133 Ga. 10 | Ga. | 1909
Stewart filed his suit against the Savannah Electric Company to recover damages for personal injuries which he alleged that he sustained through the defendant’s negligence. He alleged, that on October 22, 1905, he was an employee of the company, and engaged in night work in and about the powerhouse, his special duty being to take charge of the house and engines, and read the meters every hour. There are two floors to this house, one elevated about four feet above the other. Upon the upper floor are the large dynamo generator and engine, and on the lower a smaller engine and generator. The floors are connected by a flight of five steps, each of which is made of solid massive plank about forty feet long, and one and a half inches thick. At a point four or five feet from the western wall of the
The plaintiff testified, that on the night of the injury he was employed at the Bolton street plant of the defendant as night engineer. His duties were to look after the engines, boiler-room, and everything in general around the plant. Besides himself there were employed around this plant the oiler, fireman and coal man, who were down below. The large engine on the upper floor was not running, and had not been for several days, as the generator had burned out. The two smaller engines on the lower floor were running. Between the upper and lower floor were a series of four or five steps about twenty feet long, in one of which was an opening to allow passage below the steps, this opening being cut from the step in such a way that the piece cut out fit down over it, being mitered, so as to close it when down in position. He had to go to the upper floor every hour to take the readings of the meter, and the only way to go from one floor to the other is by these steps, which were perfectly safe while the plank was in position. This
Judgment affirmed.