State v. Dayton Lumber Co.

159 S.W. 391, 1912 Tex. App. LEXIS 1403
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 30, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 159 S.W. 391 (State v. Dayton Lumber Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Dayton Lumber Co., 159 S.W. 391, 1912 Tex. App. LEXIS 1403 (Tex. Ct. App. 1912).

Opinions

Findings of Fact.

JENKINS, J.

This suit was brought upon the theory that the land covered by the Shattue surveys at the date of the location of said surveys (August, 1904) had not been appropriated by prior surveys, and therefore belonged to the school fund. There is no controversy as fco the location of the lines and corners of said Shattue surveys. Said surveys call to be bounded on the east by the Jose Martinez surveys Nos. 6 and 9, and on the west by the I & G. N. surveys Nos. 38 and 39. There is no controversy as to the location of the lines and corners of said I. & G. N. surveys, they being fixed by a call for a corner of the James Dowell survey, which is found and identified on the ground by its bearings; and also fey their calls for the east line of the Thos. Newman league, the location of [392]*392which is not called in question. The Shattuc surveys do not conflict with the I. & G. N. surveys as thus located; they do not conflict with the Martinez surveys, as those surveys are claimed by appellants to be located, but do conflict with and are entirely covered by said Martinez surveys as the same are claimed by appellees to be located. So the issue in this case is as to the true location of the western boundary lines of said Martinez surveys.

The Martinez surveys were located in 1833, and their field notes are as follows:

“No. 6. League No. six is situated on the western side of the Trinity river adjoining in the middle of the river with the S. W. corner of a league occupied by a colonist named Phillip Miller, commencing from a laurel, 12 in. dia. upon the margin of the river, from which there is an ash, 14 inches in diameter, south 4% varas, and a cottonwood 30 inches in diameter to the N. 82 deg. W. 17 varas, which is the first corner; from thence to the west 10,609 vrs. to a stake, from whence there is a magnolia 8 inches in diameter to the N. 59 deg. E. 14% vrs., and a gum 2 inches in diameter to the N. 24' 30" 11 vrs., which is the second corner. Erom thence to the south 2500 varas to two very small trees, from whence there is a mulberry 5 inches in diameter to the N. 46 deg. 30' E. 8% vrs. and a white oak 12 inches in diameter to the north 70 deg. W. 2 vrs. which is the third corner. Erom there to the east 9S95 varas to a stake on the margin of the above mentioned river, which is the fourth and last corner, and from there following the turns of the same river upwards until arriving at the point of commencing, league No. 6 was completed.”
“No. 9. League No. 9 is on the western side of the Trinity river, in front of the league occupied by Phillip Miller, commencing from an ash tree 18 inches in diameter on the margin of the same river, from which there is a gum tree 15 inches in diameter to the S. 30 deg. W. 9% varas, and an ash 8 inches in diameter to the north 16 deg. 30' W. 13% vrs., first corner. Erom there to the west 10,088 vrs. to a white oak 6 inches in diameter, from which there is a red oak 24 inches in diameter to the N. 35 deg. 30' W. 13 vrs.; and a white oak 10 inches in dia. to the south 27 deg. 30 E. 9% varas, which is the second corner. Eiom there to the south 2500 vrs. to two small oaks 3 inches in diameter, from whence there is a pine 8 inches in diameter to the S. 47 deg. E1. 11% vrs. and a black oak 6 inches in diameter to the N. 44 deg. W., 7 vrs., which is the third corner. From thence to the east 9246 varas to the first corner of league No. 6, which is the fourth and last corner of this league. And from there following the turns of the river upwards until arriving at the point of com-’ mencing, league number nine was completed.”

It will be observed that the field notes of these surveys do not give the meanders of the river. The meanders on the east boundary of No. 9 are shown by the record as appears in the sketch next below. A map accompanying the title issued to Martinez in 1833 shows the river to be as indicated by the dotted lines on said sketch.

The following sketch and explanation of the same show the location of surveys Nos. 9 and 6 according to the two theories advanced in this case:

If survey No. 6 be begun opposite tbe southwest corner of tbe Phillip Miller league, and survey No. 9 begun opposite tbe northwest corner of said Miller survey, as called for in their field notes and contended for by appellees, and run out according to their calls for course and distance, the corners of said surveys will be as indicated by circles (thus O) on said sketch. If survey Ño. 6 be begun on the west side of Horseshoe Lake, and run west and south the distances called for in its field notes, making reasonable allowance for error in measurement, and thence east to the river, and survey No. 9 be begun at the same point, and run west ’and north the distances called for in their field notes, making reasonable allowance for errors in measurement, and thence east to the river, such being the contention of the appellees, the corners of surveys Nos. 6 and 9 will be as indicated by crosses (thus X) on said sketch.

The Shattuc surveys are bounded on the west by the I. & G. N. surveys, on the north by the Cdy survey, on the south by the James Dowell, the Williamson and the B. B. B. & O. R. R. survey, and their east [393]*393lines are coincident with the west lines of Nos. 6 and 9 as the same are claimed to be located by appellants, bnt are included in said surveys 6 and 9, as the same are claimed to be located by appellees. Said sketch also shows the Trinity river, Horseshoe Lake, two other lakes on the north line of No. 9, Davis bayou, Gaylor’s Lake, Gaylor’s creek, and Gross bayou, as found on the ground. None of these Objects are called for in the field notes of the Martinez surveys Nos. 6 and 9. The lakes on the north line of No. 9 are one 70 and the other 79 varas wide, waist deep and impassible for horses; Davis bayou is from 10 to 30 varas wide, and about waist deep; Gaylor’s Lake is about iy2 miles long, 85 varas wide, and very deep. Gaylor’s creek is described by witnesses as a large creek. None of the bearing trees called for in the field notes of either survey No. 6 dr No. 9 can be found, and no line of either of said surveys can be identified by any tree marked when such surveys were made. If the upper and lower lines of the Phillip Miller survey be extended to the west bank of the Trinity river, they will reach the point claimed by appellants for the northeast corner of survey No. 9, and the common corner of Nos. 9 and 6; and, if the south line of said Miller survey be extended, it will reach the point on the west bank of Horseshoe Lake claimed by appellees to be such common corner. If the common line between Nos. 6 and 9 be extended west from the common corner of said surveys, as the same is claimed to be located by appellees, it will reach Horseshoe Lake at 1,078 varas, and will run in said lake for a distance of 1,725 varas, making the west bank of said lake 2,303 varas west of the west bank of the river. Horseshoe Lake was probably once the bed of Trinity river, and might now be mistaken for such by one who did not know that it was-not, as shown by the testimony of surveyors for appellants and for appellees.

Opinion.

1. As stated in the foregoing findings of fact, the location of surveys Nos. 6 and 9 cannot be determined by any marked trees for either corners or lines. Looking to the field notes of said surveys, we find that survey No. 9 is described as being in front of the league occupied by Phillip Miller. Its lower corner is the same as the upper corner of No.

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Bluebook (online)
159 S.W. 391, 1912 Tex. App. LEXIS 1403, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-dayton-lumber-co-texapp-1912.