The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-02-23


dell. Of tho oregon Railroad a Nayisa-
ton Company waA IN this city, from
Portland, and before noon current Gos-
sip nad him IN fun possession of all
the details Of the bushes " the Cor
Wallis and Eastern road. which, II II
aald Mr.. Hartman has just purchased.
He ala not stay long enough 10 deny
the story but went back 10 Portland
on last evenings train 10 be once
again In the precincts Of the truth, M
told by the newspapers anyway The
Corvallis and Eastern. Il must be un-
dorstood IN, or was, a Hammond pro-
perty and its books ARE kept here, along
with the business data 0f the Astoria
and Columbia River road.
The regular quadre.annua sales Of
these two properties are now afoot and
the press ~ tho state IL IN clover. be-
cause when those frequent market
ugs Of the famous cross country lines
are under negotiation every paper has
It's daily pabulum Of conjecture AMI
counter conjecture ana the reader en-
joys II too.
There IN on" noticeable feature OF
the current sales, and that Ia the utter
Indifference Of the A. and G. AMI Cnnd
H. officers and employees In this city.
II might be supposed that they would
eylnce some interest In the rumor5 that
predicate dismissal or other radical
have become insured 10 the scare and
none Of them 10 much as turn n hair,
nor lose IA fraction Of their studied
railway poise, these days. II is said
Of them here that they would not be-
licvc Il II II were really so, and would
have 10 be mandamussed out OF their
Offices. II they were demanded by the
purchnscrs representatives. Gen Man
ager Talbo;s cool and cc&fHc!ns u
know nothing about IT." Superinten-
dent John McGuire's explosive Lord,
man. there's nothing TO IT," Auditor F,
u kucttner's suavc We'll. now who
told you that foolishness?" and J. c.
Mayo's dIsgusted Same old tiresome
gag" are trltc sayings hercabout. and
every reporter knows them by heart
when he " sent to the railway build
ing for news,
Every time an Eastern railway mag
nate makes a trip to the oregon coant
he buys thea Il e. as he passes over
II and before he can get back TO Port
land. the New York market is in a
furry. President Stckney, Of the
Maple Lear took run to Seaside a
oat Of re Union Depot at PJrtland he
wns busy denying - g" Of his p
chase OF the property out of hand; and
" II goes. Now. Of course, we have
the only, the last, genuine, real and
bona fide sale OF the two roads, and
while both items lack the one essen
tlal of confirmation and are not yet
quite free from reasonable doubt and
dispute, II Is safe to husband the final
conclusions that Mr. Hill has bought
the Columbia river route, and Mr..
Hartman, the YaquIna system, even
if you have to divorce yourself again
tomorrow,
Here in the Astorian office there Is
always quote Of this sort of stuff
kept in type to save time waen the
next and certain rumor rolls In and 1t
Is n mere matter of changing names
Of buyers, the rest of the denial fitting
In to a nicely with the subsequent de-
One grave trouble has arisen in the
sale OF the A. and c. r, r. to Mr.. Hill,
and that is, why has Mr.. Hammond
permitted so much and so sudden pub
lefty in the case Of Mr. Harrimans
purchase OF the lower road while even
vet the vexatious veil of silence and
loubt Is woven over the facts of the
Hill buy? 1t is hardly fair to an anx-
ous public and the over worked re-
let alone the spectators on
the qui vive for accentuated, affirma-
tive testimony Can 1t be possible that
the Empire Builder" intends to un-
load on the COLOSSUS of Rhodes" and
break him at one sitting?
All else failing in these 1uxto-rami-
fications there is still at hand the last
supreme advantage awaiting the peo-
pie of Astoria that the Port of Colum-
bia may buy the Columbia line for the
sheer convenience 1t will be in trans
porting supplies and pilots and sealed
orders between Portland and Tongue
Point when 1t shall get that gigantic
in full working order: not
at all a problematical proposition when
one measures its almost limitless pow
ors and alIaped drastic propaganda. |