Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. v. Port of Seattle

The most important issue presented by this appeal, is whether the principle of liability without fault should be applied for damages caused by the rupture of a water main under the exclusive control of a municipal corporation.

On October 22, 1968, a pipe which formed a part of the fire protection system on terminal 18 of the Port of Seattle suddenly broke, and water from that break ran into a Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company manhole, damaging exposed wires therein. The pipe was part of a 1% to 2 mile system of pipe which supplied water to the fire protection system of the Port of…