Western & Atlantic Railroad v. Western Union Telegraph Co.

75 S.E. 471, 138 Ga. 420, 1912 Ga. LEXIS 331
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJuly 11, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 75 S.E. 471 (Western & Atlantic Railroad v. Western Union Telegraph Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Western & Atlantic Railroad v. Western Union Telegraph Co., 75 S.E. 471, 138 Ga. 420, 1912 Ga. LEXIS 331 (Ga. 1912).

Opinion

Evans, P. J.

Many of the questions presented by this record are novel, and arise from the peculiar facts of the case. The State of Georgia owns a railroad extending between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tennessee. On the 19th day of July, 1890, by authority of the General Assembly (Acts 1889, p. 141), the railroad was leased to the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Bailway for the period of 29 years from December 27th, 1890. The leasing company by the terms of the act became a body corporate under the name and style of the Western and Atlantic Bailroad Company. Prior to [422]*422the lease there had been erected on the right of way of the railroad a line or lines of telegraph poles and wires. At that time and continuously since a line of wire on these poles was set apart for the exclusive use of the lessee in the transaction of its railroad business. In 1891 another line of wire was strung for the exclusive use of the leasing company, at considerable cost to the lessee. And in 1906 a line of double wires and a line of single wire were stretched upon the same poles at segmental parts of the railroad, at considerable expense to, and for the exclusive use of, the leasing company in the operation of the railroad. In 1884 the Western Union Telegraph Company and the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Kailway Company entered into a .contract for the maintenance and operation of a telegraph line upon its own railroad and such other railroads as it might subsequently acquire by lease or purchase. This contract was to continue in force for twenty-five years from July 1st, 1884, and thereafter until the expiration of one year after written notice by either party to terminate the contract. In this contract the telegraph company obligated itself to set apart one wire .on the main line for'the preferential use of the railroad company and agreed that if the railroad company should require greater wire facilities the telegraph company would furnish an additional wire at the cost price upon'poles already erected, and that the railroad company at its own cost would string such additional wire. In August, 1911, the telegraph company gave to the railroad company written notice of its intention to terminate the contract after the expiration of one year. The telegraph company then opened up negotiations with the Western and Atlantic Kailroad Company to purchase an easement for its line of poles and wires, which negotiation was fruitless. Whereupon the telegraph company served the Western and Atlantic Kailroad Company with written notice of its purpose to condemn, along its right of way in this State, a right of way upon which to construct (when necessary), maintain, and operate its telegraph line. “The location of the right of way sought to be acquired is substantially that location now occupied by the telegraph line of the Western Union Telegraph Company along main line of your railroad from Atlanta, Ga., to the Tennessee line at or near Graysville, Ga., and along the branch line known as the Kome branch,” the main line running from Atlanta, Ga., to the Tennessee State line at or near Graysville, [423]*423Ga., through the counties of Fulton, Cobb, Bartow, Gordon, Whitfield, and Catoosa, a distance of approximately 121.37 miles. The telegraph line will enter upon the right of way of the railroad company at the Marietta street bridge at the same point where it now enters upon the right of way, and continue upon the east side of the tracks a specified distance of about three miles, then to cross the tracks and continue on the west side, a specified distance, to a point north of the 5 mile post, then to cross the tracks and continue on the east side a specified distance to the 6 mile post, at which point the line would divide, and part of the line cross to the west side of the tracks. From the 6 mile post to the Tennessee State line the line would extend on both sides of the track as now located, except at Marietta, Adairsville, Dalton, and Tunnel Hill. The right of way thus sought to be acquired by the telegraph company to be of sufficient width to enable it to conveniently construct (when necessary), maintain, and operate its line located and constructed substantially as follows: as many wires or cables of wire as might be necessary from time to time to transact the business of the telegraph company, to be strung on poles placed at an average distance from the centre of the main-line track of twenty-seven feet, “except where your right of way is limited or widened,” with a minimum distance from edge of right of way (except where right of way is limited or widened) of six feet. Poles to have a length of not less than twenty feet, to be placed in the ground a depth of not less than four feet. At highways, railway crossings, depots, and side-tracks, poles to have a height of from twenty-five to forty feet above the ground, with an average of forty poles per mile on both sides of the track from Atlanta, Ga., to Kingston, Ga.-, and of thirty poles per mile from Kingston, Ga., to the Tennessee line. “Said poles will nowhere be placed upon any of the embankments or in the cuts of your railway, nor will said wires be attached or fastened to any of the bridges or trestle work of said railway.” There will be wires crossing the tracks from the main telegraph line to reach the offices of the telegraph company at various points mentioned along the railroad; at all points where the wires so cross the tracks, the lowest wires to be not less than twenty-five feet above the tracks. The term for which the condemnation was desired was the term expiring December 27, 1919, which . date is the expiration of the railroad company’s lease with the [424]*424State. Thereupon the Western and Atlantic Railroad Compar’" filed a petition to enjoin the proposed condemnation by the Western Union Telegraph Company. The telegraph company showed cause by demurrer and answer; and after hearing evidence the court refused an interlocutory injunction.

1. It is settled law in this State that a telegraph company, in the exercise of the right of eminent domain granted to it by the State, may condemn a right of way on and along the right of way of the railroad company when the proposed line of telegraph will be so constructed as to produce no material interference with the railroad company’s free exercise of its franchise or with the actual operation of the road. Whether the construction of the telegraph line on a particular portion of the railroad’s right of way will or will not materially interferé with the operation of the railroad is ordinarily a question of fact. Savannah &c. Railway Co. v. Postal Telegraph Co., 112 Ga. 941 (38 S. E. 353).

2. The railroad company denies that a telegraph company possesses any power of condemnation without first filing with the railroad commission of this State its consent that the railroad commission shall have jurisdiction over it for the purpose of regulating-tolls charged on long-distance ^messages originating and ending within the State of Georgia. Originally the railroad commission of Georgia had jurisdiction only over railroads. In 1891 its authority and jurisdiction were extended so as to embrace telegraph companies and express companies (Acts of 1890-1891, p. 151; Civil Code (1895), §§ 2217-2218). In 1894 an act was passed providing for the condemnation of private property for public uses by all corporations or persons authorized to take or damage private property for public purposes. Civil Code, § 5206 et seq. In 1898 the provisions of this act were made applicable to telegraph companies, Civil Code, § 5235.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
75 S.E. 471, 138 Ga. 420, 1912 Ga. LEXIS 331, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/western-atlantic-railroad-v-western-union-telegraph-co-ga-1912.