Roushlange v. Chicago & Atlantic Railway Co.

17 N.E. 198, 115 Ind. 106, 1888 Ind. LEXIS 301
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 29, 1888
DocketNo. 13,207
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 17 N.E. 198 (Roushlange v. Chicago & Atlantic Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Roushlange v. Chicago & Atlantic Railway Co., 17 N.E. 198, 115 Ind. 106, 1888 Ind. LEXIS 301 (Ind. 1888).

Opinion

Zollars, J.

It is averred in appellant’s complaint that the railway company had constructed its road across his land 41 after purchase made and consideration paid for the right of way by the defendant to the plaintiff, and after the plaintiff had conveyed the right of way to the defendant by a good and sufficient deed.” It is averred, also, that á portion of the land over which the railroad was constructed was marshy; that through that portion the railway company made an embankment about twelve feet high; that, after the road had been used for about six months, the embankment, thus constructed, began to sink; that, to keep the grade up to the original height, the railway company deposited upon the top of the embankment a large amount of earth, sand and other material; that, as the same was thus deposited, the embankment kept sinking until the road-bed finally became settled and solid; that a large amount of the earth and other material thus deposited, as it sank, spread and extended under the surface of the land beyond the land of the railway com[107]*107pany and uplieaved the plaintiff’s land adjoining the right of way and rendered worthless several acres of it, etc.

There is no charge, of negligence against the railway company, unless the facts stated show it to have been negligent in the construction of its road. Claiming that no negligence is charged, its counsel insist that the complaint does not make a case against it, admitting all of the averments therein to be true, as the demurrer does. These general propositions are established by the authorities:

First. A deed of land to a railway company for its right of way is presumed to include a license to do what is necessary and lawful in the construction and management of its road thereon, to the same extent and with the same effect as if the land had been compulsorily taken by condemnation proceedings. But, notwithstanding the deed, the company remains liable for injuries arising from negligence and unskilfulness in the construction of its road. Pierce Railroads, pp. 133-134; see, also, 1 Rorer Railroads, pp. 313-314; Mills Eminent Domain (2d ed.), section 110.

Second. As in condemnation proceedings it is presumed that the assessment of damages includes all damages proper to be assessed, so, deeds of rights of way are presumed to include all damages arising from the proper construction of „ the road. The price agreed upon is presumed to be the same that the commissioners would have arrived at on an assessment of damages. Mills Eminent Domain (2d ed.), section 110; Chicago, etc., R. W. Co. v. Smith, 111 Ill. 363.

Third. The rule as to what damages may be assessed by the commissioners in a condemnation proceeding is, that the value of the land appropriated should be considered, together with any injury to the residue of the land naturally resulting, or that might reasonably be expected to result, from the appropriation and the construction of the road in a proper and lawful manner. White Water Valley R. R. Co. v. McClure, 29 Ind. 536; Grand Rapids, etc., R. R. Co. v. Horn, 41 Ind. 479 (484); Indiana, etc., R. W. Co. v. Allen, [108]*108100 Ind. 409 (412) Southside R. R. Co. v. Daniel, 20 Gratt. 344; Chicago, etc., R. R. Co. v. Springfield, etc., R. R. Co., 67 Ill. 143; Chicago, etc., R. W. Co. v. Smith, supra.

Fourth. Such assessment of damages will not be presumed to cover damages resulting from the negligent construction of the road, or any portion of it, nor damages resulting from improper encroachments upon land outside of the right of way.

The above stated rules of law require a holding here that unless the rights of the railway company are enlarged, or its liabilities limited by the terms of the deed, appellant can recover such damages, and only such damages, as might properly have been assessed had the right of way through his land been taken by condemnation proceedings instead of by grant.

The complaint shows that appellant granted to the railway company a right of way through his land for the construction and operation of its road. It is not claimed that the deed conveyed any rights except the right of way, and such as are incidental to the general grant. It is not stated. in the complaint how wide the strip thus granted was, but it is shown that in the construction of the road the company has occupied land outside of the strip granted.

The general rule is, that, in the construction of its road upon an acquired right of way, a railway company is not liable beyond the compensation assessed or agreed upon, where such compensation is fixed prior to the building of the road, unless it is guilty of negligence in such construction. That rule, however, must be limited to cases where the railway is constructed upon and within the limits of the right of way so acquired.

Clearly, if a railway company should condemn or purchase a right of way of a certain width, and pay the damages assessed or agreed upon as resulting from the construction of its road upon that strip, it could not successfully claim the right to so construct its road as to cover land outside of the [109]*109limits of such strip without the payment of additional compensation or additional damages resulting from such construction.

If that were so, the company might condemn a strip of land twenty feet wide, and in the building and maintenance of high, and •'necessarily wide, embankments, cover and occupy a strip fifty or one hundred feet wide, without the payment of compensation, or damages resulting from such occupancy.

The real question in the case before us is not one of negligence, but of an encroachment upon' land outside of the company’s right of way. When the company discovered that its road-bed was sinking, could it, without making compensation, or the payment of damages, have gone upon appellant’s land and constructed walls or banks to prevent the road-bed from sinking and spreading ? Clearly not. That it did not do, but, what in effect was the same thing, it filled in earth and other materials until the embankment spread out beyond the right of way upon appellant’s adjoining lands, and upheaved the surface and caused the injury described in the complaint.

It may be that the company had no knowledge that the filling would cause the spreading of the embankment and the upheaval of appellant’s land. Whether or not it had such knowledge is not stated in the complaint; nor do we think that it is material in this case. By reason of the filling upon the embankment it was caused to spread upon appellant’s land and caused the injury. That the railway company may have had no knowledge that the filling would cause the injury is not sufficient to exonerate it from liability.

The fact remains that appellant granted to the railway company a strip of land upon which to construct and operate its road, and it has so constructed it as to make it rest, not only upon the strip thus granted, but also upon his adjoining land, not granted. The railway company is thus occupying land which was not granted to it, and which neither [110]*110party intended should be either granted to it or occupied by its road.

The road is no less an encroachment upon appellant’s land because its foundation is beneath the surface. That fact might affect the amount of damages, biit it does not alter the rights of the parties.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
17 N.E. 198, 115 Ind. 106, 1888 Ind. LEXIS 301, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roushlange-v-chicago-atlantic-railway-co-ind-1888.