Arkansas Railroad v. Winters

265 S.W. 967, 166 Ark. 213, 1924 Ark. LEXIS 40
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedNovember 17, 1924
StatusPublished

This text of 265 S.W. 967 (Arkansas Railroad v. Winters) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arkansas Railroad v. Winters, 265 S.W. 967, 166 Ark. 213, 1924 Ark. LEXIS 40 (Ark. 1924).

Opinion

Wood, J.

This is an action by the appellee against the appellant to recover damages for the loss of thirty logs, which appellee alleges he delivered to the Gould Southwestern Railway Company and the appellant, its successor, for shipment to the MeLean-Arkansas Lumber Company at Little Rock, Arkansas. Appellee alleges that the logs' were damaged by fire at Gould, Arkansas, in the sum of $211.48, for which he prayed judgment.

The appellant answered, denying the allegations of the complaint, and set up that the appellee delivered to the appellant two cars of logs consigned to himself at Gould, in care of the Missouri Pacific Railway tracks; that the appellant transported the cars and delivered same in good order on the Missouri Pacific tracks at Gould, and the appellee accepted the delivery and paid the freight to the appellant. Appellant alleged that, if the oars were damaged by fire, such damage occurred after the delivery had been effected as alleged, and that its liability to the appellee had therefore ceased.

The testimony of the appellee was to the effect that he shipped the logs over appellant’s line to Gould. They were billed to appellee at Gould, in care of the Iron Mountain Railroad. The appellee had been making shipments before the one in controversy, and the agents of the appellant had always delivered to the appellee bills of lading from the Missouri Pacific for these shipments. The appellee understood that the appellant was to deliver the cars to the Missouri Pacific Railroad and receive a bill of lading, and return the same to the appellee. The logs were burned on the night of the day the appellee shipped them — the 24th of February, 1922.

On cross-examination appellee identified a bill of lading that was given to him by the appellant, which shows the point from which the cars were shipped and the .point of, destination, and that they were consigned to appellee in care of the Missouri Pacific Railroad; that represented the only written contract between the appellee and the appellant. Appellee had told the agent of the Missouri Pacific at Gould to issue bills of lading, and Forbes, the agent of the appellant, would bring the bill of lading from the Missouri Pacific back to the appellee, after Forbes had delivered the logs to the Missouri Pacific. Appellee had told the Missouri Pacific agent at Gould where he wanted the logs to go, and had given him shipping instructions — had been doing that for some time. There was no instruction in writing. Forbes had done this on other shipments for the appellee before. There was nothing said about these particular cars. Witness signed the bill of lading, and thought that Forbes understood. The appellant had nothing to do in connection with the cars, except to deliver them to the Missouri Pacific. On the day the logs were delivered to the appellant, when Forbes returned that afternoon he told the witness that the Missouri Pacific had said they could not accept the logs; that they were not wired properly; that, later, the agent told him (Forbes) that the Missouri Pacific would accept the shipment. The agent of the appellant notified the appellee at the time that the cars had been placed on the Missouri Pacific tracks and what the Missouri Pacific agent said about them. Forbes told the appellee that the Missouri Pacific agent had accepted the cars for shipment, but the agent denied it.

On redirect examination appellee testified that the bill of lading which he received from the appellant did not have on it “in care of Missouri Pacific tracks.” Appellee stated that it was the custom of the appellee, in hauling and shipping logs over the Missouri Pacific, •for the appellant to put the logs across to the Missouri Pacific tracts when they arrived at Gould. The appellant used the tracks on the north side of the main tracks of the Missouri Pacific, whether it was taking the consignment in or out. The cars which were burned were over at this track. Appellee stated that, on the particular occasion when the logs were burned, the appellant had not carried out appellee’s instructions to get a bill of lading from the Missouri Pacific and deliver it to the appellee. Appellee was never notified by the appellant that the Missouri Pacific would not receive the logs. The logs went over to Gould on Friday, and appellee heard they were burned on Monday. Appellee was trying to ship the logs to Little Rock. Appellee was selling the logs f. o. b. at Gould, and the log's had to be rebilled from Gould. The Missouri Pacific had been doing that for appellee. Appellee had told the Missouri Pacific agent at Gould how he wanted the logs to go. It was no part of the duty of Forbes, the agent of appellant, to give instructions for the reshipment of the logs. Appellee concluded his testimony by stating that, in shipping the logs over appellant’s line, he did so with the understanding that the appellant would ship the logs to Gould and turn them over to the Missouri Pacific, and get the bill of .lading from the Missouri Pacific and deliver the same to the appellee.

Forbes testified that he was the general manager of the appellant. He issued a bill of lading for the cars in controversy. The bill of lading in this case did not have “Care of Missouri Pacific” on it at the time he delivered the same to the appellee. The only instruction that witness had, under the contract and bill of lading, was to deliver to the appellee at Gould the logs in controversy. The appellee did not furnish the appellant with any shipping directions from Gould. The cars were at Gould on the day they were shipped, in good order. When witness delivered the cars to the Missouri Pacific, the agent of that company first said that he would not receive them because they were not properly wired'. Before witness left Gould, however, the agent stated that he would try to get the cars through, but told witness in the future to put five wires on the oars. Witness stated that appellee asked him to get bills of lading from the Missouri Pacific, and witness had done that before, but it was no part of his duty. Appellee gave witness no instructions except those contained in the bill of lading. Witness delivered the cars in question -to the Missouri Pacific in good order at 2:10 o’clock in the afternoon of the day they were shipped. Witness brought back to the appellee from the agent of the Missouri Pacific complaint about the manner in which the oars were wired, and delivered to appellee a letter from the Missouri Pacific agent to that effect. Witness never furnished any shipping directions to the Missouri Pacific, because he had none. The reshipping was done for the appellee by the Missouri Pacific. The contract of appellant was fulfilled when witness delivered the cars on the Missouri Pacific tracks. Witness didn’t offer the ears to the Missouri Pacific with directions for reshipment, because he had no such directions. He put the cars in the yard, and notified the appellee that they were there and in good order.

On cross-examination witness stated that, a time or two in previous shipments, appellee had made out a bill of lading at Firth and .witness took it to Gould, had it signed by the Missouri Pacific, and returned it to appellee. As to these particular logs, witness delivered them on Friday to the Missouri Pacific. He didn’t say anything to the Missouri Pacific about rebilling them at all. He put them there, and the agent said that he could not accept them.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
265 S.W. 967, 166 Ark. 213, 1924 Ark. LEXIS 40, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arkansas-railroad-v-winters-ark-1924.