The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-12
GRAF trail. LEADS
TO RYAN'S OFFICE
Financicr Himself Probably Will
Be Under Fire of State
Investigators.
MYSTERY IN RAILROAD DEALS
---------t----
Maze Of Companies Covered iii
Path to Albany Grant OF
Transportation Charter.
MYSTERY in RAILROAD DEALS

New York, September 11.--A stud.
of the history of the New York Trans
portation Company, over which scan
Gals are being exposed by the legis
Iative investigating committee, show!
that the trail of corruption leads al
rectly into the Offices OF Thomas L
Ryan. 1t is believed that before the
committee closes It's Investigation no,
only II. II. Vreeland and Henry a
Robinson, whose names figure III mys
terious credits to the accounts OF leg
islators with the defunct brokerage
firm of IEllingwood 81 Cunningham
will be before the committee to tell
why these deposits We're made 10y
them, but also that Ryan Will have &c
vince under the fire of Judge M. LINZ
Bruce the committees chief counse1
Not until Ryan got control OIL the
company does it appear from the RECORD
that the normal course of legislation
MT Albany was interfered with in the
company's behalf. Until then the Fifth
Avenue Coach Company was the cor
noration,s sole asset This corpora
.tion operated a line Of stage coaches
up Fifth Avenue from Washington
square through the Fashionable resi-
dence section of Manhattan TO Last
Eighty ninth Street,
Charter Forced Through.
1-,der Rvan's faclle manipulation the
,,d r,fth Avenue Coach Company pc
came mere subsidiary OF larsei
CORPORATION into which 1T was seel 80, ets
merged. the New York Transpol 80
Company. Just when Ryans touch ~ ~, -
,yas laid upon the concern cannot ps
,,o.rrate,v ascertained. The chain OF
avants that led up to that is conce,l.cu
IN maze of transfers and col'so''a
tions of holding interests IL 10 az.
narent however, that Ryan was
master hand that forced throusn -, =
legislature the special Charter ~, 49,
New York Transportation ~ :.
that bestows upon that corpora ". -
privilege to use every stree. -
haitian. ,ts se,zure
The only legal check upon its se,ao, -
of any thoroughfare on .he ST. 80 +,,e
the Public Service COMMISSION ,,,,,or.
First District. The commission NM
ia tic authority from the old slass
Iailrond Commission board maue no ~.
torions nv its easy-going and men.
,,tant methods, The city authoritieS
ahso,,,tely powerless In the prem
Uses.
In the financial crash that car lev
down the metropolitan Securities On
many. RYAN was afforded iluet
sirad chance to wash his hahas "a
avervth,ng connected with the ne"
y,r,s TRANSPORTATION Company pg 'ns
.,onai,ars of the Securities Company
sailing the Transportation Company =
the Interborough. In the financial uis
4rict II is said that in this transac'iot
Evan left Belmont with the nag &c
hold inst as he did when ne sa"ea
Off, all his surface line system on the
1nterborough. The latter company 70
day owns and operates the coach 49,
md the taxicab service that Is part "
the enlarged corporations assels'
The Joint ,nanipulations several years
.go NJ RYAN and the late William G.
Whitner. of the Electric Storage Bat
+erv Company. through which they OBJ
4 oined control of the Electric Vehicle
Company, form part of the initial his
tory of Ryans connection with the
TRANSPORTATION Company. 1t was
through this means that he was ena-
ing a connection with the Sixth Avenue
Company and merge 1t with the larger
concern, in the stock of which state
legislators, "amenable to the voice or
reason" as the phrase now goes. are
known to have operated actively and
eagerly after they had put through at
Albany the deAired legislation.
Regain With 100000 Capital.
The parent corporation was the Fifth
Avenue Transportation Company, Linn
tied. This concern obtained special
charter from the Legislature In 1885
to run coaches from Washington
Square up Fifth Avenue to Eighty
ninth Street. with the privilege OF MAX
In ga connection with the Sixth Avenue
Elevated at the Blocker Street Sta
ton. Its main purpose then was to
accommodate the wealthy classes of
the exclusive sections through which
1t ran
1t started with capital of $4,000.
The petition sent to the Legislature In
behalf of the original charter contained
the names of nearly all of the Four
Hundred of that day. In 1889 the orig
inal charter was amended, extending
the route through Canal and West
Streets TO the Desbrosses Street Ferry,
and also through Thirteenth Street ana
University Place to Broadway. 1t was
foreclosed in 1895 and sold to Ward
Campbell for s1o,45o. Campbell formed
the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, un-
der which name the concern became G
subsidiary of the New York Transport
tation Company. and sold the property
to the company he had formed for
$4,000.
Wide Privileges In Charter.
IT. appears that this latter transac-
ton signalizcd the entrance of Ryan
into the affairs OF the company, IT
two years the company was incorpo