Legal Opinion

Cole v. Fred B. Pierce Co.

Supreme Court of New Hampshire

Decided March 4, 1919PublishedCited by 3 opinions

Bill in Equity, to compel the defendant to repair a dam to hold back water for the plaintiffs’ mill. The plaintiffs and the defendant own mills on the same stream. The dam turns the water from the. stream into a canal which carries it to the defendant’s mill and from there to the plaintiffs’ mill. Both mills were owned by the same persons in 1891, who then, conveyed the lower mill to the plaintiffs, and by a later conveyance the upper mill passed to the defendant.

Read the full summary

Bill in Equity, to compel the defendant to repair a dam to hold back water for the plaintiffs’ mill. The plaintiffs and the defendant own mills on the same stream. The dam turns the water from the. stream into a canal which carries it to the defendant’s mill and from there to the plaintiffs’ mill. Both mills were owned by the same persons in 1891, who then, conveyed the lower mill to the plaintiffs, and by a later conveyance the upper mill passed to the defendant. Transferred by Marble, J., from the April term, 1918, of the superior court on an agreement that the bill is to be dismissed if…

1Opinion of the CourtYoung, J.

It is true, as the plaintiffs contend, that their deed gives them the right to .draw water from the stream by means of the dam, but it does not follow that the defendant is bound to keep the dam in repair for their benefit, for the deed is silent as to who shall maintain the dam, and there is no rule of law written or unwritten which imposes the duty oh the defendant of repairing the dam for the benefit of the plaintiffs. In other words, notwithstanding the plaintiffs’ deed gives them the right to use the dam to draw water from the stream for the use of their mill, neither the deed nor the…

2Cases cited1 opinion

  1. Horne v. HutchinsSupreme Court of New Hampshire · 1901

3Cited by3 opinions

  1. Thurston Enterprises, Inc. v. BaldiSupreme Court of New Hampshire · 1986
  2. Carson v. Jackson Land & Mining Co.West Virginia Supreme Court · 1922
  3. Moffett v. Berlin Water Co.Supreme Court of New Hampshire · 1923

Showing a preview — retrieve the full document via the Exa API.

Powered by the Exa API