Today, we’ll be discussing one of the strangest floods I’ve read about so far. This flood occurred in Boston in 1919.
The Molasses Flood happened in North End Boston which got me curious about its history which dates back to the 1600’s. The North End consists of about .366 square miles so a little over a quarter square mile. According to the 2010 census, 10,131 people live in the North End. Upon more research, I feel like the North End might be cursed or something. It seems like a lot of bad things hit this part of the city.
It became a fashionable place to live in the 18th century. Many wealthy families began to move into the area with artisans, laborers, servants and slaves. Old North Church (one of Boston’s oldest churches still standing) was built during this time to allow the wealthy a place to worship. By the 19th century, the North End took a turn. The area saw a lot of commercial development. According to sources, by the 1840’s living conditions were the worst in the city due to overcrowding. The wealthy began to leave for newer nicer neighborhoods. In 1849 a cholera epidemic swept through the North End. Of the 700 victims most were people from the North End due to the overcrowding.
To make matters worse in the early 1900’s the North End saw a large population increase from Jewish and Italian immigrants. Due to this overcrowding in 1918 the Spanish Influenza Pandemic also really took a toll on the North End. It left many children orphaned. Charities were put into place to help those left without parents, but the overcrowding continued. Tenement apartments were very common which were apartments shared by multiple families.
Okay so now that you know a little bit about the North End, let's switch gears and discuss this molasses shit. If you don’t know what molasses is, it's like sticky syrup. Lip described it as a mix between honey and syrup. In cold temperatures it can harden, but with warm temperatures, it's more liquid-like.
The molasses tank we are going to discuss was built in 1915. The tank was 58 ft tall and about 98ft in diameter. It was built in a rush by the Purity Distilling Company which was a subsidiary of the United States Industrial Alcohol (USIA). The construction was rushed because they wanted to profit from the war by using the fermented molasses to produce munitions and weaponry for World War 1. After the war in 1918, the USIA began to ferment alcohol before prohibition.
How was molasses used for munitions and weaponry?
So I had to look up this information because I was curious also. Molasses can be fermented to make industrial alcohol which also produces cordite. Cordite is a smokeless replacement for gun powder. It can be used to make ammunition and explosives. So the US began to use molasses because it was cheaper. Prior to World War 1, white table sugar was very expensive. Molasses was cheaper.
So they hurried construction for this tank because they needed it quickly to supply munition for troops fighting in the War. The people in charge of the inspections had no real idea what they were supposed to be doing and were underqualified for the job and lacked the engineering expertise to check for any deficiencies in the construction. Then to make matters worse the first shipment of molasses arrived from Cuba before the tank could be tested properly including testing for leaks. So for 4 years families would regularly collect molasses from the leaks in the tank. Eventually the USIA ordered that the tank be painted brown to make the leaks less noticeable. So yes they knew the tank was leaking.
Also residents could not only see the leaks, they often heard the tank making groaning noises as the molasses was fermenting. This tank could hold approximately 2.5 million gallons of molasses. Between April 1917 and March 1920 the state refined more than 71 million gallons of molasses. I could not find a record of how many tanks Boston had, but the only tank mentioned is the one that caused the flood. So let's get on with it already right!
So about 3 days before the incident, 600,000 gallons were delivered and put into the tank to fill it to almost capacity. It was due to ship out to Cambridge, MA. on Jan 15, 1919, a warmer winter day, the tank burst open. Eye witness accounts say they heard the sound of bending and popping metal before the wave of molasses launched itself on the North End of Boston. Over 2 million gallons of molasses flooded the streets killing 21 people and injuring over 150. The Boston Post compares horses trapped in the molasses to that of flies on a fly trap.
If you’re like me you are picturing syrup and thinking how could people not get away because syrup seems slow. SO I of course looked up more info for you guys!
The molasses rushing from the tank was traveling at 35 miles per hour and caused waves of 15 to 40 feet in height and as wide as 160 feet. Scientists estimate the wave to be about 26 million pounds. Many of those killed suffocated from the syrup after being trapped by debris. Due to the cold temperatures, the molasses began to harden causing more suffocation to victims. It was all over in less than 5 minutes. Buildings were destroyed including an elevated railway which trains pass along about every 7 minutes. Some victims were washed into the harbor by the flood. The wave of molasses damaged so much and picked up a lot of debris on its way to the harbor.
Gina’s Macabre Moment
A few of the victims' deaths were recorded specifically. I only took notes on a couple of them though. The most interesting to me was 65 year old Bridget Cloughtery who died when her house collapsed during the flood. Her 3 children were also injured. Her son Stephen was 34. After the flood he was put in the Boston State Asylum due to panic attacks, hallucinations and violent outbursts from the trauma of the flood. He died in Dec of 1919 from his injuries in the flood.
George Layhe was a firefighter who drowned in the molasses after he was trapped by debris from the collapsed fire station.
Patricia Breen, a 44 year old laborer died of pneumonia and internal injuries after being swept into the harbor by the molasses. Remember it was Jan. That water was very cold!
John Seiberlich was a 69 year old blacksmith who suffered a fractured skull and other injuries after being crushed by debris while working near the tank when it burst open.
Rescuers spent several days sifting through the wreckage for survivors. It is estimated that it took about 87,000 working hours to clean up the mess. The last victim was found on May 12 (4 months later). The family members of the victims filed a lawsuit against the USIA. The USIA claimed it was a terrorist act which was investigated. It took 6 years of litigation. Finally Hugh Ogdon was appointed auditor. He found that the tank had deficiencies. The court ruled in favor of the defendants awarding them $1 million (equivalent to about $17,226,127 in 2022) The victims that suffered a more gruesome death, their family received more money.
And there you have the hi-story of the molasses flood of 1919! If you want to hear this story in a more hilarious way, be sure to check out our podcast at
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