The Great Molasses Flood of 1919
Some disasters are very strange and their name can be very misleading. If I told you there was a molasses flood in Boston in 1919, you might be thinking a truck tipped and a road got covered in sticky molasses. An event where a man might have complained about having to clean it up when he got home only to have his wife laugh at his insane story.
If only that were the case.
What happened?
On January 15, 1919, at around noon, a giant tank of molasses owned by U.S. Industrial Alcohol, containing more than 2 million gallons, burst in Boston's North End. The molasses became a giant, tsunami-like wave that reached a speed of 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers). The molasses wave resulted in the deaths of 21 people and left about 150 wounded with mostly back and head injuries.
The smell of molasses lasted for decades.
Right after the event, two of the main theories were that the molasses fermented and created too much pressure inside the tank and the other theory was sabotage by anarchists. Neither of these were correct.
Why was it so deadly?
The investigation into the event last for years, until 1925.
The event was so disastrous due to a number of factors, most of which came back to the tank itself.
The tank
The tank was built to hold 2.5 million gallons of molasses. Experts, such as Ronald Mayville, a senior structural engineer at Simpson, Gumpertz, and Heger, a consulting firm in Massachusetts, say there were serious issues with the tank. The tank was 50 feet tall and had a diameter of 90 feet. However, the steel walls, about 0.67 inches at the bottom and 0.31 inches at the top, were too thin. In addition, the rivet design was flawed and those areas are where the cracks formed first.
Before the disaster, the tank had been filled 29 times, but only to capacity four times. Two days before, the tank had been filled to capacity. Even by 1919 standards, this wasn't a good tank. But, with the rise in demand for industrial alcohol (which could be made from molasses and sold to weapons companies), the tank had to be built quickly in 1915. As a result, the company never tested the tank with water first and ignored the warning signs that the tank was failing, including groaning noises when it was being filled and the obvious cracks. The cracks were apparently so obvious that children would fill cups with the molasses that was dripping out.
When a labourer brought a piece of the tank to the Treasurer, he replied "I don't know what you want me to do. The tank still stands."
Compacting the problem with the tank was the metal itself - it didn't contain enough manganese. As a result, the metal became brittle if it cooled below 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). It was January so the weather wasn't ideal. It was 40 degrees Fahrenhiet (4.4 degrees Celsius) that day. Meaning the tank was brittle, already cracking, and full.
The flood
The flood was terrifying.
The first wave moved quickly, reaching an estimated speed of 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers) and was 25 feet high! While molasses is very slow to pour, the wave had gravity and inertia behind it so it would have moved quickly at first. As it spread, it slowed down and began to harden. The molasses stayed thick and trapped people. For some, it was hard to breath as the molasses was so deep.
Those immediately in the path of the wave drowned and building were destroyed.
Over night, the temperature dropped causing the molasses to harden even more which made it difficult free survivors or find the remains of the dead. Salt water had to be used to cut through the thick molasses so searches could be conducted.
Many of the wounded had broken backs or fractured skulls.
If the disaster happened in July or August, the flood may have disbursed more, but it wouldn't have stayed so thick and would have allowed more people to escape the molasses as it wouldn't have been so deep. It took 400 people months to find all the remains and clean up the mess.
The first class action lawsuit
Kesslen, Ben. "The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 the killed 21 after 2 million gallon tank erupted." NBC News. January 14, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/great-boston-molasses-flood-1919-killed-21-after-2-million-n958326
Sohn, Emily. "Why the Great Molasses Flood Was So Deadly." History. https://www.history.com/news/great-molasses-flood-science
"The Great Boston Molasses Flood: why the strange disaster matters today." The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/13/the-great-boston-molasses-flood-why-it-matters-modern-regulation
If only that were the case.
What happened?
On January 15, 1919, at around noon, a giant tank of molasses owned by U.S. Industrial Alcohol, containing more than 2 million gallons, burst in Boston's North End. The molasses became a giant, tsunami-like wave that reached a speed of 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers). The molasses wave resulted in the deaths of 21 people and left about 150 wounded with mostly back and head injuries.
 |
| Some of the devastation caused by the flood. (The Guardian) |
The smell of molasses lasted for decades.
Right after the event, two of the main theories were that the molasses fermented and created too much pressure inside the tank and the other theory was sabotage by anarchists. Neither of these were correct.
Why was it so deadly?
The investigation into the event last for years, until 1925.
The event was so disastrous due to a number of factors, most of which came back to the tank itself.
The tank
The tank was built to hold 2.5 million gallons of molasses. Experts, such as Ronald Mayville, a senior structural engineer at Simpson, Gumpertz, and Heger, a consulting firm in Massachusetts, say there were serious issues with the tank. The tank was 50 feet tall and had a diameter of 90 feet. However, the steel walls, about 0.67 inches at the bottom and 0.31 inches at the top, were too thin. In addition, the rivet design was flawed and those areas are where the cracks formed first.
Before the disaster, the tank had been filled 29 times, but only to capacity four times. Two days before, the tank had been filled to capacity. Even by 1919 standards, this wasn't a good tank. But, with the rise in demand for industrial alcohol (which could be made from molasses and sold to weapons companies), the tank had to be built quickly in 1915. As a result, the company never tested the tank with water first and ignored the warning signs that the tank was failing, including groaning noises when it was being filled and the obvious cracks. The cracks were apparently so obvious that children would fill cups with the molasses that was dripping out.
When a labourer brought a piece of the tank to the Treasurer, he replied "I don't know what you want me to do. The tank still stands."
Compacting the problem with the tank was the metal itself - it didn't contain enough manganese. As a result, the metal became brittle if it cooled below 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). It was January so the weather wasn't ideal. It was 40 degrees Fahrenhiet (4.4 degrees Celsius) that day. Meaning the tank was brittle, already cracking, and full.
The flood
The flood was terrifying.
The first wave moved quickly, reaching an estimated speed of 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers) and was 25 feet high! While molasses is very slow to pour, the wave had gravity and inertia behind it so it would have moved quickly at first. As it spread, it slowed down and began to harden. The molasses stayed thick and trapped people. For some, it was hard to breath as the molasses was so deep.
Those immediately in the path of the wave drowned and building were destroyed.
 |
| The firehouse after the flood (NBC News) |
Over night, the temperature dropped causing the molasses to harden even more which made it difficult free survivors or find the remains of the dead. Salt water had to be used to cut through the thick molasses so searches could be conducted.
Many of the wounded had broken backs or fractured skulls.
If the disaster happened in July or August, the flood may have disbursed more, but it wouldn't have stayed so thick and would have allowed more people to escape the molasses as it wouldn't have been so deep. It took 400 people months to find all the remains and clean up the mess.
The first class action lawsuit
119 people, including victims and families of those killed, sued U.S. Industrial Alcohol in the first class actions lawsuit - Dorr v United States Industrial Alcohol Company. They claimed the company was responsible due to the condition of the tank and their negligence by not ensuring it was fixed.
The company claimed Italian anarchists had sabotaged the tank. The investigation lasted more than five years and resulted in U.S. Industrial Alcohol being held liable due to their negligence.
Kesslen, Ben. "The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 the killed 21 after 2 million gallon tank erupted." NBC News. January 14, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/great-boston-molasses-flood-1919-killed-21-after-2-million-n958326
Sohn, Emily. "Why the Great Molasses Flood Was So Deadly." History. https://www.history.com/news/great-molasses-flood-science
"The Great Boston Molasses Flood: why the strange disaster matters today." The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/13/the-great-boston-molasses-flood-why-it-matters-modern-regulation
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