Southern Agricultural Works v. Franklin

36 S.E. 693, 111 Ga. 319, 1900 Ga. LEXIS 537
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJuly 12, 1900
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 36 S.E. 693 (Southern Agricultural Works v. Franklin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Agricultural Works v. Franklin, 36 S.E. 693, 111 Ga. 319, 1900 Ga. LEXIS 537 (Ga. 1900).

Opinion

Lewis, J.

R. V. Franklin brought suit in the city court of Atlanta against the Southern Agricultural Works, and for cause of action substantially alleged, that the defendant was a corporation having its principal office in the city of Atlanta. The defendant, at the time of committing the grievances mentioned, to wit, on January 17, 1899, and for several months prior thereto, was the owner and operator of a certain manufactory, situate on Marietta street in said city, used in manufacturing agricultural implements, and was then engaged in that business. It had a steam engine, producing steam power of great force and pressure, which was used to move and work machinery, gearing, and belting, which said machinery, gearing, and belting was used in manufacturing said agricultural implements] .There was certain other machinei’y, to wit, a large shaft or axle moving, which was kept in motion by means of the steam engine. There was also other machinery, gearing, belting, shafts, cog-wheels, and shearers, used in the manufacturing of said implements, which while in operation was extremely dangerous. On January 2, 1899, defendant employed [320]*320' petitioner’s son, George W. Franklin, as an employee and servant to do and perform certain work and labor for it in its manufactory, for hire, wages, and reward, to wit, to put up plows on the bench to the grinders at the emery-wheels in said manufactory. George W. Franklin was petitioner’s son, and at the time of his employment was a minor of tender years, being at the time between thirteen and fourteen years of age, and although small in size for-his age, he was sound and healthy, and of a strong constitution, and was sober, industrious, etc. Petitioner hired his son to the defendant to do the specific work mentioned, and the character thereof was not dangerous, and was not connected with any of the machinery in the manufactory ; and the duties of his work did not require him to have anything to do with the machinery, or to be acquainted with, or have any knowledge of it. Petitioner was well acquainted with the machinery in defendant’s manufactory, and knew of its dangerous character; his son was wholly inexperienced and unacquainted with it and its operation, and, knowing this, petitioner only consented to hire him to do the specific work mentioned, and would not under any consideration, and did not, consent for his son to work at, with, or about any of said machinery. Defendant changed the work in which he was employed up to Januáry 17, 1899, and on that day, while he was engaged in the performance of the duties of his employment, the defendant withdrew him from the specific duties for which he was employed, and assigned him to other duties not connected with or embraced within his special employment. He was ordered by Robert Quinn, the foreman of the shearers and punchers in said manufactory, to leave his said work and go to another room where a shearer was located, which was a dangerous machine, connected, by shaft, cog-wheels, pulleys, and belting, with the main axle or shaft and steam engine, and was wrongfully, carelessly and negligently put to work by said foreman on said shearer and near said cog-wheels, which were revolving with great force and velocity, being propelled by a powerful steam engine, without instructing him as to the danger of said machinery or how to work at the same; and while engaged at the said shearer, under the express order of said foreman, and having been at work at the same only a short time, the said George [321]*321W. Franklin was, by the wrongful conduct and negligence of defendant, caught in said machinery between the cog-wheels, whereby he was mortally wounded, from the effect of which he died. Robert Quinn, foreman, was authorized to hire and discharge employees for the defendant, and did, on January 2, 1899, hire said George W. Franklin from petitioner to work for defendant at the specified work aforesaid. Said Franklin was working under Quinn, foreman, and it was his duty to obey the orders of Quinn, who was placed in authority over him by defendant. Petitioner was entitled to the earnings of his son from the date of his death to his majority, a period of seven years and twenty-one days. At the time of his death his son was earning thirty-five cents a day, and his capacity to' earn still more would have increased with his age; by reason of all of which he was damaged in a sum stated.

To meet a special demurrer of defendant, plaintiff amended his petition by alleging that defendant was also guilty of negligence in putting his son, who was a minor of tender years and unacquainted with machinery and its operation, to work at, upon, and about said machinery. It then specified how he was hurt, while helping one Guerin change the blades on the shearer, in obedience to the order of Quinn, defendant’s foreman; said machinery being provided with a loose pulley for stopping it, and cog-wheels, in the room where Franklin was injured, without interfering with the operation of other machinery in other departments. The shearer was not in operation when Franklin was put to work at, upon, and about said machinery, and while he was working at, upon, and about it, and at the time he was injured, having been stopped by means of a clutch used for that purpose; and said cog-wheels were in close proximity to the shearer upon which Franklin was working, and were exceedingly dangerous by reason of their close proximity to the shearer, and by reason of their revolving with great force ; and it was defendant’s duty to stop them from revolving before putting said minor son to work upon the machinery. Yet defendant disregarded its duty in that it did not stop the cog-wheels from revolving, but put his son to work upon the machinery while the cog-wheels were revolving with great force; which was negligence on defendant’s part. Defendant was further [322]*322guilty of negligence in putting his minor son to work upon said machinery without first having made it reasonably safe for him to work at, by boxing the cog-wheels, which could have been done with ease and at very little expense, and would have prevented the injuries aforesaid. It was defendant’s duty to box its machinery; yet defendant disregarded its duty in this regard, and did not box the cog-wheels and make the machinery reasonably safe, but put the minor to work upon it without making it safe by boxing the cog-wheels, or otherwise guarding them. By reason of the negligent conduct aforesaid, the said Franklin was in some way, the precise manner of which is unknown to petitioner, caught between the cog-wheels, and received the injuries aforesaid. To this petition the defendant demurred on various grounds, the special grounds of which were met by the amendment. The demurrer was overruled by the judge below, upon which judgment defendant assigns error.

1. The main contention which seems to be relied upon by counsel for plaintiff in error is, that Quinn, the foreman of the shearers and punchers, was a fellow-servant of the deceased, and that a workman engaged in the same establishment, and having’superintendence over a few others is not a vice-principal. The general doctrine that a master is not liable for an injury of an employee resulting from the negligence of a fellow-servant we do not think has any application to this case. Under previous decisions of this court, it has been definitely decided that this does not apply to the case of a child who is injured in consequence of the negligence of a superintendent, under whose orders the child was at -work, and which orders the child was obliged to obey. In the case of Atlanta Cotton Factory v. Speer, 69 Ga.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Evans v. Mills
46 S.E. 674 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1904)
Franklin v. Kriegshaber
41 S.E. 47 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1902)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
36 S.E. 693, 111 Ga. 319, 1900 Ga. LEXIS 537, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-agricultural-works-v-franklin-ga-1900.