Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1916-04-21
CAR LINES TO MERGE?
SHORTL|NEAND W.B.&A.
Financial District Hears These Two
Electric Roads VIII Unite.
TO USE W. B. & A. TERMINAL.
Question Of Removal From Camden
Station Put Up to Public Service
Commission.

COMMISSION.
Some days ago it was rumored i'm
Annapolis that the w B. & A. would
take over the Short Line. and this
paper male every effort to substanu-
| ate the rumor, but President J. J.
Doyle. was out of Baltimore. and could
not be reached, and the rumor was not
| confirmed at that time
Ii is now practically certain ,aat the
! Washington, Baltimore and Annapo IS
| Railway within short time will merge
with the Annapolis Short Line. and
this was the news that Went the
rounds in the financial district IN Baiti
more yesterday. Officials of the w.
b. & A declared there was no ground
for the report. Other sources. how
ever. declared that already George 7.
Bishop, president of the W, b. & a,
and George Weems Williams. counsel
, to the company. had appeared before
the Public Service Commission with a
! tentative plan for the merger. and that
| the Commission looked with favor on
the proposition.
Should the plan materialize it will
effect an annual saving of more than
$4,000 TO the Annapolis Short Line
| for it is said the Camden Station term
inal of that line in Baltimore will be
| abandoned and all trains will arrive
at the Park avenue terminal of the
Washington. Baltimore e Annapolis
Electric Line terminal in that city.
Il was recalled that when the fran
chise was grantel to the Washington,
Baltimore & Annapolis this privilege
to the Annapolis Short Line was in
| serted as a clause in the agreement
| II is said that Representatives of the
| two companies have discussed the
| matter recently and that the change
| has practically been arranged
To bring about a connection of the
! two lines it will he necessary to build
| a connecting link somewhere in South
Baltimore, or near Westport. to make
| the needed juncture of the two sys-
| TENS. The proposition has not reach
| cd the stage where permission to build
| the connections has been brought up
| in any definite way. 1t is said. how
ever, that the counsel for the two com
/ panies have been in conference with
| the Public Service Commission TO find
| out what would likely be its attitude if
! the suggestion comes to a head
| is understood that the Commits
sion will offer no objection to the sug-
| gestion, and on this basis the interests
of the two companies have been going
ahead with plans to change the term
inal point of the Short Line TO Liberty
! street. in Baltimore. Ii is also said
that the Baltimore and Ohio officials
| will be more than willing to have the
Short Line remove its terminal Cam
den Station is now said to be more
than crowded with the Baltimore and
| Ohios own train service
The fact that this matter was under
consideration between the two electric
lines gave rise to the report that they
were about to be merged into one cor
| poration. That this is a possibility is
not denied, but those in control will
| not discuss the matter in any definite
way this time. They say no steps
have been taken looking to an imme-
diate merger. though the possibility of
their merger coming together has been
| under discussion more or less inform
ally for the past two or three years.
During all this time the question OF
the terms OF the consolidation has new
er reached a point on which an agree
ment could be based. In fact it is as
serted that neither side has ever been
brought to the point Of stating the
terms acceptable
1t is we'll known the short Line ROAD
is part of the Maryland Electric Rail
way system, which is closely identified
with the United Railways However
for the Short Line TO reach the heart
Of Baltimore city it viii be almost nee
essary for il TO make some arran ge-
ment with the Washington, Baltimore
and Annapolis. as it cannot use the
tracks of the United Railways for the
purpose. The guage of the Short Line
and of the Washington, Baltimore anc
Annapolis is the same as that Of all
standard railways For the Short Line
10 use any OF the city tracks of the
/ United. il would be necessary to have
an inner rail- laid to bring the gauge oi
the two TO the same width. This
woubi require a franchise from Balti
more city, as would the right to build
the needed connection to bring the
two together.
BY the joint use OF the tracks of tht
| Washington. Baltimore and Annapolis
this change Will not be necessary. Al
arrangement of this kimi will be oi
great convenience to the Annapoli,
patrons Of the Short Line road. They
will then be landed in the heart Of the
shopping districtwill be easily access
bic 10 the hotels and would in every
way appreciate the change. it is as
serted Moreoyer.it is declared the op.
Grafton of the lines under the same
management may be the means OF af
fecting much saving in overhead
charges.