![]() ![]() Investigations and accusations swirled around the Great Boston Molasses Flood. Some have reported that even decades after the cleanup was complete, Boston’s North End still smelled of molasses, particularly on warm days. Cleanup efforts took so long that it was months before the last of the bodies were found. Firefighters at first attempted to wash the molasses away with their hoses, but water proved ineffective-though they discovered that saltwater was more effective at “cutting” the molasses than freshwater, so millions of gallons were pumped in. All in all, the cleanup took about 80,000 hours of labor. Some experts say that rescue efforts likely would have been much easier if the spill had happened in the height of summer rather than the dead of winter because the molasses wouldn’t have thickened so much.Īnd then there was the cleanup. When the spill occurred, temperatures were about 40 degrees, but as night fell, the molasses all over Boston’s North End cooled and thickened, firmly trapping anyone who hadn’t already been rescued. Because molasses is thick and syrupy, new challenges arose as temperatures started to drop. Worse, the molasses behaved a lot like quicksand. Firemen and police officers spent four days wading through waist-deep molasses to rescue people. By today’s reckoning, the flood caused about $100 million in damages. It also knocked a truck through a fence, damaged a railway, and pushed the local firehouse off its foundation. The flood demolished homes and other buildings as it swept into the Boston Harbor. The flood trapped animals, too, resulting in the deaths of at least 25 horses. ![]() Another man, Martin Clougherty, told the Boston Globe in an interview that he was sleeping in his home and woke to find himself in several feet of molasses. Two ten-year-old children collecting firewood nearby were swept away by the tide, and some city workers who were outside eating lunch at the time drowned in the flood. When all was said and done, the molasses flood claimed the lives of 21 people, ages ranging between 10 and 78. The destructive tide, about 2.3 million gallons of molasses in all, pounded through the neighborhood reaching a maximum speed of 35 MPH. The tank exploded and set free a tidal wave of molasses that measured between 15 and 25 feet at its highest, and about 165 feet wide. People in the area reported hearing a few loud sounds-like machine-gun fire-as the tank’s rivets began popping loose. And there were other signs, like ominous creaks and groans whenever new molasses was added to the tank. 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. The tank leaked-and it had leaked for a long time, enough that local neighborhood children knew to bring empty cups and cans to the tank to collect the free molasses that dripped from it. While people living and working in the area suspected nothing, there were a few warning signs that disaster was imminent. 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. This tank was massive, standing 50 feet high and 90 feet in diameter. How did such a crazy thing happen? The Great Molasses Flood: Before and AfterĪll seemed well in Boston’s North End but little did anyone know that a gigantic molasses tank operated by the Purity Distilling Company was about to spark a disaster. 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. This tragedy is one that almost seems made up. It’s been over 100 years, but people are still talking about the Great Molasses Flood that struck Boston on January 15, 1919. ![]()
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