Kansas City Suburban Belt Railroad v. Kansas City, St. Louis & Chicago Railroad

24 S.W. 478, 118 Mo. 599, 1893 Mo. LEXIS 183
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedDecember 16, 1893
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 24 S.W. 478 (Kansas City Suburban Belt Railroad v. Kansas City, St. Louis & Chicago Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kansas City Suburban Belt Railroad v. Kansas City, St. Louis & Chicago Railroad, 24 S.W. 478, 118 Mo. 599, 1893 Mo. LEXIS 183 (Mo. 1893).

Opinion

Burgess, J.

This is an action by the Kansas City Suburban Belt Eailroad Company, petitioner, against; [606]*606the Kansas City, St. Lonis & Chicago Railroad Company, and the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company, lessees of the last named company, to condemn a right ■of way for its double track railroad across the lands and tracks of the defendants, near Grillis street in Kansas City, and also at a point about three miles further east, near the Blue river. The proposed business of the petitioner is that of a terminal road for lines entering the city, and also for switching and suburban travel.

In 1872 Kansas City, by ordinance, duly granted ■to the defendants the right to locate their railroad at •grade across Grillis street, and by section 6 of said ordinance reserved to itself, the city, “the right at any time to exercise at any and all points and places within 'its limits all the rights and powers conferred upon, or ■granted to, said city by the thirty-second clause of section 1, of article 3, of the present charter of the City ■of Kansas, being an act of the general assembly of the state of Missouri, approved March 24, 1875, and that the rights of the said city granted by the said .clause are in no way whatsoever to be impaired by the •terms and provisions of this ordinance.”

The rights so reserved to the city in section 6 of ■said ordinance, as shown by the thirty-second clause of section 1, of article 3, of said charter, were the rights conferred by the legislature upon the city council which provided that the said council shall have power within the jurisdiction of the city, by ordinance, “to direct .and control the laying and construction of railroad tracks * * * in the streets and alleys * * * ■and to direct the use and regulate the speed of locomotive engines within the limits of the city. * * *

In 1890 Kansas City, by ordinance numbered 1523, established the grade of Second street and of ■Grillis street, as well as of all streets intersecting Second [607]*607street between Wyandotte and Gillis, and granted to the plaintiff the right to locate and operate its railroad on Second street and across other streets at the grades, as so established. By sections 2 and 4 of said ordinance the grade of Gillis street was established at the tops of the rails of defendants’ road, and plaintiff in express terms was granted the authority to cross ■defendants’ tracks in said Gillis street at said grade.

That part of plaintiff’s road involved in this controversy, as authorized by its charter and by the ordinances of the city, was in Second street, running from Wyandotte street east to Harrison street, thence east to the intersection of defendants’ road with Gillis •street, thence across defendants’ tracks in Gillis street to the eastern city limits. The Chicago & Alton road runs east from the Union depot along the Missouri river bottom, and near to the south bluff. The petitioner’s road commences on the bluff at Second and Wyandotte streets, and runs east on Second street down a steep hill, striking the river bottom at Gillis street, the place of the crossing chiefly in controversy, running on Second street almost to Harrison, and then curving north and crossing Gillis just north of First. The descent commences at Main street and continues until after the route passes both the Alton and the Missouri Pacific tracks. From Main to Grand avenue the fall is two hundred and four feet to the mile; from Grand avenue to Holmes, a distance of one thousand and three hundreed feet, one hundred and sixteen feet to the mile; from this place to the place of the crossing of the Missouri Pacific, a distance of about four hundred feet, the grade is fifty-two feet.

After plaintiff’s road and grade was so fixed by the city authorities, it undertook to agree with the defendants as to the point and manner of crossing their road at Gillis street, and at another point about [608]*608three miles east of that, near Blue river, and as to the compensation to be paid therefor, but. were unable to arrive at any agreement. Then this suit was instituted to condemn a right of way for the plaintiff’s railroad across the lands and tracks of the defendant on Gfillis street, and also at the point near Blue river, and asked the appointment of commissioners to fix the point and manner of such crossings, and to determine and assess the compensation that should be allowed to the defendants therefor.

On the day set for the appointment of commissioners, the defendants appeared and filed answer, alleging, among other things, that a. grade crossing would be dangerous and would materially interfere with the use of defendants’ property. The court refused to hear evidence, then, on the matters set up in the answer, but appointed commissioners and after-wards heard and determined all the matters set up in the answer.

The commissioners viewed the property and consumed several days in hearing the testimony of witnesses and the argument of counsel. The commissioners, after hearing.the evidence and argument, came into court and propounded to the court the following questions:

“First. If an overhead crossing is decided upon, can commissioners require defendants to pay any part of the cost of the viaduct?”

“Second. Can commissioners decide upon a grade crossing for a given time and thereafter an overhead crossing?”

After the court had received and read the questions, the defendants’ counsel requested the court to answer both questions in the negative, and the court, at the request of the defendants, did give instructions to the commissioners, in effect, answering both of said [609]*609questions in the negative.

Defendants then asked certain other instructions, which were rufused. They are as follows:

“The court instructs the commissioners that they have full powers to require an overhead crossing.

“The court instructs the commissioners that they must provide for such a crossing as will not materially interfere with the uses to which, by law, the defendants are authorized to put their railroad.

“If you believe that by reason of the grades of the Kansas City and Suburban Railway west of the place of crossing named in the petition the engines and cars of plaintiff could not be operated at a grade crossing without incurring danger not incident to ordinary railroad crossings, and that such a crossing, in your opinion, would be peculiarly dangerous to life and property, then you cannot allow plaintiff a grade crossing.”

The commissioners filed their report oh June 25, 1890, and thereby fixed grade crossings and allowed compensation aggregating four thousand, two hundred dollars ($4,200), which amount the plaintiff deposited with the circuit clerk on the same day.

The defendants filed their exceptions to the report of the commissioners on June 28, 1890. These exceptions as filed stated thirteen alleged reasons why the report should be set aside. The tenth reason assigned was on the alleged ground that the compensation was inadequate. The others in the main set up that the crossing was dangerous and that it would so. materially interfere with the use and operation of defendant’s railroad as to practically destroy their property and franchises. The appellants now complain that they never had a hearing by the court on the questions as to the danger of the crossing and as to the effect it would have upon the use of their property.

[610]

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Bluebook (online)
24 S.W. 478, 118 Mo. 599, 1893 Mo. LEXIS 183, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kansas-city-suburban-belt-railroad-v-kansas-city-st-louis-chicago-mo-1893.