McAllister v. Henderson

34 N.E. 221, 134 Ind. 453, 1893 Ind. LEXIS 139
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 16, 1893
DocketNo. 16,170
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 34 N.E. 221 (McAllister v. Henderson) 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
McAllister v. Henderson, 34 N.E. 221, 134 Ind. 453, 1893 Ind. LEXIS 139 (Ind. 1893).

Opinions

Olds, J.

This is an action by the appellant against the appellee to enjoin the obstruction of a certain tile ditch, commencing at a pond on the land of the appellant and terminating on the land of the appellee, which had been constructed by agreement of the parties own-, mg the land at the time of its construction, for the purpose of draining their land, subsequent grantees having purchased with knowledge of the drain.

The complaint alleges the facts showing that the parties-were adjacent land-owners, and that for the purpose of draining certain of their land through and along the natural outlet for the water to flow, it was mutually agreed between them that they should construct a tile drain, each constructing that portion which was located on his own land respectively, commencing at a pond upon the land of the appellant, extending to and upon the land of the appellee, and then terminating in an open [455]*455drain where it had an outlet, and that they did so construct the said drain at a large expense to each of them; that appellee had, without right, dug up and taken out the tile to the distance of a few rods of the ditch on his own land and near to appellant’s land, and filled it in with earth, thereby obstructing the ditch and stopping the flow of water, causing the water to back up and overflow appellant’s land, rendering the land otherwise good for cultivation entirely worthless for such purposes.

It is further formally alleged that the appellant has an easement in the land of the appellee through which the ditch passes, which consists in the right to flow water through said drain, which appellee denies and casts a cloud upon appellee’s title thereto. Prayer for quieting the title to his easement, for a mandatory injunction requiring the appellee to restore the ditch to its original condition, and that he be enjoined from further interference therewith. No question is presented as to the sufficiency of the complaint.

To the complaint, the appellee answered in two paragraphs. First, in denial, and second, as follows:

“For a second and further paragraph of answer herein, defendant says: That he admits that in the year 1877, one Atwell Mount, the then owner of the lands now owned by defendant, constructed a tile drain of six-inch tile from the south line of his said land to the point near to the barn, as alleged in the complaint, and he avers that said tile drain so constructed was sufficient'to carry off of defendant’s land all surface water which naturally flowed upon said land, and made said land susceptible of cultivation; that afterwards, in the following year, plaintiff’s grantor, Jesse McAllister, constructed a tile drain on his land from the pond mentioned in the complaint to the south end of said Atwell Mount’s drain, and joined and connected the same thereto, mak[456]*456ing a continuous drain irom said pond to said point near to said barn; that after the construction of said drain by-said Jesse McAllister, the tile drain on defendant’s land was sufficient to, and did, carry all the surface water that it had theretofore carried, and in addition thereto the water discharged by said McAllister’s drain, but said water taxed said drain to its utmost capacity; that after-wards, to wit, in the year 1887, plaintiff’s grantor, Jesse McAllister, without the knowledge or consent of the defendant or his grantor, took up his part of said drain between said pond and the drain on defendent’s said land and lowered the same about two feet so as to more effectually drain said pond and his said land, and constructed on his said land about two hundred rods of lateral drain, draining inte his said drain and into said pond-, as a sort of catch-basin, a large amount of water that did, not naturally or before that time flow into' said pond and into said drain; that the drain on defendant’s land was not sufficient to carry off the large amount of water thus thrown into it by the lowering of said drain on plaintiff’s land and the construction of said lateral drain, and by reason of said water being thus cast into his said drain the same was rendered useless to him and to his said land, and his said land was overflowed and a large part thereof'rendered unfit for cultivation; that in order to redrain his said land and enable his said drain to carry the surface-water from said land, as it was originally intended to do and as it had done prior to the acts of the plaintiff and his grantor in lowering their said ditch and constructing said lateral drains and throwing additional water into defendant’s said ditch, defendant took up a rod and a half of his said tile and filled the ditch in, as alleged in the complaint; that before defendant took -up said tile and filled in said ditch, he notified plaintiff and plaintiff’s grantor that the lowering [457]*457of said drain, and the construction of said lateral drains, and the consequent pouring into his drain of the additional water, rendered his drain useless to him, and rendered his lands wet and unfit for cultivation, and asked plaintiff to relieve him and his said lands of this burden, but plaintiff refused to do so, wherefore defendant asks judgment for costs.”

To the second paragraph of answer the appellant filed a demurrer, which was overruled and exception reserved, and this ruling is assigned as error. By this ruling, the question is presented as to whether the appellant is entitled to the relief sought under the facts as ■shown by this answer.

It shows a state of facts more briefly stated as follows: The owners of the land, by agreement, constructed a tile drain from a pond on the land owned by the appellant, extending onto and having an outlet on the land owned by the appellee to drain the water from the lands of the two parties which naturally flowed into and through the drains so constructed. The ditch as constructed was sufficient to and did carry off the water naturally flowing into and through the ditch, and rendered the land so intended to be drained by said ditch suitable for cultivation, and performed the purpose and accomplished the object for which it was constructed for the period of two years. Yet, in so doing, it taxed the drain to its full capacity.

Contrary to the arrangement, object, and purpose for which the ditch was so constructed, the appellant or his grantee, the then owner of the land now owned by the appellant, upon which the pond was situated, lowered the ditch upon his land two feet, and constructed lateral drains, turning into the drain, and into the pond and thence into the drain, a large quantity of other water which did not naturally or previous to the lowering of [458]*458the ditch and the construction of the lateral drains, flow into or through said ditch, thus overtaxing the tile ditch, storing the water in the catch-basin or pond at its head, and feeding it from above the appellee’s land so as to render it useless for the purpose for which it was constructed, in so far as the benefit of the appellee and his lands are concerned, and rendering his land so drained by it unfit for cultivation.

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Bluebook (online)
34 N.E. 221, 134 Ind. 453, 1893 Ind. LEXIS 139, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcallister-v-henderson-ind-1893.