Mulrooney v. O'Bear

80 Mo. App. 471, 1899 Mo. App. LEXIS 191
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 9, 1899
StatusPublished

This text of 80 Mo. App. 471 (Mulrooney v. O'Bear) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mulrooney v. O'Bear, 80 Mo. App. 471, 1899 Mo. App. LEXIS 191 (Mo. Ct. App. 1899).

Opinions

BLAND, P. J.

The Hodiamont Realty Company (incorporated), in 1891 and 1894, laid off into building lots, streets and alleys, a subdivision of land just west of the city limits of the city of St. Louis, which it duly platted, acknowledged and designated as Hodiamont, and caused the same to be recorded in the recorder’s office of St. Louis county (where the land is situated). Maple avenue road runs north and south on the western boundary line of Hodiamont. The city waterworks of the city of St. Louis has a supply water pipe just south of the south boundary line crossing Maple avenue, near the southwest corner of Hodiamont. The object had in view by the realty company when it platted its lands, was to sell the lots to persons seeking locations for residences, and in order to make the property available for that purpose, it, by permission of the road overseer of Maple avenue, laid a water supply pipe in the avenue bordering on its property, which pipe by permission of the city authorities, it connected with the city waterworks, and put in a large water meter at the point of connection. It also laid in the alleys of Hodiamont service water pipes connecting them with the Maple avenue [474]*474supply pipe, and at the same time constructed sewers and made the necessary connections with the water system. After the water system had been laid, the plaintiff purchased of the realty company parts of lots 96 and 97, in Hodiamont and received a general warranty deed conveying the ground and all the rights, immunities, privileges and appurtenances to same belonging. The dwelling on these lots was arranged to receive water from a supply pipe laid in an alley back of the premises and the necessary connections had been made to supply water to the dwelling. The realty company continued to supply the residents of Hodiamont with water through this system, and collected a water tax from them, until it sold all the lots, divided its assets among the stockholders, and disincorporated. Afterwards the citizens appointed an agent,who took out a water license from the city and paid for the same out of a com-' mon fund provided by the residents. This continued until June, 1897, when the water commissioner of the city recognized defendant O’Bear as the owner of the water pipes and issued a license to him, refusing at the same time to give a license to the appointed agent of the residents of the subdivision. After receiving this license O’Bear demanded payment of water rates (same as city), of plaintiff and other residents, and threatened to cut off the supply if the rates demanded were not paid. It is also in evidence that defendant Deavers, by direction or permission of O’Bear, has laid pipes and made connections with the Maple avenue pipe so as to convey water in territory beyond the limits of Hodiamont, and there is evidence that the capacity of the Maple 'avenue pipe is not more than sufficient to supply Hodiamont. Plaintiff for himself and others similarly situated brought suit to enjoin defendants from any and all interference or threatened interference with the Hodiamont water supply. A temporary injunction was granted, but was, on final hearing, dissolved and the bill dismissed. Erom this judgment the plaintiff appealed.

[475]*475Appurtenant. As wo gather from the pleadings and evidence, O’Bear does not claim any interest in nor control over the service pipes which were laid in the alleys of Hodiamont, bnt claims to own and a right to control the supply pipe that was laid in Maple avenue. He bases this claim on an assignment to him from the realty company made June 1, 1893, for a nominal consideration of “all the right, title and interest which the realty company had in and to the water pipes and water meter in Maple avenue running west from city limits to Hodiamont.” This assignment was made after the realty company had by deeds conveyed all of its holdings in Hodiamont, and only a few days prior to its dissolution and disincorporation. In none of the conveyances by the realty company was there any reservation of the Maple avenue pipes or of the water meter. If the plaintiff and other purchasers of the Hodiamont lots, by their several deeds of conveyances acquired as appurtenant to their property the right to have water, supplied by the city, flow through the Maple avenue pipes to supply their premises with water, as against the grantor (the realty company), then the judgment should be reversed and judgment given for the plaintiff perpetually enjoining defendants from intermeddling with such right. If no such right passed, the defendant O’Bear under the assignment made to him has the right to control the flow of water through these pipes, and the judgment should be affirmed. “It is well settled law that the grant of a thing will include whatever the grantor has power to convey which is reasonably necessary to the enjoyment of the thing granted; and a grant of a house with appurtenances passes a conduit by which water is conveyed to it.” 3 Washburn on Real Property [3 Ed.], 719; Farmer v. Water Co., 56 Cal. 11; Meek v. Breckenridge, 29 Ohio St. 642; 1 Am. and Eng. Ency. of Law, 641. In Badger Lumber Co. v. Marion Water Supply, Electric Light and Power Co., 48 Kan. 182, it is said by the court: “That an appurtenance is a thing belonging to [476]*476another thing as principal, and passing as an incident thereto; and that poles planted in the streets of a city necessary to transmit electric light from a power house are appurtenances.” The same ruling was made by this court in Southern Electric Supply Co. v. Rolla Electric Light and Power Co., 75 Mo. App. 622, and in Forbes v. Williamette Falls Electric Co., 19 Ore. 61. In Lampman v. Mills, 21 N. T. 505, it is said: “That where the owner of land sells a part thereof, he impliedly grants to the grantee all of those apparent and visible easements which are necessary for the reasonable use of the property granted and which are at the time used by the owner of the entirety for the benefit of the'part granted.” In Cave v. Grafts, 53 Cal. 135, the court says: “The general rule of law is that where a party grants a thing, he by implication grants whatever is incident to it and necessary to .its beneficial enjoyment. The incident goes with the principal thing. The idea and definition of an easement to real estate granted is a privilege off and beyond the local boundaries of the lands conveyed.” In Missouri Pacific Railway Co. v. Maffit, 94 Mo. 56, our supreme court says that the word “appurtenant” has no inflexible meaning, but must be construed in connection with the nature and subject of the principal thing granted.” And, as is said in Wells v. Garbut, 132 N. Y. 430, “as a grantor can not derogate from his own grant, while a grantee may take the language of the deed most ^strongly in his favor, the law will imply an easement in favor of the grantee more readily than it will in favor of a grantor.” To the same effect is Johnson v. Jordan, 2 Met. 234, opinion by Chief Justice Shaw. The service pipes and sewers would be entirely useless without the supply pipe laid in Maple avenue. This latter pipe is, to the Ilodiamont water system, the fountain head of supply, and he who has the control of this pipe has control of the entire system, and may at his pleasure supply or cut off the supply of water to the inhabitants. Rut the contention is that the grantees of the Ilodiamont property [477]*477can have no property interests in the Maple avenue pipe; that it was laid there not under any grant of right, but by permission only. Easement. The pipe is there by the license of the road overseer, it is connected with the city’s water system also by permission.

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Related

Wells v. . Garbutt
30 N.E. 978 (New York Court of Appeals, 1892)
Cave v. Crafts
53 Cal. 135 (California Supreme Court, 1878)
Farmer v. Ukiah Water Co.
56 Cal. 11 (California Supreme Court, 1880)
Meek v. Breckenridge
29 Ohio St. 642 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1876)
Forbes v. Willamette Falls Electric Co.
23 P. 670 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1890)
White's v. Carrico's adm'r
59 Ky. 232 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1859)
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Missouri Pacific Railway Co. v. Maffitt
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Southern Electrical Supply Co. v. Rolla Electric Light & Power Co.
75 Mo. App. 622 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1898)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
80 Mo. App. 471, 1899 Mo. App. LEXIS 191, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mulrooney-v-obear-moctapp-1899.