The tank had been filled to capacity only eight times since it was built a few years previously, putting the walls under an intermittent, cyclical load.
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When the tank collapsed, the fluid cooled quickly as it spread, until it reached Boston's winter evening temperatures and the viscosity increased dramatically.United States Industrial Alcohol did not rebuild the tank.
disaster, Boston, Massachusetts, United States [1919]Amy Tikkanen is the general corrections manager, handling a wide range of topics that include Hollywood, politics, books, and anything related to the
But the 2.3 million gallons under pressure in the tank burst forth like lava from a volcano.
The Cause of the Great Molasses Flood There was rampant speculation about the cause.
The tank was constructed poorly and tested insufficiently, and carbon dioxide production might have raised the internal pressure due to fermentation in the tank.
Both in the trial, and in the press, debate about the cause of the disaster was rampant. Structural defects in the tank combined with unseasonably warm temperatures contributed to the disaster.The accident has since become a staple of local culture, not only for the damage the flood brought, but also for the sweet smell that filled the North End for decades after the disaster.On January 15, 2019, for the 100th anniversary of the event, a ceremony was held in remembrance.
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The property formerly occupied by the molasses tank and the North End Paving Company became a yard for the Boston Elevated Railway (predecessor to the A small plaque at the entrance to Puopolo Park, placed by the Bostonian Society, commemorates the disaster.On January 15, 1919, a molasses tank at 529 Commercial Street exploded under pressure, killing 21 people.
The syrup formed a wave 15 feet high that surged at 35 miles an hour.
What caused the tank to burst? As many as 2.3 million gallons of molasses spilled out. Why the Great Molasses Flood Was So Deadly When a steel tank full of molasses ruptured in 1919, physics and neglect contributed to make the …
22 photos of the total destruction caused by the Great Molasses Flood The 1919 North End disaster killed 21 people and injured roughly 150 others.
Ground-penetrating radar was used to identify the exact location of the tank from 1919. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.
Several authors say that the Purity Distilling Company was trying to out-race prohibition,Two days before the disaster, warmer molasses had been added to the tank, reducing the viscosity of the fluid. The deluge caused extensive damage and killed 21 people.
According to Sharp, the tank was filled within inches of the top with molasses at the time of the incident.
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.The tank was built in 1915 along Boston’s waterfront on Commercial Street, opposite Copp’s Hill.
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But … Human beings—men and women—suffered likewise.Anthony di Stasio, walking homeward with his sisters from the Michelangelo School, was picked up by the wave and carried, tumbling on its crest, almost as though he were surfing. Investigators think the pressure in the tank may have increased in the days preceding the accident because the temperature had increased significantly (from 2°F to 41°F).
The civil preceding that followed had 119 claimants and lasted 3 years, making it the longest civil trial in Massachusetts history.
Then he grounded and the molasses rolled him like a pebble as the wave diminished.
Molasses usually moves very slowly. The concrete slab base for the tank remains in place approximately 20 inches (51 cm) below the surface of the baseball diamond at Langone Park. Categories
He heard his mother call his name and couldn't answer, his throat was so clogged with the smothering goo. He passed out, then opened his eyes to find three of his four sisters staring at him.First to the scene were 116 cadets under the direction of Lieutenant Commander H. J. Copeland from Cleanup crews used salt water from a fireboat to wash away the molasses and sand to absorb it,Several factors might have contributed to the disaster.
Only an upheaval, a thrashing about in the sticky mass, showed where any life was …. The pressure inside the tank exceeded the strength of the tank (ability to hold the pressure).
Antonio turned to see the brown flood bearing down on Maria. On January 15, 1919, the temperature had risen above 40 °F (4 °C), climbing rapidly from the frigid temperatures of the preceding days,Molasses' density is about 1.4 tonnes per cubic metre (12 lb/US gal), 40% more dense than water, so it had a great deal of Molasses, waist deep, covered the street and swirled and bubbled about the wreckage …. The 21 names of those who died in, or as a result of, the flood were read aloud.Many laws and regulations governing construction were changed as a direct result of the disaster, including requirements for oversight by a The Great Molasses Flood was also the theme of the 2019 A song called "The Great Molasses Disaster" appears on the album A book called "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by the author Lauren Tarshis.Wreckage of collapsed tank is visible in background, center, next to light-colored warehouse