Bunting v. Pennsylvania R. Co.

203 F. 193, 121 C.C.A. 399, 1913 U.S. App. LEXIS 1122
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedFebruary 19, 1913
DocketNo. 1,589
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 203 F. 193 (Bunting v. Pennsylvania R. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bunting v. Pennsylvania R. Co., 203 F. 193, 121 C.C.A. 399, 1913 U.S. App. LEXIS 1122 (3d Cir. 1913).

Opinion

GRAY, Circuit Judge.

The plaintiff, a citizen of the state of New Jersey, brought suit in the court below against the defendant, a corporation of the state of Pennsylvania, to recover damages for injury to certain property of hers, by reason of the alleged negligence of the defendant company.

The defendant is a railroad company, chartered for the purpose of carrying on a transportation business for passengers and merchandise by means of cars and the use of locomotive engines upon its tracks.

[194]*194In this suit, the plaintiff seeks to recover for loss and diminution of the rentals during the last six years of her lot and dwelling house, which she had owned for nearly 20 years, situated at the southwest corner of Thirty-Second and Baring streets, caused, as she alleges, by great volumes of smoke, gases and soot negligently discharged from the engixjes of defendant company.

It is charged that the locomotives actually engaged in moving trains to and from the terminal at Broad street were in part the source of this nuisance, but that a very large proportion came from a permanent, but always changing, collection of waiting locomotives in the yards of the defendant company, 600 feet away, on the open tracks and in one or more roundhouses; that in the yard there were constantly between 50 and 150 locomotives, and in the roundhouse always upwards of 40 more. The evidence shows that these locomotives, in something like the numbers charged, were constantly kept at the places named, awaiting orders to take out trains from, or standing there after delivering trains at, Broad Street Station. Here the necessary facilities were provided for reloading fuel and letting down and relighting fires. The locomotives were in the care of “-hostlers” at these waiting places, who cleaned and made them ready, by building fires, etc., for the next run. It is not denied that this parking of the engines at the end of their runs, and their preparation for taking out trains, was necessary to carry on .the large transportation business which the defendant was authorized by its charter to conduct for the public service.

It is charged, and there is evidence to support the charge, that when the wind blew from this quarter, the locality of plaintiff’s house was much affected by the smoke from these engines; that the atmosphere was sometimes clouded by it, houses discolored and paint deteriorated, flowers and other growths damaged and killed, and the interior of houses often rendered uncomfortable until all windows were closed. In fact, there is no dispute as to the axmoyance caused by this sxnoke to those living in, and in the neighboxdiood of, plaintiff’s house. That the defendant company, in the exercise of the extensive and necessary powers conferred upon it by the Legislature for the conduct of 'its business, was authorized to fire its locoxnotives for the production of steam, and keep them in the places adapted and necessary for their service, cannot be questioned, and it'is not claimed that smoke-discharged by the defendant’s locoxnotives, in the ordinary and proper operation of its business, constitutes an-offense for which any person can recover damages. But to say this, does not coxxcede the right of this defendant, or any other person, to conduct its lawful operations negligently or carelessly. If by such negligence or want of care, injury is done to others, a right of action, of course, accrues to those who have been so injured.

The proposition on which the plaintiff’s case is put is, that the defendant company has been negligent in firing these engines where they stood, and in going in and out of Broad Street Station, so as to produce an unnecessary and avoidable quantity of smoke, constituting the nuisarxce complained of. This negligexice is charged in two respects, viz., in making use of a variety of fuel on these engines while so stand[195]*195ing, or while going in and out of the Broad Street terminal, which emits, when burning, a large and unnecessary amount of smoke, and also in the manner in which its employes handle the furnaces and fires in its said locomotives and shops, and in omitting such devices atid safeguards as would prevent such excessive production of smoke.

The case was heard upon the issues joined as to these charges, and, after having been submitted to the jury in a well considered charge by the learned judge of the court below, the verdict was rendered in favor of the defendant, and from the judgment upon this verdict, the present writ of error was sued out by the plaintiff. Of the assignments of error, the only one that especially challenges our attention is the second, which alleges error in the following portion of the learned judge’s charge:

‘■The plaintiff’s ease is put upon two grounds. There are two branches of it. Perhaps that is the better way to slate it. One of them is: It is said that, by the use of a different kind of fuel in the operation of these locomotives the injury complained of could have been avoided, and some evidence has been offered to you upon that subject. I have just this to say to you upon that matter. I shall not submit that question to you, because I do not think the evidence justifies me in so doing. * * * I refer to the use of anthracite coal and the use of coke. Therefore you may lay that question aside i'ronf your determination.”

As to its manner of using bituminous coal, the jury found in favor of the railroad, and that it was guilty of no negligence in that respect. But it is contended the trial judge erred in withdrawing from the jury the question, whether, in spite of this nonnegligent use of bituminous coal, the railroad was guilty of negligence in not substituting coke or anthracite coal therefor. We have given this contention the deliberate and thorough consideration which so grave and far-reaching a question demands. We are not convinced, however, that error was committed by the court’s action in the premises.

[1] The evidence thus withdrawn from the consideration of the jury, was the testimony of four retired locomotive engineers. Two of them were employed upon the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. One of them testified that he had had experience for about a year in running trains into the new terminal at Washington, and that under general orders in that respect, he had successfully used coke in going in or out of the terminal. The other testified to a like experience for about two years, as to the use of coke in going into or leaving the same terminal. The other two engineers testified as to their experience in running engines into the Grand Central Station in New York, — one of them employed on the New York Central and the other on the New York, New Haven & Hartford, both of which roads, however, used the Grand Central 'Terminal. They also testified that they had for several years successfully used'coke as a fuel in going into and out of this station. Their testimony is not clear as to- the operative conditions under which coke was so used, except that the approach to the New York Central Terminal Is through several miles of tunnel, where the smoke problem is one of great moment.

The testimony of these engineers as to the two terminals — one in Washington and one in New York — was the only testimony adduced [196]*196or relied upon as tending to support its allegation • that it was negligent in the defendant company not to use coke or anthracite 'in starting its fires at the roundhouse and on the tracks where locomotives were parked, and in approaching and leaving the Philadelphia terminal.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
203 F. 193, 121 C.C.A. 399, 1913 U.S. App. LEXIS 1122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bunting-v-pennsylvania-r-co-ca3-1913.