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The Great Molasses Flood was one of the most infamous disasters in the history of the United States. It was also one of the most bizarre. The tragedy occurred in Boston in the early 20th century. The city had not long before experienced a devastating fire, and while this later incident involved a far more benign material, it proved equally as deadly.
So, what exactly caused the flood, and how was it dealt with? Click through for a timeline leading up to the catastrophe and details of what happened on the day.
Boston's oceanfront location made it a busy east coast port. By the mid-19th century the city's population had reached nearly 450,000, its numbers swelled by the first wave of European immigrants (mostly Irish).
On November 9, 1872, a devasting fire ripped through Boston's downtown and financial districts.
Investigators later ascertained that the blaze broke out in the basement of a warehouse storing dry goods in Summer Street (pictured).
The conflagration killed at least 30 people and still ranks as one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history. Less than 50 years later, Boston would suffer another major disaster.
In the wake of the fire, workers and engineers used building rubble as landfill along the downtown waterfront. This created significant parts of the South End, the West End, the Financial District, and Chinatown. Boston continued to expand through land reclamation and more newcomers arrived—Germans, French Canadians, Italians, and Russian and Polish Jews.
By the end of the century, Boston's core neighborhoods were synonymous with ethnically distinct immigrants. Italians became the largest inhabitants of the North End (pictured).
Boston and its harbor had long served as a significant stop in Atlantic trading routes. In fact, at one point Boston was one of the world's wealthiest international trading ports.
The city was, and still is, a major commercial fishing port, the hub of trade centered on the famous Boston Fish Pier.
A lucrative import was molasses, a byproduct obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar.
Molasses is a thick, dark, viscous syrup. Sweet and earthy, it's used to make brown sugar and as a flavoring in many baking and cooking recipes. It's the principal ingredient in the distillation of rum, and a few beer styles such as stouts and porters also utilize molasses. Ominously, molasses is a key component in munitions.
In the 1700s, Boston and many other colonial areas were importing huge qualities of molasses. It was a profitable trade and was still flourishing in the early 20th century, the refined product finding its way into the city's bars and cafés.
The early winter of 1918-1919 was bitterly cold. Snow blanketed the ground and temperatures hovered around 40°F (4°C). Then on January 15, the mercury began to rise dramatically.
At the Purity Distilling Company facility in Boston's North End, a considerable amount of molasses was stored in a huge tank (pictured), in fact 2.3 million gallons (8,700 cubic meters).
The previous day, a cargo vessel had delivered a fresh load of molasses, which had been warmed to decrease its viscosity for transfer. It was promptly unloaded into the tank.
What happened next was likely due to the thermal expansion of the older, colder molasses already inside the tank. Whatever the reason, in an instant the giant tank ruptured with a mighty crash sending a colossal tsunami of thick, sugary molasses barreling down the streets of North End.
Standing in the path of the dark tide of deadly syrup was Boston Elevated Railway's Atlantic Avenue structure.
The wave was of sufficient force to drive steel panels of the burst tank against the girders of the elevated railway, leaving it twisted and buckled.
Gathering momentum and reaching speeds of up to 35 mph (56 km/h), the thick liquid swept nearby buildings clean off their foundations.
A fire station (pictured), its crew given too little time to respond to the unfolding disaster, was reduced to rubble.
The molasses flooded streets, smashed buildings, crushed vehicles, and trapped horses. In total, 21 people were killed in the catastrophe, most of them in the vicinity of Commercial Street. Around 150 were injured.
The Great Molasses Flood made national headlines. The Boston Globe's late edition reported on the incident, when final casualty figures were still to be determined.
In the aftermath of the flood, welders were brought in to carefully cut up the tank in the search for victims.
Detail of molasses flood area: 1. Purity Distilling molasses tank; 2. Firehouse 31 (heavy damage); 3. Paving department and police station; 4. Purity offices (flattened); 5. Copp's Hill Terrace; 6. Boston Gas Light building (damaged); 7. Purity warehouse (mostly intact); 8. Residential area (site of flattened Clougherty house).
Circled in red on this map detail of modern downtown Boston is the molasses flood area.
The Boston police, the fire department, army and navy personnel, and members of the Red Cross were all involved in rescue and cleanup operations.
Even though fire crews constantly sprayed water across the twisted wreckage, it wasn't until the city ordered powerful streams of salt water from a fireboat stationed in the harbor that the gooey carpet of molasses began to disappear. Sand was also used to absorb it. However, the odor of molasses lingered in the area for decades.
In 2014, analysis of the disaster undertaken by a senior structural engineer in Massachusetts concluded that the tank's steel walls were too thin to support the weight of a full tank of molasses. Flawed rivet design was another problem.
Today, the site of the circular tank stands in Langone Park. The anniversary of the flood is often commemorated with a memorial service for those who lost their lives. A small plaque on nearby Commercial Street serves as a historical marker.
Sources: (History.com) (NPR) (Boston Magazine) (Demographia)
See also: The worst floods in history
What was the Great Molasses Flood?
What happened in Boston on January 15, 1919?
LIFESTYLE History
The Great Molasses Flood was one of the most infamous disasters in the history of the United States. It was also one of the most bizarre. The tragedy occurred in Boston in the early 20th century. The city had not long before experienced a devastating fire, and while this later incident involved a far more benign material, it proved equally as deadly.
So, what exactly caused the flood, and how was it dealt with? Click through for a timeline leading up to the catastrophe and details of what happened on the day.