New Britain herald., 1915-11-13
NEW HAVEN ROAD
 WENT AFTER MORSE
When Latter Bought Into the
 Metropolitan Line

NeW Ork, NOV. Io.-InaC HreS1-
 dent Theodore Roosevelt's approval
 of the New Havens marine activities | led to important developments in that
 line was shown in the United States
 district court yesterday by document
 ary evidence and the testimony of | Charles S. Mellen. During the day it's star witness as adverse, R. l.. Ratts, special assistant attorney-gen- cral, saying at one stage that he was getting more accurate testimony from the letters than from the wit ness.
 Soon after the presidents o. K. the New Haven bought control of the Windsor Line and sought to obtain absolute stock control in the Mer- chants and Miners, where it owned SC per cent. When c. w. Morse bought into tte Metropolitan Line and started carrying passengers the New Haven went after him. The ambi- ticns of the company grew apace and there was introduced in evidence letter from MT. Mellen in which he wrote of extending the Merchants and Miners Line to Galveston and into the Pacific by way of the Panama Canal. This never materialized be- cause of the Panama Canal act.
 Rejected Morse's Offer.
 After recess MT. Mellen testified that the New Haven board rejected c. w. Morse's offer. He voted for it, but changed his vote before he an- nounced the result and made it unanimous There had been strong protests from many New England or ganizations.
 MT. Batts then turned to the Metro pClitan steamship chapter and the audience in the court room settled lack expecting long and tortuous proceeding in which the name of John l.. Billiard is to appear and the labors of B. D. Robbins develop.
 Up to 1905 the Metropolitan com pany was an "outside" freight line to Boston. The New Haven entered the lists against them when they an- nounced a passenger service also be- tween New York and Boston by building the Harvard and the Yale. First the New Haven started freight line with three new steamers, the Old Colony, the Massachusetts and
  with passenger carriers to succeed the and Yale. Mr. Morse ap- peared in the Metropolitan when it 1 went into the passenger business.
 Various Methods Tried
 When the New Haven went after he Metropolitan line it went into the ight vigorously. Not only were steamers put on. but various other methods were tried. MT. Mellen had ! hay idea that the Metropolitan inc wanted to get Piers IA and 15, North River, New York. The New Navigation Company got hem.
 Evidently the Morse competition was not very profitable to the banker, for MT. Mellen testified that in 1907 | MT. Morse wanted the New Haven to l buy the Harvard and Yale. He made the offer to MT. Mellen directly. l Then came letter from J. c. Whit 1 ney, president of the Merchants and saying that, a ship broker had offered him two other ships of the line. MT. Morse was then in grave difficulties. MT. Mel len wrote back early in 1908 ap- proving the purchase if it could be made to take the boats out of the New York Boston service. Making Headway Against Road.
 The Metropolitan Steamship ip Com pany was making some headway against the New Haven durin 1907 and 1908, and the New Haven lost $45,OOO gross receipts in June, 1908, but later in the year there was di- rector's meeting at which MT. Mellen reported that the Metropolitan people had offered to sell out. A special committee reported against the pur- chase on October 10 of that year. Those two boats were about the only things left of the Morse line, the Merchants and Miners having taken over the freighters.
 Then came a letter from c. B. McGovern to Vice-President Campbell saying that the Metropolitan Steam ship Company was anxious to get. rid of the Harvard and Yale, and Pacific coast interests had raised $1,500,OO0 to buy them. One million more was needed, and MT. McGovern wanted to raise, this by bonds. He desired a friendly word from the New Haven in order to raise the money. MT. Mellen's indorsement on this letter was that his line didn't want to have anything to do with the two steam CTS. There were more negotiations and in a letter to E. B. Van Etten at Los Angeles Mir. Mellen wrote that he had never considered buying the Yale and Harvard for an outside line to Boston. He feared 'frightful disaster" some day, as the route was dangerous.
 The trial will be resumed Monday morning.
 WOMEN'S MEETING.