Seabrook v. Coos Bay Ice Co.

102 P. 175, 54 Or. 172, 1909 Ore. LEXIS 28
Oregon Supreme Court·Decided June 1, 1909·Published·Cited by 21 cases

Opinions

Mr. Justice Eakin

delivered the opinion of the court.

1. There are but two principal issues involved here: (1) Is there a tract of land between the Fox and Webster [175] tracts that may be included in the State deed to plaintiff’s grantor? (2) As to the true location of the south line of the Fox tract. Defendant also pleads title by adverse possession. The grounds of the motion for nonsuit, relied upon, are: (1) That neither the pleading nor proof identifies the property described in the complaint with the property described in the deed to the plaintiff from his grantor, Lapp; (2) that plaintiff has only proved title to the tide land, namely, land above low tide, while it contends that the premises sought to be recovered are below low tide, therefore incorporeal, and not recoverable in ejectment.

Plaintiff’s property is described in the complaint from the southeast corner of block 66 of Nasburg’s addition to the city of Marshfield, and plaintiff offered in evidence a copy of the plat of that addition, evidently for the purpose of identifying the property described in the complaint. This plat contains no explanation of its contents, statement of survey, or reference to any government corner by which it can be located. There is a line thereon marked as the west line of section 26, townsship 25 S., range 13 W., but only a fraction of it. We might assume that a certain small red circle indicates the intersection of that line with the meander line of the bay, and we might assume that the south line of block 66 extended east is the south line of the Fox tract; but it would only be an assumption. There is nothing on the plat which would justify it, and the complaint in no way connects the property described with the Fox tract; but this defect in description is aided by the answer in which the defendant’s property is described, evidently by reference to the same plat, and alleges that the lands described in the complaint are a portion of the lands described in the answer, and both descriptions are aided by the Whereat plat, and, in view of the fact that this is the second trial upon these pleadings, we will assume that the point of beginning of the description of the property [176] claimed by plaintiff, is intended by him to describe a point on the south line of the Fox tract, and that the north line of Delta street by which defendant describes its property is several feet south of the south line of block 66, and is also intended to describe a point on the south line of the Fox tract. The trial proceeded upon the theory that the south line of the Fox tract is the true line between the properties of plaintiff and defendant.

The answer concedes that the premises sought to be recovered are tide lands; defendant claiming title thereto by conveyance from the State, thus admitting that the premises in controversy are above low tide. The evidence therefore upon that question was immaterial, and the motion for nonsuit was properly denied.

2. As to the plea of adverse possession, on the former appeal we held that the proof was not sufficient to establish adverse possession, and the proof upon the second trial is no stronger in defendant’s favor than at the first trial, and that plea need not be further considered.

3. A map, identified by witness Polley, was offered in evidence, but was excluded by the court, and Polley was not permitted to testify as to whether or not he found a tract of tide land between the Fox and Webster grants, and this is assigned as error. But Polley’s survey of the Fox tract is based on the fact that the metes and bounds thereof, as set out in the deed from the State, do not close; the east line thereof being too great, and the distance in the last call of the survey being insufficient to reach the place of beginning. Therefore he swings the whole survey south and west to correct this error, by dividing the errors in the manner, as he says, the government permits correction back in sectionizing lands of the government; but in the public survey the first lines and corners are only temporary, and the result of the correction back becomes the permanent lines and corners; but such a rule cannot apply in retracing permanent surveys [177] to the extent of moving out established boundaries, so as to include territory not within the original survey, and Polley’s map was drawn on the theory of this correction, and both it and his testimony based theron were properly excluded.

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Seabrook v. Coos Bay Ice Co., 102 P. 175, 54 Or. 172, 1909 Ore. LEXIS 28 (Or. 1909).

102 P. 175 (Seabrook v. Coos Bay Ice Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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