Cañon City Electric Light & Power Co. v. Medart Patent Pulley Co.

11 Colo. App. 300
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 15, 1898
DocketNo. 1372
StatusPublished

This text of 11 Colo. App. 300 (Cañon City Electric Light & Power Co. v. Medart Patent Pulley Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cañon City Electric Light & Power Co. v. Medart Patent Pulley Co., 11 Colo. App. 300 (Colo. Ct. App. 1898).

Opinion

Thomson, P. J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The appellee brought suit against the appellant to recover $276.29, the purchase price of certain articles of machinery-sold by the former to the latter. The defense was that the machinery was purchased by the defendant, and sold by the plaintiff, for use in connection with the defendant’s electric light and power plant, at Canon City Colorado; that at the time of the sale the plaintiff warranted the articles to be first-class in every particular; and specially warranted certain of them, called clutch pulleys, to be true running, well balanced, [301]*301and guaranteed that they would operate satisfactorily. Breach of the warranty was alleged in that the clutch pulleys were not true running, or well balanced, or of a good workmanship, and that they did not, and could not be made to operate satisfactorily. The defendant also averred that the articles were ordered and intended for use as a whole, that individually they were unsuited and unfit for any purpose in the operation of the light and power plant, or for any purpose for which they were sold; and that by reason of the defects in the articles, and their inferior workmanship, they were valueless to the defendant. It was further answered that the defendant, some three months after the purchase, notified the plaintiff that the machinery was of defective manufacture, and would not operate satisfactorily, and requested the plaintiff to take proper steps to remedy the defects, and cause the machinery to operate satisfactorily, or replace the same, but that the plaintiff neglected, failed and refused to comply with the request. The answer contained a counterclaim, in which it was alleged that the defendant paid the freight charges on the machinery from St. Louis, Missouri, the place of sale, to Canon City, amounting to $77.25; and that in testing the fitness of the machinery for the purpose for which it was furnished, the defendant expended in work, labor and money, a considerable sum, and was damaged by injury to its other machinery, and to its business, in further amounts; the entire damage and outlay, including the freight charges, aggregating $482.35, for which the defendant prayed judgment. The allegations of the answer and counterclaim were denied. The trial of the cause resulted in a judgment against the defendant for $11.13, from which it appealed to this court.

The following is the contract of warranty relied on by the defendant:

“ St. Louis, Oct. 25th, 1895.
“ Canon City Electric Light and Power Co.,
Canon City, Colo.
Dear Sirs: — In reply to yours of the 22nd we propose to furnish you goods below mentioned at prices herein quoted:
[302]*302“We guarantee all goods to be first-class in every particular.
“ Shafting will be made of the best material, straight, true gauge and well finished.
“ Flange couplings will be of strength equal to the strength of the shaft for which they may be ordered, and when fitted to shaft, will be keyed in place, faced off after being so keyed, and a true running line guaranteed.
“ Compression couplings will be of. strength equal to the strength of the shaft for which they may be ordered; will be .accurately fitted, and run on our live rolls after being keyed in place, and a true running line guaranteed.
“Bearings will be of suitable strength for the shaft for which they are ordered, will be self-oiling, and babbitted with a good quality of babbitt.
“We make pulleys for any belt duty, and guarantee them to stand the strain of the belt for which they may be ordered, to be true running, well-balanced, and of good workmanship.
“We make friction clutch pulleys for any belt duty, and guarantee them to transmit the full power for which they may be ordered, and to operate satisfactorily.
“ If any goods we may furnish do not come up to our representations, we will replace them free of charge, or refund the money paid for them.
“ Our guarantee and liability is limited as above stated. * * * We can furnish you a first-class job in every respect, guaranteeing all goods as per guarantee at head of this letter.”

The defendant’s letter of October 22, referred to in the foregoing, is not in the record, so that in interpreting the answering letter we have no aid from the outside, and must be confined to its own language. No representations are alleged, except those which it contains, and no fraud is charged. The sole reliance of the defendant is on the express warranty.

The rules for interpreting express warranties do not differ from those applied to other contracts. The object to be attained is an ascertainment of the intention of the parties [303]*303from the language which they have employed. We find here that the plaintiff agreed that its machinery should possess certain characteristics, and be capable of working in a certain manner; but we also find an express limitation upon its liability, in case the machinery should fail to answer the representations. The defendant purchased the articles upon this written statement, it exacted no other, and except for it, the rule caveat emptor would be applicable. It therefore has no remedy outside of the agreement of warranty, and as the plaintiff’s liability upon the warranty is defined and limited by the terms of the contract, it can be held to no greater liability. The agreement was that if the goods should fall short of the representations, the plaintiff would replace them without charge, or refund the purchase money. Its responsibilitjwas expressly restricted to the performance of this agreement, and it would incur no liability to the defendant except upon its failure or refusal to replace the machinery or refund the money paid. In this case no money was paid, so that there was none to be refunded; and the only legal duty resting upon the plaintiff, in case the machinery failed to meet the warranty, was to replace it free of charge. If, upon being notified, it had supplied other and sufficient machinery, its 'contract would have been performed ; but if it had refused to perform its contract, the defendant could have turned over to the plaintiff the machinery furnished, and replaced it with suitable machinery of the same character; and if the reasonable cost of the new machinery was greater than the price to be paid for the old, the excess would be recoverable against the plaintiff; or, the defendant might retain the old ■machinery, and subject it to such alteration and reconstruction as would bring it up to the guaranteed standard, and recoup the reasonable cost of the work against the plaintiff’s claim for the purchase money; or, the defendant, without replacing or remodeling the machinery, could keep it, and compel a deduction in its favor of the difference between the actual value and the purchase price.

But the defendant, equally with the plaintiff, is bound by [304]*304the terms of the contract of warranty, because it was the contract in pursuance of which it purchased the goods, and as that contract fixed the limits of the plaintiff’s liability, there can be no recovery against it, excepting within those limits.

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Bluebook (online)
11 Colo. App. 300, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/canon-city-electric-light-power-co-v-medart-patent-pulley-co-coloctapp-1898.