McNairy v. Paine

28 Tenn. 533
Tennessee Supreme Court·Decided December 15, 1848·Published

Opinion

Turley, J.

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an action on the case, brought by the plaintiff against the defendant, to recover damages for the use and [534]*534occupation of a wharf on the Cumberland river, and the following facts are agreed upon as constituting the ground upon which this recovery is asked.

Nathaniel A. McNairy and wife were seized in fee of the land, upon which the wharf is erected, which they, by a deed of bargain and sale, duly executed and recorded, did, on the 18th day of March, in the year 1834, convey In fee simple to Robert Baxter, Edward D. Hicks, and Henry Ewing, with all and singular, the rights, profits, privileges, hereditaments, and appurtenances belonging to the same. At the same time Robert Baxter, Edward D. Hicks, and Henry Ewing executed a bond to the said Nathaniel A. McNairy, in a penalty of one thousand dollars upon conditions in the. words and figures following, viz:

“ The conditions of the above obligation are such, that whereas the said Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing have this day covenanted and agreed to and with the said Nathaniel A. McNairy, that they will not permit any raft, boat, or other water craft whatever to land on their ground, or at any wharf which they may construct on their ground, except such as are laden for their benefit, or purchased for their use, or loaded or unloaded on their account, or with materials in which they are interested, and that if .any other person shall land on said Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing’s ground, said McNairy shall be entitled to the wharfage, and that they will be subject to the usual rates of landing water crafts at the mouth of the tanyard branch, or up it on their line and said McNairy’s, so as not to exclusively occupy the same, and that they will not prevent the owners of boats or rafts from fastening to the ground this day conveyed by said McNairy and wife to said Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing, up the river bank above the point in the eddy; provided, the owners of said boats [535]*535and rafts do not injure, destroy, or interfere with the use of said ground by said Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing. The object of this agreement is, that said Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing may use their ground and wharf for their own use, benefit, and accommodation, but shall not interfere with said McNairy’s wharf, by erecting a public or private wharf for the purpose of purchasing the contents of rafts, boats, or other craft for speculation, except such as are necessary to carry on the manufactory now about to be established by the said Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing.”

This covenant was registered in Davidson county on the 11th day of April, 1838. On the 31st day of May, 1844, Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing conveyed in fee simple all the property held by them under the aforesaid deed of McNairy and wife to Anthony Vanlier, and defendant, Albert G. Payne, claiming under Vanlier, took possession of the said wharf, and occupied the samé to the exclusion of the plaintiff McNairy, for the space of eighteen months, the same being of the monthly value of six dollars and twenty-five cents.

The manufactory mentioned in the covenant has been long since discontinued, and the fixtures thereof removed, and the defendant did not use the wharf beiore or since this action was commenced for any purpose connected with said manufactory, but for his own private purposes, paying rent to the said Vanlier therefor. And it is agreed that if, upon these facts, the law is with the plaintiff, and’ he is the owner of the wharf, and Vanlier, as the assignee of Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing, is only entitled to an easement therein, for the use of said manufactory, or if the plaintiff is entitled to the joint use of the wharf with Vanlier, and Vanlier is particular owner, with the right to use, for his own purposes, but not otherwise, then judg[536]*536ment is to be entered upon the first supposition, for one hundred and twelve dollars and fifty cents, and on the second for one hundred dollars' in favor of the plaintiff, and if the law is with the defendant upon these facts, then judgment is to be entered for him.

Upon this statement of facts, it becomes necessary for us now to declare what are the rights of these contending parties, under the legal -construction of the deed of bargain and sale from McNairy and wife to Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing, executed on the 18th day of March, 1844, and the deed of covenant executed by Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing to Nathaniel A. McNairy at the same time.

There is really no difficulty in giving the, legal construction of these instruments. The deed of bargain and sale conveyed to the vendees the land with all its hereditaments, corporeal and incorporeal, embracing the right to the use of the wharf, which, is the subject matter of this controversy, without restriction and without reservation on the part of the vendors. The deed of covenant is a personal one, not touching the land, and of no obligatory force upon any one except the obli-gors, Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing, and their personal representatives, and creates no charge upon Anthony Vanlier, the vendee of the premises, from Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing.

We think it will not be difficult, by a few arguments to demonstrate these propositions. That there is no reservation of any right of wharfage on the part of the vendors in the deed will not be controverted, and that the deed of covenant creates no such reservation is, to our minds, equally obvious.

Preliminary to the general diseussion of this question, it is to be observed that the deed of bargain and sale is [537]*537executed by Nathaniel A. McNairy and wife, the land being of the estate of his wife; and the covenant is executed to Nathaniel A. McNairy alone, and for his sole benefit. If it had been designed that the reservation of the right to use the wharf as an easement out of the land sold, was to be retained for all purposes except those specified in the deed of covenant as pertaining to the vendees in the deed, it would seem that this reservation should have been in the name of and for the benefit of both husband and wife, and not to the exclusion of the wife. But we do not think that there is any thing conclusive in this, for it is unquestionable, that after the sale to Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing, McNairy might have bargained with them in his own individual right for this covenant, and this circumstance is only alluded to, from the fact, that the deed of bargain and sale, and the deed of covenant constituted one transaction, having been made and entered into at the same time; and as evidence worthy of consideration, tending to show that if the design had been to create by the deed of covenant a reservation of this easement, it would have been created in the name of both the husband and wife..

The easement claimed by the plaintiff in this land, is an incorporeal hereditament — it is the right to enter upon the premises and have and receive all wharfage, legally demandable from all other persons using the wharf, except Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing, and diminishes their right in the use of the wharf sold to them to a mere right of receiving such things as might be necessary for carrying on the contemplated manufactory, and sending off the articles manufactured.

If such had been the design, the sensible and rational mode of affecting it, would have been to have granted [538]*538this right of way to Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing, and retained the legal title for all other purposes. Baxter, Hicks, and Ewing would then have been entitled to

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McNairy v. Paine, 28 Tenn. 533 (Tenn. 1848).

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