Southern Ry. Co. v. Varnell

232 S.W.2d 406, 33 Tenn. App. 550, 1950 Tenn. App. LEXIS 115
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 14, 1950
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 232 S.W.2d 406 (Southern Ry. Co. v. Varnell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Ry. Co. v. Varnell, 232 S.W.2d 406, 33 Tenn. App. 550, 1950 Tenn. App. LEXIS 115 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinion

HOWARD, J.

Plaintiffs brought this action against the defendants to recover the value of a carload of roofing shipped to them from the Ruberoid Company, of Mobile, Alabama, under a Uniform Straight Bill of Lading, on April 22, 1947. This carload of roofing was destroyed by fire before daylight on the morning of April 29, 1947, after it had been placed for unloading on a track adjoining a building, a part of which plaintiffs leased and used for a warehouse.

Plaintiffs allege in the first count of their declaration that defendants contracted to transport and deliver the carload of roofing to them in Chattanooga; that while the shipment was still in the possession of defendants, as common carriers, it was completely destroyed by fire; that plaintiffs had no notice of the arrival of the shipment until several hours after the fire, and that plaintiffs filed written notice of their claim, which defendants refused to pay.

In the second count of the declaration, plaintiffs allege that defendants breached Section 1 (a) and (b) of the Uniform Bill of Lading, which provides in part as follows:

“Sec. 1(a) The carrier or party in possession of any of the property herein described shall be liable as at common law for any loss thereof or damage thereto, except as hereinafter provided.
“(b) . . . The carrier’s liability shall be that of warehouseman, only, for loss, damage, or delay caused by fire occurring after the expiration of the free time allowed by tariffs lawfully on file (such free time to be computed as therein provided) after notice of the arrival of the property at destination or at the port of export (if intended for export) has been duly sent or given, [553]*553and after placement of the property for delivery at destination, or tender of delivery of the property to the party entitled to receive it, has been made. . . . ”

Plaintiffs charge that ‘the defendants breached the foregoing provisions (1) by failing to give them proper notice of arrival of the car; and (2) by not allowing them two days’ free time from 7 A. M. April 29, 1947, in which to unload the car.

In addition to the plea of general issue, the defendants filed special pleas in which it was admitted that the Southern Railway Company, as initial carrier,' transported the carload of roofing from Mobile to Birmingham Alabama, and that the Alabama Great Southern Railway Company transported the car from Birmingham to Chattanooga; that the .shipment was handled as other shipments are customarily handled in interstate commerce.

In their special pleas the defendants allege that at the time the carload of roofing was destroyed the car was in the possession of plaintiffs and was standing on a track adjacent to their warehouse, at a point previously designated by them where they usually and customarily unloaded their cars; that the track “was other than a public delivery track or an industrial interchange track, and that the placing of said car in question on said siding adjacent to plaintiffs’ warehouse constituted notification to plaintiffs within the provisions of Rule 4, Section C of Agent B. T. Jones’ Freight Tariff No. 4 — T (the de-murrage tariff) in effect on April 28,1947 . . . . ”

By replication the plaintiffs denied that the car was standing on their private track when the fire occurred. They aver that said track was owned by defendants and was used by them to deliver freight to all consignees occupying the warehouse, and as a graveyard for dilapi[554]*554dated, worn-out boxcars. They denied that the placing of the car on the track in question, as averred in defendant’s plea, amounted to delivery.

At the conclusion of the plaintiffs’ proof as well as at the conclusion of all the proof, the defendants moved for a directed verdict. These motions were overruled, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs for $2,153.06. Thereafter the trial judge denied the defendants ’ motion for a new trial, and they appealed and have assigned errors.

Plaintiffs are partners in the retail hardware business in the city of Chattanooga, where they own and operate two stores. They have been in the retail hardware business since 1905.

On April 28, 1947, a carload of roofing previously ordered by plaintiffs arrived in Chattanooga about 2:30 P. M., and was immediately placed by the employees of the defendant, Alabama Great Southern Railway Company, on a siding (track) adjacent to the building used by plaintiffs as a warehouse. On the following morning, April 29th, at about 4 o’clock, the car and its entire contents were completely destroyed by fire, origin unknown. Plaintiffs received no notice of the arrival of the shipment until April 30th, several hours after the fire. Subsequently, upon demand, plaintiffs paid the seller the full cost of the materials destroyed, which amounted to $1920'.69.

It appears that Plaintiffs’ warehouse was located in a building formerly used by the C. N. 0. & T. P. Ry. Co. as a freight depot. This building was leased to Charlie Hood by said Railroad in 1936, and in 1937 Hood subleased 250 feet of the east end of the building to plaintiffs. The building was about 600 feet long and was of [555]*555wood construction. It extended eastwardly from Market Street, and was located between 13th. and 14th. Streets in downtown Chattanooga, about 3 blocks from one of plaintiffs’ stores. There were three or more other tenants occupying parts of the building west of plaintiffs’ warehouse. On the north side of the building adjacent to the siding on which cars were placed for unloading, there were doors to each of the respective warehouses. The cars were always placed by the carrier in front of these doors for unloading by the consignee. There was a platform on the south side of the building from which the merchandise was loaded onto trucks. No watchman was kept by plaintiffs at the warehouse, which had no facilities for lighting or heating. This building and its entire contents, as well as 40 or 50 freight cars belonging to the railroad were also destroyed in the fire.

On the morning of April 28th, the day prior to the fire, one of plaintiffs’ employees, Henry Wooten, went to plaintiffs’ warehouse for some merchandise. While there, since the car was expected, this employee unlocked the door of the warehouse and looked outside to see if the car had arrived. Between 3 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon he again visited the warehouse. On the second trip he did not check on the arrival of the car, which, in the meantime, had been placed on the siding in front of plaintiffs’ warehouse. This employee testified that he was never given the number of a car before its arrival, and that he never broke the seal and started unloading the freight without first receiving instructions from one of the plaintiffs.

It was admitted by witnesses for the defendants that the bill of lading required that notice of arrival be sent to plaintiffs “ after placement of the property for delivery [556]*556at designation”; and that the 48 hours called for in the bill of lading began to run from 7 A. M. April 29, 1947.

It is a well settled rule that this court will not disturb the verdict if there is any material evidence to support it; and in determining whether or not there is such evidence, the strongest legitimate view of the evidence together with every reasonable inference to be drawn therefrom will be taken as true.

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Underwood v. Redwing Carriers, Inc.
462 S.W.2d 868 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
232 S.W.2d 406, 33 Tenn. App. 550, 1950 Tenn. App. LEXIS 115, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-ry-co-v-varnell-tennctapp-1950.