Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Woodbury Glass Co.

120 N.E. 426, 80 Ind. App. 298, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 211
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 16, 1918
DocketNo. 9,614
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 120 N.E. 426 (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Woodbury Glass Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Woodbury Glass Co., 120 N.E. 426, 80 Ind. App. 298, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 211 (Ind. Ct. App. 1918).

Opinion

Batman, J.

This is an action by appellee against appellant to recover damages caused by an alleged obstruction of a natural watercourse. The complaint is in a single paragraph and alleges in substance, among other things, that appellee is the owner of certain land crossed by a natural watercourse, which flows from the south toward the north; that appellant is the owner of a right of way, lying immediately north of its said land, which crosses said watercourse at right angles; that many years prior to the alleged grievances, appellant constructed a railroad grade fifteen feet high for its main track, over its said right of way; that it constructed an archway of masonry through said grade where it crossed said watercourse, eight feet wide and ten feet high, which was of .sufficient size to carry the water thereof if left unobstructed; that it so maintained its said grade and archway until about six years ago, when it widened its roadbed by constructing an additional grade to the same height on the south side thereof for a switch track; that in so doing it willfully, [303]*303negligently and unlawfully filled up the opening at the south end of said archway, and thereby completely obstructed said watercourse; that in the month of March, 1913, appellee was the owner of a large manufacturing plant situated upon its said land in which was located much valuable material, equipment and machinery; that in said month there was a heavy rainfall in the vicinity of said plant, which caused a large quantity of water to flow down said watercourse; that by reason of the obstruction of said archway by appellant in the construction of its additional grade, and its failure to provide a means for the passage of said watercourse thereunder, a large body of water wag collected and dammed up on appellee’s said land for more than thirty-six consecutive hours; that by reason thereof its said manufacturing plant was flooded with water, its material and equipment greatly damaged, and the progress of its work greatly delayed, to its damage in the sum of $7,000. Appellant filed a motion to- make the complaint more specific, and also a motion to strike out parts of the same, both of which were overruled. Appellant then filed a demurrer to the complaint for want of facts, which was likewise overruled. It then filed an answer in two paragraphs, the first alleging in substance that the watercourse mentioned in appellee’s complaint had been improved and converted into a public tile ditch, constructed under the order of the Randolph Circuit Court; that it was decreed that it would be sufficient to accomplish the drainage of the lands involved; that it was constructed by a drainage commissioner appointed by the court, and has ever since been a public tile drain; that it passes under appellant’s right of way through the stone arch mentioned in appellee’s complaint; that the embankment complained of therein in no way or manner injures or obstructs the said public tile ditch, and that appellee’s alleged inju[304]*304ries were the result of unusual floods, and the accumulation of surface water.

The second paragraph of answer was a general denial. Appellee filed a demurrer to appellant’s first paragraph of answer for want of facts, which was sustained. The cause was submitted to a jury for trial, and a verdict was returned in favor of appellee for $5,500, together with answers to interrogatories submitted by the court. Appellant filed a motion for judgment in its favor on the answers to the interrogatories, notwithstanding the general verdict, which was overruled. Judgment was thereupon rendered in favor of appellee. Appellant filed a motion for a new trial, which was overruled. It now prosecutes this appeal, and in its assignment of errors alleges that the trial court erred as follows: (1) In overruling its motion to require appellee to make its complaint more specific; (2) in overruling its motion to strike out parts of the complaint; (3) in overruling its demurrer to the complaint; (4) in sustaining appellee’s demurrer to its first paragraph of answer; (5) in overruling its motion for judgment on the answers to the interrogatories notwithstanding the general verdict; (6) in overruling its motion for a new trial. Of the errors so assigned appellant has waived the first, second and third by failing to state in its brief any propositions or points with reference thereto, and expressly states that it relies on the fourth, fifth and sixth for reversal.

With reference to the fourth assigned error it suffices to say, that if the facts alleged in appellant’s first paragraph of answer constituted a defense, no reversible error was committed in sustaining a demurrer thereto, since all of such facts were provable under the general denial on file. Jeffersonville, etc., Co. v. Riter (1897), 146 Ind. 521, 45 N. E. 697; Harness v. Steele (1902), 159 Ind. 286, 64 N. E. [305]*305875. Moreover, if error was committed in ruling on the demurrer to the same, it would not be cause for reversal, as appellant was permitted to introduce evidence on the trial, under the general denial, of the proceedings relative to the establishment of said public ditch or drain, as well as of all other matters alleged therein. Indianapolis Traction, etc., Co. v. Isgrig (1914), 181 Ind. 211, 104 N. E. 60.

The fifth assigned error relates to the action of the court in overruling its motion for judgment on the answers to the interrogatories notwithstanding the general verdict. In considering this question it should be borne in mind that the general verdict must be taken as a finding that the material averments of the complaint are true. It is therefore a finding that the stream in question is a natural watercourse, and that it was unlawfully obstructed by appellant to appellee’s damage. Under these facts appellee was entitled to a judgment in its favor, unless the answers to the interrogatories are in irreconcilable conflict therewith, as appellant contends. The specific facts found by such answers, on which appellant bases its right to a judgment are substantially as follows: About the year 1900, a public county tile ditch was constructed down the valley involved in this action for a distance of about 6,000 feet, which passed under appellant’s railroad at the place in controversy; that prior to that time there was a stream of water flowing down said valley and over the right of way of appellant’s railroad, which was a living stream, supplied by water from springs; that said public tile ditch was of sufficient capacity to carry the water flowing down said valley, except at times.of heavy rains or floods; that the said springs along the course of said public tile ditch flowed into said tile drain and down the course thereof inside the [306]*306tile; that there was no living stream upon the surface of the ground, after the construction of said public ditch, except at times of heavy rains and floods; that said ditch was filled rounding full, except for a distance of about 725 feet where it passed over the lands of Ludy, Litschert, and appellant; that the ditch was after-wards filled substantially full on the land of Ludy, but not on the lands of Litschert and appellant, which were not in cultivation; that there has since been no permanent channel cut along the course of said public ditch by the natural flow of water therein; that water has only flowed over the surface of the ground above said tile one to three times a year since the construction of the public tile ditch; that water did not flow over the surface of the ground owned by William D.

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Bluebook (online)
120 N.E. 426, 80 Ind. App. 298, 1918 Ind. App. LEXIS 211, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cleveland-cincinnati-chicago-st-louis-railway-co-v-woodbury-glass-indctapp-1918.