Chicago, Rock Island Pacific Railway Company v. Bond

Decision Date20 March 1916
Docket NumberNo. 486,486
PartiesCHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND, & PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY, Plff. in Err., v. A. P. BOND, Administrator of the Estate of William L. Turner, Deceased
CourtU.S. Supreme Court

Messrs. R. J. Roberts, J. G. Gamble, M. L. Bell, C. O. Blake, W. H. Moore, and K. W. Shartel for plaintiff in error.

Mr. John C. Moore for defendant in error.

Mr. Justice McKenna delivered the opinion of the court:

Action for damages caused by the railway company by the killing of the deceased, William L. Turner, through the negligence, it is alleged, of the company. It was brought in the district court of Garfield county, Oklahoma, and invoked the benefits of the employers' liability act of Congress of April 22, 1908 (35 Stat. at L. 65, chap. 149), as amended April 5, 1910 (36 Stat. at L. 291, chap. 143, Comp. Stat. 1913, § 8662). The case was removed on petition of the railway company to the United States district court for the western district of Oklahoma, and remanded by that court to the state court. There an amended petition was filed by plaintiff in the action, to which an answer was filed.

After answer the case was tried to a jury, which returned a verdict for the sum of $7,583, distributed in certain proportions among those dependent upon the deceased. Judgment was entered upon the verdict and sustained by the supreme court of the state.

The case went to the jury upon the effect of certain contracts between deceased and the company, whether he was the company's servant or a contractor with it, and whether, if he was the servant of the company, it was guilty of negligence, or whether he was guilty of contributory negligence.

The facts are not much in dispute. The company is an interstate common carrier and its line runs through the limits of the city of Enid, Garfield county, state of Oklahoma. Within the city there are six parallel tracks which run nearly from the north to the south, bearing as they proceed a little to the west. At the south end, near their termination, are located coal chutes, into the pockets or tipples of which coal is shoveled from cars set on the chutes for the use of all engines, local and interstate. The city of Enid has the power to establish and did establish by ordinance a speed limit of 10 miles an hour for all trains within its limits, beyond which it was unlawful to proceed.

The relation of Turner to the railroad company was under two contracts, one dated November 1, 1910, the other October 1, 1911. In the first contract the railroad company is party of the first part and Turner party of the second part and is called 'contractor.' The covenants of one are made the consideration for the covenants of the other, and Turner, as contractor, agrees first 'to furnish all the labor required and necessary to handle; and (a) to handle all the coal required by the company at Enid, from either open or closed cars, or both, and to place the same in coal-chute pockets of the company; to gather up all coal that falls from the coal-chute pockets to the ground, and place the same on cars or engines, as desired by the company. (b) To break all coal to the size of 4-inch cubes or less before delivery to chutes for engine use, and to unload all coal for stationary boilers. (c) To unload wood from cars to storage piles located on company's right of way in Enid. (d) To load cinders from the right of way to cars at points designated by the company. (e) To unload sand from cars furnished by the company at points designated by it.

2d. The company agrees to pay for the services enumerated in certain designated numbers of cents per ton, or cord, or yard, as the case may be, to be paid upon estimates and records of the company.

3d. Contractor agrees to maintain a sufficient supply of coal in the coal chutes and break or crack all coal to suitable sizes.

4th. Contractor expressly assumes all liability for injuries to or death of persons in his employ, or loss or injury to his property, whether caused by the negligence of the company, its agents or employees, and he covenants to save the company harmless on account thereof, or for or on account of any injury to or death of any person employed by him when and while such persons may be in or about the cars, engines, and tracks of the company, 'and any injury to said contractor while performing any services under this contract which might be or have been delegated to his agent or employees.' And the contractor expressly assumes all liability for injury to or death of third persons, including the employees of the company, occasioned by any of his acts, and the company shall not be liable to him in case of his death or injury while employed in the work set forth.

5th. Punctuality of performance is stipulated for; (6th) the contract to continue until terminated, as it may be by either party upon fifteen days' notice; (7th) or upon failure of contractor to perform his duties, at the option of the company, without being liable in damages therefor, of which failure the company shall be the sole judge; (8th) the company to furnish the necessary tools for the performance of the stipulated services.

9th. It is 'agreed and understood that the contractor shall be deemed and held as the original contractor, and the railway company reserves and holds no control over him in the doing of such work other than as to the results to be accomplished.'

10th. The company shall keep a record of all coal delivered, and shall make settlements and pay the contractor for handling the coal upon the basis of such handling, and the contractor shall make daily reports of the cars unloaded by him, and shall receive, collect, and deliver to the duly authorized representative of the company a ticket from each engineman, hostler, or other employee, showing the number of tons of coal delivered to any engine; (11th) payment of the work to be made monthly; and (12th) the contract and all the terms and conditions, rights and obligations thereof, to inure to the heirs, administrators, executors, legal representatives assigns, and lessees of both parties, but assigning or subletting shall not be without the written consent of the company.

Under the other contract Turner was required to cooper all cars which the roundhouse foreman directed him to prepare to fit the cars to hold grain in transit, the foreman to be the sole judge whether the preparation was in accordance with the contract. The manner of preparation is detailed and the price to be paid therefor in cents, the company to furnish the materials.

There are provisions as in the other contract to save the company from liability to persons or property. The contract was to continue until terminated upon thirty days' notice.

This contract is pertinent only for illustration, and otherwise may be put out of view. The deceased was killed, it is the contention, while performing services under the first contract.

Turner had a contract with the Enid Mill & Elevator Company to unload coal, and, directly after 4 o'clock on the day he was killed, having finished a particular service at which...

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