Reyburn v. . Sawyer

47 S.E. 761, 135 N.C. 328, 1904 N.C. LEXIS 35
CourtSupreme Court of North Carolina
DecidedMay 3, 1904
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 47 S.E. 761 (Reyburn v. . Sawyer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Reyburn v. . Sawyer, 47 S.E. 761, 135 N.C. 328, 1904 N.C. LEXIS 35 (N.C. 1904).

Opinion

Action to restrain by injunction the defendant from maintaining a nuisance, referred to, have decided all issues of fact and law. The referee, from the evidence, finds the following facts, to wit:

1. Durant's Island is a body of land lying in Dare County, surrounded by the waters of Albemarle Sound, Alligator River, East Lake and the Haulover, and is well known by the name of Durant's Island; all of said waters and land lie wholly within the State of North Carolina.

2. Durant's Island is a swamp or marsh land, except a little around the shore, which is a sand ridge.

3. That on the southern side of the island is a creek or bay making into said island from Albemarle Sound, which creek or bay is known as Tom Mann's Creek.

4. On April 18, 1890, the State Board of Education made and executed a deed unto John E. Reyburn, the plaintiff, which (329) *Page 234 deed was recorded in Dare County. Said deed describes and the boundaries include Durant's Island.

5. Near the shore of Tom Mann's Creek the plaintiff has erected several houses, which are now, and have been continuously since April 18, 1890, occupied by plaintiff and his servants or agents.

6. The plaintiff has a house known as an ice-house, which is situated over the water of Tom Mann's Creek, which house is connected with the land by a wharf or pier.

7. The plaintiff has cut a canal about ten feet wide and thirty inches deep, which canal connects the waters of Tom Mann's Creek with the waters of Frying Pan, and has built some roads on the island. The said canal was cut prior to the erection of the nets hereinafter referred to.

8. Since 1890 the plaintiff has continuously kept on said island at least two men, who have lived in the houses which were built by plaintiff, and has also kept thereon a stock of cattle and some poultry.

9. In 1890, after the execution of the deed by the State Board of Education, the plaintiff posted notice on Durant's Island forbidding others from trespassing thereon, and has kept others from trespassing upon said island.

10. There is a channel leading from Tom Mann's Creek into Albemarle Sound, which channel, after leaving the creek, turns eastwardly and westwardly nearly parallel with the general curvature of the shore of the island, and running eastwardly until it gets near the northeastern end of the island abreast of the Haulover, where it connects with the deep water of Albemarle Sound, which lies to the northward.

11. From near the mouth of Tom Mann's Creek, going eastwardly to where it connects with the deep waters of Albemarle Sound, (330) this channel is from five to six feet in depth and varies from one hundred and seventy-five to six hundred feet in width. There are shoals in this channel upon which the water is only four feet deep.

12. On the northern or sound side of this channel if a reef or shoal running nearly parallel with the shore or island, which reef or shoals terminates nearly opposite Haulover. This reef or shoal varies in width from thirty to one hundred and fifty feet wide. The water on this shoal or reef is from three to four feet deep, and deeper abreast of Tom Mann's Creek than at other parts, except where the shoal terminates nearly abreast the Haulover.

13. The channel above mentioned extends to the west of the mouth of Tom Mann's Creek. *Page 235

14. On the southern or shore side of this channel the water gradually shoals until it approaches the shore, but in some places it is as deep as in the channel.

15. The waters on the southern or shore side of the above-mentioned reef are navigable for boats drawing from three to four feet of water. That part of Albemarle Sound on the inside, or shore side of the above-mentioned reef or shoal, is usually and almost entirely navigated and used by boats called shad boats or sprit-sail boats, which boats when loaded draw about thirty inches of water. Boats of smaller size are also used inside of the said reef or shoal, and occasionally boats of larger size, drawing from three to four feet, come inside this reef or shoal. Boats drawing as much or more than seven feet of water can navigate the waters of Albemarle Sound on the outside of the said reef or shoal, and can pass from Albemarle Sound through connecting waters to the Atlantic Ocean.

16. When it is calm, or in moderate weather, boats drawing thirty inches can cross the reef or shoal. In rough weather, and especially when the wind is from the north, northeast or northwest, boats drawing as much as two feet of water cannot cross the reef (331) or shoal with safety, and in such weather boats of smaller size are not safe in Albemarle Sound. When the wind is from the north, northeast, or northwest, this reef has the effect to break the force of the waves beating upon the lee shore, and it is smoother on the inside of the reef than on the outside, and safer for such boats as usually go on the inside than it would be on the outside of the reef.

17. The defendant, prior to the institution of this suit, placed a line of stakes in the waters of Albemarle Sound, which stakes are from two and one-half to four inches in diameter at the water's edge, and larger at the bottom, and extend four or more feet above the water, and are firmly set or driven in the soil under the water. These stakes are nearly abreast of the Haulover and run across the mouth of the above-mentioned channel, and are one hundred and forty feet from its mouth and one hundred and forty feet from the eastern end of the reef, and run parallel with the channel as it empties into the sound, and run nearly at right angles to the reef. The first pocket or pound is from one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards from the reef on the sound side.

18. These stakes for the nets originally began about one hundred yards from the shore, and from that point extended out into the sound a distance of from 1,000 to 1,200 yards. There were two stakes between the shore end of said net stakes and the shore, which two stakes have been removed since this suit began. The stakes starting *Page 236 from the net stake nearest the shore are placed about sixty feet apart, running out a distance of two hundred to three hundred yards. These stakes are called lead stakes. At about a distance of two hundred to three hundred yards from the shore end of the line of stakes a square thirty-six feet each way is formed by stakes of similar size, the (332) stakes forming this square are about thirty-six feet apart, and have smaller stakes from twelve to eighteen feet apart between them. This forms the pocket of the net. From the outer side of this pocket, another line of lead stakes starts and runs out about two hundred and fifty yards, when another pocket is formed, and this continues until four pockets have been formed. The whole row of stakes extend into the sound about 1,200 yards from the stake nearest the shore.

19. At certain times during the year a net is attached to these lead stakes running from the stakes nearest the shore to the pound stakes; this net is made of net twine, and is hung upon nine-thread manila rope, which is about three-eighths inch in diameter, which manila rope is tied to the lead stake at about the level of the water with marlin. The net drops down in the water. These lead lines sag so as to drop about twelve to eighteen inches below the top of the water in the center between the stakes. This is the usual method of setting Dutch nets.

20. There is attached to the pocket or pound stakes a pocket or pound net made of similar twine, with smaller meshes, tied to similar ropes, which ropes are tied to the pocket or pound stakes with marlin.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
47 S.E. 761, 135 N.C. 328, 1904 N.C. LEXIS 35, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reyburn-v-sawyer-nc-1904.