Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-23
What stiIIwen nid.

SAo
When In the early '9Os Stillwell started
to build the Kansas City. Pittsburg & Gulf
railroad from Omaha to Port Arthur tho
people of Omaha and Kansas City thought
they saw in that line a proposition which
would force a reduction to the east and
west rates by competition because the gulf
is much nearer to Omaha than either the
Atlantic or Pacific seaboards. Things did
not run smooth for Mr.. Stilwell and he soon
lost control of that road and Mr.. Harri-
man gobbled up sufficient of the stock that
he was able practically to dismantle the
line between Omaha and Kansas City. The
Quincy, Omaha G. Kansas City. which was
part of that scheme, is now under the con-
troll of the Burlington and is operated as
an independent line. The Omaha & st.
Louis line, which was another part Of the
scheme, is now a part OF the Wabash be-
tween Omaha and st. Louis. The Port
Arthur line is now owned by the Dutch syn
dicate and is quite a lumber and oil line,
passing through the Beaumont oil fields
and running between Kansas City and
Port Arthur.
! The Frisco was another line which was
making inroads on tho business of the
transcontinentals and 1t was bought up by
the Rock Island system.
Rumors are always flying around that
this road or the other has absorbed the
Katy line, but these all turned out wrong
and the Katy is still independent, although
it is believed to be OF the market. Large
sums are spent annually in improving It,
the territory through which it passes Is
constantly developing and the capitalists
who now want to buy will nave to pay a
much larger price than several years ago.
Valuable TrackREe Contracts.
The Katy has valuable trackage contracts
with the Burlington and enjoys Unlimited
privileges between st. Louis and the coun,
try north as far as Alton, with trackag,
across the Mississippi at Alton. 1t connect.
with the Burlington at Hannibal and a
Kansas City with ALI the roads. 1t ther
runs through the biggest towns OF Okla
homa and Texas and its SOP miles has az
outlet at the gulf at Galveston. It is nov
thought that Rockefeller has a controlling
interest in the road. Persistent rumori
have floated around during the last twent,
years at different times that Hill haC
bought the Katy. but these have all beer
denied and now that Mr.. Hill has bough
the Colorado & Southern these rumors prob
ably will be set at rest.
The Mobile & Ohio, a north and south
line running between st. Louis and Mobile
a distance OF GAG miles with branches max.
ing a total of 1000 miles. was absorbed BY
the Southern railway in 1900. The Southern
is dominated by ]. Pierpont Morgan. The
Southern runs from Norfolk and Washing.
ton to st. Louis, Little Rock, Memphis
Greenville and Mobile so that the Mobile &
Ohio was a connecting link between the
western terminals of this big system which
spreads its lines all over the south.
TIL Wisconsin Central Is another nortl
and south line which has recently beer
absorbed. having been bought by the Gin.
%cinnati, Hamilton & Dayton. which is con.
trolled by the Bradford interests. The
Burlington. Cedar Rapids & Northern wa,
another north and south line of some
prominence which was taken over by the
Rock Island system
Always IN the Market.
One road which constantly stays on the
market is the Minneapolis & st. Louis and
also the Iowa Central OF which Edwin
Hawley Is president, These lines connect
Minneapolis with central Iowa and then con.
meet with st. Louis and Kansas City by
means of the Wabash. Omaha. Chicago
and Sioux City are reached by the Illinois
Central 1t has often been thought that
Mr.. Hartman would buy these lines.
For years the Illinois Central Fsmained a