Erie v. Englehart
Erie v. Englehart
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The city of Erie seeks to recover upon a bond given by Englehart, as a ward inspector of the city, with the other parties as sureties, conditioned as follows, viz.: “Now the condition of this obligation is such that if the above bounden said C. J. Englehart shall cause each and every pavement, sewer and other improvement on which he shall be assigned as inspector to be constructed according to contract in every particular, and shall well and faithfully perform his duties as inspector in every respect, then this obligation shall be null and void,” etc. The city averred in its statement, as the breach of the condition of the bond, the following facts: the city had entered into a contract with Eichenlaub to construct a sewer in Wallace street, between Second and Sixth streets, and Englehart was assigned to duty as inspector of the work; that it was his duty to see that the sewer was constructed at the grades and levels called for by the plans of the city engineer, “inasmuch as the contractor for said work was subject to the order and direction of the said inspector;” that Englehart so carelessly and negligently oversaw the work that it became necessary for the contractor to take up and relay, at a cost of $263.71, about 270 feet of the sewer which had been already laid at an improper grade; that the relaying of said section of sewer by the contractor was not volun
The city could only become entitled to recover against the sureties in this bond upon the production of evidence establishing that Englehart had failed to discharge some official duty, for the performance of which the sureties had bound themselves. The evidence established that the construction of this sewer had been completed in 1905, that when finished it strictly complied with the plans and the work was well done, and that it was approved by the city engineer. The city paid for it in 1905 the exact price stipulated for in the contract which it had entered into with Eichenlaub. There is no question, therefore, that the sewer was constructed according to contract in every respect; that particular condition of the bond which these sureties signed, was complied with. The contention of the city is that because Englehart failed to prevent the contractor from laying a section of the sewer at a depth less than the plans required and, upon the discovery of the mistake, the contractor was compelled to spend money in making the sewer conform to the plans, the city thereupon became legally liable to the contractor for the amount of expenditure thus involved, and that the sureties in this bond are liable over to the municipality. The question in this case is not whether the sureties are liable to the city for an injury which it has sustained because of the neglect of an inspector, but whether they are liable to a contractor,
The nature of the duties of the inspector for whose official action these sureties became liable is to be ascertained from the provisions of the ordinance under which the inspector was appointed and in pursuance of the requirement of which the bond was given. The duties of the inspector, so far as material to this case, are: “It shall be the duty of the said ward inspector to see that all sewers and pavements contracted for or constructed by the city of Erie, in the ward of which he has been appointed inspector, shall be laid, built, erected and constructed in strict accordance with the plans and specifications therefor submitted by the city engineer, and said ward inspector shall further keep a record of all work done under his inspection. ... He shall further certify and report to councils whenever required, over his official signature, the condition of work under his inspection.” The inspection provided for goes only to the results of the work, the inspectors are given no control over the manner in which the results are attained. They have no power to authorize any departure from the plans and specifications under which the contractor undertakes to do the work. The ordinance gives them no power over the contractor, and it withholds from them any authority to pass upon the work, as between the contractor and the city. The ordinance does not make these inspectors subordinate employees of the city engineer, they are appointed by the mayor, and they are required to report to no person but councils. The city did not by this ordinance clothe these inspectors with power to approve the work of contractors, or to permit departures from the specifications of contracts, or to grant any favors to contractors, or to in any manner interfere with the absolute control of the city engineer over contracts of this character. When a contractor seeks to excuse his departure from a covenant
The contract under which Eichenlaub constructed this sewer contained the following material provisions: “2d. To do all work in a thorough and workmanlike manner, .... and to conform in every particular to the plans and directions of the city engineer. 3d. That he will claim no extra allowances for any contingencies or delay in doing the foregoing work in a good and workmanlike manner. 6th. That the said city engineer shall have power to extend or diminish the quantity of the work, .... but that no part of the work shall be altered by the contractor from that prescribed in the specifications, without the express sanction of the engineer in writing. 13th. That the return of the city engineer shall be the account by which the amount of the material furnished and the work done under the terms of this contract shall be computed; and that he shall not be entitled to demand or receive payment for any work upon, in or about the said work as extra work, unless ordered in writing by the city engineer to do the same as extra work. 17th. It is mutually agreed and understood that if any dispute or disputes shall arise between the parties to this agreement, relative to or touching the same, or in any manner arising therefrom, such dispute or disputes shall be referred to the city engineer for decision, and his decision in writing thereon shall be final and conclusive upon the parties hereto. . . . And it is further expressly provided and
The judgment is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.