Spokane Valley Growers' Union v. Spokane & Inland Empire Railroad

103 Wash. 587
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 25, 1918
DocketNo. 14840
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 103 Wash. 587 (Spokane Valley Growers' Union v. Spokane & Inland Empire Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spokane Valley Growers' Union v. Spokane & Inland Empire Railroad, 103 Wash. 587 (Wash. 1918).

Opinion

Mount, J.

— This action was brought to recover damages for an alleged wrongful refusal to receive for carriage a carload of apples tendered by the plaintiff. The facts were stipulated. Judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff. The defendant has appealed.

The facts are as follows: The appellant is a common carrier of freight, as designated in the tariffs filed with the interstate commerce commission. The appellant maintained a rate jointly with the Great Northern Railway Company for carrying boxed apples in carload lots over its own line and that of its connecting carrier, the Great Northern Railway Company. Tariff 25C and supplement No. 7 provided as follows:

“In order that shipments of perishable freight may be protected from loss on account of frost, freezing or overheating during the period October 15th to the following April 15th, inclusive, the shipper shall either assume responsibility for such protection or request the carrier to do so.

“The shipper must .specify on orders for empty cars, or in such manner as is provided by carrier prior to the loading, whether he desires to ship under Ventilation or Shippers’ Protective Service (see Option No. 1, page 24 of tariff, and as supplemented), or under Carrier’s Protective Service (see Option No. 2, page 25 of tariff, and as supplemented), and no change from one service to different service will be permitted after shipper has commenced loading of car.

“When the shipper neglects or refuses to specify as above provided, whether he desires the freight to be transported under Option No. 1, page 24 of tariff (and as supplemented) or under Option No. 2, page 25 of tariff (and as supplemented), the shipments will be transported subject to all the terms of Option No. 2,. page 25 of tariff (and as supplemented), in which event the agent at the point of origin shall enter on [589]*589bill of lading and waybill the following endorsement: ‘Protective service under terms of Option No. 2 assumed by carrier. ’

“Shipper must make one of the following endorsements on bill of lading: ‘Responsibility for damage from frost, freezing, overheating or protection against heat, assumed by shipper’ or ‘Liability for damage from frost, freezing or overheating to be assumed by carrier.’ ”

Under the head of option No. 1 it was provided:

“Under this option the shipper assumes all responsibility for loss due to frost, freezing or overheating not the direct'result of the negligence of the carrier.

“The following notation must be shown on bill of lading: ‘Responsibility for damage from frost, freezing or overheating assumed by shipper.’ ”

Under the head of option No. 2 appears this provision :*

“Under this option, the carrier assumes all liability for loss due to frost, freezing or heating, not the direct result of the negligence of the shipper.

“The following notation must be shown on bill of lading: ‘Liability for damage from frost, freezing or overheating to be assumed by carrier.’ ”

Sometime prior to December 19, 1916, the respondent agreed to sell to one Sawyer, at Billings, Montana, 630 boxes of apples. Respondent was to ship the apples over the lines of appellant and one of its connecting carriers, either the Great Northern Railway Company or the Northern Pacific Railway Company, to Billings, Montana. Mr. Sawyer was to have the right to inspect the apples at Billings before his acceptance of the same. The price for the apples, according to the agreement between respondent and Sawyer, was $535.95, all freight and heater service charges to be paid by the purchaser upon the arrival of the apples at Billings. Under the agreement with Sawyer, re[590]*590spondent was to ship the apples under option No. 2 of the tariff above described, the carrier to assume all liability for loss due to frost, freezing or heating not the direct result of the negligence of the shipper. Thereafter the respondent requested the appellant to furnish a car, to be routed via either the Great Northern or Northern Pacific railway, in which to ship the apples by heater service to Billings, Montana. Thereupon appellant applied to the Great Northern Bailway Company for a refrigerator car, and, upon receiving the same from that company, furnished such car to the respondent. The car was No. 50132 of the Great Northern Bailway Company. The appellant placed the car on its loading track or spur at Opportunity, Washington, and on the evening of December 19, 1916, notified the respondent that the car was so placed and was ready to be loaded. Thereupon, on the next day, the respondent loaded 630 boxes of apples upon the car. These apples were packed in boxes of the Northwest standard size; the tops, sides and bottoms of the boxes were securely nailed on, entirely enclosing the fruit, except for three cracks, one-half inch wide, extending lengthwise on the top and bottom of the boxes. The apples were each separately wrapped in paper and packed in layers in the boxes. Prior to the loading of the apples, they had been kept and stored in a natural air storage, intended and believed to be thus protected against frost, and had not previously been stored or shipped under refrigeration. On the same day, December 20, 1916, respondent, by its president, Edward Pierce, requested from the appellant, through its agent at Opportunity, a bill of lading for said apples, which bill of lading was then and there made out in triplicate and tendered by the respondent to the appellant, a copy of which is attached to the statement of facts; and at [591]*591that time wrote a letter to the agent as follows, omitting the date and address :

“Dear Sir: You are hereby advised that GN car 50132 furnished by you on our recent order for an NP or GN car in which to ship box apples heater service, to Billings, Montana, is now loaded and ready to move at your station.

“We desire this car shipped to our order, notify J. M. Sawyer, Billings, Montana; the shipment to be subject to inspection and diversion with ‘liability for damage from frost, • freezing or overheating to be assumed by carrier. ’

“We have prepared and herewith tender and leave in your possession standard bill of lading filled out as above which we request that you forthwith sign and return the original and one duplicate to us.

“We would further advise you that the said car of fruit, now loaded and on your switch at Opportunity is hereby delivered into you possession for transportation in accordance with said billing, and we request that you immediately move and transport said car of apples to its destination in accordance with said billing.

‘ ‘ The weather indications are now such that the said fruit may, and likely will be endangered if the said car is not supplied with proper protection.

“Please take notice of all the above matters and take such immediate action in the premises as may be necessary to perform your full duty with reference to said shipment. Spokane Valley Growers’ Union.”

Thereafter, on December 22, 1916, the appellant addressed a letter to Mr. Pierce as follows:

“My Dear Sir: This formal notice is to confirm the oral notices heretofore given to you that the. apples which you have loaded in Great Northern Car No. 50132 on the tracks of the Spokane & Inland Empire Railroad Company at Opportunity cannot be accepted for shipment under Option No.

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Bluebook (online)
103 Wash. 587, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spokane-valley-growers-union-v-spokane-inland-empire-railroad-wash-1918.