Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-08-21
RIVER and BAY TRAFFIC n
Decision wal Have. Effect of Open
ing Competition in Water
Transportation

Decision affecting the whole ques-
ION of competition of traffic on Ches-
apeake bay and its tributaries, grant
ing practically all the demands Of the
Baltimore commercial organizations
which insisted upon opening up COM
netition. was handed down yester-
day by the interstate commerce COM
mission.
The Pennsylvania railroad, accord
mo tn this decree, must divorce itself
from it's water lines in Chesapeake
bay, except those between Baltimore
and Love Point and Claiborne, Md,
which the commission holds are ferry
lines of the railroad which operates
to Ocean City, Md, and Rehoboth
! Beach, Del.
| The Baltimore, Chesapeake and At
lantic and the Maryland, Delaware
and Virginia companies, which are
operated by the Pennsylvania rail-
road ownership. under this decision
as explained by counsel for the COM
mercial parties, must dispose of their
properties except as to Claiborne ana
Love Point traffic. These properties
are estimated by counsel here to BIZ
worth about s1O,OOO,0O0:' This rul-'
ing is effective April l, 1916.
The decision of the I. C. c., as
given out says:
Upon the record we do not find
that the existing services by water
. operated by the Baltimore, Chesa-
peake and Atlantic between Balti-
more and points other than Claiborne
on the eastern shore of the Chesa-
peake bay and rivers extending there
from are being operated in the in
terest to the public and are of adj
vantage to the convenience and COM
MERGE of the people, and that an
extension of the time during which
such services may continue will Meth
er exclude. prevent nor reduce COM
petition on these routes by water.
The applications will therefore be de-
MED as to said lines.
"The admission by the petitioners
of competition between the steamer
lines and the owning rail lines was
not specifically limited to the east
ern shore, but the record does no;
indicate the existence OF probability
of substantial competition On the
western shore.
"The termini of the Potomac rive.
line are Baltimore and Washington.
D. c., between which points the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company has ::
rail line, and the termini Of one o.
the Rappahannock River lines arc
Baltimore and Fredericksburg, Va.
the latter being reached from the
north by line il which the Penn
, sylvania railroad has an interest.
"The only other possibility Of com
petition would be in the case Of COM
modities moving to or from farms
lying between the Potomac or Pat
uxent rivers and one Of the branch
lines of the Pennsylvania railroad ir
southern Maryland.
upon consideration of the facts
of record we are Of opinion, and find,
that petitioners continued operation
of the PotuXent. Potomac, Rappanhan-
mock and Piankatank river lines is
not in violation of section 5 Of the
act to regulate commerce. as amend
ed by the Panama canal act.
GAS indicated, however, there does
exist d possibility of competition be-
tween said lines and the owning rail
carriers and the above finding is sub
ject to such action as the commits
sion may take hereafter in case
further investigation Of the matters,
and things involved is deemed neces-
sary."
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