The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-07-08
Diamond Match Co. Defendant In
Four Cases Aggregating Near
~ Million Dollars.
NEsTERs' CLAIMS BIGGEST
Allegation is that the ID. Nj. Co.
Impeded Navigation and Hung
up Big Rats of Pine Logs.

-Four suits are listed for trial at
the coming term of the United States
circuit court at Marquette, says the
Mining Journal, in which the ag-
gregate damages are very nearly
million dollars. The Diamond Match
company is the defendant in all OF
them. The Nesters and Louis
Reidinger are plaintiffs.
Both the hester suits and one OF
those brought by Reidinger are to
recover for damages alleged to have
been inflicted on the plaintiffs by
the Diamond Match company by
blocking the Ontonagon river SO
they could not float their logs down.
The biggest suit is that OF George
hester, John F. hester, Frank T,
hester, Mary H. Bourke and Mar
garet Nester; in this the amount
sought to recover is $3.50, 600.
The second hester suit is brought
by George Nester as administrator
of the hester estate; damages in
this case are alleged at 100000.
LOUIS Reidinger's first suit is on
account of the grievance complained
of by the Nesters, and the amount
of damages he sets is $50, 200. His
second suit for failure to live up to
a sawmill contract, calls for S27 900.
In the declarations of the first
three suits it is represented that
though the Ontonagon river is
navigable stream and public water
way. the Diamond Match company
INSTRUCTED navigation by placing at
the mouth of the river near its mills
such hindrances as piles, jam piers,
booms, logs, timber and stones, max
ing it impossible for any OF the de-
PENDANTS to float their logs, which
were cut some forty miles above,
down the river. The declarations
ia the hester suits allege that these
conditions existed from 1890 on.
Through these it is claimed a large
quantity of logs, aggregating more
than l15, 200, 900 feet, were held up
for several years in the river, during
which time they became sap rotten,
worm eaten and otherwise damaged.
In the larger suit the damage is
estimated at fifty per cent the
original value. At the same time
an additional loss was entailed
through the falling of the price OF
lumber. There was reduction of
50 a thousand between the time the
10 rs were ready to com67out and the
time they were got out and manu-
featured.
The first of the Reidinger suits
differs from the hester cases only
in the time the plaintiff is alleged to
have suffered through the Match
company's acts and in the amount
at issue: His second case has moth
ing to do with the obstruction OF the
river. 1t is suit to recover dam
ages from the Diamond Match com
pany for failing to complete the
saving of 100000 feet Of pine logs
which it was under contract to saw
for Reidnger in it's mills at Onton-
agon. After completing about a
third OF the work the company de-
handed raise In the price, and
when Reidinger refused to pay
threw up the contract,
In both their suits the Nesters
are represented by Ex-Congressmar
Tim Tarsney and Benton Hanchette
Clark & Pearl will appear for Reid
niger, while the company will b
represented in all four issues b.
Ball g. Ball.
The first hester case is the big
gest one which will be before tn
court at the coming term. Fourtee
clses in all will be listed on tn
calendar, which will be issued th
first OF the week.