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Great Molasses Flood

Interesting facts about the Great Molasses flood

The Great Molasses flood occurred in Boston in January 1919. A tank explosion causes a sea of Molasses to cover parts of the North End of Boston.

Boston Molasses
Location of the United States Industrial Alcohol Company is now a Park and Ice Rink.

Eleven things I learned about the Boston Molasses Disaster

  • Molasses was used to manufacture industrial alcohol for the First World War.
  • The Molasses Disaster occurred on the night of January 15, 1919 (406 days after the Halifax Explosion)
  • 2,500,000 gallons of Molasses was spilled around the corner of Commercial Street and Charter Street
  • Twenty One Lives were lost because of the collapse of the Molasses containers. (50 injured)
  • In 1925,the United States Industrial Alcohol Company settled a pending lawsuit and agreed to pay an unspecified amount of damages. (Estimated $500,000 to $1,000,000) That would be equivalent to $6,973,665.58 $13,947,331.16 in 2016 value.
  • Individual claims against death of victims got $7,000 each ($98,667.60 in 2017)
  • The cause of the disaster was the tanks weren't designed to hold more than 2,500,000 gallons. There should have been a "factor of safety" and the containers should have been built to hold more weight.
  • Boston Building Standards and Zoning laws were drastically changed because of the disaster.
  • The United States Industrial Alcohol Company had claimed that it wasn't an accident and was caused by anarchists. Several ships were lost at sea in mysterious ways.
  • The area where the tank was located is now the Steriti Rink. You may hear stories about locals still smelling Molasses on a hot day - it's a false lengend.
  • There is a proposal to build a monument to the victims on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

A list of the fatalities can be found on Wikipedia.

 

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There are many interesting things and places around Boston, MA that you should know about. Here are a few that caught my attention. From historical sites such as the USS Constitution Museum, the Freedom Trail, and the iconic Fenway Park, to modern attractions like the New England Aquarium, the Boston Public Market, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, there is something for everyone. Whether you are looking for a fun family trip or a romantic getaway, Boston has it all.

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