Thurlow v. Town of Provincetown

The plaintiff seeks to recover for damage by fire to his house alleged to have been caused by the defendant’s negligence in permitting electricity to escape into the house from the defendant’s underground water system. The case is before us on the plaintiff’s exception to the trial judge’s direction of a verdict for the defendant. The facts are stated in their aspect most favorable to the plaintiff.

On February 7, 1948, the plaintiff’s house was not getting water from the defendant’s water supply system from which the plaintiff bought water. The superintendent of the water department and one…