as ▁T ank ship ▁char tered ▁a ▁fre ighter ▁ship ▁named ▁the ▁W agon ▁M ound ▁which ▁was ▁taking ▁on ▁b unker ▁oil ▁at ▁a ▁dock . ▁ ▁The ▁engine ers ▁on ▁the ▁W agon ▁M ound ▁were ▁care less ▁and ▁a ▁large ▁quantity ▁of ▁oil ▁overflow ed ▁onto ▁the ▁surface ▁of ▁the ▁water . ▁ ▁After ▁several ▁hours ▁the ▁oil ▁dr ift ed ▁and ▁was ▁around ▁two ▁ships ▁owned ▁by ▁the ▁Miller ▁Ste am ship ▁Co ▁that ▁were ▁being ▁rep a ired ▁nearby . ▁S par ks ▁from ▁the ▁w eld ers ▁caused ▁the ▁le aked ▁oil ▁to ▁ign ite ▁destroy ing ▁all ▁three ▁ships . ▁ ▁At ▁the ▁trial ▁in ▁the ▁Supreme ▁Court ▁of ▁NS W , ▁Wal sh ▁J ▁found ▁that ▁( 1 ) ▁that ▁the ▁officers ▁of ▁the ▁W agon ▁M ound ▁would ▁regard ▁the ▁oil ▁as ▁very ▁ ▁difficult , ▁but ▁not ▁impossible , ▁to ▁ign ite ▁on ▁water ▁( 2 ) ▁ign ition ▁of ▁the ▁oil ▁on ▁waters ▁had ▁very ▁ ▁rarely ▁happened , ▁and ▁ ▁( 3 ) ▁it ▁was ▁a ▁possibility ▁that ▁would ▁only ▁event uate ▁in ▁very ▁exception al ▁circumstances . ▁Wal sh ▁J ▁held ▁that ▁O verse as ▁T ank ship ▁were ▁not ▁li able ▁for ▁neg lig ence , ▁but ▁that ▁the ▁large ▁quantity ▁of ▁oil ▁was ▁a ▁public ▁n uis ance ▁and ▁the ▁O verse as ▁T ank ship ▁were ▁li able ▁to ▁pay ▁dam ages ▁for ▁n uis ance . ▁ ▁O verse as ▁T ank ship ▁obtained ▁leave ▁to