Case v. Cayuga County

— The plaintiff is-a taxpayer-in the city of Auburn, Cayuga county, and. brings an action under- section 1925 of the Code-of-Civil Procedure; and'also under chapter 301 of the Laws, of 1892, to prevent waste and injury to the property of the county, and to*enjoiní against a threatened illegal- act, and his complaint, alleges that the.board-of’ supervisors of the county, assuming to represent the county,, were ¡threatening to give the consent of the county to the.construction: and operation of a street surface railway upon Genesee street, in the city of-Auburn, in front of the real estate of the county, which did' not extend into the street, upon which were-located the courthouse,-clerk’s’ office, and the jail of' the county, abutting, on-said street, said railway to be constructed substantially,, and the cars- used thereon to be* drawn- or propelled by electric power, and. that such consent was to be- in a writing duly acknowledged- and proved, as required by law; to Henry S. Dunning, H. B. S. Lord, and George E. Willis, as individuals, and without consideration, with power in them or their survivors to assign, said, consent to an existing or proposed1 corporation as soon, as the same was duly chartered and organized.

An injunction wag.obtained pendente lite, from a justice of thiscourtj restraining the board from giving such consent, or any consent, to the construction and operation of a street surface railway on Genesee, street, in front of the property owned by the county; A, motion was made at the Monroe special1" term- to- dissolve this* inj unction, on. behalf of the1 defendants; and • upon- that motion many affidavits- were read, and - it- appeared that there was in the-city of. Auburn, a street railway operated by a corporation known-as the Auburn City Railway Company; and which desired- an-extension, of their railway to-that portion of Genesee street upon-which the county property was situated; There were many affidavits to the effect that in' the opinion- of the affiants, who- resided in the' city; and many of them upon- the street- in question, the construction: of the-railway; and its- operation, would not1 in any way injure the county property, but, on the contrary, would be an-advantage to it; and nothing appeared in the affidavits to indicate-that any further' occupancy of the street was contemplated than-the reasonable use thereof by a railway placed in the streets, and. operated by electricity; with the possible exception of one affidavit, which alleged, that the street was in fine condition, and npon-which there were many valuable residences; that it was macadamized,, and the effect of building the1 railway would be to tear up the-street,: and; to> some extent affect the passage over it, while the1 railway was being constructed. The special term dissolved the injunction, with $-10' costs, but ordered that further operation of the.

The appellant makes two points: First, that the board of supervisors had not the power to grant the consent of the county ; secondly, if such power existed, it could only grant consent to some corporation that had authority from the sovereign power to •construct and operate the railway at the place in question.

It may be regarded as the settled law of this state that the use of a highway for a steam or surface railroad, by a duly incorporated company, is not an infringement of the rights of an abutting -owner of lands (one whose premises go to the boundry of the highway only), and such .owner is not entitled to damages, and has •no legal redress, in the absence of negligence in the construction of the railroad, and where there was a reasonable use of the street for the road, and is not exclusive in its nature, but leaves the passage across and through the street free for the public use. Fobes v. R., W. & O. Railroad Co., 121 N. Y. 505 ; 31 St. Rep. 828 , and cases cited; Kane v. N. Y. E. Railroad Co., 125 N. Y. 164 ; 34 St. Rep. 876 , and cases cited. In Hussner v. Brooklyn City Railroad Co., 114 N. Y. 433 ; 23 St. Rep. 856 , Judge Bradley says that ¡the abutting owner had the right to insist that the switching of steam motors, discharging smoke and cinders in front of the premises, and making such noises as to shake the buildings, was a nuisance for which he could have damages, but the judge concedes the principle of the right of the railroad company to use the highway in the manner indicated by the foregoing cases; but the abutting owner has the right to insist that the street shall be open, so that from it access may be had to his lot, and light and air furnished across the open space, and this right is an .incorporeal hereditament appurtenant to the lot, and forms an integral part of the -estate, and as to that the lot becomes the dominant, and the street ¡the servient tenement. Story v. Railroad Co., 90 N. Y. 145 , 146 ; Kane v. Railroad Co., supra. The cases where this right was asserted were mainly elevated railroad cases, where the structures were permanent on the street, interfering with travel thereon, and covering the streets with railroad tracks and structures, obscuring the light, and interfering with the circulation of air, and with the sunshine. It is not perceived that the operation of a street surface railway by electricity creates any burden to the street in addition to that imposed by a horse or steam railway, but it must be governed by the same principles in determining the rights of the parties. The papers upon this appeal do not present the case of such a threatened invasion of Genesee street as would justify the equitable or legal interposition of the court in behalf of the abutting owner. The consent that is sought from the supervisors seems to be required by chapter 723 of the Laws of 1894, which provides that consents of property owners and local authorities shall be' given in writing, acknowledged or proved as a deed, entitled to be recorded, of the owners of one-half in válue of the property bounded on, and the consent of the local authorities having control of the street before the surface railroad can be built, extended, or operated. This

All concur, except Dwight,- P." J.,. not voting;