Saco-Lowell Shops v. Clinton Mills Co.

277 F. 349, 1921 U.S. App. LEXIS 2012
CourtCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit
DecidedDecember 29, 1921
DocketNo. 1506
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 277 F. 349 (Saco-Lowell Shops v. Clinton Mills Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the First Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Saco-Lowell Shops v. Clinton Mills Co., 277 F. 349, 1921 U.S. App. LEXIS 2012 (1st Cir. 1921).

Opinion

JOHNSON, Circuit Judge.

This is a writ of error from a judgment of the'District Court of Massachusetts, in which the Clinton Mills Company was plaintiff and the Saco-Eowell Shops defendant, and for con■venience they will be so designated herein.

The plaintiff was a corporation engaged in the manufacture of cotton cloth at Hoboken, N. J. Part of its product was used by another corporation known as the Ayvad Manufacturing Company in the manufacture of water wings, an article protected by a patent, and the balance was sold to others. Some time in the year 1913 .Mr. H. A. Ayvad, who seems to have controlled both corporations, desiring to increase their business, partly upon information furnished him by the defendant, purchased a cotton mill plant at Emporia, Va., with the intention of moving there the machinery which he had been using at Hoboken and by the addition of hew machinery forming a larger plant than that previously conducted at Hoboken.

Mr. Ayvad applied to the defendant to furnish additional machinery needed at the new plant and to furnish specifications for the proper equipment of a 5,000-spindle cotton mill which the plaintiff proposed to establish, using, as far as the same was suitable, the old machinery which was in the plaintiff’s plant at Hoboken.

On October 14, 1914, the defendant submitted to H. A. Ayvad its written proposal for furnishing machinery covered in a schedule annexed thereto. This machinery was of the standard type built by the defendant at its shops in Massachusetts and Maine and was to be de7 livered before January 1, 1915.

This proposal was retained by Mr. Ayvad until the first part of January, 1915, when it was returned to the defendant with certain changes-in the specifications and in the time of the first payment,- but without changing the time of delivery. These changes were made by Mr. Ayvad and his superintendent by interlineations and notations upon the printed and typewritten sheets constituting the original proposal, which was in duplicate. One of the parts was retained by the plaintiff, and the other sent to the defendant. Upon both parts, before the return of one of them to the defendant, the plaintiff had entered the following indorsement: “Accepted: Chiffon Mills Company, H. A. Ayvad, Pres.”

January 6, 1915, the defendant wrote the plaintiff in regard to the interlineations and notations which the latter had made upon the original proposal and discussed them in detail, pointing out why it wished to adhere to the original specifications.

[1] Although the plaintiff had written its acceptance upon the original proposal, yet the return of it with the changes which it had made was a rejection by it of the defendant’s offer. Bank v. Hall, 101 U. S. 43, 50, 25 L. Ed. 822; Minneapolis, etc., Ry. v. Columbus Rolling Mill, 119 U. S. 149, 7 Sup. Ct. 168, 30 L. Ed. 376; Denver v. New York Trust Co., 229 U. S. 123, 140, 33 Sup. Ct. 657, 57 L. Ed. 1101.

The defendant did not withdraw its offer, but by its letter of January 6, 1915, renewed it; and, as the time of delivery fixed therein had [351]*351become impossible, it called the attention of the plaintiff to the fact that a new time of delivery must be agreed upon and urged the plaintiff to advise in regard to it.

On January 20, 1915, not having received a reply to its letter of January 6th, the defendant again wrote, asking for a reply at an early date, and stating that it was unable to proceed with the building of the roving and spinning machinery until all the details covered by its letter of January 6th were closed up.

On January 25, 1915, the plaintiff wrote the defendant, stating that because of other work its Mr. Ayvad and its superintendent, Mr. Fad-den, had not had time to consider the matters discussed in the defendant’s letter of January 6th, but promised attention within a week and that information needed should be sent.

March 15, 1915, the defendant wrote the plaintiff:

“We would be very glad indeed to bear from you as to how matters are progressing and if we may have your final approval of the specifications and date of delivery of the machinery.”

On May 6, 1915, the defendant again wrote Air. Ayvad, stating that it must know something definite with regard to the plaintiff’s requirements for delivery in order to protect it upon the same, as it was rapidlv filling up with orders for deliveries during the balance of the year.

'To this letter the plaintiff replied, stating that it had not been able to arrive at a definite decision in regard to the machinery; that its Mr. .Ayvad and Air. Fadden went over the proposal that had been submitted and found that the machinery designated in it would not match its present machinery, and that it was very particular not to have various kinds of machinery in its mills; that it would therefore be necessary to go over the whole situation once more and have this point clearly understood, stating that Air. Ayvad would be at Hoboken about the 1st of June and would like to have a talk with Air. Havey, selling agent of the defendant company, before going too far.

To this letter the defendant replied that it would be glad to go over the matter again when Air. Ayvad came to Hoboken.

Up to this point it is apparent that no contract had been made. The defendant had submitted a proposal which had been changed by the plaintiff in material features. The defendant had not agreed to these changes, and no time of delivery had been agreed upon in place of that which had become impossible. The whole contract, involving specifications, times of payment, and delivery, was allowed to stand open awaiting an interview between the parties.

An interview was had about the 1st of June, 1915, between Air. Ayvad and Mr. Havey, selling agent for the defendant; but the parties disagree as to what actually took place. Air. Ayvad testified that, after the suggested changes ,in the original proposal had been gone over by Mr. Havey and explained to him, he finally agreed to waive the changes which he had asked for, and that the machinery might be furnished in accordance with the proposal submitted by the defendant; that it was agreed that the delivery should be made in the fail [352]*352and that the first payment of $5,000 should be made one year after the average date of shipment.

Mr. Havey testified that at this interview Mr. Ayvad told him that he could not decide upon the matters covered by the notations which had been made by him upon the original proposal, and discussed by the defendant in.its letter of January 6th, until he had conferred with his superintendent, Mr. Fadden, and therefore that the whole matter was left unsettled.

Whatever occurred at this meeting in June depended for its proof entirely upon oral testimony and was not shown by any written memorandum or correspondence.

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3 F.2d 410 (First Circuit, 1925)

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Bluebook (online)
277 F. 349, 1921 U.S. App. LEXIS 2012, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/saco-lowell-shops-v-clinton-mills-co-ca1-1921.