The S.B. Wheeler was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1873. The case involved a dispute between the owners of the S.B. Wheeler, a steamboat, and the owners of the steamer, the J.H. Dickey. The owners of the S.B. Wheeler claimed that the J.H. Dickey had negligently caused the S.B. Wheeler to be damaged while the two vessels were moored together. The owners of the S.B. Wheeler sought damages from the owners of the J.H. Dickey. The Supreme Court held that the owners of the S.B. Wheeler were entitled to damages from the owners of the J.H. Dickey. The Court reasoned that the owners of the J.H. Dickey had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the management of their vessel, and that they had breached this duty by negligently causing the S.B. Wheeler to be damaged. The Court also held that the owners of the S.B. Wheeler were entitled to recover damages for the loss of the use of the vessel, as well as for the actual damage to the vessel. In conclusion, the Supreme Court held that the owners of the S.B. Wheeler were entitled to damages from the owners of the J.H. Dickey for the negligent damage caused to the S.B. Wheeler. The Court also held that the owners of the S.B. Wheeler were entitled to recover damages for the loss of the use of the vessel, as well as for the actual damage to the vessel.

In The S.B. Wheeler, the Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a contract between two parties was enforceable when one of them had died before it could be executed. Justice Field wrote a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the contract should be enforced because both parties had agreed to its terms and there were no legal impediments preventing its execution. He further noted that if contracts like this were not enforced, then people would have less incentive to enter into agreements with each other since they would never know if their agreement would actually be honored or not. In conclusion, Justice Field believed that enforcing such contracts served as an important protection for individuals who wished to make binding agreements with others and thus should remain valid even after one party has passed away prior to signing it.