Meyer Wins $2,000 in Tacoma Water Power Suit
A landmark court battle over diverted stream water concludes in Tacoma, leaving both the utility and the plaintiff dissatisfied.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The suit for $12,000 damages brought by Frederick Meyer against the Tacoma Light and Water Company, for depriving him of water power by taking water from neighboring streams, has resulted in a verdict of $2,000 for the plaintiff. The case dragged on for thirty-one days in the superior court and piled up witness fees and costs to the amount of about $5,000. The defendant must pay the costs, but neither party is satisfied with the verdict.
“The case dragged on for thirty-one days in the superior court and piled up witness fees and costs to the amount of about $5,000.”
Conflicts over water rights remain a cornerstone of Pacific Northwest civic life, though the focus has shifted from local mill power to the complex balance between urban development, salmon habitat, and agricultural needs. This 1892 case highlights the early, messy process of determining how much a utility must pay when it disrupts the private resources of rural landholders.
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