Brew-Woltman & Co. v. National Power Machinery Co.

40 N.E.2d 192, 35 Ohio Law. Abs. 285, 1941 Ohio App. LEXIS 863
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 15, 1941
DocketNo 18410
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 40 N.E.2d 192 (Brew-Woltman & Co. v. National Power Machinery Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brew-Woltman & Co. v. National Power Machinery Co., 40 N.E.2d 192, 35 Ohio Law. Abs. 285, 1941 Ohio App. LEXIS 863 (Ohio Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

OPINION

By MORGAN, J.

The plaintiff filed its action in the Municipal Court of Cleveland to recover a balance of $1350.00 alleged to be due on a contract of sale by the plaintiff to the defendant of certain power machinery located in Sherman, Texas. The defendant counter-claimed for $450.00, .being the amount of the partial payment by the defendant to the plaintiff for said machinery. Defendant’s counter-claim was based on allegations that the plaintiff, through its agent, misrepresented the condition and quality of the said power machinery and that there was, in fact, no contract of sale entered into by the parties.

The trial court disallowed the plaintiff’s claim in its entirety, and gave the defendant a judgment on its counter-claim.

‘ Evidence at the trial discloses that On October 12. 1939, the defendant, a Cleveland company, wrote a letter to the plaintiff in New York City, inquiring as to a generator and a Skinner Uniflow engine as to which there had been previous correspondence between the parties. The defendant closed its letter with the statement, “if still available, please .quote your lowest price FOB cars”. The plaintiff replied on October 16, 1939, to the effect that the unit was still available. On October 21, 1939 the defendant wired the plaintiff as. follows:

“Yours October Sixteenth our customer desires inspect 125 KW Skinner Uniflow unit located Sherman Texas. Please wire lowest quotation with two weeks option.”

To this telegram the plaintiff telegraphed the following reply:

“Retel Saturday Skinner Unit Sherman Texas have two weeks option for your customers inspection price eighteen hundred dollars where and as is to you. Advise name of customer and when inspection will be made so we can make necessary arrangements.”

On October 23, 1939, the defendant sent the following telegram to the plaintiff:

“Retel Granting two weeks option 125 KW, GE Skinner Unit price 1800 Dollars on foundation Sherman, Texas. Our customer is Home Packing Co., Toledo, Ohio, who áre arranging with Eagle Indemnity Company Dallas Texas to make inspection.”

On October 23, 1939, following the receipt of defendant’s telegram of the same date, the plaintiff wrote the following letter to the defendant:

“Oct. 23, 1939.
Mr. B. R. Kohn, National Power Machinery Co.
1914 Scranton Rd., Cleveland, Ohio Dear Mr. Kohn:

We confirm our wire to you today concerning the 125 KW General Electric Skinner unit at Sherman, Texas, as per copy enclosed herewith. We also wish to acknowledge receipt of your telegram in which you advise your customer is the Home Packing Company of Toledo, Ohio and that they have arranged with the Eagle Indemnity Company of Dallas, Texas, to make the inspection.

We neglected to state in our telegram that the unit is on the property of the Southern Ice Co. at-Sherman, Texas [287]*287but we presume that you have this information in your office. Mr. Clyde Lucas is the representative of the Ice Company at Sherman who should be contacted.

We trust that the inspection will be made at once and that a satisfactory report v/ill be submitted to your customer so that the sale can be made.

Very truly yours

BREW WOLTMAN & CO., INC. H. J. Woltman.”

On October 30, 1939, the defendant sent the following telegram to plaintiff:

“Our customer Home Packing Company Toledo Ohio has made arrangements with Eagle Indemnity Company Dallas Texas, to have their Mr. James McDonald inspect today the 125 KW GE Skinner Uniflow unit located Southern Ice Company, Sherman Texas. Please accord facilities for this inspection.”

Following the receipt of this telegram the plaintiff on Oct. 30, 1939, wrote a letter to defendant calling defendant’s attention to the fact that the option on the unit would expire in a week’s time and that the plaintiff was “not too sure that we can get an extension of the option.” On Oct. 31, 1939, the defendant replied by letter that “it is essential you have an extension of the option — try to. secure it. now for we have an idea that our customer may be trying to get in touch with this unit through some other source.”

On November 4, 1939, the plaintiff wrote the defendant that it had again requested an extension of the option and “will probably have some word on' Monday”.

On Nov. 6, 1939, the defendant sent the plaintiff'the following telegram:

“Yours fourth we are exercising our option and mailing order 125 KW General Electric Skinner Uniflow unit Sherman Texas.”

Also on Nov. 6, 1939, the defendant sent plaintiff the following" letter:

“Nov. 6, 1939

Brew-Woltman & Co.

Mr.' H. J. Woltman •

50 Church St. New York City.

Dear Mr. Woltman.

. We wired you today per enclosed confirmation and are appending hereto our formal order No. 140894 together with check amounting $450.00, being 25% on account purchase of the 125 KW General Electric generator direct connected to Skinner Uniflow engine, with its auxiliaries, as inspected by Mr. James McDonald, of the Eagle Indemnity Company in the plant of the Southern Ice Company, Sherman Texas, price—$1800.00—on foundation.

The National Power Machinery Co. B. R. Kohn, President.”

Accompanying this letter the defendant enclosed its order for the unit, which contained a description and the words “as inspected by Mr. James McDonald of the Eagle Indemnity Company in the plant of the Southern Ice Company Sherman, Texas.” The terms of the order were “Check No. 31790 amount $450.00, being 25% on account hereto attached, balance before removal.”

Following the receipt of defendant’s order by telegram and letter of Nov. 6, 1939, the plaintiff later deposited in its account defendant’s check for $450 and on Nov. 8 exercised its option to purchase the machinery from the Southern Ice Company.

Before sending the telegram of Nov. 6th and the letter of the same date, enclosing signed order and check for $450.00, B. R. Kohn, President of the defendant company had a long distance telephone conversation on Nov. 6th with Clyde Lucas at Sherman, Texas. It will be recalled that Lucas was the person that plaintiff in its letter of Oct. 23, had designated “as the representative of the Ice Company at Sherman who should be contacted”.

Mr. Kohn was asked by defendant’s counsel to state his conversation with Lucas • on Nov. 6th. Counsel for the plaintiff objected to the question and his objection was overruled, Mr. Kohn [288]*288then testified that he was told by Clyde Lucas “that the machine is in good condition and could be put into service without any repairs whatsoever. Then I asked him whether the Eagle Indemnity Company’s engineer inspected that unit and he told me that they did and I asked him what examination was made, and he said the Eagle Indemnity Company’s man looked over the cylinder and he examined the winding shaft and the bearing and he pronounced the unit O. K.”

Counsel for defendant then moved that the answer be stricken from the record.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Filice v. State
886 N.E.2d 24 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
40 N.E.2d 192, 35 Ohio Law. Abs. 285, 1941 Ohio App. LEXIS 863, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brew-woltman-co-v-national-power-machinery-co-ohioctapp-1941.