James Pilkington Co. v. City of New York

211 A.D. 558, 207 N.Y.S. 118, 1924 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 9919
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedDecember 19, 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 211 A.D. 558 (James Pilkington Co. v. City of New York) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
James Pilkington Co. v. City of New York, 211 A.D. 558, 207 N.Y.S. 118, 1924 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 9919 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1924).

Opinion

McAvoy, J.:

The plaintiff, James Pilkington Company, Inc., was a contractor with the city of New York for the construction of sanitary sewers in Grand, Thompson and Canal streets, and also in other streets in that neighborhood. While the contract was being carried. on, however, it encountered an abandoned sewer which had become full of water, existing sewers which were broken and dilapidated, and various sewer basins improperly maintained which by reason of defective conditions permitted water to pour into the excavations which plaintiff made and which required extraordinary pumping and draining off of these waters so as properly to carry out the work enjoined by the contract and its specifications.

In the contract itself neither the abandoned sewer nor the existing sewers, which paralleled the new sanitary drainage system, were mentioned as existing obstructions to the work, nor was their removal provided for, nor their shoring up required under contract, plan or specified items of the contractual duties to be assumed in the proposals for bids, nor under the specifications for the work. The city may escape liability for this doubtless unusual and extraordinary work, not apparently provided for in its agreement with its contractor, if any of the clauses of its contract exempting it from liability for unforeseen contingencies arising in the course of the work and the clauses covering the duty of the contractor to inform himself fully as to conditions surrounding the work and likely to interfere with its progress, apply to the facts which are here presented.

This city contract contains the standard provisions against claims by a contractor of the nature just mentioned which are intended to exempt it from liability, but ingenuity of drafting has not yet succeeded in covering every sort of liability which may arise against it for so-called breach of contract as a result of which extra work is necessary, and there are some instances in which recovery has been allowed.

The clauses of the contract upon which the city relies to defeat the claim now made run:

“ 23. The contractor shall at all times during the progress of the work keep the trenches and excavations free from water. * * *
[561]*56124. The cost of all labor required to be done and all materials required to be furnished in the performance of all the work specified in sections 12 to 23, inclusive, except as otherwise provided, shall be covered by all the contract prices for all the items for which there are contract prices.”

And in the proposal for bids on this work these provisions are urged as inhibiting the plaintiff’s prevailing:

“ 4-a. The location, general character and essential details of the work are shown upon a set of 12 contract drawings on file in the Office of the Commissioner of Public Works, Bureau of Sewers, Borough of Manhattan, designated ‘ Sanitary System of Sewers with Pumping Station and appurtenances in Thompson Street, from Canal Street to a point about 350 feet north of Broome Street, etc.,’ bearing accession number 23011 and dated September 1st, 1917. * * *
“ 4-c. The test and exploration pits, the data from which is recorded on the aforementioned record drawings, while they do not give complete information, show that at the time they were excavated considerable ground water was encountered, and it is believed that at times the ground water table may rise to elevations at or near the surface of the streets.
4-d. Sub-surface structures are generally shown on the record drawings, and are present in all streets. It is expected that the sub-surface data shown is incomplete and often not accurate or rehable, and bidders shall not use such data for making prices, nor a contractor for executing the work until he has verified it, or secured other correct and complete data.”

None of the drawings are made a part of the record on appeal except a portion of sheet 4 which merely shows the street layout and location of test pits, their elevations, and certain other data as to what was found in regard to water, soil conditions, presence of sewers, etc., upon the sinking of the pits. There was no attempt, except where revealed by the test pit diagram, to show upon such sheet the location of any subsurface structures, including sewers.

The proposal also referred prospective bidders to the engineer’s estimate of quantities and kind of labor required, which included material and labor necessary to fully complete the work, and warned such bidders that such estimates were approximate only and not to be considered binding, and that they must make personal examination of the location of the proposed work and should at no time assert that there was any misunderstanding in regard to the quantity or kind of materials to be furnished or work to be done.”

[562]*562The proposal also contained this provision: No compensation beyond the amount payable for the several classes of work herein-before enumerated, which shall be actually furnished and performed at the prices paid therefor by the bidder to whom the contract is awarded shall be due or payable for the entire materials and work.”

The contract itself also contains provisions similar to those recited in the clauses quoted above.

Another provision of the contract states:

“ XXII. The contractor shall provide at his own cost for the flow of the sewer, drains and water courses interrupted during the progress of the work * * *.”

Then follows a' clause to the effect that the contractor has inspected public records of the city departments having control of the various subsurface structures, including sewers, and has. made such personal inspection and investigation as he deemed proper to determine the correctness of the information so obtained, “ and agrees that he will not make any claim against the City for damages or extra work caused * * * by .his relying upon such records.”

A provision which the city considers as most destructive of plaintiff’s claim is this, viz.:

XXXIX. The contractor agrees to assume and to make no claim on account of any and all loss or damages arising out. of the nature of .the work to be done under this contract, or from any unforeseen obstructions or difficulties which may be encountered in the prosecution of the same, or from the action of the elements, of from incumbrances on or near' the line of the work, or from the breaking of water mains, sewers or gas mains on or near the line of the work.”

The contract also makes- provision for the binding effect upon the contractor of the engineer’s final certificate, and recites that the contractor has examined “ the location where said work is to be done,” and that he thoroughly understands the contract and what is intended thereby and by the plans and specifications and agrees that he will make no claim on the city on the ground of misunderstanding.

Plaintiff commenced work under the contract by constructing the pumping station in Canal street, which it finished prior to May 15, 1918. While the construction of such pumping station was going on, the contractor started work on the Thompson street sewer and continued until sometime in October, 1918, when the work had reached about 100 feet north of Grand street. The contractor then started work at Thompson street and excavated

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Nicholas Di Menna & Sons, Inc. v. City of New York
92 N.E.2d 918 (New York Court of Appeals, 1950)
Nicholas Di Menna & Sons, Inc. v. City of New York
276 A.D.2d 838 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1949)
Arthur A. Johnson Corp. v. City of New York
162 Misc. 665 (New York Supreme Court, 1936)
Shea v. City of Los Angeles
45 P.2d 221 (California Court of Appeal, 1935)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
211 A.D. 558, 207 N.Y.S. 118, 1924 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 9919, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-pilkington-co-v-city-of-new-york-nyappdiv-1924.