THE DARK SIDE OF BOSTON TOUR - THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD 1919

So when I think of molasses....I definitely do not think of floods....but this story was VERY interesting.  

So picture this...a tank that is six stories tall....filled with 2.5 million gallons of molasses.  (Geez....that's alot of molasses!)  It is January 15, 1919 and it is pretty warm at 40 degrees...that's warm in these parts...especially in January.  So between the unseasonably warm weather and then a faulty tank with cracks in it (which were covered by brown paint) this monster of a tank EXPLODES!!!!  Huge sheets of iron flying through the air in pieces...I guess kind of like shrapnel destroyed several nearby buildings including a fire station that was crushed by a huge chunk of the steel tank.  

A huge wave of 40 feet high flowed down Commercial Street moving buildings off their foundations, destroying wagons, carts, horses and cars.  The streets were flooded with this sticky debris of ruined buildings and by the time things got settled there was molasses sludge up to three feet deep.  Rescue efforts started right away but this molasses was so sticky that people who tried to help ended up needing to be rescued themselves.  

Commercial Street 1919

So in the end after it took two weeks of clean up there were 21 fatalities and 150 people were injured.  Purity Distilling Company's (owner of the tank) lawyer arrived on the scene very quickly and tried to blame anarchist saboteurs for this disaster.  But the company had to pay out about $1 million dollars in settlements which was a HUGE amount of money back then.  And the harbor remained brown throughout the remainder of the winter and spring.  It also took about 6 months to clean the structures and the cobblestone streets of this sticky mess.

Commercial Street today:

And even though it has been 93 years since this disaster...some say that on a hot day some of the streets in some parts of Boston still bleed molasses.  Now THAT is something I would like to see.  And if you are a history buff and would like to know more...pick up a copy of The Dark Tide by by Stephen Puelo it's supposed to be a good read and I'm wanting to read it.  

On a side note:  Did you know that molasses not only can be used as a sweetener, but can be used into making ethyl alcohol for drinking liquor and ammunition???  Talk about a very versatile ingredient!

Well....until next time!