City of Youngstown v. Pittsburgh & Western R. R.

2 Ohio Cir. Dec. 121
CourtMahoning Circuit Court
DecidedApril 15, 1888
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2 Ohio Cir. Dec. 121 (City of Youngstown v. Pittsburgh & Western R. R.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mahoning Circuit Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Youngstown v. Pittsburgh & Western R. R., 2 Ohio Cir. Dec. 121 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1888).

Opinion

Laubie, J.

This action is brought by the city to restrain the defendants from building ah embankment and railroad track across Mill street. Amongst other matters, the petition alleges that the defendants are constructing an embankment and railroad track diagonally across said street, at a considerable height above the level and established grade of the street, without any agreement with the city authorities, and against their protest, and without appropriating a right to such crossing. That Mill street is one of the principal streets of the city, and is a public highway or avenue, leading to a public cemetery of the city; and that by virtue of the provisions of sec. 3284, Rev. Stat., the defendants are prohibited from laying a track upon the street, but must cross the same either by a passageway underneath the street, or by an overhead bridge.

The defendants alleged that they are authorized to construct, and are constructing a line of railroad from Niles, in the county of Trumbull, to and through the city of Youngstown to the eastern boundary line of the state, and have the right to cross Mill street, and the streets and avenues of the city, without obtaining consent of the city authorities, or the right of crossing by appropriation, by virtue of the provisions of said sec. 3284, and upon no condition save that of restoring said street substantially to its former state of usefulness; and deny that Mill street is a highway, or avenue, leading to a cemetery, or that said cemetery is a public cemetery of said city within the meaning of said section.

Sec. 3284, Rev. Stat., is as follows:

“A company may, whenever it is necessary in the construction of its road to cross a road or a stream of water, divert the same from its location or bed; but the company shall without unnecessary delay, place such road or stream in such condition as not to impair its former usefulness; and any or all railroads hereafter constructed, which shall cross any avenue or public highway leading from a city of the first or second class, to a public cemetery of such city, situated within or without the limits of any such city, shall be constructed so as either to pass under or over such avenue or public highway, at such elevation or depression, as the case may be, as will allow the unobstructed passage of all wagons, carriages, or other vehicles which it may be necessary for any person to use upon such avenue or public highway.”

Oak Hill cemetery, the cemetery in question, is owned by a private association, incorporated and organized in 1862, under the act of February 24, 1848; and within its enclosure the trustees of the township own a burial plat of about two acres in area, but which is under the management of the association. The city of Youngstown is a city of the second class, and the cemetery is within the corporate limits, and is -bounded on each side by a street, one of which is Mill street.

Passing by the question whether Mill street is a highway leading to a cemetery, within the meaning of the statute, we are of the opinion that the cemetery in question is not a public cemetery of the city of Youngstown. The words, “public cemetery of such city,” are used in this statute to indicate cemeteries [123]*123owned or held by such cities under- chapter 7, div. 8, title XII, of the Revised Statutes, as distinguished from other cemeteries of a public character.

The preposition “of” is used here manifestly in its derivative sense, denoting possession or property, and therefore it is such cemeteries only as are owned or possessed by such cities that are meant; and those owned by a private association, whether organized for profit or not, are excluded.

The next question is: Have railroad companies the right to construct their roads across the streets of a city, and use the same without the consent of the city authorities, and without appropriating the right to do so? The determination of this question involves the consideration of sec. 3283, as well as said sec. 3284, Rev. Stat., and must be settled by the construction to be placed upon these sections.

Section 3283, is as follows:

“If it be necessary, in the location of any part of a railroad, to occupy any public road, street, alley, way or ground of- any kind, or any part thereof, the municipal or oth#r corporation, or public officers or authorities, owning or having charge thereof, and the company, may agree upon the manner, terms, and conditions upon which the same may be used or occupied; and if the parties be unable to agree thereon, and it be necessary, in the judgment of the directors of such company, to use or occupy such road, street, alley, way or ground, such company may appropriate so much of the same as may be necessary for the purposes of its road, in the manner and upon the same terms as is provided for the appropriation of the property of individuals; but every company which lays a track upon any such street,- alley, road, or ground, shall be responsible for injuries done thereby to private or public property lying upon or near to such ground, which may be recovered by civil action brought by the owner before the proper court, at any time within two years from the completion of such track.”

It is evident that this section refers to and includes any kind of occupation and use of a public road, street, alley, way, or ground, or any part thereof, whether such occupation and use be transverse or longitudinal. There is certainly nothing in the section which, in any manner, undertakes to limit such occupation to a longitudinal occupation, and therefore it includes any laying of a track upon a street without regard to its direction.

Every provision in the section is consistent only with this idea. The action, fot; instance, given to the owner of private or public property lying upon or near to such street, certainly is not intended to be based upon any occupation other than may be acquired under the provisions of the sections itself, and yet a right of action is manifestly given to recover for all injuries resulting from laying a track anywhere upon a street or public ground, to private or public property lying upon or near to such street or ground.

It may be conceded, that if this section authorizes railroad companies to appropriate a street, or any part thereof, to their own exclusive use and occupation, and destroy its use as a street, this construction of the section would not be permissible; as such right would authorize them to cut in two and destroy every street they would have to cross in their progress through a city, and thus bar communication between different parts of the city; a result which no process of interpretation would justify.

But this section provides for a joint use and occupancy of a street only. It is not designed to allow a company to appropriate a street, in the sense in which it takes the land of an individual, but in the sense in which it takes his property in a street, by subjecting it to an additional public use. Such appropriation is to be made only upon failure to agree with the municipal authorities upon the “manner, terms and conditions” upon which the street may be used and occu[124]*124pied. In each case, whether acquired by agreement or by appropriation, it is the use or occupancy of the street, so far only as it may be necessary for the purposes of the railroad, that is to be acquired by the company.

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Bluebook (online)
2 Ohio Cir. Dec. 121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-youngstown-v-pittsburgh-western-r-r-ohcirctmahoning-1888.