Shanklin v. Brown
Shanklin v. Brown
Opinion of the Court
A concise statement of the facts, gathered from the rather confused presentation of this case, is sufficient to show that the learned court at Trial Term correctly disposed of it. On the 1st day of Hay, 1899, one Henry O. Duerr entered into a contract in writing with the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company, to furnish and place “ about 100,000 cubic yards of stone for rip rapping along the Hudson Division between Albany and Spuyten Duyvil more fully described and set forth in the plans prepared for the same,” etc. This contract provided minutely for the work
On the 4th day of May, 1899, Duerr entered into a contract in writing with the defendants, by the terms of which the latter undertook to perform “ all the provisions of the contract by and between the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, by their chief engineer, and H. O. Duerr, dated May the first, 1899, of which a copy is hereto attached, obligatory on the party of the second part,” such party being Duerr. This contract further provided, and here is the basis of the supposed cause of action, “ that the party of the second part may increase the quantities of this contract to an amount not to exceed three hundred thousand (300,000) cubic yards, provided necessary proportional time is given the party of the first part to furnish the increased amount, provided however that if said amount is increased by Railroad Company and a greater price can be obtained for the same, party of first part shall have benefit of same proportional increase.” That this provision is to be read and construed as a provision that Brown & Fleming would furnish the materials for the completion of the contract between Duerr and the railroad company up to the amount specified, so that there would be no question about a full performance of any demand made upon Duerr under his contract, is evident from the language already quoted, and it is made certain by the further provision of the contract that “ In consideration of which party of the second part agrees to pay to party of the first part the sum of sixty cents per cubic yard for each and every cubic yard of stone furnished by the party of the first part on estimates made by the Chief Engineer of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad in same manner and at same time as is provided for in contract by and between party of the second part and New York Central and Hudson River Railroad.” In other words, the contract between Duerr and Brown & Fleming was that the latter would do all of the work and furnish all of the materials which Duerr had contracted to furnish to the New York Central & Hudson River railroad, which was, specifically, to
Duerr subsequently formed a corporation known as the Duerr Contracting Company, and assigned his contract with the railroad company to such corporation, which afterward became known as the General Crushed Stone Company, Incorporated, the plaintiff’s assignor. The plaintiff’s assignor afterward entered into a contract with the railroad company on the 17th day of April, 1900, for another piece of work, and- Brown & Fleming furnished the materials, amounting to about 100,000 cubic yards of crushed stone under .the same general terms as in their former contract. It does
We agree with the learned court at Trial Term that there was no breach of contract on the part of the defendants and the direction of a verdict was fully justified.
The judgment and order appealed from should be affirmed, with costs.
Present — Hibschberg, P. J., Bartlett, Woodward, Jenks and Hooker, JJ.
Judgment and order unanimously affirmed, with costs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Fred M. Shanklin v. Charles A. Brown and John Fleming, Composing the Firm of Brown & Fleming
- Status
- who were designated as the parties of the first part to the contract