Batesell v. American Zinc, Lead & Smelting Co.

176 S.W. 446, 190 Mo. App. 231, 1915 Mo. App. LEXIS 421
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 19, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 176 S.W. 446 (Batesell v. American Zinc, Lead & Smelting Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Batesell v. American Zinc, Lead & Smelting Co., 176 S.W. 446, 190 Mo. App. 231, 1915 Mo. App. LEXIS 421 (Mo. Ct. App. 1915).

Opinions

FARRINGTON, J.

During the early hours of the night of August 21, 1912, Adrian C. Batesel, a shoveler in defendant’s mine number 3 in Jasper county, who was then about twenty-six years'of age, was fatally injured while attempting to explode a stick of dynamite. His widow brought this suit for damages as guardian and curator of his minor children. At the close of all the plaintiffs’ evidence the court gave a peremptory instruction to find for the defendant, whereupon plaintiffs took a nonsuit with leave, and they have now appealed from an order overruling their motion to set aside the nonsuit.

It is alleged and the evidence shows that Batesel was killed by the explosion of what the witnesses call [235]*235a “pop shot” while attempting to “pop a boulder.” He had prepared the shot in the nsnal way by placing a stick of dynamite on top of a boulder with a cap and fuse attached. Except for a few exclamations, to which we will later refer, he made no statement before his death.

The basis of plaintiff’s complaint against the defendant and the negligence complained of in the petition was in substance as follows: That deceased was employed on August 20, 1912, as a shoveler in defendant’s mine. That he was inexperienced in the use of dynamite and ignorant of the dangers and risks encountered in the work of firing shots. That defendant knew this, or by the exercise of ordinary care would have known of his inexperience. That it was not customary for shovelers in that mining district to explode dynamite, but that skilled men viere ordinarily kept in the mines for such purpose, and such work, unlike that of shoveling, was extrahazardous. That defendant permitted and required its shovelers in this mine to explode dynamite in addition to shoveling, and that when Batesel was employed he was not informed that he would be required to do this dangerous work. That the defendant failed in its duty to warn and instruct him so as to inform, him how to avoid the dangers. That on August 21,1912, Batesel was negligently required and permitted to explode a “pop shot” and that he did it with reasonable care for one of his experience, but that owing to his lack of knowledge and experience and a failure to know how to avoid the risks he was, through defendant’s failure to warn and instruct him, killed while “popping a boulder.”

The answer was a general denial and a plea of contributory negligence.

It appears that the gravamen of the charge of negligence is that the defendant knowing that Batesel was inexperienced in the handling and exploding of dynamite, a highly dangerous agency, set him to work with[236]*236out giving him warning that he would be required to handle and explode it and failed to instruct and warn him so that he could take precautionary measures to protect himself.

The charge in the petition contains the three elements necessary to fasten liability upon the defendant, namely: (1) The master had knowledge, actual or constructive, of the existence of the risk. (2) That when Batesel was employed by defendant, because of lack of skill and experience, he did not appreciate the dangers of the employment he was entering upon and was therefore excusable. (3) That defendant knew or should have known that Batesel was unskilled in the handling and exploding of dynamite.

The evidence tended to establish the, following state of facts:

Batesel was an adult, endowed with ordinary intelligence, good sight and hearing, and bore no external evidence of any infirmity. He had spent most of his life in pursuits other than mining, but had worked a short time as a shoveler in mines in that district. There is nothing to show that defendant had any knowledge whatever of the past history or experience of the deceased. Defendant operated this mine in which it employed about twenty-five men on the night shift who would shovel into cans the ore and rock which had been broken from the face of the drifts by dynamite shots, and they were paid by the number of cans filled and not for the time they worked. In this mine when in their work the shovelers came upon a boulder they would themselves break it up by what is called a “pop shot, ’ ’ which they would explode by lighting the split end of the fuse with the lamp' they carried. When they had lighted the fuse they would give the alarm by shouting “boulder pop,” and this was a warning to all workmen in the danger zone to go behind pillars left in the mine. Ordinarily several minutes elapsed before the dynamite exploded, after the fuse' was lighted.. [237]*237There is evidence in the record that the ordinary custom in that mining district is to have special shot firers employed to explode these shots. The evidence shows that defendant permitted its shovelers to pop their own boulders and'knew this was their practice but did have employed on the night shift two experienced men for popping boulders.

We find sufficient evidence to sustain the first element of liability.

On the evening of August 20th, while the ground boss of the night shift and the workmen were waiting' for the whistle to blow .when they would go down in the mine, Batesel appeared and inquired of the ground boss whether he had an opening for a shoveler and was told yes. The evidence tended to establish that he was given no instruction or warning, and in fact there is nothing shown as to any other conversation had with reference to the employment. Batesel went to work and worked throughout the first night. There is evidence that while in the mine during this first night Batesel saw the other shovelers popping boulders. No witness testified to hearing Batesel receive any order to pop a boulder or heard Batesel ask the regular shot firers to pop any for him, and none of the witnesses knew where he obtained the dynamite, fuse and cap used in the shot which he fired the next night and which caused his death. It is shown, however, that these supplies were scattered around the mine near the headings and pillars handy for 'the miners to use. Soon after Batesel went to work the second night he obtained supplies for a shot, and, according to the experienced miner who observed him, prepared the shot as an experienced man would have done. Another shoveler named Merritt, working nearby, was preparing to fire a shot at the same time. Merritt lighted his fuse and shouted the warning. Batesel was down with his lamp in position to light his fuse, and his lanrp was lighted just before he (Batesel) — according to witness Hart— [238]*238shouted “boulder pop.” He was seen to hold his carbide lamp down to the end of the fuse but the fuse was not seen to “spit” or show evidence of being lighted. All the workmen went to the pillar for safety and while there Merritt’s shot exploded. Batesel asked one of the shovelers to give him a light as his lamp was out and he said he did not get his fuse lighted. The shoveler from whom he got his lamp lighted told him he had better wait and Batesel replied, “I did not get mine lit,” and said he was going back to light his and that he had tried to light it but failed to get a light. Batesel did return and as he came near the boulder the charge exploded and injured him so that he died within ten minutes. Soon after he was injured he said: “I lit the shot myself and didn’t think it was lit and went back on it” — and other statements to the same effect.

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Related

Batesell v. American Zinc, Lead & Smelting Co.
207 S.W. 742 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1918)
Crane v. Kansas City Southern Railway Co.
203 S.W. 640 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1918)

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Bluebook (online)
176 S.W. 446, 190 Mo. App. 231, 1915 Mo. App. LEXIS 421, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/batesell-v-american-zinc-lead-smelting-co-moctapp-1915.