Crew-Levick Co. v. British & Foreign Marine Ins.

103 F. 48, 43 C.C.A. 107, 1900 U.S. App. LEXIS 3850
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedJune 19, 1900
DocketNo. 20
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 103 F. 48 (Crew-Levick Co. v. British & Foreign Marine Ins.) 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
Crew-Levick Co. v. British & Foreign Marine Ins., 103 F. 48, 43 C.C.A. 107, 1900 U.S. App. LEXIS 3850 (3d Cir. 1900).

Opinions

GRAY, Circuit Judge.

This was an action on a policy of insurance, to recover the value of oil destroyed by fire on December 10, 1895, while in tank cars on a siding alongside of the plaintiff’s warehouse. The action was brought in the court of common pleas No. 4 of Philadelphia county, and on the application of the defendant was transferred to the circuit court of the United States for the Eastern district of Pennsylvania. The tank cars containing this oil had been transported (five of them by the Pennsylvania Railroad, and one of them by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad) from the Pennsylvania oil regions, under six separate bills of lading or contracts of carriage, in each one- of which, the oil was stated to be consigned to “Crew-Levick Company, Swanson and Jackson streets, Philadelphia.” In detail, the facts, which are wholly undisputed, are these: At the corner of Swanson and Jackson streets, Philadelphia, the Crew-Levick Company at this tifne had an oil warehouse, surrounded by quite a yard, inclosed by a fence, containing, besides the warehouse, a cooper shop and some sheds and stables, all belonging to the Crew-Levick Company. On one side of this yard or inclosed area was Swanson street, along which ran the track of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and on the opposite side of the yard ran Meadow street, along which ran the track of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, so that the inclosed yard of the plaintiff company was situated directly between the tracks of these two railroad companies. - The private siding of the Crew-Levick Company was situated within this yard, alongside of the oil warehouse. It connected, through gates in the fence on either side, with both railroads, — on the Swanson street side with the Pennsylvania Railroad, and on the [49]*49Meadow street side with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. In the regular course oí business the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, from its Washington Avenue Station, which is not far from the corner of Swanson and Jackson streets, makes its delivery of car loads of merchandise consigned to its regular customers, who have their own private sidings, by placing the cars containing the merchandise on the customer’s private siding, and leaving them there for their customer to unload at his convenience; the railroad company making no charge for the use of the car1, unless detained over 48 hours. In the regular course of business, qar loads of merchandise arriving at the Washington Avenue Station of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and consigned to any of the customers of the railroad having their private siding, are kept by the railroad company while notice of their arrival is sent by a messenger to. the consignee. The consignee, at his convenience, notifies the railroad company when he desires to have what is called “a shift”; that is, when he desires the railroad company to send an engine to remove from the customer’s private siding any unloaded cars, and to substitute in their place loaded cars, of the arrival of which notice has been given. Some time on December 9, 1895, the day before the fire, two of the six car loads of oil which were destroyed by the fire had been placed upon the private siding of the Orew-Levick flompany at Swanson and Jackson streets, alongside its warehouse; one having been placed there by the Pennsylvania Railroad, and one having been placed there by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The next: day, December 10th, at about noon, the two cars just mentioned being still unloaded, the Orew-Levick Company sent word to the Washington Avenue Station of the Pennsylvania Railroad that it wished a shift that afternoon, and gave directions to have four more loaded cars placed upon its siding. As a consequence of these orders, between 4 and 6:15 o’clock of that afternoon the remaining four of the six loaded oil cars were placed on plaintiff’s private siding and left there. About 9 o’clock in the evening a fire occurred, which destroyed the warehouse, and with it six of the loaded tank cars, two of which had been left there the day before, and four that afternoon. Of the four others which were on the siding, two were hauled off at the Baltimore & Ohio end, and two at the Pennsylvania Railroad end (including the one which had projected through the gate), and were not burned.

The policy on which the suit is brought is irregular, in that it is a printed marine policy form, with many of the blanks unfilled, and to whch is attached a so-called "paster,” which contains the substance of the real contract: of insurance. A policy framed throughout: to express the meaning and intention of the parties would have avoided the difficulties out of which this litigation sprang. The transaction was an unbusinesslike and careless one, and has brought to the parties unnecessary trouble and expense. To arrive at the agreement: between the parties to this contract, we are referred lo a long printed form, containing a number of blanks, and evidently intended to be used in the writing of marine insurance alone; the defendant being a marine insurance company. This printed policy is, in its ordinary form, and as we have said, was meant to cover exclusively a marine risk, as a perusal will make obvious. It begins as follows:

[50]*50“(Cargo) (No. 638,003.) “A.
“The British and Foreign Marine Insurance Company, Limited, of Liverpool. New York Branch.
“Grew-Levick Company, .on account of whom it may concern.
“In case of loss, to be paid in funds current in the United States to them.
“Do make insurance and cause to be insured, lost or not lost, at and from October 10, 1895, at noon, to October 10, 1896, at noon, as per form attached herein,
“Upon all kinds of lawful goods and merchandise, laden or to be laden on board the good-, whereof-is master, for this present voyage, or whoever else shall go for master in the said vessel, or by whatever other name or names the said vessel, or the master thereof, is or shall be named or called.
“Beginning the adventure upon the said goods and merchandise from and immediately following the loading thereon on board of the said vessel at--as aforesaid, and so shall continue and endure until the said goods and merchandise shall be safely landed at-as aforesaid. And it shall and may be lawful for the said vessel, in her voyage, to proceed and sail to, touch and stay at, any port or places, if thereunto obliged by stress of weather or other unavoidable accident, without prejudice to this insurance. The said goods and merchandise hereby insured are valued at-, as per form attached herein -, including premium; such valuation being represented by the assured as not exceeding invoice cost and-per Cent, thereof.”-

Following this are many printed stipulations defining or limiting the obligation of the company, most of which are expressly and in terms applicable to a seaborne cargo. Only one of these, in addition to what has already been quoted, is claimed to have any bearing on this litigation. It occurs after many printed provisions and conditions of the policy, and is as follows:

“This insurance warranted to be in all cases null and void to the extent of any insurance with any fire insurance companies directly or indirectly covering upon the same property, whether prior, or subsequent hereto in date.”

The following was stamped in red ink on the face of the policy:

“The special terms and conditions governing this insurance are set. forth in the contract form which is attached within and signed by L. A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
103 F. 48, 43 C.C.A. 107, 1900 U.S. App. LEXIS 3850, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crew-levick-co-v-british-foreign-marine-ins-ca3-1900.