Hord v. Holston River Railroad

122 Tenn. 399
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1909
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 122 Tenn. 399 (Hord v. Holston River Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hord v. Holston River Railroad, 122 Tenn. 399 (Tenn. 1909).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Neil

delivered tbe opinion of the Court.

The controversy in the present case arises on the following facts:

On the 4th day of April, 1906, the complainant conveyed to the railway company a right of way through his tract of land lying in Hawkins county. The consideration expressed in the deed was $1, hut the consideration paid in fact was $250.

The right of way lay over and through a rocky ledge, which had to be reduced to the necessary level by blasting with powder and dynamite.

As the result of the blasting 7.6 acres of very valuable land, belonging to complainant, lying south of the right of way, between the right of way and the river, were completely covered up with stones from the blast. The amount of the debris was so great that it was worth as much as the land to remove it.

Three acres lying immediately west of the 7.6 acres were covered with stones to such an extent that it would cost $150 to remove them.

Damages were claimed for injury to other parts of complainant’s farm, and also for injury to fencing, to a barn, and to crops, and for the use of certain wagon [404]*404ways worn across parts of the farm oyer to the right of way.

While the work was in progress the bill was filed, praying for an injunction in case defendants should fail to execute a bond to secure the damages. The bond was executed and filed in the cause, and the work was then resumed.

The chancellor referred the various items of damages claimed to the master, who made a report thereon. Both sides excepted to the report. The chancellor sustained some of the exceptions, and overruled others, and reached the following result:

(1) As to the three acres: He fixed the cost of removing the rock from this land at $150. To this he added two years’ rent, for 1907 and 1908, at $30 per year, making a total of $210.

(2) As to the 7.6 acres: He approved the master’s valuation of $200 per acre, aggregating $1520. On this sum he allowed interest from January 1, 1907, which at the date of the decree amounted to $216.55.

(3) Damage to upland on the east end of the farm and north of the right of way, by rock cast upon it, and making wagon ways over it, also for destruction of fodder in the same way, all fixed at $125.

(4) For the destruction of a wire fence he allowed $20.

(5) For defendant’s couduct in making wagon ways through a twenty-five acre field of grass land be allowed as damages $75.

[405]*405(6) For injury to land on the'south, side of the right of way, and west of the creek, resulting from rock cast upon it and only partially removed, and to wheat crop, and to fodder on the same land, he allowed $50.

(7) For destruction of a rail fence, $65.

(8) For injury to a crib by rock thrown against it, and destruction of a small quantity of corn, $10.

(9) For throwing rock on an island in the river belonging to complainant, and not removing it, $25.

For the sum which these figures aggregate the chancellor rendered a judgment against both of the defendants, the railway company and McDowell & Co., and the surety on the indemnity bond.

Complainants and defendants all appealed, and assigned errors.

The errors assigned by complainant are as follows: (1) That the chancellor ei’red in not fixing the valuó of the bottom land injured at $250 per acre, instead of $200; (2) in not sustaining complainant’s second exception to the master’s report, which presented the point that the whole 10.6 acres of bottom land (composed of the 7.6 and three acres) were so covered with rock as to be destroyed, or so that it would be worth the value of the land to remove the rock; that, even if the rock could be removed from any part of it, still complainant had lost three years’ use of the land, and should have compensation on that basis; (3) in not sustaining complainant’s third exception to the report, which made the point that the master failed to [406]*406allow anything for 3.8 acres of upland south of the right of way, destroyed by rock cast, in addition to the bottom land, worth flO per acre; (4) because the chancellor failed to sustain complainant’s fourth exception to the report, which was in effect that the 10.6 acres of bottom land and 3.8 acres of upland were worth together $3218; (5) because the chancellor sustained the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth exceptions of the defendants to the report, which resulted in fixing the sums under numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, scheduled above from the decree, which were reductions from the sums reported by the master.

The railway company assigned the following errors: (1) That the chancellor erred in fixing the value of the 7,6 acres at $200; (2) in allowing $30 per year rent for 1907 and 1908 for the three acres; (3) in allowing interest on the value of the 7.6 acres from January 1, 1907.

Defendants A. S. McDowell & Co. assigned the following errors: (1) That the chancellor erred in rendering any judgment whatever against them; (2) in not adjudging that, if any damages at all were due from them by reason of the blasting of rock, it could only be. to the extent of the cost of removal of the rock from the premises; (3) in adjudging anything against them for loss of crops and buildings; (4) in adjudging anything against them for the use of wagon ways through the farm; (5) in allowing complainant $30 per year, for 1907 and 1908, for the use of the three acres; (6) [407]*407in adjudging damages for fences injured or destroyed in the construction of the railway; (7) in adjudging damages against them for any injury done to the crib and corn by blasting.

Before disposing of these assignments, we shall state the principles that control.

A railroad company has the right to blast rock on its right of way in order to level down its roadbed; but if, in doing so, it casts rocks upon, and so injures, the land of an adjoining owner, whose land has not been condemned, and who has not conveyed or agreed to convey the right of way, the latter has the right to an assessment of damages for the injury done. Dodge v. County Commissioners, 3 Metc. (Mass.), 380; Brown v. Providence, etc., R. Co., 5 Gray (Mass.), 35; Cary v. Morrison, 129 Fed., 177, 63 C. C. A., 267, 65 L. R. A., 659. That such right to blast would exist, and that the blasting, although prudently done, would probably cause injury to adjoining land, must be held to have been within the contemplation of the parties, where damages were assessed in a condemnation proceeding, and, if not actually covered in such assessment, such injury cannot be sued for and recovered later. The matter is res adjudicata. Sabin v. Vermont, etc., R. R. Co., 25 Vt., 363, 370, 371. Such assessment, however, does not cover injuries caused by negligent construction of the road (Carrier v. Railroad, 7 Lea, 388; Railroad v. Hays, 11 Lea, 389, 47 Am. Rep., 291; Railroad v. Mossman, 90 Tenn., 157, 16 S. W., 64, 25 Am. St. [408]*408Rep., 670; Railroad v. Higdon, 111 Tenn., 121, 76 S. W., 895); nor injuries inflicted upon a tract other than that out of which the condemned land was taken.

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122 Tenn. 399, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hord-v-holston-river-railroad-tenn-1909.