What was the Great Molasses Flood of 1919?
Great Molasses Flood From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Great Molasses Flood, also known as the Boston Molasses Disaster or the Boston Molassacre, occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
How many people died in the Great Boston Molasses Flood?
Beacon Press. ISBN 0-8070-5021-0. ^ a b c d Kesslen, Ben (January 14, 2019). "The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 killed 21 after 2 million gallon tank erupted". NBC News. Retrieved January 14, 2019. ^ Jabr, Ferris (July 17, 2013). "The Science of the Great Molasses Flood". Scientific American. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
How many people died in the Great Boston flood of 1919?
The brown wave busted windows, overturned railcars and flooded homes. By sunset, 21 people were dead, 150 were injured and the North End looked like it had been bombed. Sailors helping with the rescue after the Great Boston Molasses Flood in 1919.
What caused the 1919 Boston Molasses accident?
When a steel tank full of molasses ruptured in 1919, physics and neglect contributed to make the accident so horrific, leading to 21 deaths. It was like a perfect—if bizarre, terrifying and very sticky—storm. Around lunchtime on the afternoon of January 15, 1919, a giant tank of molasses burst open in Boston’s North End.
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How many people died in the Boston Molasses Flood?
The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 killed 21 after 2 million gallon tank erupted. The wave moved at 35 miles per hour and was 25 feet high and 160 feet wide at its outset as it rushed through the city's densely populated North End. The devastation after the Great Boston Molasses Flood in 1919.
When did the Boston Molasses flood happen?
Sailors helping with the rescue after the Great Boston Molasses Flood in 1919. Courtesy of Dark Tide and the Boston Fire Department Archives.
What happened to the Engine 31 Firehouse?
Puleo told NBC News that the tide of molasses ripped the Engine 31 Firehouse from its foundation, almost sweeping the building into the Boston Harbor.
Why is molasses hard to move?
Cold weather made things worse. “As the temperature dropped, the molasses got harder and harder to move, which is a problem when you’re trying to shift rubble," Sharp said. It was also a problem for rescuers who were trying to lift people out of the molasses.
What happened to the bones in the second stage of the flood?
People’s bones were crushed, their bodies thrown onto buildings and train cars. Many survivors had broken backs and fractured skulls. During the second stage of the flood, “the inertia runs out as the molasses spreads — that’s when viscosity starts to matter," Sharp said, referring to a liquid's resistance to flow.
What happened on Jan 15, 1919?
Pausing to figure out the source, he suddenly found himself overcome with shock. McManus managed to make out to the dispatcher: “Send all available rescue vehicles ...
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
A U.S. Industrial Alcohol (USIA) subsidiary, Purity Distilling Co., built the tank in 1915 to keep up with increasing demand for military weapons. The tank stored molasses from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the West Indies, which was then brought to a distillery in East Cambridge and turned into industrial alcohol. Companies in the U.S., England, and France bought the alcohol, which they desperately needed to make dynamite, smokeless powder and other explosives used in World War I.
When did the molasses flood happen?
The Great Molasses Flood of 1919. Sugary-sweet molasses turned deadly on January 15, 1919, when a holding tank burst and sent 2.3 million gallons of the sticky liquid sweeping through the streets of Boston. Author:
When did molasses become deadly?
Sugary-sweet molasses turned deadly on January 15, 1919, when a holding tank burst and sent 2.3 million gallons of the sticky liquid sweeping through the streets of Boston. The source of what became known as the “Great Molasses Flood” was a 50-foot-tall steel holding tank located on Commercial Street in Boston’s North End.
What time did Martin Clougherty break the silence?
At around 12:40 p.m., the mid-afternoon calm was broken by the sound of a metallic roar.
What episode of The Great Boston Molasses Flood?
Episode 2: The Great Boston Molasses Flood. Temperatures on the afternoon of January 15, 1919, were over 40 degrees—unusually mild for a Boston winter—and Commercial Street hummed with the sound of laborers, clopping horses and a nearby elevated train platform. At the Engine 31 firehouse, a group of men were eating their lunch while playing ...
How many people were on the scene of the Molasses tsunami?
By the time the settlement was finally paid, the area around Commercial Street had long recovered from the multi-million-gallon molasses tsunami. Over 300 workers had converged on the scene in the days after the disaster to remove wreckage and debris, and firefighters later used brooms, saws and saltwater pumps to strip away the last of the syrupy residue. Even then, the sweet scent of molasses still hung over the North End for several weeks, and the waters of Boston Harbor remained stained brown until the summer.
How many people died in the Boston flood?
The human toll would eventually climb to 21 dead and another 150 injured, but many of the deceased remained missing for several days. The remains of one victim, a wagon driver named Cesare Nicolo, were not fished out of nearby Boston Harbor until almost four months after the flood.
Who was killed by molasses?
