Loree Out

Lowering darkly, Leonor Fresnel Loree quit the Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan last week, leaving behind him in a meeting room Presidents William Wallace Atterbury of the Pennsylvania, Patrick Edward Crowley of the New York Central, Daniel Willard of the Baltimore & Ohio and John J. Bernet of the Erie, together with M. J. & O. P. Van Sweringen of the Chesapeake & Ohio (old Nickel Plate) group. They all, with the aid of lesser officials who were also present, had been discussing the consolidation of the railroads that operate between the Atlantic and the Mississippi, and north of the Ohio--the Eastern roads. For four years there have been such discussions and since last October Mr. Loree has been taking part in them.

Mr. Loree has objected to the four system railroad plan of the others, fearing that the interests of his railroads (Delaware & Hudson, Wabash) would be harmed. Therefore he proposed to arrange certain small eastern roads into a fifth system, and so astute a railroad financier is he that the heads of the other four temporized with him. Mr. Atterbury became his ally. Last week Mr. Atterbury, who presided at the executive meeting in the Pennsylvania Station, announced that certain compromises agreed to by the N. Y. C., B. & O. and C. & O. sufficiently protected the Pennsylvania's interests, that Mr. Loree's interests would not be jeopardized by the four systems, and that he was withdrawing Pennsylvania support from Mr. Loree's fifth system project.

So Mr. Loree quit the meeting, his eyes coldly furious and Mr. Atterbury ordered the excellent lunch, prepared by Pennsylvania chefs, to be served his conferees who by eating at his board became his guests.