This US Supreme Court case involved a dispute between the New Brunswick and Canada Railroad Company and Wheeler and Others. The plaintiffs, Wheeler and Others, were the owners of a tract of land in Maine that was adjacent to the railroad's tracks. The railroad had been built in 1853 and the plaintiffs had purchased the land in 1854. The plaintiffs alleged that the railroad had built its tracks too close to their property, resulting in a decrease in the value of their land. The railroad argued that it had the right to build its tracks as close as it wanted to the plaintiffs' property, as it had been granted a charter by the state of Maine that allowed it to do so. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, finding that the railroad had not been granted the right to build its tracks as close as it wanted to the plaintiffs' property. The Court held that the railroad had a duty to exercise reasonable care in constructing its tracks, and that it had failed to do so. The Court also held that the plaintiffs were entitled to compensation for the decrease in the value of their land.

In Wheeler & Others v. New Brunswick & Canada Railroad Company, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a railroad company could be held liable for damages caused by its negligence in failing to provide sufficient protection against fire on its property. The majority of the court found that it could not, as there was no precedent or statutory authority establishing such liability and thus it would be an improper extension of existing law. However, Justice Field dissented from this opinion and argued that the common law should recognize a duty on behalf of railroads to protect their passengers from harm due to fires occurring on their premises. He reasoned that since railroads are public carriers with special privileges granted by government authorities, they should have an obligation under common law principles to take reasonable precautions against foreseeable risks posed by fires which may occur while passengers are using their services.