Kane v. Penney
Opinion of the Court
This is a suit for demurrage brought by the owner and master of a canal-boat. The canal-boat carried a cargo of coal from Hoboken to Haverstraw, under a bill of lading, by the terms of which the coal was to be delivered to these respondents, the consignees, “along-side.” No other
1. Peck’s dock, upon the proofs, is not the usual place for delivery of coal by canal-boats at Haverstraw. It is a private dock, and the place where boats can lie for discharge was inaccessible to the consignees by reason of the dock being covered by railroad tracks so laid that wagons cannot roach the end of the pier. The consignees had no right there.- The consignees had a dock of their own, at which they often receive coal, accessible at ordinary high tide for canal-boats of the draught of this one.
2. The consignees did not accept the coal at Peck’s dock. On the contrary, the evidence shows that the libellant engaged a tug to tow the boat to respondents’ dock, and agreed with the captain of the tug to pay for the towage by giving him an order on the consignees for its payment out of the freight which they were to pay. This shows that he acquiesced in the designation of the respondents’ dock as the place of discharge.
3. The libellant’s boat failed to reach the respondents’ dock mainly through insufficiency of water, caused by a long course of prevailing westerly winds, which kept the tide down. At ordinary high tide there was water enough, but from the six
Upon the proof, I think the delay in getting to the place of discharge, was not caused by the insufficiency of the repbndents’ dock, or any obstacle they threw in the way. There is a great conflict in the testimony of the parties, but the libellant is, on material points, so contradicted as virtually to be discredited. Upon settlement of his freight bill the libellant brought up the subject of a claim for demtírrage, but, upon the suggestion by respondents of the extra expense they had been at, the claim appears to have been waived or abandoned, but afterwards this suit was brought.
Libel dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Kane v. Penney and others
- Status
- Published