Haines v. Gibson
Haines v. Gibson
Opinion of the Court
(after stating the facts). The defenses are:
(1) That plaintiffs prevented Gibson &. Gamble from cutting and hauling all the marketable timber.
(2) That the logs were banked upon the shore of Ives lake, instead of being put into Pine lake, as provided by the contract.
1. Defendants sought to show that all the marketable pine timber was not cut from the lands, and that Gibson & Gamble were prevented from so doing by the action of the plaintiffs. The complete answer to this claim is that plaintiffs, under the contract, exercised their judgment in determining what was marketable. If, therefore, this was a “jug-handled” or “one-sided” contract, as defendants’ counsel call it, all the parties entered into it with complete knowledge of its terms, and cannot now be heard to complain. It follows that the court properly excluded all the testimony tending to show that all the marketable timber was not cut.
2. Ives lake is about a quarter of a mile above Pine lake, a stream connecting the two. Prom Pine lake a stream runs into Lake Superior. The upper end of Mountain lake is very near the lands from which the timber was cut, and is also connected with Pine lake by-a stream of about the same length as the one running from Ives lake into Pine lake. Counsel for the defendants assume that the expression “put into Pine lake” is synonymous with the term “to bank upon Pine lake.” Counsel also appear to assume that it is common knowledge that the lakes and streams in that country are usually frozen over ther 1st of April, and to argue from this that the proper interpretation to be given to the contract is that the logs were to be hauled to and banked upon the shore of Pine lake. The haul to Ives lake is considerably shorter than the one over Mountain lake to Pine lake. The contract prescribed no route for hauling, and manifestly any feasible route was left open for adoption. If the sureties de
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HAINES v. GIBSON
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published