Where in Boston was the molasses flood?

The molasses burst from a huge tank at the United States Industrial Alcohol Company building in the heart of the city. The United States Industrial Alcohol building was located on Commercial Street near North End Park in Boston.

Can you still smell molasses in Boston?

Structural defects in the tank combined with unseasonably warm temperatures contributed to the disaster. Local legend has it that on particularly warm days, you can still smell the faint aroma of molasses seeping up from the streets of the old North End.

Why did the molasses tank explode in Boston in 1919?

READ MORE: The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 In the immediate aftermath, news coverage included speculation about fermentation that produced too much pressure inside the tank. Some blamed anarchists for setting off a bomb. “Explosion Theory Favored by Expert,” reported the Boston Evening Globe.

What caused the Boston Molasses Flood?

15, 1919, 2.3 million gallons of molasses flooded the north end neighbourhood of Boston, Mass. The reason for the flood could be attributed to human error. Many humans and many errors. But the reason the incident was so deadly could be attributed to temperature.

How many horses died in the molasses flood?

12 horses
On January 15, 1919, the North End of Boston experienced an odd incident in which 2.3 million gallons of molasses exploded out of a tank and into the city. It knocked out some buildings and even led to a number of deaths. 21 people and 12 horses died.

Can you swim in molasses?

Viscosity is affected by temperature: things become slurpier at higher temperatures and stiffer at lower, which is why “slower than molasses in January” means painfully poky. Caught in a molasses flood, could you swim in the stuff? Probably not, according to an article in Scientific American.

How did they clean up after the Great Molasses Flood?

It took months to clean up after the disaster. The main method of clean-up was to wash the molasses in the Boston Harbor. After the bulk had been washed out to sea salt and sand were poured across the affected area to soak up the molasses. For years to come, locals described the streets and surfaces as being sticky.

Did molasses almost destroy Boston?

On January 15th, 1919, in what was probably the most bizarre disaster in United States’ history, a storage tank burst on Boston’s waterfront releasing two million gallons of molasses in a 15 ft-high, 160 ft-wide wave that raced through the city’s north end at 35mph destroying everything it touched.

Who is to blame for the molasses flood?

The closing arguments alone took 11 weeks, but in April 1925, state auditor Hugh W. Ogden finally ruled that United States Industrial Alcohol was to blame for the disaster. Rather than a bomb, he concluded that the company’s poor planning and lack of oversight had led to the tank’s structural failure.

Does the North End still smell like molasses?

Although it’s been exaggerated a bit in folklore, it’s not an urban legend. The sweet smell of molasses lingered in parts of the North End for years after the tragedy.

How did they clean the Great Molasses Flood?