Capeling v. Saginaw Coal Co.

117 N.W. 182, 156 Mich. 437, 1908 Mich. LEXIS 549
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJune 27, 1908
DocketDocket No. 127
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 117 N.W. 182 (Capeling v. Saginaw Coal Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Capeling v. Saginaw Coal Co., 117 N.W. 182, 156 Mich. 437, 1908 Mich. LEXIS 549 (Mich. 1908).

Opinion

Moore, J.

Defendant company in March, 1906, was operating a coal mine through a double compartment shaft about 125 feet deep. The men found their way in and out of the mine by riding in cages up and down the shaft. As one cage ascended the other descended. The coal found its way to the surface through the same shaft. The cages are under the control of an engineer who cannot see the cages for most of the time. A system or code of signals is provided by a bell triangle, by a bell, by a steam whistle, and by a speaking tube; the triangle being located in the engine room near the engineer, the bell at the bottom of the shaft, the steam whistle about 10 feet above the mouth of the shaft in the tipple, and the speaking tube extending from the bottom of the shaft to the engine room on the surface. The position of the cages in the shaft is known to the engineer through an indicator located in front of him, with two dials pointing in opposite directions, one for each cage. When one of the dials points to a certain place on the indicator it shows that the cage is in the uppermost part of the tipple where the coal is tipped upon inclined screens of different sizes over which it passes to the railroad cars. Another point of the [439]*439indicator shows that the cage is at the surface, and another that it rests at the botton of the shaft.

The sump is the lower part of the shaft underneath the cage when its floor is on a level with the floor of the mine. As the coal is lifted to the surface lumps sometimes fall off the cars, beneath the cages, dropping into the sumps, and after a certain accumulation it interferes with the lowering of the cages to the desired level, and it then becomes necessary to “clean out the sump.” Plaintiff was a common laborer in the mine. He was sent into the sump to clear out the coal. He had been at work but a few minutes before the cage descended upon him injuring him severely. He sued to recover damages. After his testimony was all in, and before any was offered on the part of defendant, the defendant’s attorney moved the court to direct a verdict in favor of defendant for the following among other reasons:

“1. The statute of the State of Michigan, under which plaintiff claims his right of action in this suit, was approved May 10, 1905, and given immediate effect. The undisputed evidence in this case shows that the servant Patton had been in defendant’s employ and performed the same duties as performed by him upon the day when the accident happened, and of which plaintiff complains, for at least four years prior to the passage of the act in question, and there is no evidence in the case tending to show that at the time of the employment of said Patton he was not competent to perform all duties and acts required of him under said employment. * * *
“4. The servant Patton and the plaintiff in this case were fellow-servants, and had worked together at the place in question, each performing the same duties for the defendant as on the day of the accident, for a period of at least five years prior to the happening of the accident, and being fellow-servants, the negligent act of the servant Patton will not make the defendant liable to the plaintiff in this action. * * *
“ 6. The undisputed evidence in the case shows that the plaintiff’s injuries were caused on account of the servant Patton for some reason forgetting that the plaintiff was in the sump, and, in answer to a signal, lowered the cage on [440]*440top of the plaintiff causing the injury of which he complains. The undisputed evidence shows that the signal was to lower the cage, that the servant Patton intended to lower the cage, and that he did lower the cage exactly as he intended to do, and this act of lowering the cage was not the act of an incompetent.servant but constituted a single negligent act of a competent fellow employé and for which the defendant is not liable in this case.
“7. Under the undisputed evidence in this case, the plaintiff and the servant Patton were fellow-servants and the sole cause of the accident was the negligent act of the servant Patton, and was not due to any fault or negligence upon the part of the defendant, and the plaintiff is not entitled to recover and your verdict must be for the defendant of no cause of action.”

The plaintiff asked the judge to charge the jury in part as follows:

“1. On March 25, 1906, there then was, and now is, in force a law of this State which, in effect, provides for the protection of the health, lives and interests of the coal miners of the State, and by the third section of the act comprising such law it is provided that only competent and trustworthy engineers shall be permitted to operate the cages and hoisting devices in all coal mines of this State. * ■* * '
£ ‘ 3. By said law the duty was imposed upon defendant of permitting no one but a competent and trustworthy engineer to operate its cages and hoisting devices. This law means that the employé operating such cages and devices must be an engineer, and I charge you, as a matter of law, that unless said Patton was, in fact, an engineer, he was unauthorized under said law to operate such cages and devices.”

If No. 3 is refused then:

££4. By said law the duty was imposed upon defendant of permitting no one but a competent and trustworthy employé, acting as engineer, to operate its said cages and hoisting devices. This law means that the employé operating such cages and devices must possess the qualifications of a reasonably competent and trustworthy engineer, and I charge you as a matter of law that unless said Patton was a reasonably competent and trustworthy [441]*441engineer he was unauthorized under said law to operate such cages and devices. * * *
“7. If you determine that Patton is not a reasonably competent and trustworthy engineer you will then determine whether his want of competency and trustworthiness was so open and apparent before March 25, 1906, that his want thereof was known, or should have been known, to defendant’s superintendent in charge of said mine. Unless his want of competency and trustworthiness was such that said superintendent, in the exercise of reasonable supervision, did or should have learned of it, defendant would not be charged with knowledge or notice of his incompetency or untrustworthiness.
“8. Should you find that Patton was not reasonably competent and trustworthy as engineer, this, of itself, would not charge the defendant with responsibility for his act of lowering the cage onto plaintiff, unless you also find that such act was one performed by him because of permission from defendant before that time granted to him, or suffered by defendant to be performed by him, and that the particular act was a careless and negligent one.
“9. Should you find for plaintiff on the several questions relating to the want of competency and trustworthiness of Patton and his negligence and the negligence of defendant in permitting him to operate such cage, still you cannot return a verdict for plaintiff unless you further find that he, plaintiff, was himself free from fault or negligence contributing to his injury. You have heard the testimony as to the manner of cleaning the sump and the measures taken, if any, to guard against liability to injury.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Riser v. Riser
215 N.W. 290 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1927)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
117 N.W. 182, 156 Mich. 437, 1908 Mich. LEXIS 549, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/capeling-v-saginaw-coal-co-mich-1908.