Gaynor ex rel. Bartles v. Williamsport & North Branch Railroad
Gaynor ex rel. Bartles v. Williamsport & North Branch Railroad
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The parties to the contract of August 17, 1892, and to the agreement of November 2, 1892, were Edgar A. Taylor, of the first part, and E. J. Gaynor, Son & Co., of the second part: The
August contract related mainly to the work to be done under it by the party of the second part in the construction “ of the extension of the Williamsport and North Branch Railway from Nordmont to Dohm’s Summit in Sullivan county, Pa.,” to the cost or price of such work, and to the time and manner of making payments on account of it. The protection afforded to Gaynor, Son & Co. by the guaranty of H. L. Taylor and John Satterfield of the faithful performance by Edgar A. Taylor of his part of the contract was satisfactory, and the adequacy of it
The contention of the plaintiffs that their contract and agreementabove stated were with the Williamsport and North Branch Railroad Company, and not with Edgar A. Taylor, appears to be plainly opposed to the contract and agreement aforesaid, and without warrant in either of them. It is not necessary, however, to consider on this appeal the question thus presented, because the learned court below, assuming the contention to be sound, determined that the alleged cause of action was not sustained by the proofs or evidence in the case. It should bo stated in this conneotion that the plaintiffs make no claim upon the contract or agreement referred to, but that they base their cause of action upon an alleged parol agreement contemporaneous with and qualifying the written agreement of November 2,1892, and ignoring, if not absolutely annulling, the contract of August 17,1892. The position of the plaintiffs therefore presents but one question and that is whether there was a parol agreement entered into between them and the defendant company on November 2, 1892, by which the written contract and agreement aforesaid were set aside or materially modified. The alleged parol agreement is based on the alleged statement or promise of H. L. Taylor, a director of the company, who is represented by Gaynor as having voluntarily assumed in behalf of the company the payment of such sums of money as the plaintiffs might allege were in excess of the sums provided for in their written contract or agreement for the same or like work done under them. Gaynor testified that Taylor’s statement or promise to him was as follows: “ You shall not lose any money; if the prices are not sufficient we will increase them; we are
We concur in the conclusion of the learned court below that the alleged parol statement or promise of Taylor, one of the directors, did not create or constitute a contract between the plaintiffs and the railroad company which would bind the company. The authority to bind the company by a contract was given by the resolution of July 20, 1892, to its president or, in his absence, to its vice president. It was not within the province of a mere director to exercise the power thus limited to designated officials.
We find nothing in the rejection of the mortgage of September 1, 1892, of which the plaintiffs can justly complain.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Edward J. Gaynor, Edward K. Gaynor, Charles Sailor and Frederick E. Gleim, copartners, trading as E. J. Gaynor, Son & Co., to use of Charles Bartles, trustee v. The Williamsport and North Branch Railroad Company
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Contract—Evidence—Parol evidence to vary written agreement. In an action by contractors against a railroad company it appeared that the plaintiffs by an agreement in writing had contracted to build a portion of the defendant’s railroad. Owing to alleged misconduct of the company’s engineer the plaintiffs claimed that they were unable to perform the contract. They subsequently met some of the officers and directors of the company, and a new contract in writing was entered into, modifying in some respects the first contract. One of the plaintiffs testified that at the time the second agreement was executed, one of the directors of the company had orally agreed that the contract price should be increased. Two witnesses corroborated to some extent this testimony, but neither of them sustained the claim of. a parol agreement contemporaneous with and independent of the second written agreement. The president of the company directly contradicted the testimony of the contractor. Held, that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the alleged par’d agreement. Railroads— Corporations—Directors— Contracts. Where the board of directors of a railroad company authorize the president of the company or, in his absence, the vice president to execute a contract, it is not within the province of a mere director to exercise the power thus limited to designated officials.