On January 15, 1919, Boston was plunged into chaos when a massive tank of molasses burst, releasing an estimated 2.3 million gallons of the viscous liquid into the streets. The resulting disaster, dubbed the "Great Molasses Flood," sent a tidal wave of molasses through the city's North End, killing 21 people and injuring 40 more. The catastrophe was so devastating that it left millions of dollars in damages, with many buildings crumpled like paper, and several vehicles trapped beneath the sticky, sweet substance.
The cause of the disaster remains unclear to this day, with theories ranging from a faulty tank valve to human error. An investigation into the incident began immediately after the disaster but ultimately took six years to complete, raising questions about the efficiency of emergency response procedures at the time.
As rescue efforts got underway, Boston's residents were met with a scene of utter devastation. Trucks were trapped beneath the molasses, their metal bodies twisted and tangled in the sticky substance like wax. Buildings stood as if they had been crumpled up like paper towels, and pedestrians stumbled through the streets, coughing and choking on the noxious fumes.
The disaster would forever change the face of Boston's North End, leaving behind a scarred landscape that has yet to fully recover. As news of the tragedy spread, it sent shockwaves across the nation, with many newspapers devoting front-page coverage to the calamity.
The cause of the disaster remains unclear to this day, with theories ranging from a faulty tank valve to human error. An investigation into the incident began immediately after the disaster but ultimately took six years to complete, raising questions about the efficiency of emergency response procedures at the time.
As rescue efforts got underway, Boston's residents were met with a scene of utter devastation. Trucks were trapped beneath the molasses, their metal bodies twisted and tangled in the sticky substance like wax. Buildings stood as if they had been crumpled up like paper towels, and pedestrians stumbled through the streets, coughing and choking on the noxious fumes.
The disaster would forever change the face of Boston's North End, leaving behind a scarred landscape that has yet to fully recover. As news of the tragedy spread, it sent shockwaves across the nation, with many newspapers devoting front-page coverage to the calamity.
and we had to spend hours scrubbing them clean. Can you even imagine being trapped under molasses? That's like something out of a bad movie. And I thought our neighborhood clean-up crew was tough 
. The idea that people were just walking around with syrup all over their clothes and skin is just crazy. I guess it's good that they're still trying to figure out what happened though. It's just so sad that 21 people lost their lives 
. We've had some rough winters here, but this takes the cake (or in this case, the molasses) 
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... nope, wait, I think maybe it was a faulty valve thingy... hold up, that can't be right 
. Anyway, six years is a loooong time to investigate, I guess it's good that someone was looking into it... but what if it wasn't thorough enough? 
. Ugh, Boston's North End still looks so rough, all those buildings crumpled like paper... how did they even rebuild? And the trucks trapped under the molasses, yikes! 
. Guess you could say the disaster was super devastating 
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It's insane! And 2.3 million gallons?! That's like, a whole lotta sticky stuff 
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It's insane that it took SIX YEARS to figure out what went wrong 
. I mean, you'd think with all the tech we have now, they'd be able to pinpoint human error or faulty valve by now... 
The thought of coughing and choking on that sweet stuff is just haunting... 
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. And the rescue efforts must've been super tough, gotta feel bad for all those people trapped beneath the trucks 
. Anyway, can you believe all that molasses? 2.3 million gallons?! Insane