Palin v. General Construction Co.

This is an action commenced by the respondent to recover damages for the loss of a quantity of oil (crankcase drainings) from his storage tank (55 feet in diameter and 30 feet high), located in an area acquired by King county in 1950 for an extension of the Boeing airfield runway. The respondent had until April 15,1951, to remove the tank from the premises, and was entitled to use it and have access to it until that date.

Appellant had a contract with King county to fill the area in which the tank was located, and this it proceeded to do in January, 1951. The modus operandi was to build dikes…