York v. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co.

67 N.W. 574, 98 Iowa 544
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 25, 1896
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 67 N.W. 574 (York v. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
York v. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co., 67 N.W. 574, 98 Iowa 544 (iowa 1896).

Opinion

Ejote, J.

[548]*5482 [547]*547I. The negligence of Conductor Haggerty is conceded. The controlling question is as to the negligence of Graham, if any, which contributed to produce the accident. Many rules of the defendant company are relied upon, and we make reference to some of them. Rule 1 provides that persons accepting employment with the company do so with full knowledge of the perils incident to the operation of railways, and agree to exercise due care in the performance of their duties to prevent accidents. Rule 2 provides that employes must have a copy of the rules in their possession when on duty, and must acquaint themselves [548]*548with all the rules; and no one will be permitted to run an engine until after passing a thorough examination on the rules by the superintendent. It is admitted that Graham passed such an examination. Rule 4 provides that, in all cases of doubt, the employe shall take the safe course. Rule 15 relates to time-tables, and provides that “when but one time is shown it shall be regarded as leaving time. * * * Trains will not leave station before the time specified, unless so directed.” “(41) Trains in a specified direction will have the absolute right to track over trains of a similar or inferior class moving in the opposite direction. This will be indicated on the different divisions by special rule on face of time-card.” “(44) No train shall assume the rights of any other train without orders. * * “(45) No train having the right to the road must leave any station where, by the time-table, it should meet a train of the same class until five (5) minutes after its time; and this must be observed at every succeeding station until it shall have met the expected train. The five (5) minutes are allowed for the variation of watches, and must not be used by either train.” “(50) Train and enginemen will be held equally responsible for the violation of any of the rules governing the safety of trains, and they must take every precaution for the protection of trains, even if not provided for by the rules.” (“51) The conductor will have charge and control of the train, and of all persons .employed on it, and is responsible for its movements while ontheroad,exce^i when Ms directions conflict with these rules, or involve risk or hazard, in either of which cases the engineer will be held alike accountable.” Rule 99 provides that the engineer must read and understand orders before starting a train. Rule 110 provides that, “in running trains by special orders, each section shall be taken and considered as a separate and distinct train, and shall receive and run only [549]*549under special orders addressed to its own conductor and engineer.”

3 [550]*5504 [549]*549Under the rules and the evidence, was Graham negligent in starting his train as he did, in response to the orders of the conductor? We have seen that Graham was conversant with the rules, was familiar with the time-tables, and therefore knew when trains arrived at stations, and where they should meet. He knew that the first section of No. 92 had the right to the tra@k, as against No. 91. He had no knowledge that said section of No. 92 was late. Incleed, he had no right to assume that it was not on time, in the absence of orders indicating such to be the ease. He knew his train had ho right to assume the rights of the first section of No. 92 without orders to that effect. He knew that if the first section of No. 92 was late, it would not leave a station where by the time-table it should meet a train until five minutes after its time, and that this would be observed at each succeeding station until it met the expected train. He knew that No. 92 was run that day in two sections. The orders he received clearly indicated that, even in the absence of other means- of knowledge; He knew his train was to ‘meet the Williams extra at Anamosa, and the evidence shows that he recognized it as that train when he pulled into Anamosa, by signals exchanged with the engineer of the extra. He knew his own train was behind time at Anamosa, and that, under such circumstances, he must not run on the first section of No. 92 time. He knew that No. 92 was a regular train running on time-card schedule, and that, when he pulled out of Anamosa, he had no orders whatever as against the first section of No. 92. He knew that the first section of No. 92 was not due at Anamosa until 8:23 p. m. He must be presumed to know that it was between 3:11 and 3:15 when he left Anamosa for Stone City. Assuming, as was his duty [550]*550in the absence of orders showing the contrary, that the first section of No. 92 was on time, he knew it had left Stone City before his train left Anamosa. He knew that it was less than five miles between the two stations, and therefore he left Anamosa with the certain knowledge that a collision with the first section of No. 92 was inevitable. Whether, as a matter pf fact, Graham thought pf the first sectien pf Np. 92 before he left Anamosa, will never be known. That it was his duty to do so there can be no doubt. Haggerty appears to have thought of it for a moment after he came out of the telegraph office at Anamosa with his order and clearance card, for he spoke of the Williams extra as being the first section of No. 92, forgetting apparently the fact that it was not the first section of No. 92, but the Williams extra, as to which he had received an order when at Monticello. Without stopping to find out whether the first section of No. 92 was coming, or where it .was, Haggerty ordered Graham to start the train. Graham had no knowledge of the conversation between the conductor and brakeman touching the train at Anamosa being the first section of No. 92, and Graham and Haggerty had no conversation while at Anamosa.

5 With all this knowledge, what was Graham’s duty, under the rules, as to starting the train? Was he bound to obey the conductor’s orders, or might he, under the provisions of Rule 51, properly refuse to start the train? Right here it should be said, that the only effect of the clearance card was to notify the conductor and engineer that the operator had no further orders for that train. It did not authorize the starting of the train, contrary to the rules or orders. Appellant’s counsel cite many cases determined by this court, in which the doctrine is clearly recognized, that a train is under the control of [551]*551the conductor, and that, as a rule, other train men must obey his orders. Hoben v. Railroad Co., 20 Iowa, 568; Dewey v. Railroad Co., 31 Iowa, 376; Frandsen v. Railroad Co., 36 Iowa, 375; Lane v. Railroad Co., 69 Iowa, 446 (29 N. W. Rep. 419); Rayburn v. Railway Co., 74 Iowa, 637 (35 N. W. Rep. 606) and (38 N. W. Rep. 520); Hosic v. Railway Co., 75 Iowa, 683 (37 N. W. Rep. 963); Haas v. Railway Co., 90 Iowa, 259 (57 N. W. Rep. 895). We have carefully examined all of these cases. In none of them, except the last, was any question of the construction of rules involved. In some of them the rule of obedience was based largely upon the fact that there was no time to consider as to the safety of the act ordered to be done by the superior officer. In others, stress seems to be laid upon the fact, that the train was in motion, and it would be a dangerous doctrine to permit a subordinate trainman, under such circumstances,to obey, or refuse to obey, as his j udgment might dictate, or to decide that the act ordered to be done was safe or unsafe. Haas' Case

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Bluebook (online)
67 N.W. 574, 98 Iowa 544, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/york-v-chicago-milwaukee-st-paul-railway-co-iowa-1896.