Aftermath of the disaster Never tell a Bostonian that they're slower than molasses in January. It was on January 15, 1919 that a silo of molasses exploded and all "brown hell broke loose, flooding downtown Boston." The sweet tsunami poured through the cobbled streets at 35 miles an hour, swamping everything in its path: people, horses, and houses. The wave was impossible to ride, though legend has it that the molasses lifted a schoolboy, Anthony di Stasio, onto its murky crest, so it looked like he was surfing. Anthony and 20 other people died in the great molasses flood, and 150 were injured. Rescuers trudged through 14,000 tons of goo searching for survivors and got stuck in the muck themselves. Theories on how this tragedy might have occurred abound. But in the end the tank's owner, Purity Distilling Company, was charged with responsibility for the accident. They had, after all, "fixed" the leaks in the tower by painting it brown. And fermentation in the tank might have added to the pressure inside. The beautiful, unseasonably warm 41° F day was just the icing on the cake. Suggested Sites... Mass Moments: Great Molasses Flood - "Horses died like so many flies on sticky fly paper." Wikipedia: Boston Molasses Disaster - an overview of the tragedy. Was Boston Once Literally Flooded With Molasses? - it sounds far-fetched, but The Straight Dope confirms that it's true.

Directory categories: Great Molasses Flood, Disaster Preparedness, Survival Products, Boston History

Archived under: American History, Disasters, Food and Drink, History, Regional, Safety

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