Arkansas Fuel Oil Co. v. McDowell

1926 OK 625, 249 P. 717, 119 Okla. 77, 1926 Okla. LEXIS 274
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 20, 1926
Docket16170
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 1926 OK 625 (Arkansas Fuel Oil Co. v. McDowell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arkansas Fuel Oil Co. v. McDowell, 1926 OK 625, 249 P. 717, 119 Okla. 77, 1926 Okla. LEXIS 274 (Okla. 1926).

Opinion

Opinion by

RUTH, C.

I. I. Given was the owner of an oil and gas lease on the south Gne-half of the southeast one-fourth of section 5, twp. 7, R. 8, in Hughes county, Okla., and on April 18, 1923, assign *78 ed 21-25tlis interest in same to W. J. Thurber. On July 23, 1923, Thurber purchased lumber from the Weleetka Lumber Company, with which lumber Thurber erected .a derrick on the lease, and on Sept. 24, 1923, the last named company filed its materialman’s lien against the leasehold, equipment, etc. The Oklahoma Iron Works furnished certain supplies and .filed its lien gu September 23, 1923. McDowell filed his lieu January 5, 1924, and the other liens were áled between the 5th and 25th of April. 1924.

¡ The claim of the Tonkawa Bit & Machine Shop was ior dressing tools for defendants, its shop not being located on the lease. Interveners, Sweeney, Sanders, Walker, S ilion, and Bunch, were teamsters, and claimed liens for hauling supplies to the lease for the well being drilled. The Continental Supply Company’s claim arose under a chattel mortgage given by Thurber on certain tools and equipment used in drilling the well, the mortgage being filed for record in Hughes county, March 5, 1924. The Acme Fishing & Tool Company’s lien was for rents of fishing tools, and the balance of the lien claims were for labor in drilling, etc.

This suit was filed on April 8, 1924, and the Arkansas Companies attempted to move che casing and other equipment from the lease, and a restraining order directed against them was issued April 15, 1924. Upon trial of the cause, judgment was rendered for plaintiffs and interveners for the several amounts claimed, and foreclosing their liens on—

“all tools, rigs, machinery, boilers, engines, casing, and other appliances and appurtenances used in the drilling of a well on the above described land, together with the leasehold estate on said premise's.”

In this judgment the Continental Supply Company’s mortgage lien was' declared inferior to the other lien claims, and it filed its cross-appeal.

" The Arkansas Companies present their appeal under four propositions as follows:

