Iron Duke Mine v. Braastad
Iron Duke Mine v. Braastad
Opinion of the Court
(after stating the facts). The learned counsel for the defendant contend (1) that plaintiff had no lien upon the ore, and (2) that, if it had, it was waived, and that defendant committed no tort in disposing of it.
We deem it unnecessary to discuss the first point. The lease expressly provided for a lien upon βall ore mined,β and was not confined to the ore mined and upon the premises when proceedings should be taken to recover the royalty and enforce the lien.
Is the lien waived by the terms of the lease or by the customary methods of sale? There is nothing in the lease inconsistent with the existence of the lien. It would be an anomalous instrument which created a lien as security, and then destroyed or waived it by providing for the shipment (to the usual market for sale) of the ore there mined. Defendant introduced evidence to show that Cleveland, Ohio, was the customary market for iron ore mined in the Marquette district; that, by the universal custom of the district, the iron ore was shipped from the mines to this market by railroad and lake vessels; and that the sales agents made advances thereon of the cost of transportation, and sometimes also upon the purchase price of the ore. If this was the universal custom, the-lease was made with reference to that custom, and expressly provided for the lien. The custom, therefore, cannot annul the plain provisions of the contract. The permission to ship the ore for sale in the customary market in another State did not of itself destroy the lien. An innocent purchaser might take the property discharged of the lien, but this would not relieve the defendant from the consequences of his wrongful act in disposing of the property without preserving the lien or paying the roy
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- IRON DUKE MINE v. BRAASTAD
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published