The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-09-05
-F0RESEES MERGER
Of IOWA LINES
THINK IOWA CENTRAL WILL BE
COMBINED WITH ALTON.
CONNECTING LINK NECESSARY.
oskaloosa to be Junction Point.-No
Objection To Merger, As Lines
Are Not Parallel Nor
~ Competing,


II f
Des Moines, September 2.-Iowa
railroad men are much interested in
the gossip from New York to the eff
feet that the recent purchase Of the
Chicago & Alton railway by the Glover
Leaf | the first move in plan TO
merge the two lines named with the
Iova Central and M. & st. L., forming
one system with about 5000 miles of
track The new system is TO be DOM
mated, according to eastern gossip. by
the Hawley interests, of which Edwin
M. Hawley ~ the leader.
If the merger is effected, 1t will un-
doubtedly result in the building of a
connecting linz between the southern
terminus of the NJ. & st. L. in Des
Moines and the Iowa Central, the
junction point to be at Oskaloosa. The
Iowa Central now has branch to
Newton, and it II possible that this
may be extended to Des Moines, a
distance of about tnirty-fve miles. A
few years ago, prior to electrifying OF
the Newton & Northwestern, there
was gossip to the effect tnat Hawley
might buy it and connect up his lines,
but this opportunity mas slipped by
and about the only. way TO secure the
connection Is by building.
The Iowa Central now connects with
the Chicago & Alton at Peoria, sc
that the connecting Of The Central
and the NJ & st. l.. would give the
new system more direct route to tle
northwest for business that does mol
have to pass through the Twin cities.
Mileage Of New SYSTEM
The Hawley interests which contro
the Glover Leaf and now the Chicago
& Altol also control tn 'owa Contra
and the Minneapolis & st. Louis. A
compact system will be organized
eventually of the four roads, having
the following mileage:
Glover Leaf .............. .54l mile!
Chicago & Altol. .......... $40 mile'
Minneapolis & ST. Louis. .799 miles
Iowa central ..............569 miles
The new president of the system
when it is organized, probably will b.
Edwin Hawley, who Is financial fac
tor in the Glover Leaf, together will
T. P. Shonts w. A. Read and Thomas
H. Hubbard Associated with MI
Hawley IN the Chicago & Alton dea
also is Henry e. Huntington, nephew
of the late Colts P. Huntington. Haw
ley some ten years ago was in cnarg'
of traffic for the Southern Pacific un
der G. p. Huntington. 7. H. Hubba-'
and Henry Huntington represent al
that is left of the old G. P. Hunting
ton power in Wall street.
Until the four roads are organizer
into one system, the management Q
the different lines will be made har
monious and close traffic relations VIII
be established among them. Their
will be no objection to the merge
inasmuch as the lines are no. parable
and competing.
Big Revenue Producer.
A Kansas City dispatch says:
For forty years the Alton has bee;
one of the heaviest local freight line
in the country. 1t has not line @
track that is not a big revenue pre-
Queer The Glover Leaf is also
strong freight line 1t has close rels
ton with the Erie railroad for Aslanti
coast traffic and connects with tn
Vanderbilt lines at Toledo. Tn
freight earnings of ne Glover Lea
per mile last year compare favorabl
with the earnings of the western raj
roads.
The Glover Leaf has valuable tel
minals at Toledo and is a joint owl
err with the Grand Trunk railroad {
the line from Toledo to Detroi
Through lreIght to and from Kansa
City would not have TO enter st. LouiH
the transfer between the Alton an
Glover Leaf tracks being made at A
ton, Ill.
If by means of the Alton railroa
the Clover Leaf can become a con
petitor for the freight business orii
ilating here and brought here b
western railroads, it may make tn
ClOYeT Dedl ldCtOi III pan lOl
new transcontinental railroad. Tn
connection would be established b
linking the Glover Leaf with the Fri
which would make a through lin
from Kansas City to New York Cit,
The taking over of the Chicago
Alton by the Glover Leaf seems
great deal like 1.-THE tail wagging tn
dog" The Alton Is $40 miles lol
and the Clover Leaf has BAL miles {
track. The Alton breaches Chicago
Springfield, ST. Louis and Kansas Cit
while the Glover Leaf has terminal
at Detroit, Toledo ana st. Louf'. Tn
Alton has system capitalized {
$11L000,O00 Eadthe Glover Leaf {
sS0,O00,0oO. A road takes over al
other that has twice the mileage
the buying road and nearly four time
the capitalization of the purchaser.