Sheafe v. Zastrow

138 N.W. 16, 30 S.D. 159, 1912 S.D. LEXIS 217
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 25, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 138 N.W. 16 (Sheafe v. Zastrow) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sheafe v. Zastrow, 138 N.W. 16, 30 S.D. 159, 1912 S.D. LEXIS 217 (S.D. 1912).

Opinion

SMITH, J.

This is an appeal by defendant from a directed verdict in favor of plaintiff, and from an order denying a new trial. The complaint alleges, in substance: That the defendant requested the plaintiff to install a certain heating plant in the defendant’s house -in the town of Waubay. That, upon such request, the plaintiff did the work and furnished the material as agreed, and that the heating plant was of the reasonable value of $320. That the defendant has paid $150 upon the purchase price of the same, and demands recovery of the balance due upon the purchase price.

The contract under which the heating plant was furnished is not fully set out or alleged in the complaint, but was introduced ■by the plaintiff in evidence ,and is as follows: “Watertown, S. D. October 18, 1909. For and in consideration of the sum of three hundred and twenty, I, M. W. Sheafe, do hereby agree to sell, deliver and install, ready for use to August Zastrow of Wau-bay, S. D., one smoke consumer heater and ventilator. It is expressly understood that all work is guaranteed to be done -in a workmanlike manner. We guarantee material used against all [164]*164defects, arid agree to replace any or all parts within five years, with the exception of the grate 'bars and gas generator, and should •these for any' reason give out, we agree to replace the same .at actual cost price to us. All hot air pipes are to -be properly covered with asbestos paper and the furnace is to be of sufficient size to heat the house in which it is installed to a temperature of 7° degrees in all weather, where the thermometer does not register more than 25 degrees below zero, providing sufficient fuel and proper management of the furnace is used. Tt is expressly understood that the second floor be heated by the vent system and we do not agree to heat same ,to more than 60 degrees. I, August Zastrow, purchaser, agree to the above conditions in buying one smoke consumer heater and ventilator, one furnace and hereby agree to pay the sum of $320.00 for the same as follows: $-- to be paid when the furnace is delivered and riser pipes put in place, the balance $320 to be paid when the furnace is installed and tested. August Zastrow.”

The answer is somewhat lengthy, and we need only state so much thereof as will enable us to determine the theory upon which if appears to have been framed. The introductory sentence is: '“Comes now the above-named defendant, and, for his answer to plaintiff’s complaint herein, respectfully admits, denies, alleges, and shows to the court as follows“Admits the installation of the heating plant and the payment of $150 thereon, and alleges that the plant was furnished under a written contract which guaranteed that the same should be built in a good and workmanlike manner, that the material therein was to be of the best quality, free from defects, and that the plant when installed should be of sufficient size to heat the house to not less than 70 degrees, provided the thermometer did not register more than 25 degrees below zero. The answer further alleges -that, after entering' into said contract, plaintiff did pretend to install in defendant’s house a heating plant, but that the same has entirely failed to,heat said house in accordance with the provisions of said contract, and'that in truth and in fact it has. been impossible to live in said house during the fall and winter of 1909 by reason of the plant failing to furnish sufficient heat; that the upstairs in said house during all of said time has been uninhabitable by reason of such failure, and that the downstairs during-a great portion of said time has been [165]*165uncomfortable, notwithstanding the fact that' during all of said ■time said heating plant has been furnished with abundance of fuel and has been as well managed as could be; that at no time during said- period while the thermometer was not to exceed 15 degrees below zero has if been possible to heat the upstairs in said house to a degree to -exceed 30 degrees, and at no time has it been possible, w-ith the thermometer not to -exceed 15 degrees below zero, to heat the downstairs of said house to a degree to exceed 60 degreesthat said heating plant was not built in a workmanlike manner, -but was so poorly and defectively constructed that it is entirely useless and of no valu-e; * * * that the steam -tank placed between the furnace and the brickwork in what is known as the hot air chamber is so- poorly -and- defectively constructed that thé same will not hold water, but will leak the same out nearly as fast as it can be put in, and will partially put out the fire, and that all the water fixtures -connected with said furnace and heating plant are so defectively constructed that they are leaky and of no value; that the arrangement -connected with said furnace for the circulation of -hot and cold air -is so- unskillfully and defectively constructed; -that the same does not properly operate, and does not cause the -hot and cold air to propertly circulate; that said plant is further so defectively and unskillfully constructed that during a great portion of the time certain obnoxious gases form in the hot air chamber, and come into the room through the hot air pipes, to the great discomfort of defendant and his family, and to the detriment o-f their health; that the smoke consumer is so unskillfully and defectively -constructed that it does not consume the smoke or any part thereof, specifically denies that said heating plant was of the value' of $320- or any 'other sum whatsoever, and alleges that the- same was totally and -entirely worthless.” The answer then proceeds: “And for a counterclaim and set-off to- the pretended cause of action set out in plaintiff’s complaint defendant alleges that by reason of said unskillful and unworkmanlike and faulty construction of said heating plant, as hereinbefore specifically stated and alleged, -he has been damaged by reason o-f his -inability to rent any portion o-f his upstairs for a -period of two months in the sum of $70; that by reason of the discomfort and loss of health suffered during said time -by defendant and his family, on account of the failure of said heat[166]*166ing plant to furnish sufficient heat, and by reason .of the obnoxious gases thrown into the rooms 'by reason of the faulty construction thereof he has been damaged in the further sum of $500; ■that by reason of cutting holes in the floors of defendant’s house by plaintiff in installing of said heating plant defendant has been further damaged in the sum of $100; that, by reason of the payment of defendant to plaintiff for and on account of said contract as aforesaid, defendant was damaged in the sum of $150, making defendant’s counterclaim in the aggregate the sum of $820. Wherefore, defendant prays judgment that the plaintiff take nothing by this action, and that defendant have and recover of plaintiff the sum of $820 besides his costs and disbursements in this action.” At the trial plaintiff introduced evidence that he sold to the defendant and installed in his house the heating plant described in the complaint, and had not been paid for the same, except the sum of $150, and rested his case.

The defendant, under the allegations of ‘the answer, offered a large amount of evidence tending to- prove that the heating plant did not fulfill the requirements of the contract; that it failed to heat the lower part of the house to exceed 62 degrees above zero when the thermometer -was above 25 degrees below zero; and that the heating plant was not constructed in a good and workmanlike manner, and that it failed in every respect to comply with the terms of the contract.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
138 N.W. 16, 30 S.D. 159, 1912 S.D. LEXIS 217, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sheafe-v-zastrow-sd-1912.