The Great Molasses Flood of 1919
9 Questions
8 Views

Choose a study mode

Play Quiz
Study Flashcards
Spaced Repetition
Chat to Lesson

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What caused the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 in Boston?

  • A factory exploded
  • A nearby river overflowed
  • A hurricane hit the city
  • A storage tank filled with molasses burst (correct)

How fast did the wave of molasses move through the streets of Boston?

  • 25 miles per hour
  • 50 miles per hour
  • 35 miles per hour (correct)
  • 40 miles per hour

What company stored the molasses in the tank that burst?

  • Purity Distilling Company (correct)
  • Boston Elevated Railway
  • United States Industrial Alcohol Company
  • Massachusetts Nautical School

What was the height of the storage tank that burst?

<p>50 feet (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was the depth of the flood caused by the Great Molasses Flood?

<p>2 to 3 ft (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who were the first responders to the scene of the Great Molasses Flood?

<p>116 cadets from USS Nantucket (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How much did the company ultimately pay out in damages for the Great Molasses Flood?

<p>$628,000 (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was used to clean up the molasses after the Great Molasses Flood?

<p>Salt water and sand (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What changes resulted from the Great Molasses Flood?

<p>Laws and regulations governing construction were changed (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Great Molasses Flood

A massive wave of molasses that swept through Boston's North End on January 15, 1919, killing 21 people and injuring 150.

Molasses Tank

A large storage tank holding over 2 million gallons of molasses that burst, triggering the flood.

Molasses Wave Speed

The estimated speed of the molasses wave as it surged through the streets of Boston.

Purity Distilling Company

The company that owned the molasses tank and was ultimately held responsible for the disaster.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Force of the Molasses Wave

The force of the molasses wave was so strong that it moved heavy steel panels and even tipped a streetcar.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Factors Contributing to the Disaster

Conditions that likely contributed to the tank's failure, such as leaks, poor construction, and pressure buildup.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Cleanup Efforts

The cleanup process involved using saltwater from a fireboat and sand to remove the molasses, which stained the harbor brown for months.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Impact on Construction Laws

The tragic event led to the creation of new laws and regulations governing construction, highlighting the importance of safety and oversight.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Legacy of the Molasses Flood

The Great Molasses Flood has become a part of Boston's history and culture, even being the theme of a local mystery hunt.

Signup and view all the flashcards

Study Notes

The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 in Boston

  • On January 15, 1919, a storage tank filled with 2.3 million U.S. gallons of molasses burst, sending a wave of molasses through the streets of Boston's North End neighborhood.
  • The wave of molasses moved at an estimated 35 miles per hour, killing 21 people and injuring 150.
  • The Purity Distilling Company stored the molasses in the tank, which stood 50 feet tall and 90 ft in diameter, to offload molasses from ships and store it for later transfer by pipeline to the Purity ethanol plant.
  • Witnesses reported feeling the ground shake and hearing a roar as the tank collapsed. The wave of molasses was of sufficient force to drive steel panels of the burst tank against the girders of the adjacent Boston Elevated Railway's Atlantic Avenue structure and tip a streetcar momentarily off the El's tracks.
  • Several blocks were flooded to a depth of 2 to 3 ft. The molasses became viscous, trapping those caught in the wave and making it even more difficult to rescue them.
  • First to the scene were 116 cadets from USS Nantucket, a training ship of the Massachusetts Nautical School, who ran several blocks toward the accident. The Boston Police, Red Cross, Army, and Navy personnel soon arrived.
  • In the wake of the accident, 119 residents brought a class-action lawsuit against the United States Industrial Alcohol Company (USIA), which had bought Purity Distilling in 1917.
  • The company ultimately paid out $628,000 in damages ($9.82 million in 2021, adjusted for inflation). Relatives of those killed reportedly received around $7,000 per victim (equivalent to $109,000 in 2021).
  • Cleanup crews used salt water from a fireboat to wash away the molasses and sand to absorb it, and the harbor was brown with molasses until summer.
  • Several factors might have contributed to the disaster, including a tank that leaked from the very first day that it was filled in 1915, poor construction and insufficient testing, and carbon dioxide production raising the internal pressure due to fermentation in the tank.
  • The disaster resulted in many laws and regulations governing construction being changed, including requirements for oversight by a licensed architect and civil engineer.
  • The Great Molasses Flood has become a staple of local culture and was the theme of the 2019 MIT Mystery Hunt.
  • A book called I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919 was written by the author Lauren Tarshis as part of the I Survived children's historical fiction book series.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Quiz Team

Description

How much do you know about the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 in Boston? Test your knowledge with this quiz and learn more about the tragic event that claimed 21 lives and left a lasting impact on construction regulations. Discover the causes of the disaster, the heroic efforts of first responders, and the aftermath of the cleanup and lawsuits. See if you can answer questions about the size and contents of the storage tank, the speed and force of the molasses wave, and the historical significance of this

More Like This

Use Quizgecko on...
Browser
Browser