The Molasses Flood Was Not So Simple

Historical photograph showing the wreckage of the Boston Molasses Flood with damaged elevated railway structures and flooded debris in the foreground.

Boston’s Molasses Flood

A tank ruptured in Boston’s North End in 1919, killing 21 and injuring about 150. The disaster is settled. Its exact failure mechanism is not. ⚖️.

Historical photograph showing elevated railway tracks and industrial buildings near the Boston molasses site.

Boston’s Molasses Flood

USIA built the tank in 1916 for wartime molasses storage near Boston Harbor. It blamed anarchist sabotage, but the legal outcome rejected that explanation for liability. 🏭.

Historical photograph of the massive buckled steel wall of the collapsed molasses tank resting among wooden wreckage with investigators standing nearby.

Boston’s Molasses Flood

The legal record found thin plates and too few rivets. Later engineers discuss brittle steel, temperature, and internal pressure, but none is the proven trigger. 🔩.

A green historic marker titled 'Boston Molasses Flood' mounted on a rough granite stone wall outdoors.

Boston’s Molasses Flood

Firm: defective design and construction made USIA responsible. Unsettled: the precise initiating failure. A good history keeps both conclusions visible. 🧭.

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