' “None of the parties to this suit were entitled to any Hen upon the casing owned by Arkansas Natural Gas Company, and Arkansas Fuel Oil Company, which has been loaned to AV. J. Thurber and used by him in drilling a dry hole on the lease premises.
’• “(a) The arrangement between Thurber and the Arkansas Natural Gas Company, by which the casing in question was loaned under a specific written agree-i ment, constituted a mere bailment, and gave Thurber no right or title to the casing which could be subject to any claim of plaintiff interveners or cross-petitioners. U. S. Supply Co. v. Andrews, 71 Okla. 293, 176 Pac. 967.
“ (b) The easing was the sole property of the plaintiffs in error, Arkansas Fuel Oil Company and Arkansas Natural Gas Company, and was a mere movable personal chattel, and was not within either the letter or the spirit of the lien statute and in no- manner subject to any claim of Thurber’s creditors. Jones on Liens, sections 1385, 1386; Moore v. Carey Brothers (Tex. Civ. App.) 246 S. W. 1083; Duty v. Texas-Cush ing Oil & Development Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 242 S. W. 495; Williams v. Maqouirk (Tex. Civ. App.) 235 S. W. 640; Shrader v. Gardner, 70 W. Val 780, 74 S. E. 990; Whittelsey v. Porter, 82 Conn. 95, 72 Atl. 593; Bloom v. West (Colo.) 32 Pac. 846.
“(c) There was no partnership between the Arkansas Natural or Arkansas Fuel Oil Company, or either of them, with AV. J. Thurber, the man who employed the workmen who are asserting the liens and who contracted the debts for which their claims are assessed. Municipal Paving Co. v. Herring, 50 Okla. 470, 159 Pac. 1067; Wommack v. Jones, 103 Okla. 1, 229 Pac. 159; Anderson v. Keystone Supply Co., 93 Okla. 224, 220 Pac. 605; Campbell v. Smith, 106 Okla. 26, 232 Pac. 844; Bell v. Johnston (Pa.) 126 Atl. 187.
“(d) The contract by which the Arkansas Natural Gas Company loaned the casing to Thurber specifically provided against any •liens thereon, (and the claimants cannot seek to get the benefit of said contract without being bound by all of its provisions. Baldwin Locomotive Works v. Edward Hines Lumber Co. (Ind.) 125 N. E. 400; Malbon v. Birney, 11 Wis. 112.
“None of the parties to this action were entitled to any lien on the tools of W. J. Thurber, which were mere personal chattels, which never became a part of the fixtures or appurtenances of the lease, and which were covered by a mortgage to plaintiff in error, Arkansas Fuel Oil Company. Hays Drilling Co. v. Sartain, 108 Okla. 181, 235 Pac. 615; Duty v. Texas-Cushing Oil & Development Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 242 S. W. 495; McClelland v. Haley (Tex. Civ. App.) 237 S. W. 627; Williams v. Maqouirk (Tex. Civ. App.) 235 S. W. 640.
“The lien of the mortgage of Arkansas Fuel Oil Company upon the tools of Thurber was paramount in» any event to any claim for work or labor performed after the execu-i tion and filing of said mortgage. Landers v. Okmulgee Bank of Commerce, 106 Okla. 59, 223 Pac. 200.
“No lien could in any event arise or attach in this ease in favor of any of 1-lie claimants whose work consisted merely of transportation, that is, hauling, or who merely rented tools to Tlmrber, or who repaired machinery off the premises, or who furnished gasoline for the operation of h:s cars which *79 he was using generally in his business. Hays Drilling Co. v. Sarain, 108 Okla. 84, 234 Pac. 614; Cleveland v. Hightower, supra; Wisconsin Brick Co. v. National Surety Co. (Wis.) 160 N. W. 1044; Union Traction Co. v. Kansas Casualty & Sur. Co., 112 Kan. 774, 213 Pac. 169; Gray v. Magdalena (Tex. Civ. App.) 240 S. W. 693: Williams v. Maqouirk (Tex. Civ. App.) 235 S. W. 640; Wilson v. Whitcomb, 100 Pa. St. 547; Bell Oil & Ref. Co. v. Price (Tex. Civ. App.) 251 S. W. 559.”

The Continental Supply Company presenrs its appeal upon three propositions as follows:

First. “Nene of the parties to this action were entitled to any lien on the tools of W. J. Thurber, used by him in the process of drilling said well or dry hole on the lease premises, becausé said tools were mere personal chattels which never became a part of the fixtures or appurtenances of the lease, and which were covered by a chattel mortgage to the Continental Supply Company.”

Second. “No lien in any event could arise or attach, in this case in favor of any of the lien claimants whose work and materials furnished consisted of renting or hiring ma-i chinery, or repairing machinery off the premises.”

Third. “The mortgage lien of the Continental Supply Company upon the tools of Thurber was paramount in any event to any claims for work ®r labor performed after the execution and filing of said chattel mortgage.”

On November 20, 1923, W. J. Thurber, as first party, and the Arkansas Natural Gas Company, as second party, entered into a written agreement, the material parts of which recited as follows:

“Witnesseth that, for and in consideration of the sum of $100.

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Bluebook (online)
1926 OK 625, 249 P. 717, 119 Okla. 77, 1926 Okla. LEXIS 274, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arkansas-fuel-oil-co-v-mcdowell-okla-1926.