Weinberg v. Norton

178 A. 913, 107 Vt. 279, 1935 Vt. LEXIS 174
CourtSupreme Court of Vermont
DecidedMay 7, 1935
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 178 A. 913 (Weinberg v. Norton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Weinberg v. Norton, 178 A. 913, 107 Vt. 279, 1935 Vt. LEXIS 174 (Vt. 1935).

Opinion

Thompson, J.

This is a bill in equity praying for an accounting and an injunction. There was a hearing before the chancellor, and a finding of facts was filed. There was a decree for the plaintiff ordering an accounting, and granting an injunction ordering the defendant to remove his quarrying machinery and equipment from certain lands of the plaintiff and restraining him from dumping waste, rubbish, or other material onto such lands. The defendant appealed from the whole decree, but the only question raised here is whether that part of the decree granting the injunction is supported by the findings. Exceptions taken to certain findings, to the failure of the chancellor to find as requested, and to the exclusion and admission of evidence are brought before us by a bill of exceptions.

, The plaintiff is the owner in fee of a large tract of slate-bearing lands in the town of Wells, Yt. The defendant is the successor of Morris Roberts and Robert A. Roberts to all the rights and privileges granted and conveyed to them by a lease executed to them by the plaintiff of a part of said lands on September 12, 1914. The question before us raises the right of the defendant to erect and maintain a mast or derrick, to maintain a slate yard, and to erect and maintain buildings and quarrying machinery and equipment on lands of the plaintiff outside of those described in the lease, which is hereinafter referred to as the Weinberg lease.

The lands covered by the lease are described as follows:

“Bounded on the north by the south line of lands supposed to be owned by Peter Troy and others, on the east by the highway leading from South Poultney over Downs Hill, so-called, to Lake St. Catherine; on the south by a line parallel with and 585 feet distant from the south line of said Troy lands; and on the west by a line 500 feet west of the west side of said highway.”

*282 The lease gave to the lessees:

* * the right and privilege to fasten and anchor cables, wire ropes and other necessary and proper instruments for the support of inclines and quarrying equipment and machinery, to be used and operated upon the lands above described, for and during so long a time as the parties of the second part shall well and faithfully keep and perform the terms, covenants and conditions of this lease. ’ ’

The lease also provided:

“The party of the first part reserves the right and privilege for himself and the lessees of other lands holding under him, to fasten and anchor cables and guy ropes and other means of support upon the lands above described, provided that such cables or guy ropes shall not interfere with the reasonable and proper working and operation of a slate quarry by the parties of the second part. This privilege is intended to be a reciprocal privilege, entitling the party of the first part and his lessees to the same rights of anchorage, etc., that the parties of the second part have under the provisions above set forth upon adjoining lands of the party of the first part. ’ ’

The lessees covenanted that they would enter upon said lands and in good faith and with suitable and proper incline, machinery, tools, and quarrying equipment, commence the development, working and operation of a slate quarry upon said lands, and operate the same for at least nine months in each year. The lease provided for the payment of certain royalties to the plaintiff for all slate quarried and manufactured upon said lands. At the expiration of eight years, if the royalties did not amount to $75 per month, such lands as were not actually occupied by a slate quarry in operation, from which slate was being made and quarried, should revert to the lessor and be released from the lease, and all rights of the lessees should cease unless they elected to pay $75 per month royalty for the use of *283 the lands described in the lease. The lessees also covenanted that they would not dump rubbish or waste material upon any slate vein or into any quarry pit upon said lands. The lease provided further that it should bind the heirs, executors, administrators and assigns of the respective parties.

One William Downs and others owned the lands easterly of the highway mentioned in the lease. The center line of the highway was the easterly boundary of the plaintiff’s lands and the westerly boundary of the Downs lands.

The Roberts went into possession of the lands described in the Weinberg lease and began operations, but the operations were carried on only a few months when, before any royalties for slate taken out under that lease had been paid to the plaintiff, they discovered that the better slate producing rock extended easterly across the public highway leading over Downs Hill onto the land owned by William Downs and others.

After the Roberts discovered that fact, they, on October 17, 1914, obtained a written lease, hereinafter called the Downs lease, from the owners of the Downs lands of a parcel of their land lying easterly of the highway, 618 feet east and west and 585 feet north and south. That lease granted to the lessees “The right and privilege to fasten and anchor guys, cables and other necessary support for incline sticks, derrick and other proper and necessary quarrying machinery.” The lease provided for the payment of certain royalties for all slate quarried and manufactured on the leased lands. It also provided that the lessees, when the slate quarry was developed to the west line of the lands described in the lease, might work and carry on the slate quarry in connection with quarrying operations on lands of the plaintiff.

The plaintiff and the owners of the Downs lands were anxious to have a slate quarry developed and operated upon the lands they had leased to the Roberts, but it was impracticable to develop and operate such a quarry upon the leased lands without it being operated upon them in common, and it was impossible to set up and properly install machinery for the operation of a quarry upon either of said lands without guys and cables being fastened upon the lands of the other party.

On October 31, 1914, the owners of the Downs lands, as parties of the first part, and the plaintiff, as party of the second *284 part, at the request of and for the benefit of the Eoberts, executed an agreement which provided:

“* * $ ^ Morris H. Eoberts and Eobert A. Eoberts, or successors, may set up machinery and fasten the same, and the guys and cables attached thereto and used in connection therewith, upon either of their said lands as may be necessary, and that the said Morris H. Eoberts and Eobert A. Eoberts may commence to operate said slate quarry upon the lands of said Weinberg hereinafter described, and continue said operation across the highway onto and upon lands of the said parties of the first part hereto.”

The lands of the plaintiff referred to in the agreement are described therein as follows:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re the Estate of Shufelt
211 A.2d 173 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1965)
Haklits v. Oldenburg
201 A.2d 690 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1964)
Trudeau v. Lussier
189 A.2d 529 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1963)
Mears v. Farmers Cooperative Fire Ins.
28 A.2d 699 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1942)
West River Power Co. v. Bussino
11 A.2d 263 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
178 A. 913, 107 Vt. 279, 1935 Vt. LEXIS 174, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weinberg-v-norton-vt-1935.