Have you ever heard of the Great Molasses Flood? It's the bizarre event that occurred in Boston, Massachusetts in 1919, and it's a story that will leave you speechless. On a cold day in January of that year, over two million gallons of molasses came crashing down onto the streets of Boston, flooding the area and leaving complete chaos in its wake.
The Molasses Flood wreaked havoc on the city, killing 21 people and injuring scores more. The flood caused extensive damage to nearby buildings, destroyed cars and wagons, and sent a wave of thick molasses cascading through the streets for months afterward. The events of that fateful day are legendary in Boston history, but how exactly did it happen? In this article, we'll explore what happened during the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 and why it remains one of America's most bizarre historical events.
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The Molasses Tank: Construction and Structural Issues
On January 15, 1919, Boston experienced an event that has gone down in infamy: the Great Molasses Flood. It began when a 2.3-million-gallon tank containing molasses exploded, unleashing a 15-foot wave of viscous liquid into the streets and causing widespread devastation and chaos.
So how did this happen? It all started with an ambitious construction project: the Purity Distilling Company built the huge tank in 1915 to store their molasses for production of industrial alcohol. Its poor construction design and improper maintenance led to its eventual collapse. The tank was made of steel plates only ⅝ of an inch thick—far too thin to hold the immense amount of pressure generated by the stored molasses—and wasn't properly riveted together. Without proper maintenance, it corroded over time, until it could no longer withstand the stress put on its structure.
The result was a sudden, shocking eruption that nobody was expecting or prepared for. What had been a bustling street suddenly became an ocean-like disaster zone—and sadly, would lead to 21 deaths and numerous injuries before its destruction was done.
A Sticky Situation: The Circumstances Leading to the Collapse
Have you ever been in a sticky situation? Imagine the horror that befell Bostonians of the North End on January 15th, 1919, when a giant molasses tank burst. The infamous Great Molasses Flood had begun.
The disastrous event started with a storage tank that completely filled with molasses to a height of 25 feet and contained over 2 million gallons of the sticky substance. Built in 1915 for the Purity Distilling Company as part of the World War I effort, it was constructed with steel plates 1/4 inch thick and held together by rivets and brackets. Unfortunately, these materials were not enough to contain the enormous pressure exerted by the boiling molasses inside.
Although several warnings had been made prior to this for it to be inspected and repaired, they were largely ignored. Eventually, this led to an unavoidable tragedy when on a warm winter day, complete with rising temperatures from sunshine and nearby steam pipes, the sloshing waves caused by people stirring inside created too much pressure which eventually caused the tank walls to buckle under strain and came down crashing into Commercial Street below.
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The Tank Bursts: A Rush of Molasses into the Streets
You might not believe it, but what happened next was the worst part. The tank was filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses and it split open at around 12:30 pm on January 15th, 1919. It’s estimated that the molasses poured into the streets at a speed of 35 miles an hour.
It's hard to imagine just how chaotic it must have been. The force of the molasses burst created a wave up to 25 feet high according to witnesses and rushed through the North End, destroying everything in its path. Buildings, cars, horses - you name it - were all crushed by the weight of the molasses and other debris that were swept away in its wake.
Afterwards there were scenes of absolute devastation. Streets were slicked with up to two feet of molasses and houses had been pulled off their foundations or collapsed completely. It was a miracle that only 21 people died - some say if this took place after 5 pm when people would have been on their way home from work, many more lives could've been lost.
The Aftermath: Cleaning Up the Mess and Searching for Answers
The aftermath of the Great Molasses Flood looked like a nightmare. A thick river of molasses had spread out across the city, destroying homes and businesses, killing people and animals, and even cracking the foundations of buildings.
The entire city seemed to be covered in sticky, sweet-smelling goo and it was a Herculean task to clean it all up—but Bostonians were determined to find a way.
Cleanup Crews
Firefighters, policemen, construction workers, and even military personnel from Fort Warren worked together as a team to help clean up the streets of Boston. They used shovels and picks to haul debris off the street, attempting to reclaim what remained of homes and businesses. They also used steam hoses to wash down streets coated with sticky molasses that refused to budge.
Damage Estimates
The 1919 Boston Molasses Flood caused an estimated $100 million dollars in damages—that’s about $1.6 billion dollars today—and that number doesn’t include any of the physical or emotional losses suffered by affected families or business owners throughout the community.
Searching for Answers
An investigation into the cause of the molasses tank burst yielded no clear answer: Was it bad engineering? Weather-related conditions? Or was there just no way that anyone could have predicted this type of accident? Whatever the answer may be, one can only imagine how difficult it must have been for victims of this tragedy to rebuild their lives amidst such chaotic destruction.
The Investigation and Legal Ramifications of the Disaster
The Great Molasses Flood sprawled over an area of about 15 city blocks, but the total damages that the flood caused to the city, its citizens, and its properties were estimated at over $100 million in today's terms. In the aftermath of this tragedy, a committee of investigators set out to determine the exact cause of the disaster.
It was eventually found that the tank was held together by only one single rivet—a poor design choice which allowed it to burst under pressure. The Massachusetts State Board also determined that tank's builder had not met accepted safety standards. Eventually, a lawsuit was filed against the tank's owners alleging negligence and failure to properly maintain and inspect it.
The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court with the United States Industrial Alcohol Company (U.S.I.A) paying out nearly 17 million dollars in restitution to those affected by this disaster. This amount included expenses for property losses as well as payments for personal injuries which ranged from minor bumps and bruises all the way up to deaths caused by the flood's wave of molasses-thickness sludge.
Through both investigation and litigation, it was determined that neglectful maintenance practices were ultimately responsible for this tragedy in Boston's North End on January 15th, 1919—a day forever engrained in local history as one of unimaginable destruction and chaos brought on by an unstoppable wave of molasses!
Legacy of the Molasses Flood: Improvements in Construction Standards and Safety
We don't know exactly how many people were killed in the 1919 Boston Molasses Flood, but the disaster is still with us today. The event changed regulations and safety standards for many industries, particularly those dealing with hazardous materials.
The Molasses Flood highlighted several areas of improvement in 1912, including:
Improved engineering standards for tanks and pipelines
Enhanced safety regulations for storing hazardous materials.
Greater oversight on building design and construction
Increased public safety measures for insurance companies and municipalities.
More rigorous inspections of industrial sites
In addition, the tragedy spurred public outrage that motivated Congress to pass the Hazardous Substances Act of 1960—which gave citizens more information about industrial chemicals, set safety standards for chemical storage tanks, and provided private citizens with a legal right to sue companies that failed to meet these standards.
It's hard to say what could have been done differently at the time to prevent such a catastrophe—but it's clear that thanks to the legacy of the Great Molasses Flood, society has taken meaningful safety measures in hazardous material storage and construction engineering ever since.
Conclusion
The story of the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 will never be forgotten, and it serves as a reminder of the devastating impact that negligence and cutting corners can have. Though many of the individuals responsible for the disaster in Boston were never brought to justice, a monument was built in honor of the 21 people who perished. The Molasses Flood of 1919 will always be remembered—not just for its destruction, but for the resilience of the people of Boston who persevered and rebuilt in the face of devastating tragedy.
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