Today, the site of the Great Molasses Flood bears little resemblance to the wharf it used to be. A new shipment of hot molasses had been added to the tank just two days before the explosion, which mixed with the cold contents already inside. Anarchists, Horses, Heroes: 12 Things You Didn't Know about the Great Boston Molasses Flood. It would take hours to pull survivors from the wreckage and months to clean up the mess. A view of the destroyed train trestle from atop the tracks. Previous installments of How Regulation came to be: Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. Describing the rescue effort, a Boston Post reporter wrote: "Here and there struggled a form whether it was animal or human being was impossible to tell. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. By continuing to browse the site Scores of buildings, vehicles and bystanders were swept away. Great Boston Molasses Flood: The Disaster That Killed 21 People Though it was standard practice to test a molasses tanks strength by first filling it with water, Jell never had the tank filled above the bottom 6 inches before giving his approval for its use. Science Monitor has expired. How Did Julius Caesar Die? If the tank had collapsed in warmer weather, the molasses would have been more like honey than tar, and would have "flowed farther, but also thinner," reducing the number of people who became fatally stuck, said Shmuel M. Rubinstein, aHarvard Universityprofessor whose students investigated the disaster, according to The New York Times. In the early years of the century, although monetary awards to wronged plaintiffs could be high in such a case, business defendants won about 85% of all cases. In this episode of #Untold, a new #YouTubeLearning series from ACS, PBS, and YouTube, we get into the science behind what created that 25 foot wave, and why there was such a crazy amount of molasses in Boston to begin with.Molasses flood photographs are courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.You might also like:UNTOLD | Challenger: The Real Story of an Avoidable Disasterhttps://youtu.be/uI174WMnWl4UNTOLD | The Loneliest Whalehttps://youtu.be/L7mTZAhCeyAWhat Exactly Happened at Chernobyl?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvpS2lUHZD8Credits:Executive Producers: George Zaidan Hilary Hudson Producer/Editor: Darren WeaverWriter/Host: Alex Dainis, PhDAssistant Editor:Brett KuxhausenAnimator:Shea LordCoordinating Producer:Samantha Jones, PhDFact Checker:Bob HuntArchive Producer:Annalea EmbreeScientific Consultants:Michelle Boucher, PhDLeila Duman, PhDNicole Sharp, PhDBenjamin Stark, PhDSources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Kou_qOGHgajWelsVZijHPZjE8CT4cWiqIMBs90-Nza0/edit?usp=sharingProduced by the American Chemical Society. About half of the victims of the flood, he added, "died basically because they were stuck.". While some molasses distilling took place in the city up until World War II, the industry never resumed its level of importance. What followed was an enormous wave of molasses. Burst jars of sauerkraut, kimchi, and even sourdough starters. What was the Great Molasses Flood? 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The death toll eventually rose to 21 people. The Monitor is a peculiar little publication thats hard for the world to figure out. The Red Cross was quickly on the scene with support services. There had been warning signs from the very beginning about the 90-foot-diameter, 52-foot-tall tank that allegedly creaked and groaned under load. The case. The deadly 25-foot wave of molasses that flowed through Boston's North End, flattening buildings in its wake, may sound like a scenario in a science fiction movie but for the 21 people killed and 150 injured in the flood, the nightmarish scene was very real. and by January 15th the temperatures hit 43 degrees and workers in the vicinity were doffing coats and working in shirtsleeves. Boston's emergency-response apparatus, just a couple of months removed from full war alert, was mobilized for the disaster. Latest book reviews, author interviews, and reading trends. There is no doubt that Ogden, as a soldier and a patriot, would have despised both the motives and methods of the anarchists. Fermentation, being exothermic, also gives off heat. This was ultimately an incorrect but understandable conclusion. 