Davis v. Ladue

24 N.W. 871, 58 Mich. 226, 1885 Mich. LEXIS 499
Michigan Supreme Court·Decided October 14, 1885·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Sherwood, J.

On the 15th day of October, 1883, the defendant owned a certain tract of timber land situate in the county of Otsego, supposed to contain, at the time, two million feet of lumber'. On that day the plaintiff made a contract with defendant, whereby he agreed, during the ensuing winter, to deliver upon the bank of Black River the pine' upon said lands, cut into merchantable logs, at $1.50 per thousand feet, and in case the defendant did not sell the logs on the bank the plaintiff further agreed to mark the logs at both ends and put them afloat in the river and run them to Cheboygan for the sum of two dollars per thousand. No particular time was mentioned within which this should be done, but it seems to have been conceded by the parties that the season of 1881 would constitute a reasonable time within which it should be done under the contract.

The plaintiff broke the logs into the river in good season, and commenced to run them down the river and into Black Lake. The river was a very small stream where the logs were banked, and after running them down to a point known as Chandler’s Dam,” the water got so low that the plaintiff ceased his efforts to go further with them, or, in the lumberman’s language, “ hung up the drive,” to await a rise in the river from rainfall, and immediately informed the defendant of the situation of the logs and what lie had done. At this time, which was the last of May, the water in the river was very low, and the logs could only be run by the use of dams to float them, which was very expensive. Upon being informed of the situation the defendant had a treaty with the plaintiff in regard to continuing the drive, and at the request of the former he agreed to continue the drive and cross the dam with the logs, and go as much further as defendant desired, if the defendant would pay him the extra expense therefor. One White had a drive ahead of defendant in the stream, and after the defendant had made an arrangement with White to have plaintiff run both drives, [228] each to share the expense, defendant informed the plaintiff he would pay the extra expense of running his logs, and ordered the plaintiff to move on down the stream.

The plaintiff complied with the request, and by raising dams secured floatage for the time being for the logs, and ran them- over the Chandler dam down the stream, into and across Black Lake, until low water on the rapids below was reached, and there the drive was again “ hung up.” At this point the defendant came to the plaintiff and wished to taire his logs and himself run them the remainder of the route to Cheboygan, and an arrangement was entered into between them whereby the plaintiff was to pay the defendant three hundred dollars, and the plaintiff was to be released from further running the logs. A settlement was then had between them as to the extra expense the running of the logs to that point amounted to, and it was ascertained that the defendant’s part was §367. White’s portion was also agreed upon and by him paid. The §367 the defendant refused to pay, claiming that the plaintiff had dono no more than he was obliged to under the original contract; and that by reason thereof there was no consideration for-the contract to pay for the extra labor in taking the drive over the Chandler dam and other low water before the logs reached the rapids below the lake.

To recover for the extra labor, the sura of §367, and the other moneys.due upon the original contract, the plaintiff brought this snit-in the Shiawassee circuit. The cause was tried before a jury, and a recovery was had against the defendant for the sum of §1502, in which was included the item of §367 for the extra services. The defendant brings error, and we have before us a bill of exceptions containing all the evidence touching the item of extra services and expense thereof.

The appellant desires to submit but one question in this case for the consideration of the Court; that is, was the plaintiff entitled to recover for the extra services the §367? We think, under the testimony contained in the record, and the charge given by the court and the finding of the jury, the [229] plaintiff was entitled to recover for the extra service, and that the judgment rendered in the case is right. The verdict of the jury is general, and upon all the material questions upon which testimony was given, whether conflicting or not, and is conclusive. It is against the defendant, and unless some error is contained in the charge, it disposes finally ■of the case. Judge Newton charged the jury as follows:

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Davis v. Ladue, 24 N.W. 871, 58 Mich. 226, 1885 Mich. LEXIS 499 (Mich. 1885).

24 N.W. 871 (Davis v. Ladue) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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