Antonio di Stasio, Maria di Stasio and Pasquale Iantosca were all instantly swallowed by the torrent. Maria was suffocated to death by the molasses, and Pasquale was killed after being struck by a railroad car. Antonio lived, but suffered a severe head injury from being flung into a light post. pinterest-pin-it.
How many people died in the Great Molasses Flood?
The deluge caused extensive damage and killed 21 people.
How big was the molasses wave?
According to reports, the resulting wave of molasses was 15 to 40 feet (5 to 12 metres) high and some 160 feet (49 metres) wide. Traveling at approximately 35 miles (56 km) per hour, it destroyed several city blocks, leveling buildings and damaging automobiles.
Why is molasses so thick?
In 2016, researchers released a study that placed the blame on cold temperatures. While warm weather would have caused the molasses to be less viscous, the winter temperatures made the syrup markedly thicker, severely impeding rescuers.
Why is molasses thicker in winter?
In 2016, researchers released a study that placed the blame on cold temperatures. While warm weather would have caused the molasses to be less viscous, the winter temperatures made the syrup markedly thicker, severely impeding rescuers. Amy Tikkanen.
Where was the Molasses tank built?
Aftermath of the Great Molasses Flood in Boston, 1919. The tank was built in 1915 along Boston’s waterfront on Commercial Street, opposite Copp’s Hill. It was operated by the Purity Distilling Company, a subsidiary of United States Industrial Alcohol (USIA).
When did the USIA tank burst?
At approximately 12:30 pm on January 15, 1919, the tank burst, releasing a deluge of “sweet, sticky death.”.
Did horses die like flies?
In addition, the Boston Post noted that a number of horses had “died like so many flies on sticky fly paper.”. Clean-up efforts lasted for weeks, and Boston reportedly continued to smell like molasses for years afterward. Numerous lawsuits were filed in the wake of the disaster. While victims alleged that the tank was not safe, ...
Why was the Great Molasses Flood so deadly?
Why the Great Molasses Flood Was So Deadly. When a steel tank full of molasses ruptured in 1919, physics and neglect contributed to make the accident so horrific, leading to 21 deaths. When a steel tank full of molasses ruptured in 1919, physics and neglect contributed to make the accident so horrific, leading to 21 deaths.
How many people died in the molasses tank explosion?
When a steel tank full of molasses ruptured in 1919, physics and neglect contributed to make the accident so horrific, leading to 21 deaths.
Why was the Tank built in 1915?
But the tank had been built quickly in the winter of 1915 to meet rising demand for industrial alcohol, which could be distilled from molasses and sold to weapons companies, who used it to make dynamite and other explosives for use during World War I.
How fast did the molasses tank explode?
More than two million gallons of thick liquid poured out like a tsunami wave, reaching speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. The molasses flooded streets, crushed buildings and trapped horses in an event that ultimately killed 21 people ...
How tall is a molasses tank?
More recent investigations suggest several fundamental problems with the structure of the tank. Designed to hold 2.5 million gallons of liquid, it measured 50 feet tall and 90 feet in diameter. But its steel walls, which ranged from 0.67 inches at the bottom to 0.31 inches at the top, were too thin to support the weight of a full tank of molasses, found a 2014 analysis by Ronald Mayville, a senior structural engineer in the Massachusetts consulting firm of Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger.
How many times was molasses poured into a container?
Although molasses had been poured into the container 29 times, only four of those refills were to near-capacity. The fourth top-off happened two days before the disaster, when a ship arrived from Puerto Rico carrying 2.3 million gallons of molasses.
What was the air temperature on the day of the Liberty disaster?
The air temperature on the day of the disaster was about 40°F. Its brittleness might have been a final straw. “There were a lot of culprits,” Rossow says. A similar flaw, he adds, befell some of the early Liberty ships built by the U.S. during World War II.
Who was most affected by the Molasses Flood?
Those most affected by the tragedy were ordinary people, Stephen Puleo wrote in the comprehensive history of the event “Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919.”. “No prominent people were killed in the molasses flood, and the survivors did not go on to become famous; they were mostly immigrants and city workers who returned ...
What was the Boston Molasses Flood?
In what would become known as the “Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919,” the explosion of the massive container sent a “tidal wave of death and destruction stalking through North End Park and Commercial st.,”. The Boston Globe reported at the time.
How long did it take for molasses to disappear after the flood?
Welders carefully began cutting up the molasses tank with torches in the search for bodies five days after the flood. Even though firemen constantly sprayed water upon the twisted wreckage, it wasn’t until the city ordered powerful streams from the city fireboat that the molasses began to disappear.
What happened to the Nantucket tank?
15, 1919, after a giant tank in the North End collapsed, sending a wave of an estimated 2.3 million gallons of molasses through the streets of Boston. The Boston Globe Archives
How fast did the Boston floods go?