20142023 National Center for Families Learning, http://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/What-Was-the-Great-Molasses-Flood, National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), https://www.npr.org/2019/01/15/685154620/a-deadly-tsunami-of-molasses-in-bostons-north-end, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/27366/bostons-great-molasses-flood-1919, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Great-Molasses-Flood, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/without-warning-molasses-january-surged-over-boston-180971251/, (plural) an official visit to a school, hospital, etc., in order to see if rules are being followed and things are in their proper condition, a large container (such as a tub or barrel) used especially for holding liquids. The Supreme Court of the United States set the tone in those years with the kind of hard-nosed libertarian mindset and hands-off laissez faire attitude toward business relationships exhibited in the Lochner v. New York decision that gave the court of that era its name. Ethan Trex at Mental Floss reports that on January 15, 1919, a massive molasses holding tank in Boston's north end owned by the Purity Distilling Company, which used the treacle to produce. USIA soon found itself named as the defendant in 125 lawsuits, which led to a legal battle that nearly matched the floods scale. The court considered whether natural fermentation principles had a role in the accident. A worker uses an acetylene torch to cut through a section of the ruptured tank. There were ample exceptions, of course, but the business community, for the most part, read a clear message in the judgment -- more of a shot across the bow, actually. The two-story, 160 foot wide tidal wave, moving at an estimated 35 . In fact, Purity Distilling counted on this happening because they sold off that ethanol, which was an essential component in munitions manufacturing and in high demand during World War I. On January 15, 1919, a giant molasses tank in Boston's North End exploded, resulting in the "Great Molasses Flood.". In 1919, a tank holding about 2 million gallons of molasses collapsed in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. In the end, the sugary tsunami killed 21 people, including 17 . An update on major political events, candidates, and parties twice a week. That subway tunnel will keep its shape;. According to Boston.com, the Globe reported that a man named B.E. Instead, an investigation found fault with the USIA. The Holocaust began January 30, 1933 and lasted through May 8, 1945 (History 1). It was the rivets from the molasses tank shooting off under pressure. contact customer service Hundreds of injured and dying people lay trapped in the sea of molasses. Imagine youre a newspaper journalist in 1919. The Great Molasses Flood made national news the very next day, and eclipsed reports about the same-day passing of the 18th Amendment: Prohibition. The molasses poured outward through the streets, causing a wall of molasses up to 15 to 30 feet high and moving at a speed of 35 miles an hour. The man who oversaw the construction wasnt an engineer or an architect; in fact, he couldnt even read a blueprint. A new shipment of hot molasses had been added to the tank just two days before the explosion, which mixed with the cold contents already inside. A man surveys the damage caused by the molasses flood. To attempt to wipe it with hands was to make it worse. Medics and police officers arrived on the scene quickly but had to slog through waist-deep goo to reach victims. When I was a boy. U.S. Industrial Alcohol, Purity Distillings parent company, was quickly taken to court over the disaster. The title was so spot-on, weve used it (at least) twice, and probably will again. How did this tragedy happen in the first place? Had he been a lesser man, the type of man Choate had counted on, one who let personal feelings -- and perhaps prejudices -- guide his legal judgments, a ruling in favor of USIA would have been simple and generated little controversy. 1:00pm. But worse still was the human cost; the flood killed 21 people and injured more than 150 others. Look back in time with. Nearby residents reported that the tank had leaked since its construction. (Although Prohibition kicked in with Nebraskas ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment the very next day after the 1919 disaster, the United States Industrial Alcohol Company, Purity Distillings parent company, still had a license to distill alcohol for industrial applications.). Thanks, folks. In faith and in faith communities, they always talk about when God restores, you get back 100 times what was taken.. Boston Public Library/Leslie Jones Collection. "But now its known you need to have a higher ratio.". No one had ever inspected the tank after its construction, and concerns expressed by employees after the tank was filled were dismissed. Standards: Factories, such as the one in Boston run by the Purity Distilling Company in the early 1900s, distilled molasses to create ethanol. The molasses case marked the beginning of the end of an era when big business faced no government restrictions on its activities and no consequences. Horrified by the reputation he might leave behind, Nobel became a philanthropist. Firehouse 31, ripped from its foundation by the flood. Get stories that empower and uplift daily. In addition, the tank lacked enough rivets to properly fasten the plates. Local residents claim that on a steamy summer night you can still smell the sweet aroma of molasses. Finally, the North End Italian immigrant community, devastated in the wake of the disaster, underwent a fundamental shift of priorities. In reality, a few different factors contributed to the initial blast behind the Boston molasses