Some were crushed and drowned by the molasses or by the debris that it carried within. The wounded included people, horses, and dogs; coughing fits became one of the most common ailments after the initial blast.
How many horses died in the molasses flood?
On January 15, 1919, the North End of Boston experienced an odd incident in which 2.3 million gallons of molasses exploded out of a tank and into the city. It knocked out some buildings and even led to a number of deaths. 21 people and 12 horses died.
Can you swim in molasses?
Physics also explains why swimming in molasses is near impossible . ... Depending on the way it is made, molasses is between 5,000 to 10,000 times more viscous than water. The Reynolds number for an adult man in water is around one million; the Reynolds number for the same man in molasses is about 130.
Can you still smell molasses in Boston?
All that remains of the Great Boston Molasses Disaster is a small plaque at the entrance to a waterfront park in the North End that reads: ... Local legend has it that on particularly warm days, you can still smell the faint aroma of molasses seeping up from the streets of the old North End.
What was molasses used for in 1919?
Its sugary-sweet contents were the property of United States Industrial Alcohol, which took regular shipments of molasses from the Caribbean and used them to produce alcohol for liquor and munitions manufacturing . ...
How did they clean up the molasses flood?
Millions of gallons of salt water were pumped in to wash away the molasses — a process that would leave the harbor with a shade of brown for months afterwards, he said.
Why would molasses explode?
Fermentation, a sudden rise in temperature, and an inadequate tank caused the tank containing two million gallons of molasses to explode. The force of the explosion was so great that: Half-inch steel plates of the huge molasses tank were torn apart.
Why did Boston have so much molasses?
Great Molasses Flood, disaster in Boston that occurred after a storage tank collapsed on January 15, 1919, sending more than two million gallons (eight million litres) of molasses flowing through the city’s North End. ... Built quickly, the tank was problematic from the start, leaking and often emitting rumbling noises.
Why Boston is called Beantown?
Puritans took to the beans, the slave trade brought us molasses, and the most common tale is that sailors and merchants passing through the region’s biggest city would enjoy the quick, cheap meal to such a degree that the Beantown nickname emerged through word of mouth .
Does molasses move slowly?
Why is molasses slow in January? Any liquid, honey, melted shortening, lava or even water, will move more quickly when hot and move more slowly when cold. The expression ‘as slow as molasses in January’ to describe something extremely slow was in use by 1872; it did not originate as a result of the Molasses Flood.
What did they use molasses for?
At the time, molasses was a standard sweetener in the United States, used in cooking and in fermentation to make ethanol , which in turn could be made into a liquor used as an ingrethent in munitions manufacture, an aspect of the business that had been booming during the First World War.
What is molasses Good for?
Molasses is a good source of iron, selenium, and copper, all of which help maintain healthy bones ( 5 ). The syrup also contains some calcium, which plays an important role in bone health and preventing osteoporosis ( 6 ). However, other healthful food sources of these minerals are widely available.
What was molasses used for?
The lighter grades of molasses made from sugarcane are edible and are used in baking and candy-making and to make rum. Blackstrap and other low grades of cane molasses are used in mixed animal feed and in the industrial production of vinegar, citric acid, and other products.
How much money did the molasses flood cost?
This bizarre and terrifying event, known as the Great Molasses Flood, claimed 21 lives, with victims ranging in age from 10 to 78. Some 150 persons were injured, and the damage to property — much of which had cascaded into nearby Boston Harbor — amounted to about $100 million in today’s money .
How do you clean up molasses?
Clean the sticky molasses that remains from solid surfaces with 2 cups of hot water mixed with 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid . The heat from the water will soften the molasses, making it easier for the soap to remove. Use a scrub brush on molasses spills that have become hard and gummy.
Is molasses used in bombs?
Tbe sticky brown syrup was being put to a new and perbaps surprising use: to make bombs. Heated up in a process called distillation, molasses can be turned into a liquid called industrial alcobol . In tbis form, molasses became a key ingredient in tbe explosives used in tbe war against Germany.
