1 Colo. App. 425 | Colo. Ct. App. | 1892
The appellant is a corporation owning a ditch for the purpose of carrying and delivering water for irrigation, known as the Pawnee Ditch. Appellee was the owner of eighty acres of land under the ditch, and dependent upon it for water. His right to water was by virtue of a purchase from appellant of a right to water to be delivered annually during the irrigating season, supposed to be sufficient to irrigate eighty acres. It is alleged in the complaint that in the summer of 1890 appellant failed and neglected to keep its ditch in good order and condition, failed to furnish appellee the water to which he was entitled,—failed to keep a superintendent on the ditch for the purpose of supplying water. That by gross carelessness and negligence of the ditch company in the management of the ditch, and its failure to supply the water necessary to irrigate his crop of that season, the crop was injured and lost, damaging him $500.
The defendant specifically denied each allegation of the complaint. Trial was had to the court. The issues were found for the plaintiff. The finding was special, that the corporation was careless and negligent and the ditch mismanaged, and that as the result of such neglect and mismanagement appellee’s crop was injured, damaging him in the sum of $350, and costs, for which a judgment was entered, from which an appeal was taken to this court.
There is no question of law involved. Appellant contends that the finding was against the weight and preponderance of the evidence. The evidence was conflicting and contradictory. Appellant introduced testimony to show that the failure resulted from scarcity of water in the river from which the ditch was taken, and not from negligence and inattention. Appellee’s testimony tended to prove specific acts of negligence, carelessness and mismanagement, notably of a failure of the corporation to put in and maintain a proper dam across the river at the head of the ditch, to stop the water and turn it into the ditch; also of a total neglect to repair a flume on .the ditch that had given way or broken down.
The judgment should be affirmed.
Affirmed.