Boston History: The Great Molasses Disaster of 1919

Boston's North End, a neighborhood world renowned for it's strong Italian history and heritage, is one of the city's treasures. Located just outside of Government Center, a visitor can walk through this charming area and be fascinated by the many shops, restaurants, street vendors and historical landmarks such as the Paul Revere House and the Old North Church where the famous lanterns were hung to warn of the British soldiers arriving, "one if by land, two if by sea".

The streets are narrow and some are cobble-stoned. Driving is almost impossible which makes the North End a walking neighborhood. Of course there is more history to the North End such as the famed "Mafia" and even Anthony the Prince Spaghetti boy who ran through the neighborhood after hearing his mother call him for dinner. This was one of the most beloved TV commercials in the 1970s.

A little known fact about the North End is what happened on January 15, 1919. This was the day of the Great Molasses Flood which destroyed much of the North End, killing 21 and injuring over 150 people. If you take a guided tour of the neighborhood, you will be asked to stop and see if you can smell something sweet. Many people to this day believe the stench of Molasses still fills the air. Stories of the disaster are told daily in the neighborhood cafes and passed down through generations of North End families.

Molasses was the preferred sweetener in those days as the cost of sugar was prohibitive. It was also fermented to produce ethanol for liquor and was a main ingredient in munitions. The United States was embroiled in World War 1 and the 18th Amendment was about to be ratified the day after the disaster therefore the molasses was being designated to the war efforts.

The disaster occurred when a tank located at 529 Commercial Street ruptured and collapsed, sending a 15 foot high wave of molasses travelling at 35 MPH through the North End. Many felt that the tank was a disaster waiting to happen as they often heard the tank creak and moan with stress. Built in 1915, it was hastily constructed due to pressure put on the contractors by the tank's owners, the Purity Distilling Company. Arthur Jell, the Purity executive charged with overseeing the construction demanded that work continue both day and night as the first shipment of molasses was arriving soon. The 50 foot high tank with a diameter of 90 feet was so shoddily built that when filled to capacity, over 2 million gallons, the seals would leak. It was proven that Jell bypassed all the required safety tests of filling the tank completely with water to save time and money.

Over a short period of time, the tank would creak, shake and moan more often and leaks would become more consistent. Often times children and others could be found scooping up the molasses for food early mornings. Jell, in an effort to hide the severity of the leaks would have the tank painted brown but the tell tale pools at the base and the sweet smell that wafted on the breeze could not hide the problems.

Finally what many had feared occurred, the carbon dioxide created from the fermentation built up to a point that caused such an expansion of the tank that the poor construction and shoddy patchwork could not hold. The outdoor temperature had risen to over 40F from the 2F bitterness of the day before which did not help the situation. The cracks widened, rivets burst and the foundation floundered creating one of the worst disasters the City of Boston would ever endure.

The powerful wave of molasses was so strong that buildings were crushed and the support girders of the Boston Elevated Railway gave way derailing a train. Streets were waist high and people, horses and other animals were trapped in the sticky substance. A delivery truck and it's driver were swept into Boston Harbor only to be found several hours after the incident. A nearby firehouse collapsed under the wave, trapping Firefighter George Layhe in a small crawlspace. He was able to survive for 3 days keeping his head above the molasses but finally on the fourth day, his strength gave. Layhe, like so many others, drowned. The same 4 days Layhe was trapped, search and rescue efforts continued until it was decided that nobody could possibly be left alive if they were still buried.

Though the exact cause of the disaster was never officially determined, the company that owned the tank was found liable in one of the most dramatic class action law suits in Massachusetts History. The United States Industrial Alcohol Company bought Purity in 1917 and thus now owned the tank. USIA tried unsuccessfully to argue the tank was destroyed by anti war activists and anarchists. Three years of hearings and testimony, a court appointed auditor found USIA liable and awards exceeding half a million dollars were paid to the families of those effected by the disaster.

This incident was not widely publicized until recent years when a book titled "The Dark Tide: The Great Molasses Flood of 1919" was written by Stephen Puleo in 2004. This is a great read and is available at bookstores such as Border's, Barnes and Noble and also on line at Amazon.com. I highly recommend it especially for those with a passion for US History.