Kropp v. Missouri Pacific Railway Co.
Kropp v. Missouri Pacific Railway Co.
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff is the owner of a farm- of 160 acres in Otoe county, Nebraska, which is crossed by defendant’s line of railroad. The farm buildings and feed lots, occupying approximately 20 acres, are situated upon the west side of defendant’s track, while the remainder of the farm is situated on' the east side of the track. Plaintiff and his grantors have owned and occupied the farm for upwards of 50 years. Defendant’s track was constructed in 1887 and has been continuously operated since its construction. At a point on plaintiff’s farm where it is crossed by the railroad there is a valley or depression in the surface of the earth. At this point defendant erected a trestle, or bridge, which ivas-12 to 15 feet in length and about 8 feet in height. When first erected this trestle served to support the track for defendant’s trains, while leaving a passageway underneath the track - which was used by the occupant of the farm as a runway for his live stock, and a road for his teams. As the years went on the construction of the trestle was somewhat changed by the addition of piling and the filling in of the embankment until the opening became too small for the passage of teams and wagons, but it has always remained adequate for the passage of hogs, cattle and horses from the feed lots to the pasture, and vice versa. In addition to this subway passage there has been, and is, maintained a grade crossing such as is in general use in this state where a farm is intersected by a line of railroad. Prior to the filing of this suit defendant made plans for the substitution of concrete boxes or subways for the wooden
Plaintiff, an experienced farmer and live-stock breeder, testified that he had never seeix such a subway as defendant purposed to install, and, therefore, could not say from actual experience as to its sxxfficiency. He stated that the only purpose for which he desix-ed the subway was for a passageway for live stock; and that it had not been used in recent years for the passage of teams and vehicles. He described the horses upon his farm as being of the large type xxsed for farm purpose, weighing between 1,400 and 1,600 poxxnds, between 5 and 6 feet tall at the withers, and about 7 feet to the top of the horses’ heads Avhen held in their natural positions. He conceded that the proposed subway would be ample for the passage of hogs, and that cattle could pass through. However, he expressed the belief that it would, to some extent, become filled with snow and ice in the winter; that this would redxxce the size of the opening, make the floor' of the subway slippery, with the conseqixent danger of animals falling, and that in such case the opening would prove too narrow to permit proper
All witnesses apparently are men of character. - The witnesses for plaintiff testified as to the inadequacy of the proposed subway, in their judgment, but their testimony is not based upon actual experience or personal observation, while the witnesses for defendant based their testimony upon personal observation and actual use.
From a consideration of all the evidence, we reach the conclusion the evidence preponderates in defendant’s favor, and that the subway proposed to be installed is adequate to serve the purposes for which it is intended. The judgment of the district court is set aside and plaintiff’s action dismissed.
Reversed and dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Louis A. Kropp v. Missouri Pacific Railway Company
- Status
- Published