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The Great Molasses Flood occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End of Boston.
During World War I, the company that owned the tank fermented molasses into industrial alcohol, which was then used to make munitions and other weaponry.
On that fateful day, Boston's North End was full of workers and residents venturing outdoors to enjoy unseasonably warm weather. At about 1 p.m., they heard a low rumble. At first, many assumed it was a Boston Elevated train approaching. But, within minutes, they realized something was very wrong. A 50-foot tall tank full of industrial grade molasses had ruptured, sending a 2.3 million gallon wave of molasses rushing through the crowded North End. A massive surge of the sticky goo rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph. The disaster killed 21 people and injured 150 others.
The molasses tank, 50 feet tall, 90 feet in diameter, containing as much as 2,300,000 gallons collapsed. The collapse released a massive wave of molasses that some recalled as being over 25 feet in height. The flow was powerful enough to damage the girders of the Boston Elevated Railway at Atlantic Avenue. Several blocks were flooded to a depth of 2 to three feet.
The first responders worked to rescue survivors as well as prevent onlookers from getting too close to the scene. The search for victims lasted for four days.
Local Bostonians sued the United States Industrial Alcohol Company (USIAC), which had bought the Purity Distillery in 1917. Despite the USIAC trying to claim that the tank explosion had been a result of anarchists, the company ultimately paid out $600,000 ($12.6 million) in settlements.
There were several factors that might have contributed to the disaster. The tank was constructed poorly and insufficiently tested. It was so poorly constructed that it had to be painted brown to hide the fact that it had so many leaks. The fermentation occurring within the tank released carbon dioxide which raised the internal pressure. The temperature in Boston rose from 2 degrees to 41 degrees very quickly which also contributed to the increased pressure. An investigation published in 2014 found that the steel was not half as thick as it should have been for a tank of its size.
The clean up of the immediate area of the accident took 300 people a number of weeks to complete. They washed the site with salt water and put down sand in an attempt to mop it up; the water in the harbor was brown until the summer months came.
A Red Cross ambulance arrives on the scene, where a part of the elevated railway has collapsed.
Firefighters tried to wash the molasses away with freshwater, but would later find that briny seawater was the only way to “cut” the hardened substance.
Smashed vehicles and debris sit in a puddle of molasses on Commercial Street on Jan. 16, 1919.
The disaster highlighted engineering failures and led to changes in safety regulations for infrastructure.
In order to claim this as a find please complete the following 2 tasks.
Next to the informational sign there is a plaque remembering someone unrelated to the molasses flood. Whose name is on that plaque?
Take a unique photo of yourself, your group or a personal item at the small plaque commemorating this disaster and post it in your found it log. (waypoint 2)
So a name and a photo is all we ask in order to claim this virtual. Thanks! We hope you enjoyed the history.
Credits:
The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 by Evan Andrews
Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo
The Great Molasses Flood by Deborah Kops
Library of Congress - Boston Public Library
https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/
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