Thunder Bay Limestone Co. v. Detroit & M. Ry. Co.

294 F. 958, 1923 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1189
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedOctober 29, 1923
DocketNo. 47
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 294 F. 958 (Thunder Bay Limestone Co. v. Detroit & M. Ry. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thunder Bay Limestone Co. v. Detroit & M. Ry. Co., 294 F. 958, 1923 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1189 (E.D. Mich. 1923).

Opinion

TUTTLE, District Judge,

The plaintiff filed its bill of complaint herein against defendant, alleging that defendant was proceeding to construct its Rockport extension without having first obtained a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Interstate Commerce Commission, in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 18 to 21, inclusive, of section 1 of the Interstate Commerce Act (being the act of February 4, 1887, c. ,104, 24 Statutes at Large, 379, entitled “An act to regulate commerce,” as amended), which paragraphs were added to said section 1 by section 402 of the so-called Transportation Act (the Act of February 28, 1920, c. 91, 41 Statutes at Large, 456 [Comp. St. Ann. Supp. 1923, § 8563],). Defendant railroad admits the intended construction of the Rockport extension, but alleges that it has the certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Interstate Commerce Commission. Two meritorious questions are presented: First, is the certificate of public convenience and necessity shown to have been issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission to defendant for the construction of its Rockport extension, now in force? and, second, is such certificate sufficient to authorize such defendant to “undertake the extension of its line of railroad” and “acquire and operate such extension” on and over the plaintiff’s land on the line herein designated as the new or relocated line?

filie material facts as shown by the record before the court are:

Defendant railroad, desiring to construct an extension 12.1 miles in length, which would run in a northerly and northeasterly direction from the city of Alpena to the unincorporated village of Rockport, all in Alpena county, Mich., made and adopted a survey and map thereof, and caused the same to be properly certified by its officers and approved by the Michigan Public Utilities Commission, and filed in the office of the register of deeds of Alpena county. It also applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission under paragraphs 18 to 21, inclusive, of the Interstate Commerce Act, for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for the construction of said proposed extension to be known as the “Rockport Extension.” In its application to the Inter-state Commerce Commission for such certificate of public convenience and necessity, the proposed extension was described thus:

“(1) The proposed route of said extension will leave the present so-called Avery branch at a point within the city of Alpena in said county of Alpens. and will extend in a northeasterly and northerly direction to the extreme northeasterly corner of said Alpena county, the termini of the proposed railroad being an unincorpooated village called Koekport.
“(k) The total number of miles of main track of the proposed extension to applicant’s line of railroad is 12.1 miles.”

Upon receipt of this application the Interstate Commerce Commission caused defendant railroad to submit and file with it a questionnaire. Attached to this questionnaire were maps of the proposed extension showing the route as surveyed, adopted, and approved, as aforesaid. The Interstate Commerce Commission caused testimony to be taken in the premises, on notice, before the Michigan Public Utilities Commission, which testimony was duly returned by the latter commission to the Interstate Commerce Commission, with recam-[960]*960mendation that the certificate of public convenience and necessity applied for be issued. Thereupon on July 2, 1923, the Interstate Commerce Commission made a report that:

“The Detroit & Mackinac Railway Company, a carrier by railroad subject to the Interstate Commerce Act on January 5, 1923, filed an application under paragraph (18) of section 1 of the act for a certificate that the present and public convenience and necessity require the construction by it of an extension of its line of railroad from a point on its so-called Avery branch within the city of Alpena iu a general northerly direction to Rockport, a distance of 12.1 miles, all in Alpena county, Michigan.”

The report then sets forth much of the showing made in support of the application and finds:

“Upon the facts presented we find that the present and future public necessity and convenience require the construction by the applicant of the extension of its line of railroad in Alpena county, Michigan, described in the application. A certificate to that effect will be issued.”

Thereupon a certificate of public convenience and necessity was issued by the Commission, the material part of the language of which is:

“It is hereby certified that the present and future public convenience and necessity require the construction by the Detroit & Mackinac Railway Company of the extension of its line of railroad in Alpena county, Michigan, described in the application and report aforesaid.”

After receiving the certificate of public convenience and necessity, defendant railroad began to acquire the right of way and to construct the extension. It secured the right of way over approximately 11 miles. It brushed and cleared practically all of the right of way so acquired and graded a large portion of it. Ties and rails were laid on a part of it. This work and material cost the railway company approximately one-third of the entire estimated expense of such extension. While doing this workjt was found necessaiy in one place to vary slightly the line as originally shown by said maps. This did not change the general direction of the line. Defendant railroad took the necessaiy steps to alter the line under the state statute by adopting the survey and map of the new line, causing the same to be approved by the Michigan Public Utilities Commission and filing the same as provided by law. The old survey and the relocation were identical, except for a distance of less than 1% miles along said line, where they were separated not more than 500 feet at the farthest point. Both lines had the same termini and ran in the same general direction. Both old and new lines crossed plaintiff’s wild and unimproved land in nearly a parallel northeasterly and southwesterly direction on the same 40-acre subdivision, and were less than 500 feet apart where they entered the west side of plaintiff’s 40 and about 400 feet where they left the east side of said 40. The new line was to the south of the old line, and was on land of the same general character.

Thereafter defendant petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission for a supplemental order. This petition set forth the facts respecting the relocation of its line, asked that the new amended map [961]*961be substituted for the original map, and prayed that an order be made by the Commission that the certificate of public convenience and necessity theretofore granted should apply to the new or amended map. The defendant railroad negotiated with plaintiff for right of way over plaintiff’s land for the new route, but was unable to obtain the same, and then defendant began condemnation proceedings in the probate court for Alpena county.

At this time plaintiff filed its bill herein asking that such condemnation proceedings and the construction, of the Roekport extension by defendant be restrained. Plaintiff also filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission notice of its objections to the approval of the new map of defendant alleging therein, among other things that:

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Bluebook (online)
294 F. 958, 1923 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1189, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thunder-bay-limestone-co-v-detroit-m-ry-co-mied-1923.