Today is the 89th anniversary of the Boston Molasses Disaster.
A leaky storage tank full of molasses in the North End of Boston exploded and sent a massive wall of molasses through the city, destroying dozens of buildings and cars, damaging the elevated train that ran through that part of the city then, and killing eleven people. The molasses was intended for use in distilling alcohol for munitions for the Army’s use in World War I (the war had only ended a couple of months prior). Even though site personnel had warned the company which owned the tank about the leaks and other physical damage, nothing was done, and the company spent years fighting lawsuits as a result.
A couple of years ago, I read this fabulous book by local historian Stephen Puleo, and heartily recommend it to anyone who might be interested in this unusual tale.
Locals claim that on warm days you can still catch a whiff of molasses in the air if you are walking around the North End, but I suspect that’s just a bit of embellishing for the Duck Boat crowd.
