Rounds v. Cloverport Foundry & Machine Co.

167 S.W. 384, 159 Ky. 414, 1914 Ky. LEXIS 804
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedJune 5, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 167 S.W. 384 (Rounds v. Cloverport Foundry & Machine Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rounds v. Cloverport Foundry & Machine Co., 167 S.W. 384, 159 Ky. 414, 1914 Ky. LEXIS 804 (Ky. Ct. App. 1914).

Opinion

Opinion of the Court by

Judge Miller

Affirming.

This is an appeal hy Bounds & Jesse, of Owensboro, from a judgment recovered against them in the Breckinridge Circuit Court for $5,668.65 hy the Cloverport Foundry & Machine Company for the reconstruction of a tow-boat formerly known as the “B. D. Kendall,” but subsequently rechristened the “Golden Girl.” The judgment also dismissed appellants’ counterclaim.

Bepresentatives of the parties having reached a verbal agreement it was reduced to writing, in the shape of the following letter or proposition from the appellee to the appellants, and accepted hy the latter:

“Cloverport, Ky., March 23, 1911.
“Messrs. Jesse & Bounds,
“Owensboro, Ky.
‘ ‘ Gentlemen,:
“On yesterday we mailed you blue prints giving specifications in detail for remodeling and rebuilding and converting the ‘B. D. Kendall’ into an excursion steamer along the lines suggested and agreed upon between us. To all intents and purposes, these cover the work to be done from the deck up, including the docking of the boat, recaulking, one new stack, and lengthening and changing old stack to conform with new one, turning boiler around, taking out engines and putting in the Parker engines and such machine work necessary to be done on same to put in first-class condition, building new wheel, mast poles, raising the bow, new cylinder timbers (any work other than turning around and resetting boiler which may show up to be extra), all necessary ropes for masts and in fact, everything necessary to be done to make the [416]*416job first-class in workmanship, at onr'estimate of sixteen hundred ninety and 66/100 dollars ($1,690.66).
“This price includes everything to be done as shown by the blue prints, including the docking and recaulking the hull as above stated, except any extra work we might find in the boiler and any new work we may have to put in the hull which we cannot see or make an estimate on, but all extra work to be done by us to complete the job and put same in good running condition and acceptable to the U. S. Steamboat Inspectors not to cost over two hundred dollars ($200.00); said extra work, if any found, and material used we agree to do and furnish at the actual cost therefor plus ten per cent.
“All lumber and timber used in the rebuilding to be of grade No. 1 common. Other material to be first-class and workmanship guaranteed.
“We have endeavored to make everything as clear to you as is possible to make on paper, having worked very diligently in getting up our plans and specifications, and while they are, practically speaking, complete, there is quite a number of little things not shown on them, which we thought entirely unnecessary to spend' more time in enumerating them as our proposal carries with it all of these small items to complete the job. In short, we do the work for the sum named $1,690.66 and guarantee that such extra work as may have to be done that we cannot see or figure on shall not cost you exceeding the sum of two hundred dollars ($200.00).
“We are anxious to get the boat here and get to work on it and shall complete same at the very earliest possible date, which should not be longer than about June 1st to 10th, barring too much weather unfit for work.
“Will be glad to answer any further inquiries you may wish to make about the work to be done which we now believe all parties understand fully in a general way.
“Thanking you for past favors, we are “Very truly yours,
“CLOVERPORT FOUNDRY & MACHINE Co.,
“By Marion Weatherholt.”

Under this contract the boat was taken to Cloverport about April 1st and docked, preparatory to beginning the work.

While the boat was on the dock, and before any work had been done, it was examined by a United States Steam[417]*417boat Inspector, who expressed the opinion that while the proposed repairs would be sufficient for the boat to pass the government inspection, they would make the boat seaworthy only for a short time, and that further repairs would be necessary within one or two years thereafter.

This information having been communicated to appellant Bounds, he went to Cloverport in May, 1911, and after examining the boat, Pate, appellee’s foreman, says it was agreed between them that repairs additional to those contemplated in the contract of March 23, 1911, should be made and that it would be necessary to rebuild the boat from the bottom up, to make a good job of it. According to Pate, he and Bounds examined the boat together and agreed that a new hull was necessary; that Bounds asked Pate what this new work would cost, and Pate replied that while he was unable to say. definitely, it looked like it would cost about $3,500.00, and. the best way he could handle the job would be to keep an accurate account of the labor and material and then add a reasonable per cent for appellee’s trouble. Pate says Bounds agreed to the proposition and directed Pate to rush the job as fast as he could. Pate describes the difference between the work contemplated under the contract of March 23rd, 1911, and as it was finally done under the verbal contract of May, by saying it was changed from a patch-job to a new job, and that the appellee did all the work called for under either contract.

Pate further testifies that later, during the last week of August, 1911, the contract was again extended by an agreement which required the appellee to take off the old cabin and build a new cabin, with the understanding that the appellee was still working under the May contract last above specified as to compensation; and that while no time was specified for its completion, the work was to be done at the earliest possible date.

The work upon the boat was completed in December, 1911, at a cost, according to the appellee, of $5,668.65. In the meantime the appellants had, on October 2, 1911, paid the appellee $500.00 upon account; but they having failed to pay any further sum, the appellee having theretofore filed a verified statement of lien in the county court clerk’s office, filed this action on February 1, 1912, and levied a specific attachment upon the boat to secure its lien, under section 2482 of the Kentucky Statutes. [418]*418The appellants thereupon released the boat by executing, the bond provided by section 2484 of the Kentucky Statutes.

Before answering, the appellants, by a special de-' murrer, raised the question of the jurisdiction of the Breckinridge Circuit Court to entertain this action.The objection to the jurisdiction was based upon the contention that the claim sued on, and the lien asserted by' the appellee, were of exclusively admiralty cognizance, • and that the jurisdiction in all such cases was in the-admiralty courts of the United States, and not in the’ State courts. The plea to the jurisdiction was overruled', whereupon the defendants answered.

The answer and counterclaim is in six paragraphs.

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Bluebook (online)
167 S.W. 384, 159 Ky. 414, 1914 Ky. LEXIS 804, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rounds-v-cloverport-foundry-machine-co-kyctapp-1914.