COMMON CARRIERS. One whose busi ness, occupation, or regular calling it is to carry chattels for all persons who may choose to employ and remunerate him. Dwight v. Brewster, 1 Pick (Mass.) 50, 11 Am. Dec. 133 ; Fish v. Chapman, 2 Ga. 353, 46 Am. Dec. 393; Schoul. Bailm. § 345; Naugatuck M. Co. v. Button Co., 24 Conn. 479.
The definition includes carriers by land and water. They are, on the one hand, stagecoach and omnibus proprietors, rail» road and street railway companies ; Spell man v. Transit Co., 36 Neb. 890, 55 N. W. 270, 20 L. R. A. 316, 38 Am. St. Rep. 753 ; truckmen, wagoners, and teamsters, carmen and porters ; and express. companies, wheth er such persons undertake to carry goods from one portion of the same town to an other, or through the whole extent of the country, or even from one state or kingdom to another. And, on the other hand, this term includes the owners and masters of every kind of vessel or water-craft who set themselves before the public as the car riers of freight of any kind for all who choose to employ them, whether the extent of their navigation be from one continent to another or only in the coasting trade or in river or lake transportation, or whether employed in lading or unlading goods or in ferrying, with whatever mode of motive power they may adopt ; Story, Bailm. § 494 ; 2 Kent 598, 599 ; Railw. § 124 ; 1 Salk. 249 ; Fish v. Chapman, 2 Ga. 349, 46 Am. Dec. 393 ; Knox v. Rives, 14 Ala. 261, 48 Am. Dec. 97 ; Liverpool & G. W. Steam Co. v. Ins. Co., 129 U. S. 397, 9 Sup. Ct. 469. 32 L. Ed 788; Robertson v. Kennedy, 2 Dana (Ky.) 431, 26 Am. Dec. 466 ; Dibble v. Brown, 12 Ga. 217, 56 Am. Dec. 460. An oil pipe line company is a common carrier ; Giffin v. Pipe Lines, 172 Pa. 580, 33 Atl. 578.
General truckman are common carriers ; Jackson Architectural Iron Works v. Hurl but, 158 N. Y. 34, 52 N. E. 665, 70 Am. St. Rep. 432. Telegraph or telephone compa nies formerly were held not to be common carriers ; Tyler v. Telegraph Co., 60 Ill. 421, 14 Am. Rep. 38 ; Leonard v. Telegraph Co., 41 N. Y. 544, 1 Am. Rep. 446 ; Passmore v. Telegraph Co., 78 Pa. 238 ; Breese v. Tele graph Co., 45 Barb. (N. Y.) 274 ; Western Union Tel. Co. v. Fontaine, 58 Ga. 433 ; but were subject to the rules governing common carriers and others engaged in like public employment ; Delaware & A. Tele
graph & Telephone Co. v. Delaware, 50 Fed. 677, 2 C. C. A. 1; Primrose v. Telegraph Co., 154 U. S. 1, 14 Sup. Ct. 1098, 38 L. Ed. 883.
The term "common carrier," as used in the Interstate Commerce Act and its amendments, includes express and sleeping car companies, telegraph, telephone and cable companies (both wire and wireless), and pipe lines.
See TELEGRAPH COMPANIES; TELEPHONE COM PANIES.
The liability of the owner of a to his tow is not that of a common carrier ; Hays y. Millar, 77 Pa. 238, 18 Am. Rep. 445; Caton v. Rumney, 13 Wend. (N. Y.) 387; The New Philadelphia, 1 Black (U. 5.) 62, 17 L. Ed. 84; White v. The Mary Ann, 6 Cal. 462, 65 Am. Dec. 523.
And although the carrier receives the goods as a forwarder only, yet if his con tract is to transport and to deliver them a specified address, he is liable as common carrier; Nashua Lock Co. v. R. Co., 48 N. H. 339, 2 Am. Rep. Common carriers are responsible for all loss or damage during transportation, from whatever cause, except the act of God or the public enemy ; 2 Ld. Raym. 909, 918 ; 1 Salk. 18 and cases cited; 25 E. L. & Eq. 595; 2 Kent 597, 598 ; v. Wilson, 7 Yerg. (Tenn.) 340, 27 Am. Dec. 515 ; phy v. Staton, 3 Munf. (Va.) 239; McArthur v. Sears, 21 Wend. (N. Y.) 190; McCall v. Brock, 5 Strob. (S. C.) 119;. v. Wright, Rice (S. C.) 108; New Brunswick Steamboat Co. v. Tiers, 24 N, J. L. 697, 64 Am. Dec. 394; Harris v. Rand, 4 N. H. 259. 17 Am. Dec. 421; Christenson v. Express Co., 15 Minn. 279 (Gil. 208), 2 Am. Rep..122 ; South & N. A. R. Co. v. Wood, 66 Ala. 167, 41 Am. Rep. 749; Inman & Co. v. R. Co., 159 Fed. 960. The act of God is held to ex tend only to such inevitable accidents as occur without the intervention of man's agency ; McArthur v. Sears, 21 Wend. (N. Y.) 190; which could not be avoided by the exercise of due skill and care ; Hart v. Al len, 2 Watts (Pa.) 114; Memphis & C. R. Co. v. Reeves, 10 Wall. (U. S.) 176, 19 L. Ed. 909; but where freight cars are stopped by a flood and the contents stolen, the loss is not due to inevitable accident, act of God, or insurrection ; Lang v. R. Co., 154 Pa. 342. See ACT OF GOD.