Lammott v. Ewers

6 N.E. 636, 106 Ind. 310, 1886 Ind. LEXIS 116
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 11, 1886
DocketNo. 11,319
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 6 N.E. 636 (Lammott v. Ewers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lammott v. Ewers, 6 N.E. 636, 106 Ind. 310, 1886 Ind. LEXIS 116 (Ind. 1886).

Opinion

Mitchell, J.

This action 'was brought by Lammott against Ewers to compel the partial abatement of a mill dam, erected by the latter across White Water river, in Wayne county. A further object of the suit was to enjoin the defendant from making a proposed extension of the dam eastwardly, across an artificial channel which had been washed around the east abutment. In addition damages were claimed for flowing the plaintiff’s lands by means of the dam erected by the defendant, and for causing the artificial channel above mentioned to be washed through his soil.

The defendant sought to justify under a grant of certain water privileges, contained in a deed from a remote grantor, through whom both the plaintiff and defendant claimed title to the respective .properties which were the subjects of litigation.

It was conceded that on and prior to the year 1847, one Jacob Sinks owned all the land involved, as well that now owned by the plaintiff as that upon which the dam and mill belonging to the defendant are situate. While so owning the lands he built a mill upon the site now occupied by the defendant’s mill, and raised a dam near the place where the defendant afterwards erected the structure which occasioned the present dispute. Subsequently Sinks conveyed the mill and dam erected by him, together with the lands now owned by the plaintiff, to Levin Warren.

In 1865, while owning the whole, Warren conveyed by deed of general warranty to one Petty, an irregularly shaped tract of land, described by metes and bounds, containing four acres and a fraction. With the land there was also granted such further rights as are embraced in the following stipulation written in the deed, viz.: Together with the dam across the river, and all the water rights and privileges thereunto belonging or appertaining, and the race supplying said [312]*312with water from said dam, with the privilege of entering upon the land along ’said race for repairing the same and obtaining soil and gravel at the most convenient place along and in the river for repairing said dam.”

The plaintiff derived his title to the lands alleged to have been injured, by mesne conveyances subsequently«,made from Warren.

The theory of the defendant below was, that as Sinks, while the owner of the whole estate, had built a mill, and erected aDd maintained a dam, in a manner to create and afford certain water privileges, and that as Warren had acquired the whole estate, and had continued to maintain a dam, and use the water rights and privileges thus created and enjoyed by Sinks, in the manner hereinafter described, for a long period of time, prior to the conveyance to Petty, the grant of the dam and water rights and privileges contained in that deed subjected the remaining lands owned by Warren, and since acquired by the plaintiff, to a continuing burden, the extent and measure of which was limited only by the extent of the previous use.

On the other hand, the plaintiff’s claim was that the basis of the defendant’s right rested upon prescription or adverse user, and that the extent of his right was to maintain the dam in the physical condition it was actually and visibly in. at the time the conveyance was made from Warren to Petty, or, at most, that the right granted was to enjoy the privilege in precisely the same manner that it had previously been used. In short, that the words, together with the dam across the river, and all the water rights and privileges thereunto belonging and,appertaining,” operated only to convey the dam as it existed when the deed was made.

At the trial the evidence was mainly directed to two points: 1. The height and extent of the dam, and the manner in which it set the water back, at and prior to the conveyance from Warren to Petty, in 186b. 2. The height at which the had been maintained, its location and extent, and the [313]*313manner in which it affected the stream above from the time it was first built until the commencement of the suit.

The cause was tried as á chancery case, a jury having been called, by agreement, to find certain facts, in answer to interrogatories to be prepared and submitted to them by the court, upon which findings of the jury, with such others as the court should deem it proper to make, it was agreed, judgment should be rendered according to law.

The facts specially found by the jury and those which were undisputed were: That the lands were owned by the parties, and their respective rights had been acquired, substantially as hereinbefore stated; that Sinks and Warren successively for a period of twenty-four years, prior to the conveyance by Warren to Petty, maintained a dam across White Water river, at or about the point occupied by the defendant’s dam. The height of the dam proper, as usually and ordinarily maintained prior to 1865, was four feet and ten inches. In addition to a permanent frame dam of the height above mentioned, flash-boards eight inches in height were maintained on the top of the structure whenever it was desirable to do so. These were held in place by means of strong iron staples which were driven into the breast of the dam and into which standards were adjusted for the support of the flash-boards. •They were put on and readjusted whenever needed to supply a full head of water, and were maintained in place, except as they were carried away by drift and floods. Such as were so carried off were replaced when the water subsided, so as to require their restoration in order to supply the required head of water. The dam proper, with the flash-boards thus mentioned, was five feet six inches in height. In 1881, having previously acquired the mill and appurtenances, and the old structure having been partially carried out, the defendant rebuilt the dam permanently, to the height of five feet and six inches. The new structure raised the water at the dam and in the stream which flowed through plaintiff’s land, eight inches higher than it was accustomed to stand as the dam [314]*314was usually and ordinarily maintained by Warren. During floods, or periods of high water, the new dam caused a greater overflow of plaintiff’s land than” the old one did. At all ordinary stages of the river, the new structure caused no greater injury to, or flow of water, upon the plaintiff’s land, than was caused by the old one. Since the dam was'reconstructed, during a prevailing freshet a new channel was cut through plaintiff’s land at the east end of a levee which has been maintained from the first, at a height corresponding with the height of the. dam. This was caused by the new structure having been raised to a greater permanent height than the old dam formerly was. The damage resulting to the plaintiff’s land by the cutting of this new channel was found to be $25. It is expressly found that in all other respects, the erection of the new dam has occasioned the plaintiff no other or different damage than he would have sustained if the dam had been maintained as it was prior to the conveyance from Warren to Petty. It is further found that the dam can not be extended across the new channel at any other place than that proposed by the defendant, with greater security to the defendant, or less damage to the plaintiff, and that the proposed extension will not cause any more damage to plaintiff’s land than if the dam and levee should be constructed in the precise manner in which they were maintained prior to 1865.

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

Related

Taggart v. Jaffrey
76 A. 123 (Supreme Court of New Hampshire, 1910)
Miller v. Hoeschler
105 N.W. 790 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1905)
Stadler v. Missouri River Power Co.
133 F. 314 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Montana, 1904)
Forrest Milling Co. v. Cedar Falls Mill Co.
72 N.W. 1076 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1897)
Scott v. Michael
28 N.E. 546 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1891)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 N.E. 636, 106 Ind. 310, 1886 Ind. LEXIS 116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lammott-v-ewers-ind-1886.