Towers v. United Railways & Electric Co.

126 Md. 478
CourtCourt of Appeals of Maryland
DecidedJune 24, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 126 Md. 478 (Towers v. United Railways & Electric Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Towers v. United Railways & Electric Co., 126 Md. 478 (Md. 1915).

Opinion

Burke, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

The United Railways and Electric Company of Baltimore was formed March 4, 1899, by the consolidation of a number of independent street railway companies theretofore existing in Baltimore City. The Baltimore & Loreley Railway Company was incorporated by Chapter 227 of the Acts of 1894, and its name was changed to the Baltimore, Garden-ville & Bel Air Electric Railway Company by Chapter 248 of the Acts of 1896. By its act of incorporation, it was “authorized and empowered to make, construct, lay dawn and maintain a railroad with double or single tracks, with the necessary and proper switches, turnouts, sidetracks, and any [480]*480and all mechanical devices and appliances suitable to operate an electric railway, and to run thereon cars and carriages drawn or propelled by electric or other motive power other than'steam in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, beginning for the same at a point at or near the terminus of the Baltimore City Passenger Railway, at the intersection of Gay • street'and North avenue, in Baltimore City; thence running along the Baltimore and Jerusalem turnpike or parallel thereto, to the corporate limits of Baltimore City; thence along said pike or parallel therewith in a northeasterly direction, through Baltimore County to a point at low water mark on the Gunpowder River, in the town of Loreley, in Baltimore County, and north of the bridge of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, crossing said river in said county at said town; and the said railway is hereby empowered to connect with like railway or railways in Baltimore City.” This railway was one,of the constituent companies which entered into the consolidation by which the appellee company was created.

The Baltimore and Jerusalem Turnpike Company was incorporated by Chapter 143 of the Acts of 1867, and was authorized “to grade and make a turnpike road, beginning for the samé at the limits of the City of Baltimore on the Bel Air road, and running upon and occupying the said Bel Air road from the said city to the old stage or Camp Chapel road, and from thence on said Bel Air road to the Little Gunpowder Falls, with power to diverge from the bed of said road when and where it may be desirable to said company, to use and occupy a width of thirty feet on each side from the center.” The turnpike was constructed from the city limits to a village called Jerusalem in Harford County. The railway was constructed upon the turnpike under the following circumstances: By deed dated April 1st, 1895, the Turnpike Company, in consideration of five thousand dollars, granted to Simon J, Martenet, his heirs, personal representatives and assigns, subject to existing mortgages on the pike, right of way and franchises, “the right to construct [481]*481and maintain and operate an electric railway upon the turnpike road of the said Turnpike Company from North avenue in Baltimore City to the end of said turnpike road, upon the following conditions.” The conditions set out in the deed-— twenty in number—related for the most part to the location, character and construction of the railway. It was provided that Martenet, his personal representatives and assigns, should lay a double track along the center of said turnpike from North avenue to a point on said turnpike, two miles northeasterly of North avenue, at or near Gardenville, with a flat or girder rail, and that from Gardenville, a single or double track should be laid on the side of the turnpike. The seventh, seventeenth and twentieth conditions are as follows:

“7th. That the said Simon J. Martenet, his personal representatives or assigns, shall within twelve months from the first day of April, 1895, construct at the cost and expense of the said Simon J. Martenet, his personal representatives or assigns, four miles of said electric railway from North Avenue in Baltimore City northeasterly on said turnpike road, two miles thereof to be double track, and the remainder single or double track as hereinbefore specified.”
“17th. That the said' Simon J. Martenet, his personal representatives or assigns, shall begin the construction of said railroad within six months from the date of these presents, and that four miles of said railroad shall be finished as aforesaid and in operation before the expiration of twelve months from the first day of April, 1895.”
“20th. That said railway shall be finished to the end of said turnpike road within five years from the date of these presents.
“Provided, That in the event of the said Simon J. Martenet, his personal representatives or assigns, violating any of the agreements, terms, conditions or provisions of this agreement—that is, any of the agreements, terms, conditions or provisions in these presents set forth and specified—then and in that event all money previously paid as part of the consideration [482]*482hereof, and the franchise or right to lay tracks and to construct said railroad shall eo instanti become forfeited to said Turnpike Company, its successors or assigns.
“And provided also, That upon violation of any of the agreements, terms, conditions or provisions of this agreement, the said Turnpike Company, its successors or assigns, shall eo instanti have the right to sell and grant to any other person or corporation the said right of way and privileges to construct, maintain and operate an electric railway on said turnpike road, notwithstanding anything herein contained.”

Subsequently, in May, 1895, M.artenet “in consideration of his agreeing to build an electric railway on said turnpike,” secured agreements from the mortgage bond holders of the turnpike to release from the operation of the mortgages all the franchises, rights of way and privileges given by the Turnpike Company to him, and also to release all the oars, poles, wires, rails and all of the property of every kind to be acquired by him or his assigns in the construction and maintenance of the railway. . These agreements were reported to the Circuit Court for Baltimore County in the receivership proceedings pending against the Turnpike Company, and by an order of that. Court, passed June 4, 1895, trustees were appointed with authority and direction to execute formal releases from the liens of the mortgages. By the deed referred to, Martenet secured for himself, his heirs, personal representatives and assigns, the right to build the proposed railway on the- turnpike, and the obligations of himself, his personal representatives and assigns, were fixed, and by the releases mentioned his franchises and railway property, etc., were freed from the operation of the mortgages. In this way he obtained the right and clear title to build the railway from the city limits to Jerusalem, the northeasterly terminus of the turnpike, and he obligated himself and his personal representatives and assigns, to build [483]*483the road in the manner and within the time provided, and set forth in the deed.

By deed dated July 13, 1896, Martenet granted and conveyed to the Baltimore, Gardenville and Bel Air Electric Railway Company all the rights and franchises and privileges conveyed and granted to him by the Turnpike Conn pany by the deed of April 1, 1895. On September I, 1896, the Baltimore & Jerusalem Turnpike Company passed the following resolution:

“Resolved, That the company does hereby confirm to Simon J.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
126 Md. 478, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/towers-v-united-railways-electric-co-md-1915.