While victims alleged that the tank was not safe, USIA claimed that it had been sabotaged by “evilly disposed persons.” In 1925, however, it was ruled that the tank was unsound, and USIA was ordered to pay damages. Numerous lawsuits were filed in the wake of the disaster. In addition, the Boston Post noted that a number of horses had “died like so many flies on sticky fly paper.” Clean-up efforts lasted for weeks, and Boston reportedly continued to smell like molasses for years afterward. In the end, 21 people were killed, many of whom were suffocated by the syrup, and approximately 150 were injured. Although help arrived quickly, the hardening molasses made rescue efforts difficult. Traveling at approximately 35 miles (56 km) per hour, it destroyed several city blocks, leveling buildings and damaging automobiles. Nevertheless, it continued to be used, and after the war’s conclusion USIA focused on producing grain alcohol, which was in high demand as prohibition neared passage.Īt approximately 12:30 pm on January 15, 1919, the tank burst, releasing a deluge of “sweet, sticky death.” According to reports, the resulting wave of molasses was 15 to 40 feet (5 to 12 metres) high and some 160 feet (49 metres) wide. Built quickly, the tank was problematic from the start, leaking and often emitting rumbling noises. The tank’s immense size reflected the demand: it measured more than 50 feet (15 metres) high and 90 feet (27 metres) in diameter and could hold up to 2.5 million gallons (9.5 million litres) of molasses. At the time, industrial alcohol-then made from fermented molasses-was highly profitable it was used to make munitions and other weaponry for World War I (1914–18). It was operated by the Purity Distilling Company, a subsidiary of United States Industrial Alcohol (USIA). The tank was built in 1915 along Boston’s waterfront on Commercial Street, opposite Copp’s Hill. The deluge caused extensive damage and killed 21 people. Great Molasses Flood, disaster in Boston that occurred after a storage tank collapsed on January 15, 1919, sending more than two million gallons (eight million litres) of molasses flowing through the city’s North End. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.
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