disaster. A few months before he announced his candidacy, Mr. Salaam stood at a ceremonial gate that was unveiled to honor the Exonerated Fives resilience and independence.We are here because we persevere, Mr. Salaam said at the time.There are times when a gate works as a dam a prison. Among the evidence that emerged over the course of the hearings were the facts that USIA and Arthur Jell had engaged no one with any engineering or architectural expertise to review the plans created by Hammond Iron Works, either in the planning stage or after construction, nor had they asked other experts inside USIA to analyze the construction. Navy personnel and firefighters rush to the scene. Library of CongressRescuers and curious bystanders flock to the scene of the disaster. Excerpts from How Slow is Molasses in January?, Yankee Magazine, January 1989 and 1994. All told, the Boston molasses disaster left 21 dead and 150 injured while causing over $7 million in property damage (which would equal more than $100 million today). Were the bran muffin of journalism. Basically, it threw up a gigantic tank as quickly and as cheaply as possible, skimped on inspections and safety tests, and hoped for the best. Twenty-one people died from the molasses flood, and 150 were injured either from being swept up in the flood or buried in the debris of collapsing structures. The flood claimed 21 lives, and another 150 people suffered injuries. Write a newspaper article that includes the most important information about this disaster. 1:00pm. A selection of the most viewed stories this week on the Monitor's website. Only an upheaval, a thrashing about in the sticky mass, showed where any life was Horses died like so many flies on sticky fly-paper. Find an adult who can help you keep learning with the activities below! Flawed rivet designs compounded the problem, and this was where the first cracks formed. The trial lasted for six years and heard thousands of witness testimonies in an attempt to trace the incident back to its root cause. Soon, however, it was revealed that residents had been reporting leaks in the tank since its construction. Just after 12:30 p.m., downtown workers, who were outdoors enjoying the break in wintry weather, heard a piercing staccato sound coming from the harbor. By Ferris . Wrecked cars and debris lay strewn beneath the elevated railway. It had placed a man in charge with no engineering or construction experience who neglected to take basic measures to insure a proper factor of safety was provided in the design and construction of the tank, neither retaining nor consulting qualified engineering professionals to create or review plans, failing to carry out proper inspections, failing to test the receptacle when completed, and ignoring (and even concealing) concerns about the tank's safety after it was filled. The original cause of the deadly disaster, which has remained a mystery for the past century, was explored in another study published last year. Sugar prices dropped markedly after the First World War, and sugar replaced molasses as a sweetener. The more they struggled, the deeper in the mess they were ensnared. The more they struggled, the deeper in the mess they were ensnared. When you think molasses, you probably think slow, sticky, or totally boring, but in January, 1919, a tsunami wave of molasses destroyed Bostons North End, killing 21 people and leaving another 150 injured. How much damage was done by the Great Molasses Flood? The testimony of over 3,000 witnesses was taken, and over 45,000 pages of testimony and arguments recorded. The community assimilated the lesson of the flood -- by failing to involve itself in local politics, they had abrogated their ability to influence decisions that had direct and profound consequences to the community. Colonel Ogden found United States Industrial Alcohol fully at fault -- and the end result of Ogden's findings was the Really Big Judgment. The company paid the flood victims and their families $628,000, the equivalent of $9.2 million today. Tell everybody about Wonderopolis and its wonders. The incident is commonly referred to as the Great Molasses Flood. Even as Mr. Salaam walks in the way of Harlem activists such as Malcolm X and iconic politicians such as Adam Clayton Powell, there are still injustices that profoundly affect Black people. It was a mistake the Italian immigrants would not make a second time. The Great Molasses Flood, also known as the Boston Molasses Disaster, [1] [2] [a] was a disaster that occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . At about 12:30 p.m., the tank burst. The death toll eventually rose to 21 people. subscription yet. The Holocaust affected numerous of Jews and killed approximately 6 million (History 1). Many home fermenters have personal experience with bursting fermentation creations. Select stories from the Monitor that empower and uplift. Ogden, for his part, seemed the perfect candidate to carry the proceedings to the customary conclusion, thoroughly expected by the company and its defense team. In 1915, the Purity