Lou. & Nash. R. R. v. Finley

5 S.W. 753, 86 Ky. 294, 1887 Ky. LEXIS 136
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedNovember 15, 1887
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 5 S.W. 753 (Lou. & Nash. R. R. v. Finley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lou. & Nash. R. R. v. Finley, 5 S.W. 753, 86 Ky. 294, 1887 Ky. LEXIS 136 (Ky. Ct. App. 1887).

Opinion

JUDGE HOLT

delivered the opinion of the court.

This action is in the nature of case to recover damages from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company by reason of the construction of its road over and near the property of the appellee, H. P. Finley. It •consists of three tracts, lying near each other, but not adjoining. Over two of them he sold the right of way to the company. The road as built runs through ■one of these, dividing it; and as to it the claim for ■damage is for the wow-building of crossings, as required by the appellee’s charter, to enable the owner to pass irom one portion to the other, where it has been thus ■divided. It does not clearly appear from the plat on ■file whether the other one of these two tracts is cut in two by the road, or whether it merely cuts off from one •corner of it so much land as is taken for the right of way; but in any event the court, by its instruction, restricted the right of recovery as to it to any earth taken therefrom, if any, by the company, and not embraced by the grant to it.

The main controversy is as to the third lot of land. The damage awarded by the jury, save a comparatively small amount, relates to it. It is situated in the suburbs of the town of Williamsburg, and at the junction of the Jacksboro and Pine Knot roads, and consists of two acres of land. Upon it the appellee had, prior to the construction of the railroad, erected a valuable dwelling-house, with necessary outbuildings, such as a stable, etc., and was occupying it with his fam-' [296]*296ily as his home. The Jacksboro road bounds the lot on the east side, and upon it the house fronts; while, up to the time of the building of the railroad, the Pine Knot road ran along the south side. It does not appear whether at that time these roads at that point were a part of the streets of the town or not.

It is admitted that the lot was within the town,, and that the Jacksboro road was its principal street. We shall assume, however, as do the appellant’s counsel, that they were at that point ordinary public roads.

Prior to the building of the railroad the grade of the lot was higher than either of the roads abutting it. The railroad was constructed upon the Pine Knot road side of the lot, about forty yards from it, and upon land acquired from others. At that point it was built upon a considerable fill, and, therefore, crossed the Jacksboro road at a high grade. This necessitated the raising of' the grade of the latter road, so that the public in traveling it could' cross the railroad. The fill thus made-extended from the railroad crossing for over a hundred feet in front of the appellee’s lot. At the railroad it was about fourteen feet high; and thence gradually declined.

By thus raising the grade the Jacksboro road was lessened in width for travel from forty to fourteen feet, and no wall was erected along this embankment, next to the appellee’s lot, to protect it. The company, without having any authority from the county, removed the Pine Knot road from its old location along appellee’s lot to the south side of its road, thus bringing its road, and the high embankment upon which it was built, between appellee’s property and the Pine Knot [297]*297road. In this way egress and ingress to his stable lot, and from a good portion of his property, "was cut off as to both roads. He complains of this; also, that it caused his lot to overflow with water; the mud and dirt to spread back over it; a frog pond to form on the lot opposite and near to his house, engendering malaria; and of other actual injuries, which we need not mention.

The record shows that certain depositions were used as evidence upon the trial which are not embraced by the bill of exceptions. The clerk in copying the record has interpolated in the bill a statement signed by him for the purpose of identifying them. This cannot be done. It cannot be left to him to determine what testimony was offered upon the trial. The depositions are not identified by either the bill or any order of court. We can not, therefore, consider any questions relating to the testimony offered or introduced upon the trial, as all of it is not before us in legal form.

It is also questionable whether we can consider the instructions. The bill of exceptions shows that the plaintiff asked certain instructions, which were given, that the defendant offered two, one of which was modified and then given, and the other refused. If nothing further appeared, it should undoubtedly be presumed that these were all that were given or refused, since an express statement in a bill that it contains all the evidence or all the instructions is not required. If it shows that certain instructions were asked by the plaintiff and either given or refused, and there is a like showing as to the defendant, then, in the absence of any thing in the record showing that others were given' [298]*298or refused, the bill will be regarded as complete in this respect. So if it shows that each side offered certain testimony, the presumption should be indulged that the bill contains all that was offered. In this instance it has, in addition to what we have already stated, a statement in parenthesis by the clerk that it contains in one place the words, “instructions hereto attached,” and that he is unable to tell what instructions are thus referred to; but that the bill contains all that were asked by either side. We conclude, however, but not without hesitation, that by fair construction it shows with reasonable certainty all the instructions that were given or refused; and we will, therefore, in passing upon them under the pleadings, consider the law of the case.

It is said that the charter of the appellant authorized it to cross the public road, provided the public travel was not thereby impeded; that the public duty was therefore imposed upon it of so elevating the grade as not to do so ; and it is urged that this was a legislative delegation to the company of the public right to change the grade of the public road, and make it conform to that at the railroad crossing; that this delegation of public authority also gave to the company the right to alter the location of the Pine Knot road; and that having done so in the exercise of this delegated public right, and by way of discharging a public duty imposed upon it, the company stands in law in the place of the public, had it done so.

Undoubtedly, the proper authority can change the location of a road or its grade ; but even it, in doing so, must not invade private property. It may discontinue a public road altogether, and no one can complain of mere remote or consequential injury.

[299]*299There was, however, no duty resting upon the company requiring them to build their railroad or to cross the Jacksboro public road. It did all this of its own accord. It was its duty to preserve the rights of the public in the free use of the public road; but this duty was imposed by its own conduct, and was the result of its own free will in building its road.

The public did not produce the necessity for the change of location of one road and a fill in the other. It can not be properly said that it resulted from the exercise of a public duty; and if so, private right can not be invaded and sacrificed even for the public good. It was rather a result arising from the need or convenience of the company, and brought about for its profit.

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Bluebook (online)
5 S.W. 753, 86 Ky. 294, 1887 Ky. LEXIS 136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lou-nash-r-r-v-finley-kyctapp-1887.