Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/212/406/
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 02:06:44+00:00

Document:
Justia › US Law › US Case Law › US Supreme Court › Volume 212 › North Shore Boom & Driving Co. v. Nicomen Boom Co.
A state, in the absence of any statute by Congress, has plenary power in regard to navigable streams wholly within its boundaries, and obstructions in such streams, in the absence of statute, constitute no offense against the United States, and whether obstructions are unlawful under state law is not a federal question. Willamette Iron Bridge Co. v. Hatch, 125 U. S. 1.
Where a federal law is applicable requiring consent of the federal government, there is concurrent or joint jurisdiction of the state and national governments over the erection of structures obstructing navigation of a navigable stream wholly within a state. Cummings v. Chicago, 188 U. S. 410; Montgomery v. Portland, 190 U. S. 89.
Section 10 of the River and Harbor Act of March 3, 1899, c. 425, 30 Stat. 1151, alters § 7 of the River and Harbor Act of September 19, 1890, c. 907, 26 Stat. 454, and prohibits obstructions in navigable waters of the United States not affirmatively authorized by Congress, and whether the state has assented to such obstructions remains with the state alone, and is not a federal question reviewable by this Court under § 709, Rev.Stat.
Writ of error to review 40 Wash. 315 dismissed.
that the defendant was threatening to build its boom within the locality marked out and designated by the plaintiff in its plat or survey filed with the Secretary of State, although its boom had not actually been completed the whole distance indicated in such plat or survey.
The defendant denied the various allegations of the plaintiff, and the parties went to trial, which resulted in a judgment for the defendant, dismissing the plaintiff's complaint. The plaintiff appealed to the supreme court of the state, where the judgment was reversed and the cause remanded to the superior court with directions to enter judgment enjoining the defendant from building the boom within the location marked on the plat or survey for the plaintiff's boom. See the opinion of the state court, 40 Wash. 315, showing plainly and in full the grounds of the decision.
The defendant has sued out a writ of error from this Court, and brings the judgment here for review.
In April, 1900, the plaintiff, after its organization, filed in the office of the Secretary of State of Washington its plat or survey, showing so much of the shorelines and waters of the North River and lands contiguous thereto as it proposed to appropriate under the laws of the state. Before beginning its boom, it submitted to the Secretary of War of the United States the plan of its proposed improvement and a plat of the territory to be occupied thereby, and was granted permission by the War Department to construct a boom within the limits of the river covered by the plat. The plaintiff proceeded to erect its boom along the left side of the river, but stopped short of the upper end of the territory covered by its plat of location. The boom was substantially constructed at a cost of about $16,000, and has been operated from the time of its erection as originally constructed, and plaintiff has always expected to extend the boom within the limits of the plat of location as the demands of business might require. Some days before the commencement of the actual work of extending the plaintiff's boom, the defendant commenced to construct its boom within the limits of the original plat of the plaintiff.
The defendant was organized in 1903, and filed its plat and survey in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Washington, and it alleges that, before commencing to construct its boom, it secured from the War Department of the United States permission to construct the boom within its location. The boom of the defendant, if constructed according to its plans, would cause logs coming down the river, intended to reach the plaintiff's boom, to enter the main boom of the defendant. The booms, as proposed by the plaintiff and defendant, cannot both be constructed. If the boom of the plaintiff should be extended up the river, within the limits of its plat and survey, the passage between its line of dolphins and the dolphins of the defendant on the other side of the stream would be so narrow as to block navigation. Moreover, it would be impracticable to operate both booms under such circumstances. If the defendant is permitted to operate its boom as intended, the boom of the plaintiff will receive only such timber from up the river as may escape from the boom of the defendant, and such as may be transmitted through that boom to the plaintiff. These facts are practically undisputed, and are found in the record and findings of the court.
Act of 1890, 26 Stat. 454, c. 907, §§ 7, 10. Also Act of March 3, 1899, 30 Stat. 1151, c. 425, § 10.
Before discussing the merits of the case, the defendant in error made a motion to dismiss the writ of error for the want of jurisdiction, there being, as it asserts, no federal question reviewable under § 709 of the Revised Statutes.
The river in question is a navigable stream, entirely within the State of Washington, and, in the absence of any statute by Congress, a state has plenary power in regard to such waters. Obstructions in those waters may be offenses against the laws of the state, but constitute no offense against the United States in the absence of a statute. Willamette Iron Bridge Co. v. Hatch, 125 U. S. 1. The question whether the acts complained of, such as obstructions, etc., in the river, are lawful or unlawful under the state law, is, as was said in the above cited case (page 125 U. S. 9), a state question, not a federal one. Where there is a federal law which it is claimed also applies to the subject and requires the consent of the federal government, then there is a concurrent or joint jurisdiction of the state and national governments over the erection of a structure which obstructs navigation. Cummings v. Chicago, 188 U. S. 410; Montgomery v. Portland, 190 U. S. 89.
brought by the United States under the direction of the Attorney General, pursuant to the provisions of § 10 of the River and Harbor Bill of 1890, 26 Stat., supra. It was brought to enforce the right of the government to prevent the erection of a structure that obstructed the navigation of the river. It was held in that case that the words in the tenth section, "not affirmatively authorized by law," referred to the state as well as to the federal law, and that the question then arose as to whether the structure was permitted by that (state) law, and as the law of Congress provided that it might be permitted if affirmatively authorized by a state law, the question whether it was so authorized became, in effect, a question whether the federal law did or did not permit it. If it were authorized by the state law, then the federal law provided that it might continue, and whether it was or not became a federal question.
"that the creation of any obstruction not affirmatively authorized by Congress to the navigable capacity of any of the waters of the United States is hereby prohibited."
It leaves out the words "not affirmatively authorized by law," and substitutes "not affirmatively authorized by Congress." There is therefore no reference to state action or state law. Obstruction not affirmatively authorized by Congress is prohibited, but the case of the state assent remains with the state for its sole adjudication.

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