Deadwood Cent. R. v. Barker

86 N.W. 619, 14 S.D. 558, 1901 S.D. LEXIS 55
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJune 12, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 86 N.W. 619 (Deadwood Cent. R. v. Barker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Deadwood Cent. R. v. Barker, 86 N.W. 619, 14 S.D. 558, 1901 S.D. LEXIS 55 (S.D. 1901).

Opinion

Corson, J.

This action was brought by the plaintiff to restrain the defendant from cutting off and diverting the water supply to which plaintiff claimed to be entitled. The action was tried by the court, without a jury, the findings and judgment were in favor of the plaintiff, and the defendant appeals.

The facts may be briefly stated as follows: The plaintiff is the owner of probate lot 109, of the town site of Deadwood. The defendant is the owner of probate lot 362, adjoining. In the spring of 1877,'before the town site was entered, one J. J. Williams and partner ran a tunnel mainly on what is now known as “Probate Lot 109”, but extending into probate lot 362, for the purpose of prospecting a gold placer mine. At or near the face of the tunnel [562]*562water was encountered, which found its way to the mouth of the tunnel, and since that time sufficient water has come from the tunnel to fill a i -inch pipe. Since 1890 this water has been taken by pipe to a reservoir of the plaintiff, where it has been used by the company for supplying its locomotives and for other purposes. In 1889 the defendant went into this tunnel and excavated from a point about 30 feet from its face a branch tunnel, some 30 feet in length, and extending a few feet into his own ground, and there encountered the same flow of water, and since that time has constructed a reservoir upon his own ground, cutting off substantially the supply of water found at the face of the main tunnel, and at the time of the commencement of this action was preparing, and had threatened, to erect an engine for the purpose of raising the water to the surface on his own ground, and disposing of it to such persons as might require it. The court, in its first finding of fact, found that in the running of such tunnel an underground stream was encountered and uncovered upon the land now owned by the defendant, and that the said stream so uncovered and encountered has since continued to flow therefrom in a strong and steady volume, up to and at the time of the commencement of the action. In its ninth finding the court finds as follows: “That the said waters so encountered and uncovered in said older tunnel, in the year 1877, then constituted and were, and ever since said time have continued to be, a running and definite stream, formed by nature, flowing under the surface of the earth, at first into said old tunnel, and later into said new or branch tunnel; that at the point where, and time when, defendant so threatened and intended to take and divert said water, the same constituted and was a permanent, definite, and well-defined running stream, formed by nature, and existing continuously from said point, by means of tunnel as aforesaid, down to and upon [563]*563said lands of plaintiff.” The court further finds that in the spring of 1878, before the said townsite of Deadwood was entered, one Daniel Scott entered upon and went into the possession of the tract of landnowdescribedas“ProbateLoti09.”and now owened by the plaintiff, and duly appropriated for domestic and mechanical purposes all the water of said stream so flowing from the mouth of the tunnel. Thereafter, on June 17, 1878, the land so occupied by said Scott, as also that now occupied by the defendant, was duly entered as a part of the townsite of Deadwood by the probate judge of Lawrence county. On June 20, 1882, the probate judge of Lawrence county conveyed to the wife of said Scott the premises known as “Lot 109” —Mrs. Scott and her husband then being occupants of said premises — and they continued to use the waters of said stream, under and by virtue of said appropriation, up to May 1, 1883, at which time they conveyed said premises by deed of general warranty to Lawrence Connell, from whom plaintiff has acquired title, together, with said water appropriation or right. The court further finds that since the spring of 1878 the said Scott, and his grantees and successors in interest, including the present plaintiff, have continued to use the water of said stream for domestic and other purposes. On June 24, 1882, the probate judge of Lawrence county conveyed to one George Staiger probate lot 362. Staiger thereafter, on April 24, 1884, conveyed the same to the defendant herein, who has ever since remained the owner and in the possession of said premises, and has continued to occupy the same, with his family. The court further finds that in the year 1898 the defendant sunk a shaft or well on his own lot, down to and below the level of said tunnels, for the purpose of enabling him to pump the water of said stream into a tank erected on the surface, within the limits of his lot, and was preparing to erect an engine thereon for pump[564]*564ing the water in said tunnel to the surface, as before stated. The court from these findings concluded, as matter of law, that the-plaintiff was entitled to judgment as prayed for. Exceptions were taken to several of these findings of fact and conclusions of law, and a motion for a new trial was made and denied.

The grounds for a reversal áre thus stated by appellant in his brief: “First, that Scott could acquire no interest in this water right for the reason that probate lot 362 was not a part of the public domain at the time of the location of the pretended water right ; second that the water was not running in a definite stream formed by nature over or under the surface of the earth, and that the same was not a natural stream or spring, within the meaning of Section 2771, Comp. Raws; third, that Scott never parted with any interest that he might have acquired; fourth, that it shows, by a clear preponderance of evidence, that the water appearing upon probate lot 362 was precipitated by seepage and percolation, and was part of the soil; fifth, that no rights could accrue to the plaintiff by reason of the adverse use of such water; sixth that the decree of the court takes from the defendant his land and homestead.”

In our view of the case, the principal question to be determined is, did the waters encountered in the old and branch tunnels constitute a running stream, with well-defined banks, formed by nature under the surface or was the water that found its way to the face of the tunnels caused by seepage and percolation? It was found by the court, and is not disputed, that the water in the old tunnel and in the branch tunnel was encountered within the lines of defendant’s lot as now claimed by him. It appears from the evidence that the mouth of the tunnel is in a gulch or ravine, and that the land rises from this gulch in the direction of the tunnel, and at the point where defendant’s shaft was sunk [565]*565the tunnels are some thirty feet or more below the surface, and from that point the land continues to rise for a considerable distance. The elevation of defendant’s land is considerably higher than the land owned by the plaintiff. Section 2771, Comp. Laws, provides as follows: “The owner of the land owns water standing thereon, or flowing over or under its surface, but not forming a definite stream. Water running in a definite stream, formed by nature over or under the surface, may be used by him as long as it remains there; but he may not prevent the natural flow of the stream, or of the natural spring from which it commences its definite course, nor pursue nor pollute the same.” It will be observed that by the terms of this section the owner of the land owns the water standing thereon or flowing through or under its surface, but not forming a definite stream. Mr. Kinney, in his work on Irrigation, defines an underground stream as follows: “Sec. 48.

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Bluebook (online)
86 N.W. 619, 14 S.D. 558, 1901 S.D. LEXIS 55, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/deadwood-cent-r-v-barker-sd-1901.