Randau v. Stultz
Randau v. Stultz
Opinion of the Court
— Plaintiff and defendant own adjoining tracts of land, plaintiff’s lying north of that belonging to the defendant. The general slope of the land in that immediate vicinity is toward the northwest. There seems to be a divide on plaintiff’s land running in a southeasterly direction; but even on the top of the divide the land is wet and' somewhat marshy, or “sour,” as some of the witnesses term it. Immediately east of plaintiff’s land is a tract belonging to one Born, upon which there is a pond which extends some distance over the line between the two tracts of land to the west and south. On defendant’s land there is a chain of very shallow ponds or depressions, one of which is in the form of a crescent. Some of the overflow water from these ponds originally ran to the south and east, and some of it north and east. The water from the pond on the Born land ran almost due north for quite a distance, and then, turning abruptly to the west, ran back on defendant’s land, following a westerly course for some distance, and then, turning northward, ran to the line between plaintiff’s and defendant’s land, and from there pursued a northwesterly course, entering into a swale or slough. Plaintiff put in a six-inch tile across his land running from this swale or slough back to the boundary between the two tracts; and defendant, desiring to drain his land, and to secure an outlet for his tile drain, purchased of plaintiff the right to join onto his six-inch tile with a five-inch one. Por this privilege he paid the plaintiff what he asked, to wit, $16. This agreement was either very indefinite in fact, or the testimony with reference to it was not brought out with any great clearness; but it is practically conceded in argument that this agreement gave defendant the right to drain into plaintiff’s tile all the water which naturally flowed in that direction. Plaintiff constructed a tile across his own land, and Born extended it to the pond upon the Born tract, and some time before this suit
There is no doubt that for a valuable consideration defendant secured the right to empty his tile drain into the one theretofore constructed by plaintiff; and, while the terms of the agreement do not very clearly appear, we are disposed to hold that defendant would have no right to collect and discharge water therein which would not naturally have gone in that direction to plaintiff’s damage. Plaintiff contends that this is what defendant did. He argues that defendant, in constructing the extension complained of, cut through a natural divide or ridge, causing water which would have gone naturally to the south and east to flow into the pond on the Born land, and thus increased the flow of water which was conducted to plaintiff’s drain to his injury and damage. We have gone over the record upon this proposition with some care, and are of opinion that there were no regular channels for the escape of water from the chain of ponds. Defendant’s land was all in cultivation or in ■ pasture, although part of it was wet, and in rainy seasons would not produce much; but the damage from this so-called chain of ponds was largely dependent upon the way in which the land was plowed. In wet seasons some of the water ran off toward the east into the Born pond, and.
We are of opinion, however, that defendant should be restrained from putting in any more extensions ás he threatens to do, and that the decree should be modified to that extent. That is to say, he will not be enjoined from maintaining the tile drains he now has, but he should be restrained from further extending his drains by laterals or otherwise. In this respect, and this only, will there be a modification of the decree. Each party will pay one-half of the costs of this appeal. — Modified and affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- W. M. Randau v. W. H. Stultz
- Status
- Published