Fast v. Western Transportation Co.

Plaintiff brought this action to recover damages for the partial destruction of his floating dock. The dock had been moored to plaintiff’s property on the Willamette River. Directly across the river from plaintiff’s property lies a commercial dock, at which barges are loaded with sawdust. Defendant operates several tugboats, which transport barges to and from the sawdust dock. The river in front of plaintiff’s property is only 400 feet wide. In this constricted stretch of the river the defendant’s tugs often maneuvered barges ranging in length from 150 to 180 feet. In the course of these…