The Washington herald., 1908-08-30
Railroads Cut Geographical
Boundaries III Two.
MAKE ONE VAST COUNTRY
Mississippi River As an East and
West Division, and the Ohio and
Potomac ns n North and south
Line Is No Longer Regarded in
Railroad Classification.

0e4SA VI various community OF interest
features for which there is no longer the
necessity prevailing before the new rate
law became effective.
For long period and by common con
sent old geographical lines caused desig-
nation OF American railroads. which
grouped them in certain several great di-
visions So II became customary TO speak
OF them as the New England roads. the
Trunk Lines, the Southern. Southwestern
and Northwestern roads. and the Pacifcs.
FOR reasons stated a gradual obIitera-
tlon OF those lines has been going on
that has been steadily depriving them
OF the significance they had Hence
! the time IS rapidly coming when the
territory Of the several transportation
| systems Of the country cannot be rea-
sonably or properly spoken OF as it has
/ been. unless it should be in a loose.
] reminiscent sort Of way.
The most arbitrary OF the geographical
lines referred 10 has been the Mississippi
River. which divided railroad territory
into East and West. each OF which had its
respective subdivisions. the Mississippi
River. however. remaining the line be-
yond which the railroads in either section
would not undertake to extend Il is quite
different now, and is likely 10 become Of
less consequence or consideration. ac-
eording 20 the extent that il Is disre-
garded by enc system after another.
Wabash Was Abnormal.
For many years the Wabash was ab-
normal among railroads lying both
east and west OF the Mississip25. It ran
from Toledo. Ohio. on the Lakes 10
Omaha. Nebr- II could be neither defined
nor classified and bafied comparisons
with competitive roads on either side Of
the Mississippi The new FiavIey system,
comprising the Minneapolis and St Louis
the Iowa Central the Colorado and South I
ern. the Toledo. ST. Louis and Western. /
and the Chicago and Alton is now in I
much the same geographical position In I
due time. probably. following the ex-
ample Of the Goulds with the Wabash. !
an outlet 20 Atlantic tidewater VIII be I
sought
The Rock Island a few years ago was 4
distinctly a Western road. grange
Il has absorbed. among other properties.
the st Louis and san Francisco which I
already reaches Birmingham. Ala. and
VIII soon have an outlet 10 the seaboard.
crossing Southern territory east and west.
Il IS not Improbable that control Of the
Central Of Georgia viii turn I'D in the
hands Of the Rock Island people II this
does not happen. a connection 20 the
seaboard VIII be made with the new At
ianta- Birmingham. and Atlantic An i'm
portant part OF the Rock Island system 3
therefore. VIII lie in Southern railroad
territory
Changes in the south.
The southern railroads formerly occu-
pied very clearly defined geographical
iivision oS the country Anything living
south Of the Ohio and Potomac rivers
and east of the Mississippi was a South
srn road. so classified. but now II the
Southern roads complain that their ter ,
1tory is being invaded contrary 10 all ,
traditions. the invaders ike the Rock
Island system. might aptly retort that the y
southern railroads themselves were among ?
ne first 10 disregard geographical lines
n reaching north 10 the Lakes. The
southern and the Louisville and Nash
1lle. the two most important systems in 5
he south went outside their traditional !
erritory wnsn they jointly bought con Q
rol Of the old Monon. which took them 70 il
,hicago. g
The Seaboard Air Line system hitherto 4
tstinctiveIy of the Southern properties. is u
ushing its way norIhwestsrIy through
ONE rich coal fields toward the Ohio &
river, and viii ultimately. no doubt. Y
each the Lakes
Between the Northwestern granger roads lC
nd the Paci6cs there is not a definite ?
ne Of demarCati0n- The St Paul has q
cached the limit Of its growth as a II
'orthwestern granger road and Is pushing
eastward 70 the Pacific. The Burlington =
oubtless would find itself face 10 face o.
18th the same alternative were IL not :
rejected BY its relations with Mr. HIS y
1tlets TO the Pacific. and even so Mr.. ~
III nnds Il necessary TO have additional =
Itlets 10 the Pacific
Rock Island Goes East.
The Rock Island. as We have seen. took Cd
s course eastward through Southern q
.rritory to the Atlantic seaboard. while :,
le St Paul takes its course westward -
the Pacific The Missouri Pacific h.
rmerly Southwestern system only. and
le Denver and Rio Grande. formerly q
II Western road and Iandlocked. VIII re- Tsp
ain such in name only. as with the
'mpletion Of the Western Pacific from ty
Ut Lake to San Francisco. the Could St
stem VIII stretch from ocean to ocean 81
The New England territory has more 81
'ariy preserved its lines than any other. ns
wing probably TO its geographical isola- st
IN. but the Eastern trunk lines are -
1wly encroaching upon It. -,
So II Is seen that railroad EXPANSION =
ter al has had no great respect for be
divisions OF territory that =.
2 railroads have tended 70 expand along a,
les Of least resistance. and that in most -
ses the expansion has been toward e
liter outlets The necessity for water -
tlets became so imperative in the case =
the Gould lines that George Gould III
lgle-handed fought the Pennsylvania III
W York Central combination on one III
nd. and the Hartman combination on II
? other, and reached simultaneously
: tidewaJer on both sides Of the con III