The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-12-17
STEEL TRUST MAY
BE INTERESTED
Ii Is Rumored that the VI j. A. n c.
Has Been Purchased and VIII
Be Extended To -. Louis
and New Orleans. La

| On last Sunday The Dispatch pub
lished a story giving a runor that
has been current here for some time
to the effect that there is a scheme
on foot TO establish a through line
of railroad between St Louis and New
Orleans and that Columbus vas or
the contemplated route. Information
secured after the article was written
seems to indicate that the United
States Steel Corporation Is back og
the enterprise. and that there viii
be a through line between the Two
cities mentioned above. with a branch
running from Birmingham to . point
on the main line. and that Columbus
will be on this branch.
The provisions Of the sherman anti
trust law prohibit railroads from Civ
ing rebates 10 manufacturers or other
corporations. and il seems that the
United States Steel Corporation Is 10
branch out into the railroad business
Rumor has il that the company Of
which William Ellis Corey is presf-
dent has purchased the Mobile, Jack
son & Kansas City Railroad. aud will
make extensions at both ends which
viii give a through line from So.
son & Kansas City Railroad nov runs
from Mobile 10 Middleton. Tenn. and
il is said that the line is 20 be ex-
tended from Middleton To ST. Louis
and from Mobile 10 New Orleans
IL is also stated that a branch viii
be built 10 the Alabama coal fields.
where the company has large hold
ings. this branch running from Re
form. a small town in Choctaw coun-
ty, through which the main line runs.
10 Birmingham. by way of STARK vile
and Columbus
A special conveying the above in
formation was sent out from Coium-
bus last week. copies having been
sent 10 four OF the leading dailies
in this section. The Memphis News
Scimitar, one OF the papers % which
the special was sent. wired its Nsw
York correspondent 10 i investigate
the rumor, and the correspondent
called on the treasurer OF one of the
companies mentioned. who deniet
that any sale had been made or that
negotiations for the purchase of the
road were pending. The Birmingham
Ledger. another one OF the papers
20 which the special Was sent. refer
red the matter 20 its BesSemer corre-
spondent for investigation. and the
result OF his inquiries seems 20 shoW
that the rumor regarding the pro
posed line Is well founded The re-
port or the Bessemer man follows
The reports for the past several
months through the Bessemer col
umns OF the Ledger in reference 10
activity OF corps OF engineers west
OF Bessemer and to~a, the uouth
OF Valley creek. are 10 q certain ex-
tent cleared up BY = telegram from
Columbus, Miss. which gives an idea
OF what is contemplated for the dis
trsct. II vas known that the engin-
GERS were representing the United
States Steel Corporation. but time
and again il was said that the worS
was for locating and plating the
holdings OF the company but the
telegram gives out the statement that
new railroad IS contemplated for
the district. There seems 70 be 70
doubt that the steel corporation IN
tends to go into the railroad business
IN this section. and not many weeks
ago a rumor was circulated that the
corporation was making efforts TO
acquire the Mineral road from the
Louisville & Nashville Railroad