The Boston Globe reported at the time. The viscous flood was propelled by its sheer weight, traveling as quickly as 35 mph and forming a wave that estimated in different accounts to be between 15 and 50 feet high.
How old was Bridget Clougherty when she was crushed?
Bridget Clougherty. The 65-year-old was crushed by a collapsed building, according to Puleo. She was reportedly in her “old homestead” at 6 Copps Hill Terrace, which extended along Commercial Street, with her daughter and two sons, Martin and Stephen, when “the first shock came” from the explosion. Advertisement:
What was printed in the paper in the days following the flood?
A map of the flood was printed in the paper in the days following the disaster.
When did the molasses flood happen?
The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. On Jan. 15, 1919, an enormous molasses storage tank burst in Boston’s North End, and a 25-foot-high molasses flood surged through the streets at 35 miles per hour. Panorama of the molasses flood. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library.
How many people died in the Boston Molasses flood?
The molasses flood covered one of the densest commercial sections of Boston, with a busy port and a railway terminal. In the end, the sugary tsunami killed 21 people, including 17 workers, and injured 150. It took months to clean up and recover all the victims. The molasses disaster also resulted in a lawsuit that set the stage for increased ...
What Caused the Molasses Flood?
Nearly 100 years later, a new study found the cause of the molasses disaster: steel too thin and brittle to withstand the pressure of 2.3 million gallons of molasses. Ronald Mayville, a structural and metallurgical engineer, wrote in Civil and Structural Engineer Magazine that the steel was 50 percent too thin. Engineers should have known that in 1919, he wrote.
What happened to the molasses in the Boston and Worcester terminal?
Inside the Boston and Worcester freight terminal, the river of molasses poured through the doors and windows. It killed workers like trapped animals. While outside, the wall of goo trapped some unlucky victims, hurled some into the air, flung some against freight cars and smothered still others.
How many gallons of molasses was in the molasses flood?
Molasses Flood. The tank, 50 feet high and 90 feet in diameter, contained 2.3 million gallons of molasses originally destined for use in a munitions plant. The tank, though only a few years old, seemed shaky. People who lived and worked in the North End said the tank shuddered and groaned when the company filled it.
How long after molasses flood can you cut a tank?
Cutting the tank with acetylene torch 3 days after the molasses flood. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.
What was the impact of the Molasses trial?
The trial set a precedent for expert witnesses, as engineers, metallurgists and architects testified. The molasses disaster also improved the government’s oversight of corporations. According to Stephen Puleo, author of Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 2019 :
When was the Molasses Flood?
A Strange Disaster: Great Molasses Flood of 1919. It's been over 100 years, but people are still talking about the Great Molasses Flood that struck Boston on January 15, 1919. How did such a crazy thing happen?
When did the molasses flood hit Boston?
It’s been over 100 years, but people are still talking about the Great Molasses Flood that struck Boston on January 15, 1919. This tragedy is one that almost seems made up. But it’s a true tale—a tsunami of molasses let loose on the city that caused devastating loss of life and damage to property.
Why did the owners paint the molasses tank the same color?
In fact, employees had been concerned that it was a safety hazard, but instead of making repairs, the tank’s owners simply painted the tank the same color as molasses to help hide the leaks. And there were other signs, like ominous creaks and groans whenever new molasses was added to the tank.
How big was the molasses tank in Boston?
This tank was massive, standing 50 feet high and 90 feet in diameter.
How long did it take to clean up the molasses spill?
And then there was the cleanup. All in all, the cleanup took about 80,000 hours of labor.
How many gallons of molasses did the molasses tank hold?
It was designed to hold 2.5 million gallons of molasses, which was enough to fill 3 1/2 Olympic-sized swimming pools, and it was made from steel, a little more than half an inch thick. While people living and working in the area suspected nothing, there were a few warning signs that disaster was imminent.
Why did the USIA tank disaster happen?
Officials determined that the disaster was in part caused by a supervisor who lacked the training to read blueprints during the tank’s construction. The USIA had never hired certified engineers or architects to check the tank, and substandard construction materials had been used in the tank’s construction, including steel that was too thin and improperly forged.
Why is mapping the physics of the molasses flood important?
Mapping the physics of the molasses flood could help experts better understand other catastrophes such as industrial spills or ruptured levees, Sharp said.
What would happen if molasses leaked in the summer?
If the molasses leaked in the summer, the warmer temperatures would have thinned out the syrupy mess.
Why did molasses chill when the tank broke?
Because the molasses was probably still several degrees warmer than the cold, winter air, when the tank broke, it chilled as it streamed through the streets.
Why was molasses heated before the hurricane?
Two days before the disaster, the molasses arrived in the harbor from the Caribbean, and heated to reduce the viscosity and make it easier to move to the storage tank.
Who studied blackstrap molasses?
Harvard graduate student Jordan Kennedy analyzed the properties of blackstrap molasses and how it flows at different temperatures.
