OCR Text |
Show GREAT COAL COMBINE. Morgan Now Said to Be at Work ln Effort to Merge Soft Coal Interests. Cleveland, O, Nov. 1 J Plerpont Morgan and party nrrlved herC today from Chicago and were dilven to the residence of Ralph W. lllckox. Later Senator llann-v visited the lllckox residence and held a long conference with Mr Morgan and his associates. Mr. Hanna declined to illscusa hla Interview In-terview with Ml. .Morgan. He added, however, that the latter was simply In the West on a railroad Inspection tour. Tho livening Plain Dealer today sass "A report which could not be verified was In circulation today that Mr. Morgan's visit to both Chicago and Cleveland was In .onnectlon with the proposed combination of all the suft .o.il Interests of the uiuntrs-. "Tor Ihe past two sears them has been a gradual merging of the various soft coal producing concerns, until the business. It Is said, Is now practically In the handa of a comparatively few Individuals. "Mr Morgan Is credited with being largely Instrumental in combining the Hocking Valley lipids, where the firm of M A. Hanna S. Co , has gained a practical control of tho entlrp output of thp Massllon field. It Is wild thut constant efforts liav n quietly made recently to unit soft coal pioducers In Indiana a Illinois. 1 "Negotiations were cu menced sev eral tiuya hku .i curi-. un- .i,'-n of the Pittsburg Coal con ,iany and the Monongahela Consolidated Coal & Coke company, two of the largest producing pro-ducing concerns In western Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, which control a very large proportion pro-portion of tho output of tho Pittsburg district. "The merglnir of these two companies compa-nies would mean a capitalisation of tllOOOOOOO, with nsscts of l?O0S3 A still Inrger deal Is now slid to be run. template! In which not only Henatnr Hanna, hut J Plerpont Morgan uro reputed tu have a direct Interest," |