The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-09-26
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BIG RAILWAY LINES

BIG |: [: RAILWAY LINES
HILLS BURLINGTON: ROAD DEALT
a STAGGERING BLOW WHEN
CUT OFF FROM CALIFORNIA.
OMAHA, Ncb.. Sept. 26.-The old
rivalry between the Hill and Harri.
man railroad systems between the
Missouri river and the Pacific coast
has broken out afresh and Harrlman's
Southern Pacific has Just dealt Hlll,3
burlington line a staggering blow by
cutting the latter line or from all san
Francisco and California traffic. Con.
ditions are such that neither the In.
terstate Commerce Commission nor
the Federal Courts can interfere In
the fight and from appearances the
rival lines will be permitted to settle
the AFFAIR In their own way. And this
time the fight Is being waged on the
rails, not in the stock market. Tho
entire trans.Misslsslppl country is
the battle field instead Of the narrow
confines OF Wall and Broad streets.
Despite the fact that this is the
most utantlc struggle the western
railroad world has known for 20
years, 1t Is being waged so silently
that the public is scarcely aware that
the big rivals are no longer standing
together and working tremendously,
as they have done in the past decade.
The cause of the fight Is the owner.
ship OF simple $3.50 on each ticket
sold by the eastern lines. to the Pacific
coast. but the eject produced is tire.
mendous. And still greater effects
are promised by the generals in com.
mand OF the campaign.
The situation is complicated by the
fact that Hill, in the fight, has the US.
sistance of the big Rock Island rail-.
road, which is in position similar
to Burlington, while Western Pacific,
the new Gould road to the Pacific, is
aiding Southern Pacific. Union Pa.
ciflt, main trunk OF the Hartman sys.
TEN. Is, in the present rracas, only a
Cooker on" and a bystander, and is
taking no part In the struggle. How.
ever, tho latter road is reaplng a gold.
en- harvest while the other lines
"scran" among themselves.
In fact. because OF the big fight, I'm.
ion Pacific today is the only railroad
operating through trains between Chi.
cago and ST. Louis, and San Francisco
which traverse the central portion OF
the, .cQlntry,, !. a. 49,.
1, The trouble begun brewing year
ago when the Interstate Commerce
Commission ordered Southern Pacific
and other roads to reduce fare from
Ogden to the Pacific coast from $50 to
SIS, but did not order a reduction OF
the through fare from Missouri river
points 10 the coast. At that time, and
for 10 years previous thereto, through
cars had been operated over Burllng.
ton and Rock Island lines rs far as
Denver, thence over Rio Grande to Og.
den. where they were turned over to
Southern Pacific for the haul to the
coast. AT that time tho roads. east
and west of Ogden simply cut the rate
in two. parts, each taking an cqual-por
ton. When the Interstate Commerce
Commissions new rate was ordered.
Southern Pacific demanded that the
eastern lines continue TO accept the
same proportion as formerly accent
ed, but both Burlington and Rock
Island lines refused and demanded o
higher percentage of tho cost of the
ticket.
:, For almost twelve months the traf
fic officials of the different systems
involved have been seeking an adjust
ment, but last week "a crisis was
reached and outhern Pacific notified
both Burlington and Rock Island sys
tens that the cars formerly operated
over thosc roads would no longer be
accepted from them, and that in fu
ture all this traffic would be handed
over to Union Pacific, which has made
no demands for. an increased percent
age OF the receipts.
Accordingly, both Burlington and
Rock Island have been forced to dis
continue all through cars to. eCalifor
MIA via Denver, and alt Lake and the
great traffic once enjoyed by these
roads is now being hauled BY Union
Pacific. The two systems which have
found their coast business practically
ruined by the arbitrary action Of the
Southern Pacific: have not yet fonnt
a way to come back mt the latter
line, but are promising that theil
next move will make the Harrimsr
peopleSsit up and take notice:
Doth Burlington and Rock Islant