J. D. & A. B. Spreckels Securities Co. v. H. W. Abts Co.

187 N.W. 777, 108 Neb. 279, 1922 Neb. LEXIS 220
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 28, 1922
DocketNo. 22042
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 187 N.W. 777 (J. D. & A. B. Spreckels Securities Co. v. H. W. Abts Co.) 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
J. D. & A. B. Spreckels Securities Co. v. H. W. Abts Co., 187 N.W. 777, 108 Neb. 279, 1922 Neb. LEXIS 220 (Neb. 1922).

Opinion

Welch, District Judge.

Appellant brought suit in the district court for Platte county to recover from appellee $669.91, which it claimed to be dne as a balance on the purchase of a car-load of sugar from appellant by appellee. The sugar was sold by written memorandum executed by Russell Brokerage Company, for appellant, and by the appellee. This memorandum provided for' the price of $8.01 a bag of 100 pounds, and freight prepaid to Columbus, Nebraska. It also stated [280]*280that such sale was subject to the terms and conditions printed on the reverse side thereof. On the reverse side of the order were the following conditions: “Loss and Damage : Buyer to assume any and all loss or damage arising while goods are in transit, from sifting, leaking, breaking and chafing. Seller’s responsibility ceases upon delivery of goods to carrier. Credit: Seller reserves the right to determine limit of credit of purchaser before delivery of each car.”

Appellant claims that, in pursuance of this memorandum of contract, it shipped to Russell Brokerage Company at Columbus, Nebraska, for appellee, 800 bags of sugar of 100 pounds each, for which appellee has paid but $5,609.93, leaving due therefor $669.91, after allowing 2 per cent, discount for cash.

The appellee admits that appellant sold and delivered to it a car of sugar at the price above mentioned, and alleges that said sugar was, by oral agreement with appellee, to be delivered to appellee at Columbus, Nebraska. Appellee also claims that the car of sugar delivered to it in pursuance of said sale contained but 715 sacks of sugar.

The testimony of the'witnesses on behalf of appellant was to the effect that 800 sacks of sugar, each weighing 100 pounds, were loaded by it into a railroad car at San Francisco, California, the car then sealed with said sacks therein and consigned to Russell Brokerage Company, Columbus, Nebraska, with freight prepaid. This testimony is uncontradicted by any witness. Appellant also introduced evidence tending to show that the car, when turned over to appellee for unloading at Columbus, Nebraska, had its seal unbroken, and that the bags of sugar therein were in the car of a uniform height throughout. The testimony of appellant’s witnesses was that the car was loaded at San Francisco with bags 9 tiers high with 40 rows thereof at each end, and in the doorway, 7 tiers 5 sacks high, 5 tiers 3 sacks high, and 6 tiers 5 sacks high. The testimony of the witnesses for appellee was that the car, when turned over to it at Columbus, Nebraska, for unloading, contained but [281]*281715 sacks of sugar. No witness denies this testimony. At the conclusion of the evidence each party moved the court to direct a verdict in its favor. The court thereupon discharged the jury and took the case under advisement. Afterwards the court found generally for the appellee, and entered judgment of dismissal and for costs against the appellant. From this judgment and order overruling its motion for a neAv trial, appellant appealed.

If 800 sacks Avere loaded into the car at San Francisco and the car then sealed, and the seals remained unbroken until broken by appellee at Columbus, there should have been 800 sacks in the car when turned over to appellee at Columbus. On the other hand, if but 715 sacks of sugar were in the car when turned over to appellee at Columbus, and the seals of the car had remained unbroken from the time of its sealing at San Francisco, there -could not have been 800 sacks in the car when sealed. The testimony of appellant’s witness that the seals of the car at Columbus were unbroken did not identify the seals then on the car as the identical seals which had been placed on the car at San Francisco. The seals placed on the car at San Francisco were shoAvn to have thereon certain numbers and other identification marks. There was no eAddence as to what, if any, identification marks were on the seals which A\nre unbroken at Columbus. The evidence that at Columbus the sacks were of uniform height throughout the car, doorway and all, and the eAddence that the car was loaded with the sacks piled higher at each end of the car than in the doorway, shows that there was some change in the position of the sacks in the car before its arriAml at Columbus. This change must have been caused, either by movement of the car in SAvitching, in transportation, or by some person in the car.

The finding of the court was a general finding for defendant. This Avas a finding that there were but 715 sacks of sugar in the car when it was turned ovur to appellee at Columbus. The appellant contends that the undisputed evidence proves that there were 800 sacks of sugar deliv[282]*282ered to the carrier at San. Francisco, and that such delivery to carrier was delivery to appellee. Appellant contends that there was no evidence offered to prove the allegation of defendant’s answer that by oral agreement with plaintiff the sugar was to be delivered to defendant at Columbus, Nebraska. There is no reply to this answer. No place of delivery is specified in the written contract of sale, nor in the terms of sale indorsed thereon. This allegation of the answer was therefore material. It was admitted by failure of appellant by reply to deny the same. No evidence was necessary to establish the truth of that allegation. The undisputed evidence shows that by the bill of lading of the shipment, made by the appellant at San Francisco, the sugar was consigned to Russell Brokerage Company at Columbus, Nebraska. This consignee is alleged by appellant and proved to be its agent. The sugar was consigned, therefore, to the agent of appellant. This in effect was consignment to itself by appellant. This would not constitute delivery to appellee at San Francisco. The appellee could not have maintained replevin for the sugar on its arrival at Columbus, for it had no title to it until order was received from the consignee, Russell Brokerage Company, to deliver it to appellee. The evidence is that when the sugar arrived at Columbus the Russell Brokerage Company was notified by the railroad company’s agent at Columbus, and thereupon said brokerage company in turn notified the agent to turn the sugar over to appellee. The consignee, the Russell Brokerage Company, might, while in transit, have diverted the shipment t,o some other point. It might have caused it to be delivered to some other person than the appellee, to fill a sale made to such other person.

The cases cited by appellant in support of its contention that the sugar was delivered to appellee at San Francisco on delivery to the carrier are cases in which the buyer was named as the consignee in the bill of lading.

“Where a vendor of goods delivers them to a carrier for transit to his vendee, and causes the goods to be consigned [283]*283in the bill of lading to himself, his agent, or his order, the presumption arises that he thereby intended to retain the title in himself to the goods.” Missouri P. R. Co. v. Lau, 57 Neb. 559.

“Bills of lading are symbols of property, and, when properly indorsed, operate as a delivery of the property itself investing the indorsee with a constructive custody which serves all the purposes of an actual possession.” Union P. R. Co. v. Johnson, 45 Neb. 57.

“A bill of lading taken deliverable to the shipper’s own order is inconsistent with an intention to pass the ownership of the cargo to the person on whose account it may have been purchased.” Dows v. National Exchange Bank, 91 U. S. 618.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
187 N.W. 777, 108 Neb. 279, 1922 Neb. LEXIS 220, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/j-d-a-b-spreckels-securities-co-v-h-w-abts-co-neb-1922.