Harper v. Jones

74 N.E.2d 397, 49 Ohio Law. Abs. 289, 35 Ohio Op. 524, 1946 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 197
CourtTuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedDecember 26, 1946
DocketNo. 27062
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 74 N.E.2d 397 (Harper v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harper v. Jones, 74 N.E.2d 397, 49 Ohio Law. Abs. 289, 35 Ohio Op. 524, 1946 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 197 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1946).

Opinion

[290]*290OPINION

By LAMNECK, J.

On or about April 6, 1942, the plaintiff in this action for a valuable consideration secured a warranty deed from the Carnegie-Illihois Steel Corporation for all the coal now remaining unmined and in place in and underlying 153.95 acres of land, a part of which is .53 acres of land owned by the defendants. The defendants’ tract of land abuts a state highway on the east and. nearly all of the 153.95 acre tract of land lies west of this highway. The plaintiff acquired other mineral rights from the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation in and under other lands in the aforesaid warranty deed which abuts this land.

The Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation acquired its record title to the coal rights under this land from William H. Houk, et al., on November 11, 1915, when it' operated under the name of the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company.

In the conveyance to the plaintiff, dated April 6, 1942, the following is included: “Together with the free and uninterrupted right of way in, upon and under such lands, at' such points, and in such manner as may be proper and necessary for the purpose of digging, mining, ventilating, testing and carrying away said coal, and of transporting and carrying away other coal now or hereafter owned by the Grantee, without any liability whatsoever for damages arising therefrom or ¿from the removal of all of the aforesaid coal.

“Also, the free and uninterrupted right to place, maintain, remove and replace on and under the surface, all fixtures, structures, machinery, and appliances, railroad tracks, etc., deemed necessary, convenient or advisable by the Grantee, to, or in connection with, the operation and mining of the coal underlying the said lands hereinbefore described, as well as other coal now or that may hereafter be acquired by said Grantee. And also the right to do all things required to air and drain the workings through the surface of the aforesaid land. To erect and maintain on the surface all necessary poles and wires for electrical power in connection with the opera[291]*291tion of the mining of the aforesaid coal. Also the right to mine or remove said coal, with or without leaving support to the surface of said land, except however, that no coal shall be mined nearer than 150 feet to the dwelling now erected arid located on said premises, namely the dwelling house mentioned in the deed hereinafter recited, sometime occupied by one William H. Houk. Said Grantor also hereby conveys and grants to said Grantee, his heirs and assigns, a right of way to establish and maintain a railway tract and switches, if necessary, from the most convenient point to said Grantee, leading from the present location of The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company’s line as such right of way was granted and conveyed to the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company in the deed hereinafter recited.”

This is practically the same language contained in the deed to the plaintiff’s predecessor in title dated November 11, 1915, except that this deed grants “a right of way to establish and maintain a railway track and switches, if necessary, from the most convenient point to said grantee leading from the present location of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company’s line to the opening now in operation under a lease held by said grantee, and to the place where, if said grantee shall open a mine in any other vein of coal in or upon said premises, which may hereafter be selected, but in all events to adhere as closely as possible along the same right of way as is now being used by said grantee under the aforesaid lease.”

The defendants acquired their title from Alva and Agnes Veley on September 14, 1940, by warranty deed in which there is a saving and excepting clause reading as follows: “Saving and excepting from said tract all the coal underlying the same which was sold to the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company.”

The Veleys acquired their title on February 28, 1920, by warranty deed in which there was an exception to the coal.

Some time during 1944 the plaintiff made preparations to open a “right of way” over the defendants’ land, and the defendants refused and prevented him from having access over the lands of the defendants for the purpose of preparing a right of way.

The plaintiff in this action seeks to permanently enjoin the defendants from interfering in any manner with the plaintiff, his agents and employes from entering and using the right of way alleged to be owned by the plaintiff.

The right of way referred to in the prayer of the petition [292]*292is described as “a right of way from the most convenient point of said land so;conveyed to the B. & O. Railroad Company’s line.”

It appears from the evidence that the plaintiff intends to construct a truck and wagon road over the defendants’ lands to mine the number six vein of coal making an entry near the entry of an old mine about 350 feet from the defendants’ west boundary line. A so-called railroad and wagon mine was operated on the 153.95 acres described in the petition for over fifteen years, but mining operations were suspended some time during 1916 or 1917 and no coal has been mined on this land since, with the exception that the tenants on the land mined some coal for their own use, but none has been so mined for the past three years.

At the time the mine was in operation commercially, a single track railroad switch from the B. & O. Railroad to the tipple of the mine was located on part of the defendants’ land. This switch after it crossed the' highway entered land north of .the defendants’ land, then entered the defendants’ land in a southwesterly direction at a point near the middle of the defendants’ north boundary line, and then proceeded in a westerly direction to the mine tipple, a distance of approximately 350 feet from the defendants’ west boundary line.

A wagon road entered the premises from the highway at a point just north of the railroad switch where it crossed the highway and extended in a westerly direction to the mine mouth. This roadway was used for hauling in materials and supplies and also to convey coal by wagon away from the mine. No part of this roadway was located on the defendants’ premises. Both the railroad siding and the wagon road fell into disuse after mining operations ceased and have not been physically existent for more than 21 years.

The land of the defendants is fenced in and a chicken house stands on part of the oíd roadbed of the railroad switch at the present time.

The evidence also shows that the entire tract of the defendants’ land in question has been used in connection with other abutting land of the defendants on which a residence is located, for gardening and other incidental domestic purposes for over 21 years.

Prom the evidence submitted in this case it is clear that the plaintiff acquired all of the coal now remaining unmined and in place in and under approximately 153.95 acres of land of which .53 acres owned by the defendants is a part, and that such title was acquired by proper deeds in a chain of title from [293]*293Wm. H. Houck, et al., who owned both the surface and the minerals underlying the whole tract. Such conveyance covered the coal from the surface, leaving the surface owner with an estate in fee and the owner of the coal with an estate in fee.

A severance of minerals carries with it the right to enter and remove the minerals. In 27 O. Jur., Sec. 6, p.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
74 N.E.2d 397, 49 Ohio Law. Abs. 289, 35 Ohio Op. 524, 1946 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 197, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harper-v-jones-ohctcompltuscar-1946.