Panela v. Castile Mining Co.

130 N.W. 686, 165 Mich. 329, 1911 Mich. LEXIS 805
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 31, 1911
DocketDocket No. 142
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 130 N.W. 686 (Panela v. Castile Mining Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Panela v. Castile Mining Co., 130 N.W. 686, 165 Mich. 329, 1911 Mich. LEXIS 805 (Mich. 1911).

Opinion

Ostrander, C. J.

The plaintiff declared against the defendant in an action on the case, the declaration containing two counts. To the second count the defendant pleaded the general issue. To the first count it demurred and assigned as grounds of demurrer:

“ (1) That said declaration does not state wherein and what part or parts of the hoisting machinery, apparatus, appliances, contrivances, or devices of said defendant, by means of which the plaintiff was to be promptly, expeditiously, and safely hoisted and conveyed through defendant’s shaft or to a place or places of safety, were not reasonably safe, proper, or reliable for that purpose, as stated upon page 5 of said declaration.
“(2) That said declaration does not state wherein and what part or parts of said hoisting machinery, apparatus, appliances, contrivances, or devices were not reasonably safe, suitable, sufficient, adequate, or reliable by reason of being old, weak, worn, broken, and of insufficient strength and power to enable plaintiff to be promptly hoisted and conveyed through said shaft to a place or places of safety, as stated upon page 5 of said declaration.
(3) That said declaration does not state wherein and what part or parts of the signaling machinery, apparatus, appliances, contrivances, or devices were not reasonably suitable, reliable, sufficient, adequate, or proper with which to signal for the plaintiff to be so hoisted, as stated upon page 5 of said declaration.
“ (4) That said declaration does not state wherein and what parts of said signaling machinery, etc., had become unreasonably old, weak, broken, of insufficient strength and power to enable plaintiff or the other employés of said defendant to signal properly for prompt hoisting through said shaft, as stated upon pages 5 and 6 of said declaration.
“ (5) That said declaration does not state wherein and in what particulars said defendant negligently, carelessly, and recklessly conducted itself in and about the care, management, and control of said hoisting and signaling machinery, apparatus, and devices so as to cause plaintiff’s injury, and wherein said defendant did not use or exercise any reasonable care, skill, or diligence for the safety or protection of said plaintiff and other employés, and wherein it unnecessarily exposed them to the perils, dangers, and hazard of being killed or injured in consequence of [331]*331the explosion of highly dangerous and explosive substances in said shaft, and wherein it failed to use and exercise ordinary care for his and their safety and protection from such perils, hazards, and dangers, as stated upon page 6 of said declaration.
“(6) That said declaration does not state wherein and in what manner the defendant was negligent in allowing, permitting, suffering, and causing said explosives to be left hidden, concealed, and obscured in said shaft by a member of one of the crews other than the crew in which plaintiff was working, in said shaft, as stated upon page 6 of said declaration. ”

The demurrer was overruled, whereupon the defendant sued out a writ of certiorari to review the order and determination of the trial court. The averments in the first count in the declaration are, in substance, that defendant was engaged in mining ore in a mine which, at the time in question here, had various levels, so called, below the surface of the earth about 100 feet distant from each other, and a shaft, called No. 3 shaft, which was a compartment incline shaft 9 by 20 feet in two dimensions, and 1,200 feet long from its top or collar to the bottom or other end, having no ladder way or ladders. The manner or means of conveying men and material to the seventh level of the mine and of carrying ore, etc., from this level to the surface was by a hoisting apparatus, constructed on the surface and in the shaft. Defendant employed and worked at this level in the mine three shifts of men, to one of which shifts plaintiff, a miner, with little experience in mining belonged. These shifts succeeded each other at work, each taking up the work at the point to which the last shift had carried it. Neither shift nor crew of men—

“ Could see or know what had been done in said shaft by any of such other crews unless they were specially notified and warned thereof by some person or persons other than their respective members.”

Defendant furnished and required the use of powerful explosives—

[332]*332"And it was necessary for the safety and protection of said crews * * * that they and each of them should be specially warned and informed of any dangerous or perilous substances or conditions left or existing in said shaft * * * at the time such respective crews * * * began each shift therein, and especially of any explosives which were left in or about said shaft at the end of any shift by members then leaving work therein.”

It was also necessary—

“ That reasonably sound, safe, reliable, and trustworthy hoisting apparatus, devices, machinery, and appliances, and signaling apparatus and appliances, should be furnished, provided, kept, and maintained by defendant to enable them to promptly and safely withdraw themselves from said shaft in case of danger to them arising therein from any cause, and that defendant should use and exercise reasonable care, skill, diligence, and promptness in and about the hoisting them out of said shaft, and especially to promptly hoist them, and each of them, out of said shaft in case their lives or limbs were in danger by explosion in or about said shaft.”

Various duties of defendant, the nature of which have been indicated, are alleged, and breaches are assigned as follows:

“That the defendant did not perform its said duties, or any of them, and did not use and exercise reasonable care or diligence to furnish, supply, provide, or maintain for the use of said plaintiff and said other members of said crews reasonably safe, suitable, reliable, sufficient, or adequate hoisting or signaling machinery, apparatus, appliances, contrivances, or devices with, in, and by means of which to signal and be promptly, expeditiously and safely hoisted and conveyed through said shaft, or to a place or places of safety, in case of danger therein, or otherwise, and furnished, supplied, maintained, provided, and used for the purpose of conveying plaintiff and said other members of said crews through said shaft, and for the purpose of signaling to be so hoisted, hoisting and signaling machinery, apparatus, appliances, contrivances, and devices which were not reasonably safe, fit, proper, or reliable for that purpose, and which the defendant had allowed, permitted, and caused to become and be old, weak, worn, broken, and of insufficient strength and power to enable [333]

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Related

Conradsen v. Osceola Consolidated Mining Co.
146 N.W. 638 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1914)
Panela v. Castile Mining Co.
144 N.W. 528 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1913)
Maki v. Mohawk Mining Co.
142 N.W. 780 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1913)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
130 N.W. 686, 165 Mich. 329, 1911 Mich. LEXIS 805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/panela-v-castile-mining-co-mich-1911.