Case Name: HUEBNER v. HAMMOND et al.
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1903-02-06
Citations: 80 N.Y.S. 295
Docket Number: 
Parties: HUEBNER v. HAMMOND et al.
Judges: 
Reporter: West's New York Supplement
Volume: 80
Pages: 295–300

Head Matter:
HUEBNER v. HAMMOND et al.
(Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department.
February 6, 1903.)
1. Negligence — 'Master and Servant — Place to Work.
Where a longshoreman employed by a steamship company in loading a steamer was ordered by the foreman to go onto a barge not belonging to such company, and assist in hauling it alongside, where its load could be transferred to the steamer, and in obeying such order the man stepped on a grate covering a hole in the deck of the barge, when the grate slipped, injuring him so that he died, such steamship company was not negligent because of the condition of the deck of such barge, or in' not inspecting such deck before sending such man onto the barge.
2. Same — Volunteer on Vessel — Duty of Owner.
Where the owner of a barge, containing a load to be transferred to a steamer, furnished a sufficient number of men to put the barge in place, he owed no duty to an employé of the steamship company who was ordered by his boss to go onto the barge and assist in hauling it into position, and who in doing so stepped on a grate covering a hole in the deck, and by reason of the grate slipping was injured so that he died, and such owner was not liable for damages for such injury.
Laughlin and O’Brien, JJ., dissent in part
Appeal from trial term, New York county.
Action by Marie Huebner, as administratrix of the estate of Otto Huebner, deceased, against George L. Hammond and another. From a judgment for defendants, plaintiff appeals. Affirmed.
This is a statutory action, based upon the statute of New Jersey, which is similar to that in this state, to recover for the death of Otto Huebner, alleged to have been caused by the negligence of the defendants. The decedent was in the employ of the respondent company as a. longshoreman, and had worked in that capacity for several years. On the morning of the 8th of May, 1902, the Patricia, a steamship owned by the respondent company, was lying at the .south side of Pier No. 1, the northernmost of three piers on the Hudson river, in Hoboken. The decedent and eight or nine other longshoremen had been engaged in transferring a cargo of lead from a lighter or barge to the Patricia. The Excelsior, a lighter owned by the respondent Hammond, was lying in the same slip or basin along the north side of Pier No. 2, loaded with a cargo of rosin to be transferred to and shipped by the Patricia. She was awaiting the unloading of the cargo of lead, and her cargo was to be unloaded into the Patricia at the place occupied by the lead lighter. The Excelsior was square at both ends, and had no propelling power. The rosin was in barrels which lay in tiers upon the deck, covering the entire deck, except a space of about eight feet at either end. The crew of the Excelsior consisted of only two men, a master or captain and an assistant or .mate. As the longshoremen finished unloading the lead, the boss stevedore, also in the employ of the respondent company, Ordered the captain of the Excelsior “to come alongside next,” find ordered the decedent and other longshoremen to remain on the lead lighter, which was being pulled away by lines attached to Pier 2, and go aboard the Excelsior for the purpose of aiding the captain and mate in pulling her alongside the Patricia and of then unloading the cargo. There was some conflict in the evidence as to the manner in which the Excelsior was being pulled over to the Patricia, but there was evidence tending to show and justifying the inference that one line had been thrown from the bow and another from the stern of the Excelsior and made fast to the Patricia; that the captain was at one end, and the mate at the other, pulling on these lines; that the boss stevedore then called to the captain of the Patricia to pull up to the lead lighter, and take the stevedores aboard, which he did; that the stevedores came aboard the Excelsior at or near the stern or bow; that some of them proceeded to assist in pulling in the bowline, and others, among whom was the decedent, passed to the middle of the Excelsior; that the boss stevedore then further ordered the longshoremen to give. the captain and mate a hand in bringing the Excelsior alongside, and the decedent and others started for the stern, evidently intending to comply with the order. As the decedent stepped down from the barrels to the clear part of the deck he stepped upon a grating covering a manhole in the deck for ventilating purposes, which was about the size of an ordinary coal hole in a sidewalk. The grating tilted up edgewise, letting one foot through, and, the other foot passing down the other side, the decedent landed astride the upturned edge of the grating, inflicting injuries which caused his death. There was a tight cover for use over the grating at times when it was not necessary to have it open for ventilating purposes, but it was off at the time in question. This was an iron grating, the thickness of which does not appear. It rested on an iron flange three-quarters of an inch below the surface of the deck, and about half an inch wide. The undisputed evidence showed that the grating was in place at the time the decedent stepped upon it, so that it appeared all right, but it was smaller than the frame in which it set. The only direct evidence as to the condition of the grating when in place was the testimony of one witness, who first testified that there was a play of about a quarter of an inch all around it when placed in the center, but he subsequently testified that the entire play was only a quarter of an inch. The grating was not fastened in any manner, and the undisputed evidence is that although in place it did slide and tip up when the decedent stepped upon it. The testimony of the captain and mate indicated that they could have brought the lighter alongside the steamship without any assistance from the longshoremen; but it appears that they were making slow progress, and it would have taken them much longer to do so unassisted. It also appears that they were further aided by having their stern line, which was fast to Pier 2, thrown off by an employs of the respondent company by direction of the boss stevedore. It was also shown that it was the general custom in such cases for the longshoremen to assist in this manner in bringing the lighters alongside.
