Chicago & N. W. Ry. Co. v. Gillison

72 Ill. App. 207, 1897 Ill. App. LEXIS 618
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 16, 1897
StatusPublished

This text of 72 Ill. App. 207 (Chicago & N. W. Ry. Co. v. Gillison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chicago & N. W. Ry. Co. v. Gillison, 72 Ill. App. 207, 1897 Ill. App. LEXIS 618 (Ill. Ct. App. 1897).

Opinion

Mr. Presiding Justice Adams

delivered the opinion of the Court.

A freight train of the appellant, bound for Chicago, arrived at Rochelle, Illinois, on the evening of May 23, 1894. The crew of the train consisted of G. F. Gillison, the appellee, head brakeman; E. A. Mahlman, rear brakeman, and Hennings, conductor. The conductor, Hennings, ordered Mahlman to get out two empty cars which were standing on a side track north of the depot, which was called the “ House Track.” The empty cars stood on the house track, northwest from the depot, next east of the two empty cars on the house track, and northeast from the depot were two box cars, and east of the two box cars were two gondola cars filled with stone, the gondola cars being flat cars with low sides. There were two main tracks at Rochelle, south of the depot, and the freight train was on the north main track headed east. North of the track on which the train was, and south of the depot, was another side track called the “ main side track.” At some distance east of the depot there was a switch connecting the house track with the main side track, and still further east was another switch connecting the main side track with the main track on which the train was. In order to take out the two empty cars, which stood furthest west on the house track, it was decided to pull seven box cars attached to the engine east and past the two switches above mentioned, then back west, through the switches, onto the house side track, couple the cars on that track as they were reached, pull all thirteen cars east through the switches and onto the main track, and then separate the two box cars and the two gondola cars taken from the house track from the empty cars wanted, in the usual way. Mahlman went ahead of the backing cars to couple the cars on the house track, and Gillison, while this was being done, stood on the car next to the engine, receiving signals from Mahlman and repeating them to the engineer.

When the coupling was complete, Mahlman climbed on the last car of the train, and Gillison, head brakeman, was on the car next the engine, when a signal was given to the engineer to go ahead, which he proceeded to do. When the engine reached the main side track switch, Gillison got off the car to throw the switch. The side track switch curved to the south, and Gillison got off the car a little west of the main side track switch, or the concave side of the curve, at a point where he supposed the engineer could see his signals, for the purpose of throwing the switch. He was then about between the two main tracks. While standing there he saw that the train had broken in two. He immediately called to Mahlman, who was then hanging on the south side of the third car from the rear (counting last car in train one), that the train had broken in two. He called several times before Mahlman understood him. As soon as he understood him, he, Mahlman, climbed on top of the car, set one brake, and was proceeding to set another, when the cars collided. The house side track had a down grade toward the southeast. Gillison, while calling to Mahlman, also signaled the engineer, and then immediately climbed the ladder on the side of the box car -next behind the gondola cars, which was the fourth car from the rear, set one brake and started for the other, when the front and rear sections of the train collided, and he was thrown from the car and his right leg was run over and crushed so as to necessitate amputation.

.The evidence shows that the break occurred between the two gondola cars, which were laden with stone. The accident occurred about 10 o’clock p. at., and it was very dark. The train, at the time of the collision, was running from five to seven miles an hour. The witness, Mahlman, testified that the train broke in two between the two cars of stone; that the drawbar between those cars broke; that he e cammed it on the side track in about two hours after the accident, as nearly as he could fix the time; that it was broken right back of the head, close up.to the car; that as nearly as he could describe the break, it seemed it was an old break; it was rusty; the upper half of the draft-iron was bright and the lower half, or about half, was rusty.

The witness describes the draft-iron as being six or seven inches square, not solid, but hollow, and says that he does not know the thickness of the metal around the hollow part.

•Mahlman, testifying on direct examination as to what he did after coupling the two gondola cars to the seven cars attached to the engine, and which were backed up on the side track, says: “ Then I walked back to see whether the coupling was made between the two cars of stone, and everything looked all right, and I walked further on. I looked for bad order marks, but I could, not find any. I will say I did not look very close, but as a rule you can find them outside of the car. I did not see any.” On cross-examination he testified: “ I examined the coupling between the two stone cars and found it all right. I just looked to see whether they were coupled, and to see whether everything was all right. I just went in and held up my lamp close to the draft-irons and looked to see if everything was all right. I Avent between the cars where there was room for me to step in; I held my lamp up to the draft-irons, and everything appeared to be all right.” The evidence as to what signals Avere given and what received by the engineer is substantially as follows: Mahlman and Gillison both testified that, when the cars were all coupled on the side track, a signal was given to the engineer to go ahead. Gillison says Mahlman gave the signal to him and he to the engineer. Mahlman testifies that, afterward, and when Gillison “ hollered ” to him that the train was broken in two, he saw Gillison give the go-ahead signal to the engineer with his lantern. Gillison testifies that, at that time, he gave two signals to the engineer—the gorahead signal and the break-in-tAvo signal—but Mahlman says he did not see the latter, but only the former signal.

Van Black, the engineer, called by the appellant, testified: “ I received signals just prior to the time that Gillison Avas hurt. I was pulling the train out on the main track; my engine was out on the main track, beyond the main side" track switch, going east; I was on the right hand side of the engine, or the south side; my head was out of the window; I was looking west, looking back for a signal; I got signals made Avith a lantern; the man that gave me the signals Avas standing between the two main tracks, between the south and the north main; I should judge he was just about opposite the main side track switch. He gave me a stop and back-up signal; a signal across the track and then a signal to back up. At the time I got that signal my train was running probably five or six miles an hour. I did not get any other signal than that I describe. Upon receipt of that signal I stopped and started to back up; I applied the air, and the engine came to a full stop, and I started to back up. The' engine had just started to move when I felt the rear—felt the cars run into the forward portion of the train, but I had not moved possibly over a foot.”

The plaintiff’s right leg was amputated twice, the first •time at the Delos Hotel in Rochelle, where he was confined for six weeks; the second time at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago; the last amputation being about four and one-half inches below the "hip. He had been earning as brakeman $60 per month. Since the injury he has not been able to work as a brakeman.

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Bluebook (online)
72 Ill. App. 207, 1897 Ill. App. LEXIS 618, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chicago-n-w-ry-co-v-gillison-illappct-1897.