B'ham Ry. L. & P. Co. v. Smyer

61 So. 354, 181 Ala. 121, 1913 Ala. LEXIS 131
Supreme Court of Alabama·Decided February 6, 1913·Published·Cited by 14 cases

Opinion

MAYFIELD, J.

The following statement of the record, which is practically appellee’s statement of the case made by his bill, presents the following questions for decision on this appeal: (1) Can a person whose property abuts on a public street in a city, which street is 34 feet wide, is much used for general travel, has [125] been paved at the expense of abutting owners, and accommodates an electric street car line which is operated at grade, have injunctive relief against the street car company to prevent the construction by it of a double track on that street, notwithstanding the construction of such line is authorized by the city authorities? If not entitled to an absolute and permanent injunction, is he entitled to have the construction restrained until compensation is paid him for the injury of his property and for his aliquot part of the cost of paving the street in front of his property? These questions depend upon the answers to the following inquiries: First. Will the construction of the second car line or double track amount to a nuisance? Second. If it will not constitute a nuisance, will it be an additional servitude imposed upon the street, in excess of the use intended or designated in the act of dedication? Third. Are the plaintiff’s damages, such as are shown in his bill, within the protection of section 235 of the state Constitution, which reads as follows: “Municipal and other corporations and individuals invested with the privilege of taking property for public use, shall make just compensation, to be ascertained as may be provided by law, for the property taken, injured or destroyed by the construction or enlargement of its works, highways or improvements, which compensation shall be paid before such taking, injury or destruction. The Legislature is hereby prohibited from denying the right of appeal from any preliminary assessment of damages against any such corporation or individuals made by viewers or otherwise, but such appeal shall not deprive those who have obtained the judgment of condemnation from a right of entry, provided the amount of damages assessed shall have been paid into court in money, and a bond shall have been given in not less than double the amount [126] of damages assessed, with good and sufficient sureties, to pay such damages as the property owner may sustain ; and the amount of damages in all cases of appeals shall on demand of either party, be determined by a jury according to law?” Fourth. If his damages are not within the protection of section 235 of the Constitution, are they within the protection of section 227 of the Constitution, which reads as follows: “Any person, firm, association or corporation, who may construct or operate any public utility along or across the public streets of any city, town or village, under any privilege or franchise permitting such construction or operation, shall be liable to abutting proprietors for the actual damages done to the abutting property on account of such construction or operation?”

The prime purpose of streets is use for travel by the public. The right of the public to the use of the street is paramount to that of an abutting owner, or to that of any individual or corporation, no matter what may be the use to which he desires to devote a part of the street. Any unauthorized permanent obstruction of the streets, which prevents the exercise of this use by the public, is a nuisance, Avhich a court of equity, in a prop-, er suit, will abate. There are, however, some temporary obstructions and partial occupations of the streets, by individuals or corporations, which are allowed on the ground of necessity, such as materials for building or for repairing placed thereon by abutters in such manner as to cause the least inconvenience to the public. Moreover, individuals are permitted to use a part of the street, a reasonable length of time, for the receiving and delivering of goods at their residences or business houses abutting on the streets. These private uses, hoAvever, must not be inconsistent with the reasonably free passage of travel; but necessity justifies slight [127] inconveniences and occasional interruptions in the free use of the whole of a street by the public.

The rule is well stated by Earl, J., in the case of Gallanan v. Gilman, 107 N. Y. 360, 14 N. E. 264, and approved by Mr. Freeman in a note to that case as reported in 1 Am. St. Rep. 831. It is there said: “An abutting owner, engaged in building, may temporarily encroach upon the street by the deposit of building materials. A tradesman may convey goods in the street to or from his adjoining store. A coach or omnibus may stop in the street to take up or set down passengers; and the use of a street for public travel may be temporarily interfered with in a variety of other ways, without the creation of what in the law is deemed to be a nuisance. But all such interruptions and obstructions of streets must be justified by necessity. It is not sufficient, however, that the obstructions are necessary with reference to the business of him who erects and maintains them. They must also be l’easonable with reference to the rights of the public who have interests in the streets which may not be sacrificed or disregarded. Whether an obstruction in the street is necessary and reasonable must generally be a question of fact to be determined upon the evidence relating thereto.” Under this doctrine it was at first thought that the placing of a fixed track of rails in a street, on which street cars were to be operated, was an unwarranted obstruction of the street, though the cars were drawn by horses or mules; but all the courts held that it was not an unwarranted obstruction, but was a means of facilitating public travel along the street, and was therefore not a nuisance but an improved mode of use of the street for the purpose intended. The New York court, however, held that, while it was not a permanent obstruction, yet it was an additional seiwitude imposed upon the high[128] way, as to which- the abutting owner was entitled to compensation; but all the other courts, save that of Nebraska, held that it was not even an additional servitude, and that the abutting owner was not entitled to compensation by reason of the construction of a street car track at grade in the street.

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B'ham Ry. L. & P. Co. v. Smyer, 61 So. 354, 181 Ala. 121, 1913 Ala. LEXIS 131 (Ala. 1913).

61 So. 354 (B'ham Ry. L. & P. Co. v. Smyer) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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