The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-04
RAIL RO ADS
BY HALE
Ex-President of New Haven
Wrote of Joy Line Competition.
Trial of Eleven Railway Dfrec-
tors DragS On i'm East.

New York, Nov 4.-The alleged ef-
forts of the New York, New Haven &
Hartford railroad, to crush out the
competition of the Joy Steamship
| today in the testimony being pre-
sented by the government to prove
that William Rockefeller, and ten
other directors of the road, are guilty
of having conspired to monopolize the
transportation of New England. The
government alleges this line was
eventually acquired by the New Haven
and secretly operated as an indepen-
dent to drive another independent
line out of business The testimony
today which consisted chiefly of the
reading of letters written by the late
John NJ. Hall, president of the New
Haven, was intended to show how the
competition of the Joy line between
New York and Providence became in
1900, a thorn in the side of the New
Haven.
On July 8, 1900, Hall wrote to ].
W. Miller, the New Haven marine SUI
perintendent in New York that this
(the Joy line) competition is getting
serious and will have to be treated in
some way, although it is difficult, in
view of the state of public feeling in
Providence"
On July 10, Hall wrote to Edward
G. auckland, an attorney represent
ing the New Haven in Providence in
reference to criticism of the New
Haven by the PrOVlQencG journal ana
stated that the New Haven would re-
duce it's steamboat fare from that city
to New York to one dollar.
The wicked Journal will probably
say" wrote the New Haven president,
that this is done to crush out the
business of the Joy line but you and
know we have only yielded to the
urgent demand of the people of Provi-
dence for cheaper service. If queS-
toned avoid any allusion to the Joy
n statement
that we are putting this service in to
interfere with them. Say we are sim
ply trying an experiment to see II the
people appreciate cheap excursion
service"
On the same day Hall wrote to j.
M. Williams, general freight agent of
Boston, that the New Haven was put
ting on the steamship Massachusetts
rate, in competition with the Joy line
steamer Martinique and on schedule
that would bring it to it's destination,
a little ahead of the Martinique.
"Of course, you do not know any
thing about the Joy line in this mat
ter the letter added.
A few months later a proposition TO
sell the Joy line to the New Haven
came up but was not acted upon al
that time, according to correspondence
that passed between Hall and Charles
F. Brooker of Ansonia, Conn.,, one of
the defendant directors. BROKER on
November 81 wrote to Hall:
do you want to say anything about
the Joy line? Am told outside parties
are negotiating with Dumbaugh
(president of the Joy lne). If you
want to look into it, let me know"
1--WE certainly. do not want to buy
the Joy line Hall replied in a letter
two days later, giving as reason that
it had nothing to sell but "one dilapl-
dated steamer and the lease of half
dock"
"But we will make it exceedingly
warm" he added, for anybody who
does buy it, as long as this opposi-
ton continues"
The introduction of the letters,
which were read by James w. Os-
borne one of the attorneys for the
was preceded by a heat
ed wrangle among counsel as to the
right of the defense to cross-exam1ne
a witness on the contents OF docu-
ments relating to Joy line transactions,
which he had been asked by the gov
eminent merely to identify. Judge
Hunt ruled against cross examination
OF this time