Town of Newpoint v. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co.

107 N.E. 560, 59 Ind. App. 147, 1915 Ind. App. LEXIS 183
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 29, 1915
DocketNo. 8,490
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 107 N.E. 560 (Town of Newpoint v. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Town of Newpoint v. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co., 107 N.E. 560, 59 Ind. App. 147, 1915 Ind. App. LEXIS 183 (Ind. Ct. App. 1915).

Opinion

Hotted, C. J.

The town of Newpoint, appellant, brought this action and by it sought to compel appellee, by mandatory injunction, to remove one of its main tracks from one of the streets of that town. Briefly stated, the averments of the first paragraph of complaint are in substance as follows: The appellant is a town of about 600 inhabitants, situated in Decatur County, Indiana, and in 1889 was duly incorporated as a municipal corporation, and since that time has been and is now a municipal corporation. Appellee is a railroad corporation and as such owns and operates a line of railroad which passes through the State of Indiana and through the town of Newpoint. There has been a public street, known as Railroad Street, located in such town for more than thirty years. .In August, 1906, and previous thereto appellee was threatening to construct a line of railroad longitudinally along said street its entire length. Before appellee had done any work thereon it was notified in writing by appellant’s town board not to construct its road on said street and that if it did appellant would institute an action to enjoin the operation of such road. Notwithstanding such notice appellee constructed such railroad upon said street its entire length. Said street is the main street in said town for foot travel and a large number of residences, factories, offices, stores .and saloons face upon it on each side its entire length, and the only means of ingress to and egress from such buildings is from and along said street, except by means of alleys and other back entrances. After said track was constructed the town by and through its town board notified appellee not to operate any engines, trains or cars thereon, and notified it that if it did, appellant would institute an action against it to enjoin such operation. Appellee is now daily operating over such track many trains of cars at high and dangerous rates of speed and such operation is without the consent of appellant and its town board. The location of the track in the street and [150]*150the operation of the trains, engines, and cars thereon, constitute a great menace to the lives of the residents of the town and of the public generally travelling on the street, and impairs the use of the street by the residents of the town and the public generally and will result in loss of life to pedestrians and travelers on the street. Unless enjoined from so doing appellee will continue permanently to maintain the track and to operate cars, engines and trains thereon. Appellant has no adequate remedy at law for the injury complained of. Appellee completed the construction of its track within less than ninety days previous to the commencement of this action and commenced operating engines, trains and cars thereon within less than thirty days prior thereto.

The second paragraph is not materially different from the first, and the third and fourth paragraphs set out more in detail the facts connected with appellee’s railroad occupying the street in question, and show that for thirty years last past the appellee had maintained and operated its railroad over such- street with the main line thereof extending longitudinally in and along and near the center of said street; that at the west end of such street and south of the main track appellee also maintained a side> track; that during such period appellee had at no time occupied more than 25 feet in width of said street, and there remained a considerable portion of said street south of appellee’s main track open to the public for travel; that in the years 1906 and 1907, appellee constructed a second main track longitudinally along said street immediately south and adjoining its other main track, etc.

To this complaint there was filed an answer in fourteen paragraphs, the first of which was a general denial. The second, fifth, seventh and eighth paragraphs were after-wards withdrawn. A demurrer to the remaining affirmative paragraphs was overruled as to paragraphs 9, 10, 11, 13 and M and sustained as to the other paragraphs.

[151]*151The averments of the ninth paragraph of answer, briefly stated, are in substance as follows: The legislature of Indiana by an act approved February 2, 1832, authorized the “Lawrenceburg and Indianapolis Eailroad Company” to construct, build and operate a railroad from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, to Indianapolis, and to acquire the right of way therefor, 80 feet in width; that such legislature also by án act approved February 16, 1848, incorporated, chartered and authorized the Eushville and Lawrenceburg Eailroad Company to construct, build and operate a railroad, and to acquire land for that purpose through that part of said county described in appellant’s complaint and through what is now the town of Newpoint, and to take and secure the fee of said ground taken for a right of way; that pursuant .to such authority the companies so organized and authorized to secure such right of way and construct such railroad, long before 1854 did construct a railroad through that part of Decatur County, Indiana, described in appellant’s complaint and through what is now the town of Newpoint; that there was no town where the same is now, and that the' portion of the town where it is alleged in the complaint that appellee now has its track or tracks was then forest or agricultural land; “that the owners of such land, now included in said town of Newpoint and the owners of .the land over which it is alleged in the complaint the defendant has constructed its road gave and granted to said railroad companies the right to take, occupy and use for such purposes a strip of ground 80 feet wide and which extended through what is now said town; that in pursuance of said gift and grant and long before 1854, said corporation entered upon .said strip of ground, graded the same, constructed its railroad thereon and ever since then the same has been occupied and used for the purpose of constructing, operating and maintaining a railroad thereon; that no part of said 80-foot strip, when the same was so acquired and used, was in any public highway or street; that in so eon[152]*152structing said railroad said corporations expended large sums of money thereon with the full knowledge and consent of the then owners of said land and without objection by any of them; that after all this was done the then owners of the land over- which the right of way extended platted the same and marked on the plat the ground occupied by such right of way as ‘Railroad Street’, and caused the plat to be recorded in the recorder’s office of said county; that said railroad companies and their successors, ever since said right of way was obtained as herein alleged have used the part of the land designated as Railroad Street in which it is alleged that appellee has unlawfully placed its track for purposes connected with the business of constructing, owning and operating a railroad thereon, and for the business necessarily incident thereto.” The paragraph contains other averments which are not of controlling influence .on the question presented by the appeal.

The tenth paragraph contains substantially the same averments as the ninth paragraph, except, instead of alleging that the original owners of the 80-foot strip of land, now claimed by appellant, “gave and granted”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
107 N.E. 560, 59 Ind. App. 147, 1915 Ind. App. LEXIS 183, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/town-of-newpoint-v-cleveland-cincinnati-chicago-st-louis-railway-co-indctapp-1915.