Taney County v. Empire District Electric Co.

[ 271] In the circuit court of Taney County the appellants filed this action in mandamus to compel the respondent to reconstruct a bridge over Lake Taneycomo at a point where a bridge was destroyed by flood waters on May 12,1945. The trial court denied the writ and entered a judgment for respondent. The appellants have duly appealed.

Under authority of Congress, the Ozark Power and Water Company, a corporation, was given the right to construct a hydro-electric dam across White River, a navigable stream in Taney County. When the dam was completed it would inundate and render unusable certain…