Eidemiller Ice Co. v. Guthrie

28 L.R.A. 581, 60 N.W. 717, 42 Neb. 238, 1894 Neb. LEXIS 440
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 16, 1894
DocketNo. 5552
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 28 L.R.A. 581 (Eidemiller Ice Co. v. Guthrie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eidemiller Ice Co. v. Guthrie, 28 L.R.A. 581, 60 N.W. 717, 42 Neb. 238, 1894 Neb. LEXIS 440 (Neb. 1894).

Opinion

Harrison, J.

March 9, 1891, the appellee herein, the Eidemiller Ice Company (hereinafter referred to as the “company”), instituted an action against Robert and David Guthrie, partners under the firm name and style of Guthrie Bros., and in order that a full understanding of the issues may be had, we think it best to copy the petition and answer. The original petition was demurred to and an amended one filed, which was as follows:

“Comes now the Eidemiller Ice Company, a corporation duly incorporated and doing business as such, and complaining of Robert Guthrie and David Guthrie, partners doing business under the firm name and style of Guthrie Bros., defendants, says:

1. That said plaintiff is duly incorporated under the laws of the state of Kansas, and doing business as such in [242]*242the states of Kansas and Nebraska, and as such authorized to sue and be sued.
“2. The said plaintiff is the owner of lots numbered 3 and 4 in section No. 27, in township No. 1 north, range No. 7 west of the 6th P. M., in Nuckolls county, Nebraska, according to the United States survey thereof, and containing about forty acres of land.
“3. That defendants are the owners of a mill-dam located on the Republican river, at about the distance of one thousand feet to the south of plaintiff's said premises, which has remained in the same condition as it now is for several years last past, which said dam backs the water up and upon plaintiff's premises, but confines the waters thereof during the greater portion of the year to the river bed of said Republican river, which is about two hundred feet in width at the point where it courses along and through plaintiff's said premises.
“4. That upon and along the south and west line of plaintiff's said land and premises courses the said Republican river, which river is, and for a long time past has been, permanently dammed by said defendants as aforesaid, making the water in the bed of the river, where it courses along and through plaintiff's said premises, at an average depth of about five feet, at its usual stage and condition, while the mill of defendants is being operated, and said mill-dam used and kept in its usual condition for milling purposes and use, on which said river bed is annually frozen a large amount of ice, of great value to plaintiff.
“ 5. That plaintiff purchased said premises described in the second paragraph of this petition, for the purpose of erecting thereon ice storage houses, and for the purpose of harvesting and storing the ice so frozen on said river bed, where it courses on, upon, and along plaintiff's said premises, and that plaintiff has expended large sums of money in constructing ice storage houses on their said premises, to-wit, the sum of about $3,000, and that [243]*243plaintiff, in and about its said business of cutting and storing ice on said premises, have expended other and divers large sums of money, and that in the conducting of plaintiff’s business plaintiff has now outstanding large and valuable contracts for the delivery of ice, by it to be-cut and stored on said premises, and that plaintiff so constructed its said storage houses and embarked in said business with the full knowledge of defendants, and without any objection on their part, and that plaintiff' now has its said storage houses about half filled, and plaintiff’s said contract for future delivery of ice cannot be filled and kept on its part unless it is able to fill its storage house with ice,, and its said storage and other improvements and expenditures will be of no use or value to plaintiff unless it is allowed to fill the same, all of which is necessary to be done.
“6. That on or about the 9 th day of March, A. D. 1891, ice had formed on the surface of said river adjacent and opposite to the premises, hereinbefore described as belonging to plaintiff, to a great thickness, to-wit, about twelve inches, which said ice was merchantable and of great-value, and that said plaintiff had, by its servants and agents, taken possession of and appropriated said ice adjacent to and opposite to said premises, by surveying and marking the same off into squares and blocks, and had defined its said possession of said ice adjacent and opposite to said premises by marking and staking the same off into squares' and blocks; and said plaintiff was then and there, by its servants and agents, engaged in cutting and removing said ice and storing said ice for preservation in its said storage houses.
“7. That on the 9th day of March, A. D. 1891, said defendants, in person, and by and through their orders and direction to their employes, did open the flood gates and spill-ways of their said dam across said river for the sole- and only purpose of drawing off the water from underneath the ice upon and along plaintiff’s said premises, which, [244]*244plaintiff was then and there cutting and harvesting and storing as aforesaid, and that defendants might by so doing prevent plaintiff from so cutting and storing said ice, and that said defendants are preparing to, and threaten to, open still other flood-gates and spill-ways for those purposes and none other.
“ 8. Said plaintiff says that if said defendants persist in so opening said flood gates and spill-ways, and drawing off said water, it will render it impossible for plaintiff to cut and harvest said crop of ice, for the reasons, among others, that it will allow said ice to rest upon the mud and slimy bottom of said body of water and river bed, covering the ice with mud and impurities and cause it to crack and break into irregular pieces, and to honeycomb and float away when the water shall again rise thereunder, thus rendering it valueless, and impossible for plaintiff to cut and harvest and preserve the same fit for use.
“ 9. That all of said acts of defendants in opening said flood gates and spill-ways, and in drawing off said water, were done, and are threatened to be done, without the consent of plaintiff.
“10. That the injuries so caused to plaintiff and its said land and improvements and its use and occupation thereof, and to plaintiff’s said business, are continuing injuries; that plaintiff’s improvements and storage house aforesaid are permanent and calculated for and adapted to use as aforesaid from year to year, and if defendants shall continue to so draw off said water and open said flood gates and spill-ways, plaintiff’s premises and improvements will be rendered unfit for use, and the ice so by plaintiff taken possession of, marked off into squares, staked off, and taken possession of by plaintiff as aforesaid opposite to and adjacent to their said premises will be destroyed, and that, from the nature of the injury, damages cannot be computed in money, and the plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law.
“ The plaintiff' therefore prays for a temporary order of [245]

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Bluebook (online)
28 L.R.A. 581, 60 N.W. 717, 42 Neb. 238, 1894 Neb. LEXIS 440, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eidemiller-ice-co-v-guthrie-neb-1894.