The Empire Builders Eye the Sound
While Seattle citizens dream of a municipal mint and public halls, the Vanderbilt railroad syndicate plots a massive consolidation to dominate Pacific Northwest transit.
It is no secret that the Vanderbilts have sought to extend the sphere of their influence in the Northwest. It is believed that Mr. William K. Vanderbilt has plans looking to the establishing of a transcontinental line. A transcontinental line would be no greater achievement for the present Vanderbilt interest than was the acquisition of the lines which made up the Vanderbilt route to Chicago. The directors of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad company will meet to formulate a proposition to the Boston & Albany stockholders looking to a lease of that railroad. As fast as is practicable, steps will be taken toward merging other properties into the system, and plans are well under way for a complete consolidation of the New York, New Haven & Hartford, the Fitchburg, the Boston & Maine, and the Maine Central with the New York Central. The plan for the absorption of the Chicago & Northwestern, the Union Pacific, and the Oregon Short Line are maturing rapidly. The Big Four and the Chesapeake & Ohio are said to be included in the scheme of consolidation.
“The fact remains that the completion of this transaction does not wind up the negotiations under way.”
The Gilded Age ambition to monopolize transcontinental transit through aggressive M&A echoes modern Seattle's struggle with tech giants and corporate consolidations that dictate the region's economic geography. The desire for a local mint and civic halls mentioned in the same edition highlights a persistent local hope for infrastructure that serves public utility rather than just private railroad expansion.
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