Muren Coal & Ice Co. v. Howell

119 Ill. App. 209, 1905 Ill. App. LEXIS 82
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 17, 1905
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 119 Ill. App. 209 (Muren Coal & Ice Co. v. Howell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Muren Coal & Ice Co. v. Howell, 119 Ill. App. 209, 1905 Ill. App. LEXIS 82 (Ill. Ct. App. 1905).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Creighton

delivered the opinion of the court

This case was before this court at a former term, was affirmed, and is reported in 107 Ill. App. 1. It was appealed from this to the Supreme Court, where the judgment was reversed and remanded, upon the sole ground that material error was discovered in one of the instructions given on behalf of appellee.

The state of pleadings is identical with that on the former appeal. The evidence and instructions given on behalf of appellee are substantially the same, with the exception of the correction of the error pointed out by the Supreme Court.

The case comes before us now purged of the only error found by either court on the former appeals.

Upon the former appeal, in stating the case we said: '“The amended declaration upon which the case was tried, consists of two counts.” “To this amended declaration appellant pleaded the general issue, the Statute of Limitations, and a plea, of former acquittal as to the second count. A demurrer was sustained to appellant’s plea of the Statute of Limitations, and a replication was filed to its plea of former acquittal, denying that there had ever been an adjudication "upon the cause of action or issues presented in the ■ count pleaded to. The action of the trial court in sustaining the demurrer to appellant’s plea of the Statute of Limitations is not assigned as error, nor is any question raised upon the record as to the plea of former acquittal or the replication thereto'. The case is before us as though the pleading consisted only of the last amended declaration, and plea of not guilty.” And the Supreme Court found and stated substantially the same.

Upon this appeal errors are, for the first time, assigned and urged upon these features of the record. •

First, as to the plea of the Statute of Limitations: Schmidt, appellee’s intestate, was injured and died March 28, 1900; the original declaration was filed January 3, 1901; on February 3, 1902, appellee filed an amended declaration consisting of two counts; on February 10, 1902, he filed “an additional count” and on April 21, 1902, was filed the amended declaration upon which the trials were had from which both the former and present appeals were prosecuted.

The declaration of February 3, 1902, as abstracted by counsel for appellant, is as follows:

“This declaration contains two counts and is brought by Herbert Howell, administrator of the estate of August Schmidt, deceased, against same defendant. The declaration alleges that the defendant was on the 28th day of March, 1900, a corporation and owning a coal mine and operating it by servants removing the coal therefrom; that on said date pne August Schmidt was in the employ of defendant as a driver in the coal mine and his duties required him to drive a mule and haul empty cars from the bottom thereof and distribute them through the mine, and to haul loaded cars from the entries and rooms in the mine to the bottom of the shaft so that they might be hoisted up to the top of the coal mine; that there were a large number of entries and rooms in said mine on which defendant had laid railway tracks for the transportation of coal in operating said mine; that it was the custom of defendant in constructing its railway track to place said track near the side of said entries known as the ‘rib side,’ and a sufficient distance from the walls thereof to enable servants of defendant passing or working in such entries to pass between the sides of coal cars hauled on said railway tracks and the ‘rib side’ of said entries without danger or injury, and keep the space between the railway track and the rib side in said entry clear of slate, coal and other obstructions; that defendant always did this as hereinafter stated and the servants of defendant having knowledge of such practice relied on defendant to keep said entries free and clear as aforesaid; that on the 28th day of March, 1900, a lot of slate, coal, etc., fell from the roof of the eight west entry leading off of the main south entry in said coal mine and obstructed all that portion of said entry lying between the railway track and the„ ‘rib side’ of said entry and rendered unsafe and dangerous the said railway track to said August Schmidt working in said entry; that defendant had notice of the fall of said slate, coal, etc., from the roof of said entry, and that it was an obstruction to that part of the entry, and rendered it dangerous and unsafe, and defendant carelessly and negligently omitted to remove said slate, dirt, etc., but allowed it to remain there, knowing that it was unsafe and dangerous, and knowing that said August Schmidt would be required to work therein and pass thereby ; that on said date August Schmidt was hauling two loaded cars along through said entry to the bottom of the shaft of said mine exercising due care and without notice or knowledge that-said slate, coal, etc., had fallen from the roof of said entry or that said entry was obstructed. Upon reaching a point on the railway track opposite said slate, said Schmidt discovered a car upon said railway track immediately in front of him, and seeing that a collision between the cars was inevitable, to avoid being injured he attempted to get off said railway track on the ‘rib side’ but there came in contact with said slate that prevented him from escaping in that direction and threw him back on the railway track between said cars which -crushed him, from the effect of which he died; that August Schmidt had knowledge of the practice of defendant to keep that portion of the entry lying between the railway track and the ‘rib side’ of said entry free and clear of obstructions and expected to escape the collision by going in that direction; that the slate, coal, etc., in that portion of the entry and the negligence of defendant in allowing it to remain there after notice, was the immediate and proximate cause of the injury and death of said Schmidt; that plaintiff is administrator of the said estate, duly appointed, etc., and that August Schmidt left him surviving his widow and his sons and daughters, as alleged in the other declarations. Plaintiff’s damages, $5,000.”
“The second count alleges that defendant is carrying on a coal mine and that there were roadways and tracks and entries and rooms therein, similar to the first count; and it was the duty of defendant to keep the roadways and tracks over which the said Schmidt was compelled to pass as a driver, in a reasonably safe condition and free from ob- $ struetions; that defendant negligently allowed za loaded car to stand on the track and permitted a large amount of slate and rock to remain near said standing car on the side of the roadway, obstructing the same, and making it dangerous for the driver to pass in the discharge of his duty; that on the 28th day of March, August Schmidt was a driver in charge of a mule and box cars in said coal mine, his duty being to drive the mule and cars over said roadway, tracks and entries, and while hauling a trip load of cars over said track in said mine and using due care, without knowledge of said slate and rock being near said standing car, said trip of cars collided with said standing car, catching said Schmidt between said trip of cars and said standing car and crushing him so that he died; that said Schmidt was unable to get out of danger on account of said slate, rock, etc., being near said standing car in said roadway; that if the same had not been in said roadway said August Schmidt would have escaped injury.”

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Bluebook (online)
119 Ill. App. 209, 1905 Ill. App. LEXIS 82, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/muren-coal-ice-co-v-howell-illappct-1905.