Argued before VAN BRUNT, P. J., and McLAUGHLIN, PATTERSON, O’BRIEN, and LAUGHLIN, JJ.
Perry D. Trafford, for appellant.
Frank C. Avery, for respondent Hammond.
Fred. E. Fishel, for respondent Hamburg-American Packet Co.

Opinion:
LAUGHLIN, J.
It could not be said as matter of law that the decedent wias guilty of contributory negligence. That was a question for the jury, and should have been submitted to the jury if there was evidence tending to show negligence on the part of either of the defendants.
The first question to be considered is whether the decedent's employer owed him any duty the failure to perform which caused or contributed to his death. The appellant contends that the respondent company is liable under the rule requiring the master to exercise reasonable care in providing for his servants a safe place in which to perform their duties, and, manifestly, this is the only ground upon which it could be argued that liability should be predicated; for if the boss stevedore was negligent in giving the order the master would not be liable. Keenan v. Railroad Co., 145 N. Y. 190, 39 N. E. 711, 45 Am. St. Rep. 604. We are of opinion, however, that the facts do not bring the case within that rule. It was a temporary place of employment at most, and it was not furnished by the employer. The lighter was neither owned nor controlled by the employer. The decedent was as well aware as his master that no inspection had been made by the latter of the condition of the deck of the lighter before the decedent and other longshoremen were directed to go aboard. It would be an unreasonable extension of the rule to hold the master liable for a failure to inspect the deck of the lighter before allowing his employés to go aboard for the purpose of performing temporary duty thereon. The facts, we think, bring the case within the doctrine of risks assumed by employés. Moy v. Steamship Co. (Super. Ct.) 33 N. Y. Supp. 563; Dixon v. Telegraph Co. (C. C.) 68 Fed. 630, the doctrine of which was approved by McGuire v. Telephone Co., 167 N. Y. 208, 60 N. E. 433, 52 L. R. A. 437; Hart v. Naumburg, 123 N. Y. 641, 25 N. E. 385.
The question of whether the respondent Hammond owed a duty to the decedent and was guilty of actionable negligence is not free from doubt. I am of opinion, however, that the decedent was rightfully upon the lighter in the performance of a duty which he owed to his employer. In view of the custom and of the act of the captain in taking the decedent aboard, he was there by the consent or implied invitation of the owner of the lighter from which arose the duty_ of reasonable care, to see that he sustained no injury from a negligent condition or concealed trap in the deck of the vessel. Stastney v. Railroad Co. (Super. N. Y.) 18 N. Y. Supp. 800; Shear. & R. Neg. (5th Ed.) § 183; Thompson, Comm. Neg. § 985; Wright v. Railway Co., 1 Q. B. Div. 252; Railway Co. v. Bolton, 43 Ohio St. 224, 1 N. E. 333, 54 Am. Rep. 803. Although the decedent was aiding in the performance of a duty which devolved on the owner of the lighter, he was not a mere volunteer for the benefit of the lighter owner only, for his primary object was to expedite his employer's business. The owner of the lighter owed a duty to his employés, and to those coming on board the lighter on business by his invitation or consent, express or implied, to use reasonable care to maintain this grating in a safe condition or to warn them of the danger. Newell v. Bartlett, 114 N. Y. 399, 21 N. E. 990; Fogarty v. Bogart, 43 App. Div. 430, 60 N. Y. Supp. 81; Delaney v. Railroad Co., 78 Hun, 393, 29 N. Y. Supp. 226; Griffin v. Manice, 160 N. Y. 188, 59 N. E. 925, 52 L. R. A. 922; Dunn v. Durant, 9 Daly, 389; Coughtry v. Mills Co., 56 N. Y. 124, 15 Am. Rep. 387. The evidence, being undisputed that it was in place, and that it tipped up when stepped upon, would justify a finding that this duty was not performed, and that it constituted a trap dangerous to those passing over the deck. Patterson v. Hochster, 38 App. Div. 398, .56 N. Y. Supp. 467; Cheevers v. Steamship Co., 26 Misc. Rep. 193, 55 N. Y. Supp. 445; Dunn v. Durant, 9 Daly, 389; Lentino v. Iron Ore Co., 71 App. Div. 466, 75 N. Y. Supp. 755; Bartnik v. Railroad Co., 36 App. Div. 246, 55 N. Y. Supp. 266. The relation of master and servant did not exist between the decedent and the owner of the lighter, and the former did not assume the risk of injuries from the negligence of the employé of the latter. Shear. & R. Neg., supra; Thompson, Comm. Neg. § 985; Wright v. Railway Co., supra; Murray v. Dwight, 161 N. Y. 301, 55 N. E. 901, 48 L. R. A. 673; Railway Co. v. Bolton, supra. Moreover, it would seem that the negligence was not the negligence of Hammond's employés, but that of himself in failing to exercise reasonable care in the construction or inspection and repair of this manhole and the grating. The decedent was not informed of the defective condition of the grating, and the same was not open and obvious; therefore Hammond would not be relieved of liability, even if the decedent were to be regarded as constructively in his employ.
I am of opinion, therefore, that the judgment should be affirmed as to the Hamburg-American Packet Company, with costs, but reversed, and a new trial granted, as to the respondent Hammond, with costs to appellant to abide the event.
O'BRIEN, J., concurs.