Harper v. Buckles

65 P.2d 947, 19 Cal. App. 2d 481, 1937 Cal. App. LEXIS 459
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 10, 1937
DocketCiv. 1980
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 65 P.2d 947 (Harper v. Buckles) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harper v. Buckles, 65 P.2d 947, 19 Cal. App. 2d 481, 1937 Cal. App. LEXIS 459 (Cal. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

MARKS, J.

This is an action to quiet title to “all water, water rights, pipe lines, reservoir rights, and rights of way and pumping equipment appurtenant to Deer Lodge Park in the County of San Bernardino, State of California, a map of which Deer Lodge Park is recorded in Book 24, of Maps at Pages 50 to 53 inclusive, Records of said San Bernardino County”. Judgment went in favor of certain of the defendants and plaintiffs have appealed from a portion of it.

*482 This case was before us at an earlier date. (Harper v. Buckles, (Cal. App.) 60 Pac. (2d) 180.) A rehearing was granted to permit examination of questions not considered at that time. While we are now satisfied that the conclusions reached in the first decision were correct, the opinion originally prepared by Mr. Justice Pro Tempore Turrentine may not here be used in its entirety as some amplification of it is deemed desirable.

At the commencement of the trial it was stipulated that P. G. Stickney was the common source of title of the parties to this action. On May 28,1923, P. IT. Krause and Dora Krause, his wife, acquired title from Stickney to the north half of section 8, township 2 north, range 3 West, San Bernardino Base and Meridian in San Bernardino County. The grant, among other things, included “also all rights, title and interest in and to a water appropriation of twenty-five thousandths cubic feet per second from January 1 to December 31 of each year, according to a Permit No. 1203 issued by the State Department of Public Works November 13, 1922”. On the same day P. H. Krause and Dora Krause, his wife, executed a deed of trust upon this real property and water right, to the Pioneer Abstract and Title Company, as trustee, and P. G. Stickney and Mathilda S. Stickney, as beneficiaries, to secure the payment of three promissory notes in the total principal sum of $11,000. This deed of trust was regularly foreclosed and on October 22, 1929, the Pioneer Abstract and Title Company executed a trustee’s deed conveying to D. D. Buckles, as parcel No. 1, the real property and water right already described, saving and excepting two subdivisions known as Deer Lodge Park and Arrowhead Gardens, which had been carved out of the half section, and a parcel, number II, which is described in the bill of exceptions as follows:

“The following described lots in DEER LODGE PARK SUBDIVISION . . . (Here follows specific description oE certain lots in said subdivision.) ” The following was also included: “ . . . Together with all appurtenances. TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said property with the appurtenances, unto the said party of the second part, his heirs and assigns forever, but without covenant or covenants, expressed or implied, regarding the title to said property or incumbrances thereon.”

*483 Defendants Maxwell Krause and his wife asserted title to all of the unsubdivided portions of the half section already described and also a number of lots in Deer Lodge Park. Defendant Buckles asserted title to the water rights and the water, and a water distributing system that had been constructed to serve at least a portion of the lots in Deer Lodge Park and also to a number of lots in that subdivision and in Arrowhead Gardens. Other defendants asserted title to lots in both subdivisions. As the water rights and water distributing system are all that are in controversy here, and as that controversy is between plaintiffs and defendant Buckles, we need give no further consideration to those portions of the judgment which quiet title to parcels of land in defendants other than Buckles.

Plaintiffs deraign title through a deed of trust dated June 29, 1926, executed by P. H. Krause and Dora Krause, his wife, to Security Title Insurance and Guaranty Company trustee and Citrus Belt Building and Loan Association beneficiary, to secure the payment of a note in the principal sum of $5,900. As security, the deed of trust described sixty-four lots in Deer Lodge Park and “also all water and water rights, pipe lines, reservoir rights and rights of way and pumping equipment appurtenant to Deer Lodge Park, together with the appurtenances' thereto. . . . All things now or hereafter in an3r manner affixed to said real estate or its improvements for any purpose, shall be deemed a part of the realty.’’ This trust deed was foreclosed and under date of October 28, 1929, the Security Title Insurance and Guaranty Company executed its trustee’s deed conveying the property just described to the Citrus Belt Building and Loan Association. Under date of March 15,1932, the Citrus Belt Building and Loan Association conveyed this property to W. J. Harper and May V. Harper, his wife. By a deed dated October 17, 1933, W. J. Harper and May V. Harper conveyed this same property to Wallace Scott Harper and Virginia Harper, his wife, the plaintiffs in this action.

We are not able to determine the dates of recordation of some of the instruments to which we have referred. No question is raised by counsel as to any right intervening between the date any instrument bears and the date of its recordation. We will, therefore, assume that each such instrument was promptly recorded.

*484 There is attached to the bill of exceptions photographic copies of the three pages of the subdivision map of Deer Lodge Park. These copies are so small and indistinct that they were of little assistance to us. During the second argument plaintiffs produced larger copies of these maps and it was stipulated that these become part of the record on appeal.

We will hereafter refer to D. D. Buckles as the defendant in this action, and the deed of trust dated May 28, 1923, which is in his chain of title, as the first trust deed. We will refer to the trust deed dated June 29, 1926, which is in plaintiffs’ chain of title, as the second trust deed.

The first question presented for our consideration is the interest in the water rights and the water system acquired by defendant under the first deed of trust and the trustee’s deed to him. At the date of the first deed of trust no part of the water system had been constructed. A considerable portion of it was constructed between that time and the date of the second deed of trust. We cannot determine how much of it was constructed after the date of the second deed of trust. At the time of the trial the system served a considerable number, but not nearly all of the lots in Deer Lodge Park. While the use made of the water by the customers of the system is not at all clear from the record we believe we are safe in assuming that it was furnished and used for domestic purposes.

The ease of Stanislaus Water Co. v. Bachman, 152 Cal. 716 [93 Pac. 858, 15 L. R. A. (N. S.) 359], is factually similar to the instant case. There the parties were asserting adverse interests to an irrigating water system claimed through foreclosures of first and second incumbrances. Much of the system was constructed after the execution of the first incumbrance. That an irrigating system was involved in that case, and a domestic water system in the instant case, should make no difference in the principles of law involved. In deciding the Stanislaus Water Company case the Supreme Court said:

‘‘The rights of Bachman under the agreement are the same as those of Threlfall.

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Bluebook (online)
65 P.2d 947, 19 Cal. App. 2d 481, 1937 Cal. App. LEXIS 459, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harper-v-buckles-calctapp-1937.