McClung v. Louisville & N. R. Co.

51 So. 2d 371, 255 Ala. 302, 1951 Ala. LEXIS 308
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedMarch 15, 1951
Docket6 Div. 90
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 51 So. 2d 371 (McClung v. Louisville & N. R. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McClung v. Louisville & N. R. Co., 51 So. 2d 371, 255 Ala. 302, 1951 Ala. LEXIS 308 (Ala. 1951).

Opinion

*305 FOSTER, Justice.

This is an appeal from a final decree denying relief to complainants and dismissing their bill. The bill sought an abatement of certain operations which are claimed to constitute a nuisance. Complainants, appellants here, have homes situated on Lanark Road in Birmingham, on the southern slope of Red Mountain overlooking English Village, also called Hedona.

About fifty' years before complainants filed their bill, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, a respondent here, constructed a branch line from its main line to Boyles. There were several ore mines then in operation near the crest of Red Mountain on its southern slope. Later the ore mine operations were discontinued and trackage beyond Hedona to the west was removed. At Hedona the railroad company had a main track, a team track, and a spur track which extended over to the bins owned by the C. ,G. Kershaw Contracting Company. The bins and spur had been used for about fifteen years before the suit was begun.

As to appellee railroad company, appellants claim that the nuisance was to residents on Lanark Road which overlooks Hedona. This section was and is a high class residential area as shown by the exhibits. Complainants’ homes are on that road. It is alleged that coal dust in large quantities is caused to arise from loading coal cars on the team track from trucks for shipment, which dust and the smoke from locomotives are blown into their homes causing great damage. Complainants claim that the coal dust is caused by transferring the coal from trucks to the coal cars by hand shovels, and that no attempt has been made to minimize the dust by sprinkling, oiling or washing the coal, or using some other loading place not in a residential section. It is alleged that the coal dust is blown into their residences in large quantities and on frequent occasions to such extent as to prevent the enjoyment of their homes. The homes of complainants were purchased in 1936, 1938 and 1943, at a time when there was very little use of this railroad, with none of the acts now causing the alleged nuisance. During and subsequent to the War there has been considerable increase in the use of this railroad on that line and at that loading point. The suit was filed September 1946. There has been no acquiescence in the alleged nuisance. Section 1088, Title 7, Code.

*306 It is claimed that the C. G. Kershaw Contracting Company created a nuisance in unloading metal sand cars into their .sand bins by beating on the sides of the cars with heavy tools to loosen the sand from the cars so as to flow freely by gravity into the bins. This beating of the metal sand cars was of frequent occurrence, sometimes early in the morning, creating loud noises: all of which was disturbing to appellants and other residents of Lanark Road. The evidence shows that a rubber mallet, or perhaps a wooden tool or a scrape, could be used without producing so much noise. See, Strough v. Ideal Supplies Co., 300 Ky. 34, 187 S.W.2d 839.

As to respondent Koppers, complaint Is made of odors, fumes and loud noises from the heating and distributing of the contents of tank tar cars belonging to them, which were heated and the contents dis-, tributed by motor equipment at Hedona. ■The effect was to disturb the residents of Lanark Road because of the motors running night an day, creating noise, odors and fumes which permeated the homes of .appellants and other residents of Lanark Road. Evidence of such matters was given by many other residents who are not parties, but apparently well wishers.

In fact the evidence amply shows the dust, smoke, soot, heat, inconvenience and damage done to the complainants, and others not suing; that such inconvenience is not fanciful nor such as would affect only one of a fastidious taste, but is such as would affect an ordinary reasonable man. It is therefore a nuisance as defined by section 1081, Title 7, Code.

But before such nuisance will be enjoined everything should be viewed in respect to both parties to the issue. “If one .so lives in a shop district of a city, he •ought not to complain that a shop is carried on in the next door to him, if it is done in a proper manner; but if he selects as his home the residence district •of such town, and builds his house there, then he would have a right to complain, if .a third party should establish and carry on a shop, or plant next door to him, which annoyed his family and disturbed the quietude and pleasure of his home by excessive noise, offensive odors, dust, etc.” First Avenue Coal & Lumber Co. v. Johnson, 171 Ala. 470, 54 So. 598, 32 L.R.A.,N.S., 522; Alabama Power Co. v. Stringfellow, 228 Ala. 422, 153 So. 629; Beam v. Birmingham Slag Co., 243 Ala. 313, 10 So.2d 162.

We think the evidence justifies an injunction against the C. G. Kershaw Contracting Company restraining it from so operating and conducting its business at Hedona or English Village of unloading sand and gravel and other material from cars into bins by beating and pounding on the cars so' as to make loud and disturbing noises, obnoxious to the residents in that area. However, we do not think the evidence justifies an injunction against the Homewood Lumber Company and the Homewood Paint and Hardware Company.

We also think an injunction would be proper against Koppers Company restraining them from causing to be emitted odors and fumes accompanied with loud noises, occasioned by the operation of heating and distributing the contents of tank tar cars at Hedona. While it appears that this has not been done recently, it also appears that the reason for not doing so is because of an absence of demand for the product.

In respect to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company and the emission by it of smoke and sparks from locomotives and similar annoyances, we find the law to be that when the operation by the railroad is pursuant to lawful authority, such railroads are treated as public highways and the proprietors as public servants. “Any diminution of the value of property not directly invaded nor peculiarly affected, but sharing in the common burden of incidental damages arising from the legalized nuisance, is held not to be a ‘taking’ within the constitutional provision. The immunity is limited to such damages as naturally and unavoidably result from the proper conduct of the road and are shared generally by property owners whose lands lie *307 within range of the inconveniences necessarily incident to proximity to a railroad. It includes the noises and vibrations incident to running of trains, the necessary emission of smoke and sparks from the locomotives, and similar annoyances inseparable from the normal and non-negligent operation of a railroad.” Richards v. Washington Terminal Co., 233 U.S. 546, 34 S.Ct. 654, 657, 58 L.Ed. 1088. Compare, Hamilton v. Alabama Power Co., 195 Ala. 438, 70 So. 737; Meharg v. Alabama Power Co., 201 Ala. 555, 78 So. 909; Burnett v. Alabama Power Co., 199 Ala. 337, 74 So. 459.

As we view the situation, the foregoing principle is directly applicable. The railroad company was operating .

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Bluebook (online)
51 So. 2d 371, 255 Ala. 302, 1951 Ala. LEXIS 308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcclung-v-louisville-n-r-co-ala-1951.