Bienville Water Supply Co. v. City of Mobile

125 Ala. 178
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedNovember 15, 1899
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 125 Ala. 178 (Bienville Water Supply Co. v. City of Mobile) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bienville Water Supply Co. v. City of Mobile, 125 Ala. 178 (Ala. 1899).

Opinion

TYSON, J.

The complaint contains three counts. In the first, the one thousand dollars sought to he recovered, it is 'alleged, is a balance due by the defendant for water supplied by the plaintiff for the months of February and March, 1894, under a contract existing between the plaintiff and defendant. It is alleged that nnder the con[180]*180tract, the plaintiff was entitled to be paid $1,125 per month for each and every month, it furnished water to the defendant, through its mains, plugs and fire hydrants for the extinguishment of fires and for other purposes provided by the contract. It is further alleged that the plaintiff furnished the water used and to be used by the defendant as provided by the contract during the months of February and March, whereby the plaintiff became entitled under the contract to the sum of $2,250, but it has only been paid $1,250 for the said two months, leaving the balance of $1,000 with interest thereon due to it from the 10th clay of May, 1894. The count also alleged that the plaintiff has complied with all its obligations under the contract, but that the defendant has violated its 'agreement by refusing to pay the sums claimed.

The second count claims one thousand dollars and interest thereon due under its contract with the defendant for the use by it of water supplied by the plaintiff through its hydrants, plugs and mains during the months of February and March, 1894. It is alleged that the defendant owed the plaintiff $1,125 for so furnishing water for the said month of February, and $1,125 for so furnishing water for the month of March, to-wit $2,250. It is further alleged that the defendant has paid to the plaintiff $1,250, leaving a balance due to the plaintiff on and under said contract of $1,000 for said two months’ service of water. “Plaintiff alleges that it furnished the water according to the. terms of said-contract to the city, and otherwise complied with the provisions of said contract on its part, but that the city has refused and still refuses to pay it for such service and said water,” etc.

The third count claims one thousand dollars due by account, and a like sum of $1,000 for merchandise, goods and chattels sold by plaintiff to defendant.

It will be well to note that neither of the counts set out the contract or its provisions so as to show what the obligations were the plaintiff had to comply with.

To the entire complaint the defendant filed six pleas. On motion of the plaintiff, pleas 2, 3 and 4 were stricken, leaving the plea of the general issue and two special [181]*181pleas, numbered 5 and 6. Special plea 5 alleges tliat the plaintiff did not perform its contract to supply water in this, tliat it did not furnish through 300 feet of two and a half inch double leads of hose with one and one quarter inch nozzle six vertical streams of water, of sixty feet in height each, for fire service for, to-wit, an hour during a conflagration in Mobile on the night of March 16, 1894, within reach of its hydrants, in violation of the contract now declared on by the plaintiff.

Special plea 6 alleges that the plaintiff forfeited to the city of Mobile the money now sued for because it did not on March 16, 1894, furnish for fire service for, to-wit, an hour during a conflagration in Mobile, within reach of its hydrants, through 300 feet of two and a half inch double leads of hose with one and one quarter inch nozzle, six vertical streams of water of sixty feet in height each, all in violation of the contract noAV declared on by the plaintiff, and that such forfeiture is duly proAdded for in said contract, and has been and is claimed by this defendant.

To these two pleas the plaintiff filed several special replications which were stricken on motion of the defendant. The special replications 1 and 2 to the fifth plea are simply a recital of evidential facts, which neither confess nor avoid the allegations of the plea they profess to answer. Such facts as were pertinent to the issue tendered by the plea were competent to be introduced in evidence under the general issue taken upon the plea. Mead v. Hughes, 15 Ala. 141.

The special replications 1 and 2 to the sixth plea are no more than a general replication to that plea. The special replications to the 5th and 6th pleas filed January 27, 1.898, only recite the provisions of the contract under which the plaintiff was obligated to furnish the water in the manner and to the extent as averred in the pleas, with an averment that it complied with the provision of the contract. These tendered the same issue as was tendered by the averments of the first and second counts of the complaint. The court committed no error in granting the motions to strike each of the special replications.

[182]*182The cause was tried under the issue taken upon the special pleas and a special replication to plea five. This special replication contains the provision of the contract alieged by the pleas to have been violated. It is in these words: “Said Bienville Water Supply Company further agrees to erect or cause to be erected in some suitable place to be agreed upon by the general council of said city, a gauge which shall indicate an average pressure of eighty pounds at the hydant for every twenty-four hours, failure to maintain such pressure shall abate the price proportionately for the time such failure continues after the expiration of such twenty-four hours. In addition said water company agrees and guarantees to furnish for fire sexwice during the existence of any fire or conflagration at any time within the city within reach of the hydrants, through three hundred (300) feet of two and one half inch (2|-) double leads of hose (with one inch nozzle), six vertical streams of eighty feet each: through same hose with one and one quarter (1¿) inch nozzle six vertical streams sixty feet each. For failure •to render this service at any time during such fires or conflagrations said Water Supply Company hereby agrees to forfeit to the said city tlxe sum of one thousand dollars, and that thereupon this contract shall immediately cease and terminate; provided, however, that said company shall not be subject to such forfeiture or termination of this contract if by reason of any illegal, unlawful, or improper interference by parties other than said company with the pipes, mains, hydrants, or nrnchinery of' said water supply company, it shall be unable to render service. It is further agreed that should said Water Supply Company by reason of any accidents to its pipes, mains, or machinery, not the result of negligence on the part of said company, its officers, agents, or employés, become unable to render the service contracted for, then said company, upon notice to the city authorities, shall have reasonable time to be agreed upon between said company and said city, in which to make necessary repairs, in which said Water Supply Com- ■ pany shall abate proportionately the amount agreed to be paid under this contract.” The replication [183]

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Bluebook (online)
125 Ala. 178, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bienville-water-supply-co-v-city-of-mobile-ala-1899.