Binney's Case, MSA SC 5330-10-11,
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Binney's Case, MSA SC 5330-10-11,
Image No: 13
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BINNEY'S CASE.-2 BLAND. 107 toys of which body politic have commenced and are now engaged in the work of extending the canal, for the making of which their Act of incorporation was passed, from a point on tide-water, called the old locks, two miles above Georgetown, and easy of access to any sea vessel which can reach Georgetown, to the City of Wash- ington without any legal authority whatever; and to avail them- selves of a power they claim of disposing of waste water from the canal, have purchased lands on its illegally extended line below the lands of the plaintiff with an intention to erect water works; or solely with a view to subserve local interests, and to speculate in lands, mill-sites and water privileges; which illegal extension of the cana=l, and purchase of land are designed to work a fraud upon the interests of the plaintiff; first, by materially and irreparably injuring, or destroying the natural advantages peculiarily incident and belonging exclusively to his land, and constituting its chief value; secondly, by materially and irreparably injuring or destroy- ing the rights secured to him by the Act of 1751, ch. 33, s. 13; thirdly, by irretrievably depreciating the value of his mill-sites by the, formation of others, adjoining to them, along the line. of the illegally extended canal; and lastly, by expending the funds of the body politic, including a portion of that which belongs to this plaintiff, as a stockholder, in a way not authorized by their Act of incorporation. * It is further stated, that the plaintiff' is debarred front the use of his property, and threatened with still greater injury by the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Couipany, who are erect- ing an immense dam, abutted on his land, in Montgomery County, and extending entirely across the river, and of sufficient dimen- sions to obstruct the whole of its waters from their accustomed channel, and to divert them entirely away from his lands; and thus totally destroy the advantages, for mall-sites, which they naturally possess; and also to deprive him of his rights under the Act- of 1781., ell. 33, s. 13. All which has been done, or is about to be done by the defendants, without the. consent of the plaintiff'; with- out his having been compensated for his property: and without its having been valued and condemned in any manner according to laze. In the answers and their exhibits, it is alleged, that the body politic, created by the Act of 17 SI, ch. 33, had, by virtue of their powers, acquired a right to land in _Tontgornery County, at tile place in question; and had erected thereon a dam across the river, which is to give place to the one -now complained of; that the pro- posed clam is neither to be abutted, nor erected on any part, of the plaintiff's land; that the old canal, from the old dam downwards, was twenty-fire feet wide, and two feet deep; and, these defend- ants, having resolved to use it, without any enlargement, as a feeder to the new canal, deemed it necessary, in order to furnish a