Condie v. Swainston

112 P.2d 787, 62 Idaho 472, 1940 Ida. LEXIS 73
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 24, 1940
DocketNo. 6785.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 112 P.2d 787 (Condie v. Swainston) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Condie v. Swainston, 112 P.2d 787, 62 Idaho 472, 1940 Ida. LEXIS 73 (Idaho 1940).

Opinions

*475 GIVENS, J.

Respondent Alma G. Condie brought this action July 22, 1938, to enjoin the appellant Winder Reservoir Company, its officers and agents, from trespassing upon his lands. The individual appellants contended they made the entry on respondent’s lands as agents of Winder Reservoir Company, in which they were stockholders, and that said company owned a reservoir and ditches on said lands and a right of way and easement therefor and that such entry was for the purpose of cleaning and maintaining such ditches and reservoir.

By way of cross-complaint appellant company alleged ownership in 3.50 cubic feet per second of the waters of Battle Creek by reason of appropriation and application to a beneficial use of such amount by its predecessors in interest, the Strong Arm Reservoir Company, since 1883; that in order to make proper use of said water appellant’s predecessors in interest constructed the reservoir and ditches in question for the purpose of storing said water and catching the natural run off from surrounding hills and that the waters were diverted from said reservoir by means of canals, ditches and syphons or flumes and *476 put to a beneficial use in irrigation of the lands of appellant Winder Reservoir Company’s stockholders and their predecessors in interest from April 1st until October 1st every year since 1883; that the predecessors in interest of Twin Lakes Canal Company, the Oneida Irrigation District, constructed a canal which cut the ditch of Winder Reservoir Company leading from Battle Creek to appellant’s reservoir and that in the year 1905 an agreement was made by the predecessors in interest of appellant and the Oneida Irrigation District whereby Oneida Irrigation District promised to deliver to Winder Reservoir the same amount of water said predecessors of Winder Reservoir Company were entitled to appropriate from Battle Creek, and prayed the interpleaded respondent, Twin Lakes Canal Company, as successor in interest to the Oneida Irrigation Company be enjoined and restrained from preventing the water of Battle Creek from running into appellant’s reservoir, or in lieu thereof, that it be required to deliver to said reservoir the amount of water received by it from Battle Creek to which appellant Winder Reservoir Company was entitled.

As a second cause of action appellant’s cross-complaint alleged respondent Condie had appropriated to his own use certain pieces of appellant’s syphon and claimed damages of $500 therefor.

The interpleaded respondent alleged abandonment by appellant of the waters of Battle Creek and application thereof to a beneficial use by said interpleaded respondent but did not ask to be decreed the right to such waters.

The trial court, sitting without a jury, found the predecessors in interest of appellant Winder Reservoir Company did appropriate and put to a beneficial use on lands of its stockholders 3.50 cubic feet per second of the waters of Battle Creek and that they had constructed the dam and system of ditches and syphons or flumes above mentioned for the purpose of distributing said waters, but

“That none of the said water stored in said reservoir and used by the said defendant corporation, or its predecessors in interest, up to the year 1926, have been used at all by said defendant corporation in any year since the year 1926, in irrigating any of the lands of its said stock *477 holders between the 1st day of April of each year until the 1st day of October of each year, or at all, nor have any of stockholders of said defendant corporation, used any of the waters of said reservoir during all or any part of any year since the said year 1926, for culinary, domestic or for stockwatering purposes, except that one or two of the stockholders of said defendant corporation did make some occasional use of a small indefinite amount of said water, in some unknown years, for stockwatering purposes, by running a small amount thereof down a natural channel from said reservoir, and watering some stock thereat, as the same flowed through their said lands, but that such use was a personal use by said stockholders, and not a distribution of said water by said defendant corporation. That the defendant corporation has abandoned all use of all water from Battle Creek, or in or from said reservoir, and all use of the ditch and syphon leading therefrom, since the year 1926, and has made no beneficial use of said water or any part thereof since that date.”

The court further found the interpleaded respondent, Twin Lakes Canal Company, and its predecessors in interest, the Oneida Irrigation Company, had been prevented from performing its agreement to furnish water to the Winder Reservoir in place of the water from Battle Creek intercepted by the interpleaded respondent’s canal because appellant company had permitted its distribution system from the reservoir to be destroyed to the extent that delivery of water from the reservoir and Battle Creek has been impossible since 1926 and that since 1926 the interpleaded respondent has conveyed all of said Battle Creek water formerly stored in the reservoir to the lands of its own stockholders and applied the same to a beneficial use thereon, and that the same was and is necessary therefor.

In regard to the cause of action for the taking and converting of the iron syphon by respondent the court found that appellant did construct such syphon across a depression approximately 700 feet wide on lands now belonging to respondent, but that at the time the syphon was constructed said lands were school lands of the State of Idaho and appellant offered no proof to show a compli *478 anee with the laws regarding rights of way across state lands (Sec. 56-501, I. C. A.); that respondent acquired said lands in the year 1927 and his deed contains no' reservation of any right of way in favor of appellant corporation or any other person; that appellant corporation had abandoned said syphon in the year 1926 and failed to furnish evidence as a basis for any measure of damages for the 80 feet taken by respondent.

The trial court gave judgment dismissing the action as against defendants William Swainston, Harold Swainston and Serge Ballif, they having disclaimed in open court all interest in the action; perpetually enjoining and restraining the appellant Winder Reservoir Company, its servants, agents, employees, successors and assigns from entering in or upon respondent’s premises for any purpose whatsoever and dismissed the cross complaint against respondent and the interpleaded respondent, Twin Lakes Canal Company, with costs. Appellant Winder Reservoir Company appeals from said judgment.

The finding that none of the waters from Battle Creek or the reservoir have been used by appellant Winder Reservoir Company or its stockholders since 1926 is supported by uncontradicted evidence. Defendant William Swainston testified on cross-examination as follows:

“Q. 1926 is the last year you irrigated any land from water stored in any reservoir, is it not?
A. Yes, sir.
********
THE COURT: What do you mean, Mr. Swainston, just you personally, or do you mean-
A. I mean the company.

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Bluebook (online)
112 P.2d 787, 62 Idaho 472, 1940 Ida. LEXIS 73, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/condie-v-swainston-idaho-1940.