Dolphin v. Peacock Mining Co.

144 N.W. 1112, 155 Wis. 439, 1914 Wisc. LEXIS 23
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 13, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 144 N.W. 1112 (Dolphin v. Peacock Mining Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dolphin v. Peacock Mining Co., 144 N.W. 1112, 155 Wis. 439, 1914 Wisc. LEXIS 23 (Wis. 1914).

Opinion

EjeewiN, J.

The plaintiff was injured on the 21st day of May, 1912, while at work in the defendant’s mine. He was employed as an assistant to the driller, one Byke. The piine is located in Iowa county, Wisconsin. At the time of the injury it was being operated by running a drift' seven feet high and between forty and sixty feet wide easterly from the main shaft and about 100 feet below the surface of the ground. The drift was carried through the rock to a point about 1,200 feet from the main shaft. The material being removed from the drift as it was carried eastward consisted of limestone, [443]*443.glass rock, clay bed, and brown rock, and over tbe brown rock lay tbe cap-rock, wbicb formed tbe cap or roof of tbe drift. Supporting pillars of natural rock were left through the center of tbe drift. ' Also there were supports constructed by gobbing and timbering at different points along tbe drift. Gobbing consists of making piles of barren or non-ore-producing rock extending from tbe floor to tbe cap-rock or roof.

Tbe accident occurred on tbe south wall or side of tbe drift, about twenty feet from tbe easterly end or forehead thereof. Tbe work in tbe mine at' tbe time of tbe injury was carried on by first drilling a serjes- of boles either in tbe side wall or tbe forehead. These boles were loaded with sticks of dynamite, wbicb were exploded in tbe evening after tbe workmen bad gone, and in tbe morning tbe drillers proceeded with their drilling in another part of tbe mine and tbe sbovelers cleaned tbe rock loosened by tbe blast and tbe trammers carried tbe ore-bearing rock to the shaft over tbe tramway.

A large rock in the south wall, four and one-balf feet from tbe floor and projecting two or three feet from tbe side wall up near tbe cap-rock or roof and weighing from 3,500 to 4,000 pounds, fell upon tbe plaintiff and injured him while be was engaged in assisting tbe driller.

Tbe negligence alleged is that tbe defendant failed to furnish a safe place for plaintiff to work, in consequence of wbicb unsafe and dangerous condition of tbe mine tbe plaintiff was injured by tbe fall of tbe rock in question; that tbe defendant had knowledge that tbe place was dangerous and failed to inform plaintiff thereof. Tbe complaint also alleges that on tbe 21st day of May, 1912, or at any time prior thereto, the' defendant bad not filed with tbe Industrial Accident Board of Wisconsin a written statement to the effect that it would accept tbe provisions of cb. 50 of tbe Laws of 1911 of tbe state of Wisconsin, and tbe defendant was not on said day nor prior thereto subject to tbe provisions of said act. This allegation is admitted.

[444]*444The several assignments of error will be considered in the order discussed in appellants brief. It is first contended that a verdict should have been directed (a) because the undisputed evidence shows that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence, and (b) that there was no evidence sufficient to warrant the jury in finding the defendant guilty of negligence.

1. Counsel for appellant makes no claim that assumption of the ordinary hazards of the employment is a defense, but insists that plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence as matter of law, because he knew or ought to have known that the place was dangerous; that he was familiar with the premises and work and assisted in making the working-place; that the mine was well lighted and the danger as obvious to the plaintiff as to the defendant’s foreman.

On the part of plaintiff it is contended that no duty rested upon plaintiff or the driller, Byke, to inspect or prepare the working place for the driller, but on the contrary that duty was especially delegated to the ground boss, one Cush-man, and that' he and the shovelers were charged with that duty; that the mine was not well lighted and the danger not obvious, and was unknown to plaintiff but known to defendant'. The jury found that the plaintiff was not guilty of contributory negligence, and under the repeated decisions of this court the finding cannot be disturbed if there is any credible evidence to support it.

The evidence shows that it was the duty of the shovelers, under the charge and direction of the ground foreman, to malee inspection after the blasting and test the rock with pick and hammer*, and also examine the cracks in the rocks with the aid of a candle and clear away all loose rock; that no duty to inspect rested upon plaintiff or the driller; that their only duty was to drill after the place had been prepared for them; that aside from the rocks removed by the blasting, other rocks are shattered or cracked but remain unmoved from the walls [445]*445or forebead, so that careful examination and inspection becomes necessary in order to determine .whether such rocks are dangerous to persons working under or near .them.

There is evidence that plaintiff did not know that' the rock which fell and caused the injury was loose or dangerous, but counsel says he should have examined it. The plaintiff was under no obligation to test it' or, make inspection of it. He had a right to rely upon inspection by the ground boss and shovelers, whose duty it was to inspect,-unless the danger was open and obvious to him. There is evidence that the danger was not obvious, that the mine was not ..well lighted, that each man carried a candle, and' that in order to discover the dangerous condition of rocks it' was often necessary to examine the cracks with the aid of a candle, in order to discover signs of separation or settlement.

There was no duty on the part of the driller to inspect or examine, and, even if so, his negligence could not be attributed to the plaintiff. Sec. 2394 — 1, Stats. Neither Byke nor plaintiff had anything to do with clearing away the rock after the blasting and nothing to do with preparing the place where they drilled. They drilled where they were ordered to drill by the ground boss, Cushman. Blaintiff’s duties were to do what he was ordered to do by the driller. He testified: “My duties were to assist the drillman. I was backer. That was to drill and break ground and put' in shots. I was only assistant man. I helped set up the machine and keep the bolts tight and changed the steel and- squirted the water in-the hole that was drilled.”

Counsel for appellant argues that the evidence shows that the mine was well lighted. There is, however, conflict on this point. Byke, the driller, testified that the mine was dark, that every man carried a candle, no lights sticking around, no lamps, no electric lights, gob comes close to the pillar, -you can’t see there. The witness further testified that you would have to put the candle up close to see the rock. [446]*446There is ample evidence that the dangerous condition of the rock could only be discovered by holding a candle close to it, in view of the poorly lighted condition of the mine. Counsel cites us to evidence of plaintiff that he had all the light he wanted in his work. True, he carried a candle and that doubtless was sufficient for his work, but not sufficient to light up the mine. Byke, the driller, testified:

“Q. Was there any light over by this pillar where you were sent to drill? A. No; gob comes close to the pillar, you can’t see there . . . here is the pillar south; throw the rock back up against the pillar; can’t see from there one side to the other.
“Q. If you didn’t have any candle, no light there, could you see the rock? A. No.
“Q.

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

Related

Young v. Anaconda American Brass Co.
168 N.W.2d 112 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1969)
Jankovich v. Arens
54 N.W.2d 909 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1952)
Henry v. La Grou
227 N.W. 246 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1929)
La Valley v. State
205 N.W. 412 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1925)
Hind v. Thomas
187 N.W. 192 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1922)
John Hoffmann & Sons Co. v. Parks
184 N.W. 1035 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1921)
Connolly v. Waushara Granite Co.
155 N.W. 921 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1916)
Koenig v. Sproesser
152 N.W. 473 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1915)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
144 N.W. 1112, 155 Wis. 439, 1914 Wisc. LEXIS 23, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dolphin-v-peacock-mining-co-wis-1914.