By Kristy McCaffrey
On January 15, 1919, a massive tank at the Purity Distilling
Company in Boston exploded, releasing more than 2 million gallons of hot and
sticky molasses. The wave of thick liquid was 30 feet tall and traveled at 35 miles
per hour, destroying buildings, vehicles, and even knocking an elevated train
off its tracks.
An 8-foot wave of molasses moved down a Boston street at a speed of 35 mph. Wreckage of the collapsed tank can be seen in the background. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) |
For residents in the immediate vicinity there was no escape
and 21 people perished that day, including three firemen who were killed when
their nearby firehouse collapsed. An additional 150 people were injured, and
several horses were also killed. Survivors were helped by the police, a local
Army battalion, the Red Cross, and the Navy, but the sticky mess hindered the
response. It took four days to find all the victims, and another two weeks to clean
up the syrup. Nearly a century later, residents in the area still report
smelling molasses on hot summer days.
The cause of the flood was immediately linked to sabotage,
but the reality was that the tank had not been well-built. The fermentation
process combined with an abnormally warm day had caused a buildup of pressure.
More recently, engineers have concluded that fluid dynamics played a role in the
wave that caused so much devastation. When a dense fluid spreads horizontally
into a less dense fluid (molasses into air), gravity currents come into play.
It’s similar to how cold dense air will flow through an open door into a warm
room, even if there is no wind to drive it.
Purity and its parent company were found to be responsible,
and the civil lawsuit lasted until 1925. That year the company took a charge of
$628,000 against its profits, reflecting settlements and legal costs related to
the disaster. That’s about $8.3 million in 2013 dollars.
Connect with Kristy
I'll never eat or use molasses again after reading this. :) So interesting. Thanks for posting it. Love your new book.
ReplyDeleteHaha, so true, although I'll admit I'm not much of a molasses eater to begin with, except maybe in cookie recipes. Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words on my latest release. Cheers!
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