West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. v. Peck

104 Misc. 172
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 15, 1918
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 104 Misc. 172 (West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. v. Peck) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. v. Peck, 104 Misc. 172 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1918).

Opinion

Whitmyer, J.

The action has been brought to restrain defendants from entering upon and interfering with a dam and the flash boards thereon, built by plaintiff across the Hudson river at Mechanic-ville, Saratoga county, N. Y. The dam is anchored to uplands owned by plaintiff on each side of the river, those of the westerly side being in the town of Still-water in said county, and those on the easterly side in the town of 'Schaghticoke,. Rensselaer county. Plaintiff’s mills are on the westerly side. The dam is located about 3,650 feet northerly of the mouth of Anthony’s kill, which flows into the river from the west, and about 9,000 feet southerly of the mouth of Schaghticoke creek or Hoosick river, which flows into the river from the east. It was built in 1882 by the Hudson River Water-Power and Paper Company, after the passage on July 1, 1882, of chapter 406, Laws of 1882, and was completed on February 22, 1883. Section 1 of the act is material here and reads as follows: “ The Hudson River Water-Power and Paper Company are hereby authorized to construct a dam across the Hudson river at Mechanicville, on their own lands, in such manner as not to injuriously affect the water privilege at Stillwater village as it now exists, or any water privilege now existing and in • use on said river between Stillwater village and the lands of the Hudson River Water-Power and Paper [175]*175Company without an agreement with the owner or owners of such rights; and to connect the waters of said river with the Champlain canal, by the construction of locks, upon such plans as may be approved of by the state engineer and the superintendent of public works.” Three-fifths of the legislature were present at the time of the passage of the act. It did not receive a two-thirds vote. Thereafter and on April 25,1900, chapter 683, Laws of 1900, was passed by a two-thirds vote. The title and section 1 are material. The title reads:' “An Act to legalize the erection and maintenance of the dam heretofore erected by the Hudson River Water-Power and Paper Company, now known and designated as the Duncan Company, across the Hudson river at Mechanicville, Saratoga county.” And section 1, so far as material, reads: ‘1 The erection of the dam heretofore built by the Hudson River Water-Power and Paper Company,' the name of which has since been changed to The Duncan Company, across the Hudson river at Mechanicville * * * is hereby legalized and said company is hereby authorized to forever maintain said dam and flood back up said river so far as it now owns the adjacent uplands or may have rights of flowage thereon, for the purpose of maintaining the pond formed by such dam; and any interest of the state in the lands under the waters of said river, covered by said dam and the buildings and works of said company connected therewith, is hereby granted to said Duncan Company.” As constructed, the dam was 16 feet high, 796 feet long, and its crest was at elevation 64.5 Barge canal datum. The crest was maintained at that elevation until August, 1904. At that time, having acquired whatever rights the Duncan Company had had, plaintiff raised the crest to elevation 67.5 Barge canal datum, and maintained it, at that elevation, without flash [176]*176boards, until about August 1, 1912. At that time, it put on boards and raised the crest to 70 Barge canal - datum. The boards went off with high water and plaintiff thereafter put on other boards, which remained until June 29,1913, when defendants removed them, claiming that the Barge canal work in that vicinity was endangered thereby, and the action was commenced. The only interference, alleged in the complaint, relates to the removal of the flash boards. Plaintiff claims (1) that the river at the locus An quo has always been and is non-navigable; (2) that the state never owned any part of the bed upon which the dam is erected or which is overflowed by the pond above the dam, but that such part of the bed was granted by the English government before the existence of the state; (3) that such part of the bed is owned by plaintiff, under a title, which is not based upon a state grant; (4) that plaintiff’s predecessors and plaintiff at all times had and that plaintiff has the right to maintain the dam without interference, except in the manner and under the conditions prescribed by the Barge Canal Act, because of their ownership of the bed of a non-tidal and non-navigable river; and (5). that the dam is a lawful structure. It should be noted that plaintiff does not claim ownership of the bed under the acts above set forth, although the decision at Special Term denying its application for an injunction pendente lite was based upon that theory. West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. v.. Peck, 82 Misc. Rep. 72. And plaintiff states that the acts were placed in evidence merely as part of the proof that the state has always recognized the ownership in plaintiff and its predecessors of the bed upon which the dam is built and that the dam is a lawful structure. Much has been said about the navigability of the river at the place in question, but [177]*177consideration of that is useless here, in view of the decisions. People ex rel. Loomis v. Canal Appraisers, 33 N. Y. 461; Canal Appraisers v. People, 17 Wend. 571; St. Anthony Falls Water Power Co. v. St. Paul Water Coms., 168 U. S. 349; Morgan v. King, 35 N. Y. 454; Fulton L., H. & P. Co. v. State of New York, 200 id. 400; Williams v. City of Utica, 217 id. 162; Danes v. State of New York, 219 id. 67. In the Danes case the Court of Appeals decided that the Mohawk is navigable and said that it is not necessary in order to be navigable that a river should be deep enough to admit the passage of boats at all portions of the stream. What was said about the Mohawk there is applicable to the Hudson here. That brings us to the question of the title to the bed. That involves the consideration of several patents. The first is Dongan’s patent for Saratoga, dated November 4, 1684, from Thomas Dongan, governor of New York, on behalf of the Duke of York, lord proprietor of the province, to Cornelis Van Dyke, and others, which described the purchase as follows: A Certaine Tract or Parcell of Land Scituate lyeing and being to the North of Albany on both sides of Hudsons River beginning at the uppermost limits of the Land bought formerly by Loose Larretsen and Phillip Peterse 'Schuyler being a Creeke called Tioneen de houwe which is the Southermost Bounds of the said Lands and from thence up both sides of the River Northerly to a Creeke or Kill on the East side of the River called Tionoon de houwe the land on said Creeke Included keeping the same length on the West side of the River and soe Runnes East and West into the woods as farr as the Indians Right and Title to the within mencioned Land afore recite as by a Certains Writeing or Indian Deed bearing Date the 26th Day of July in the thirty fifth Yeare of his Maties Reigne 1683 [178]*178Retacón being thereunto had doth more fully and at Large appears, ’ ’ and granted, ratified and confirmed to said patentees, their heirs and assigns forever, “ All the before recited Tract and Tracts, Parcell and Parcells of Land and Islands within the said Bounds Together with all and Singular Woods Underwoods Water Runnes Streames Ponds Creeks Meddows Marshes Fishing Hawking Hunting and Fowling and all other Libertyes Priviledges Heriditaments and Appurtts to the said Tract of Land and Premisses belonging or in any wise Appertaining.

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Related

Rohan v. Detroit Racing Association
22 N.W.2d 433 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1946)
West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co. v. Peck
189 A.D. 286 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1919)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
104 Misc. 172, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/west-virginia-pulp-paper-co-v-peck-nysupct-1918.