Distilling Company built a tank in Bostons North End to store molasses imported from the Caribbean. It was the rivets from the molasses tank shooting off under pressure. The only sign that the bizarre disaster ever took place is a commemorative plaque at the park entrance. New technologies in the production of high explosives and smokeless powder soon eliminated the need for munitions companies to rely on industrial alcohol distilled from molasses. The obituary, written by an obvious deep critic of the dynamite inventor, reported that the merchant of death is dead.. At the time, the temperatures hovered around zero degrees Fahrenheit. The Great Molasses Flood: A Crisis of Fermentation? But how, exactly, did the sticky, sweet substance commonly found in cookies turn so deadly? By Robert Stanly. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is: Subscribe to Wonderopolis and receive This message will appear once per week Were about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, You are bigger and more capable than you realize. January 15, 1919, started unseasonably warm, around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The Christian Science Monitor is an international news organization offering calm, thoughtful, award-winning coverage for independent thinkers. It also led, first Massachusetts, and subsequently states across the nation, to strengthen engineering certification requirements and require the sealing of drawings by registered professional engineers. The incident. During the early 1900s, molasses was distilled to create the ethanol that would be included in dynamites production, the same molasses that smothered Bostons North End in a strange and damaging tragedy. Well, its just what it sounds like. the Wonder of the Day via email or SMS. The steel delivered by Hammond Iron Works was 10 percent thinner, even, than they specified in their own plans. And loopholes that allowed the unregulated construction of an enormous structure whose failure was capable of causing enormous devastation and loss of life were quickly sealed tight. Puddles of sticky molasses cool in the cold, winter air. Just after noon, something went horribly wrong. How Regulation came to be: The Great Molasses Flood - Daily Kos They found that the substance's viscosity, or the degree to which it resists flowing, depends largely on temperature. Tomorrow's Wonder of the Day is a MOUNTAIN of new information! Maria was suffocated to death by the molasses, and Pasquale was killed after being struck by. Estimated height of the wave of molasses: 30 feet Shoddy construction, lax safety testing, and years of repeated over-filling left the tank weakened. you are agreeing to our, From ditch digging to herding donkeys, no rest for Chinas rural seniors, Post-riots, France looks at left-behind youth. After the Great Molasses Flood, people first surmised that the molasses in the tank had been fermenting, and since the ferments carbon dioxide and heat had nowhere to go, the result was a pressure cooker that exploded through the North End. Soon, an enormous legal battle ensued. ", He continued, "A second later, it seemed, there was a crash. Now, with the war just over, countries re-building their arms stockpiles in the wake of the armistice had somewhat supplanted wartime demand, and despite an uncertain future for the industry, compounded by the threatened passage of the 18th amendment, life was good. The least bit of extenuating circumstance was usually sufficient to relieve a company of all responsibility for damages in the eyes of the court and the juries. Check out this guide for the tempting pineapple tepache drink, including troubleshooting tips and signs that its ready to drink. The weirder and more notable aspects of the disaster, via Dark Tide author Stephen Puleo. The ruins of tanks containing 2 1/2 million gallons of molasses lie in a heap after the dramatic collapse that hurled trucks against buildings and crumpled houses in the North End of Boston on Jan. 15, 1919. Read about Kansas City-based artist S.E. Pipes entering the tank were heated to aid the flow of the dense liquid. [] Debris strewn beneath the elevated tracks. In 1915, the Purity Distilling Company built a tank in Bostons North End to store molasses imported from the Caribbean. As a teenager in 1990, he was convicted of a crime he didnt commit and spent nearly seven years in jail. It was just after noon on January 15 when the great molasses tank exploded with a ground-shaking blast. The Great Molasses Flood also shone light on the issue of insecure construction. On January 15, 1919, a 50-foot tall tank full of industrial grade molasses ruptured, sending a 2.3 million gallon wave of molasses rushing through the crowde. The deluge caused extensive damage and killed 21 people. Nash as he explores the wide world of microbes in his interactive, thought-provoking exhibitions. First responders to the scene had to wade through feet of molasses to search for survivors and pull 21 dead bodies from the mess. The cleanup. After three years of hearings, USIA paid more than $600,000 in out-of-court settlements to the victims and their families (more than $8.4 million today). The molasses flood covered one of the densest commercial sections of Boston, with a busy port and a railway terminal. Rescuers used hatchets and crowbars in an attempt to reach the people who were pinned by debris. A solitary vent was the only outlet for the fermenting gases. Learn how the city of Boston handled the, What did Bostons North End look like right after the Great Molasses Flood? It raced through the streets at 35 miles per hour, taking out everything in its path. In January of 1919 Purity Distilling Company of Boston, maker of high-grade rum, was working three shifts a day in a vain attempt to outrun national Prohibition. Published July 14, 2022 Updated September 4, 2022 On January 15, 1919, a poorly-constructed tank burst open and sent a 25-foot-high wave of molasses through Boston's North End, killing 21 people and injuring 150 others. A weekly update on music, movies, cultural trends, and education solutions. You can find her at. At 12:40 p.m., on January 15, the added stress literally blew out the sides of the tank and molasses spewed in all directions. Initially, the USIA claimed to be the victim of a crime. A study by MIT Professor C.M. The Great Molasses Flood | Footnote to History - New England January 15, 1919, started unseasonably warm, around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a sticky, deadly tsunami that flattened an entire neighborhood within seconds. After all, this molasses sped 35 miles per hour through the North End, which wasnt slow at all. Antonio di Stasio, Maria di Stasio and Pasquale Iantosca were all instantly swallowed by the torrent. This series explores efforts around the world to seek justice and restitution for communities subjected to historical harms. A giant wave of a sticky foodstuff sounds like something from a cartoon, but the surging molasses was a shockingly destructive force. The gluey chaos caused by the flood was hosed down with salt water from fireboats and then the streets were covered with sand. 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. If Yusef Salaam had lost faith in the justice system, let alone electoral politics, it would have been understandable. While the company was never prosecuted with criminal charges, the man-made disaster inspired survivors to push for safer zoning legislation in their North End neighborhoods, and in Massachusetts more broadly. It provided a temporary holding space for the syrup before it could be sent across the river to an ethanol distillation facility, where it was eventually used to feed the insatiable wartime demand for dynamite, bombs, and other munitions. Within minutes, the syrup had overwhelmed two city blocks and caused what would be more than $100 million today in property damage. Avery Wonders, What was the Great Molasses Flood? Thanks for WONDERing with us, Avery! Molasses can be very dangerous if you dont care for it properly. Then, go inside six other strange food disasters. The Great Molasses Flood still seems like a tragedy that could have been averted, but the disaster really drew attention to the potential repercussions of shaky construction. Jan 15 2021. The culprit. The summer before the accident brought sweltering temperatures to Boston, and with them, resident complaints that the tank was springing leaks. This became dangerous when combined with molasses' natural propensity to ferment and produce ethanol. The black tide of sweetener raced through the North Ends populated neighborhoods at 35 miles per hour, building up enough momentum to tear buildings from their foundations, smash homes apart, and snap the supports off elevated train tracks. And it was sweeping rapidly down upon the office, gaining momentum every second. The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 killed 21 after 2 million As we highlight the individual stories of the exonerated, we should be mindful that there is a collective of people who seek independence from poverty and homelessness.The potential that comes from that social uplift is limitless, as Mr. Salaam said when asked about the arc of his life on PBS. Any time a product thats actively fermenting is sealed too tightly, the carbon dioxide produced has nowhere to go. Rescue efforts continued for days, and the spill stained Boston Harbor brown for weeks. Anxious to complete the tank in time for the arrival of the first molasses shipment, Jell forwent the elementary precaution of filling it first with water to test for leaks. A playground and baseball field presently occupy the site of the blast. Great Molasses Flood at 100: How Boston Disaster Made Us Safer - TIME Police say yes, human rights activists say no. The Horrifying event all started when Germany appointed Adolph Hitler as their leader. The aftermath. Human beings men and women suffered likewise.". The public had had enough. How does the founder of one of the most well-known international honors connect back to the Great Molasses Flood?
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