes in getting possession or the Tennessee Central was to build line | from Nashville to or near Birmingham | connectinr with the several line lead | ing from that place. Then the Illinois Central and the Southern would nave A more direct line to the north from | the great coal and iron producing dis- trict as well as an almost direct lins | from Nashville to New Orleans. l 1t has been a well known fact foi some time that both the Illinois cen l tral and the Southern were not onis | competitors of the Louisville and Nash. vile, but that bitter feeling eAissee between the financiers of the compa' nies. The latest story has 1t that this | feeling has had something to do wltf ! the carly consummation of the plans 1 of the two other roads although th' business opportunity really prompts the building of the new lines.
 | During the year 1905 the Illinois Cen tral has reached east into three m portant centers. two of which, Nash' vile and Birmingham, are important lI,ouisville and Nashville points. Int | II, poiut for the Louisville and Nashville through It's connections from Evans vile and Louisville. The Southern iI buiIdinR its own line from Stevenson l Ala. into Chattanooga to avoid fur ther complications with the Walters l interests. The Louisville and Nhsh vile, to meet the invasions into us ter l ritory. has built line from Birmlng ham to Atlanta and Is now completlns l n Atlanta nFen Iaratory to invading the southeast a' La formidable competitor of the South ern and Central of Georgia.
 To the people in Nashville and Mid de Tennessee the fight for business
 in the southeast is not so interest ing but the plan to build line througi the phosphate fields of Tennessee t'
 Florence and to Birmingham and giv ling another direct line to New Orlean is very interesting. None of the ofh ciaIs of either company VIII dlseus inc matter but all circumstanttal evi dence at hand as well as some actua
 facts bear out the opinion that tn line will be built and that the south ern and Illinois Central have forme' an alliance.
 In New York there is an agene'
 that has played an important part q
 several big railroad deals Tn the pas
 
 lcapital stock of which isnot known pup ncIy. made the sale of the Tennesse Central Railroad to the Southern an' IIllinois Central. A good authority ha 1t that the Illinois Central control l about 51 per cent of the Standard Irus Company and the Southern the otht
 49 per cent. This in manner explain the close relations these two compa
 nies bear each other. On the othe
 hand the Southern and the Louisvill
 and Nashville are closely related Il Tone particular, being joint owners o
 the Monon Route into Chicago. Now
 since inc owners of the southern hay
 become also the owners. or the Gin
 cinnati. Hamilton ard Dayton road,
 is said that the Southern will dispos
 of it's interests in the Monou to tn
 Louisville and Nashville and sever al Interests with that company
 The Southeastern Passenger Assoela tion has announced reduced rates ' | Mobile on account Of the lhlerstat
 Sugar Cane Growers Conventions whlc . will be held there the early part c | February. The rate will De one Tar
 plus 25 cents for the round trlp. TICK ets will be sold on February and
 and will be good returning uhul Fel
 ruary II.
 The Southeastern Passenger Assoela tiop will hold a meeting in Tampa a
 inc Tamna Bay Hotel on February
 Passenger agents of the roads frol i aII o,ay 4be Southeasr will attend th