FactSentinel

On January 15, 1919, a massive steel storage tank owned by the Purity Distilling Company burst in Boston's North End neighborhood, unleashing an estimated 2.3 million gallons of molasses in a wave reported to have reached heights of 25 feet and speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. The disaster killed 21 people and injured approximately 150 others, according to historical records, contemporary newspaper accounts, and subsequent investigations into the tank's failure.

The death toll has been well documented through municipal records, coroner reports, and extensive research by historians who have studied the incident, including detailed accounts compiled in Stephen Puleo's authoritative book "Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919." Victims included workers, pedestrians, and residents who were caught in the sticky wave as it swept through the densely populated waterfront district, destroying buildings, overturning wagons, and even lifting a section of an elevated railway structure off its foundation. The tank's collapse was later attributed to structural weaknesses and inadequate safety testing, a finding that emerged from a lengthy class-action lawsuit that followed the tragedy.

A common misconception is that the flood's slow-moving reputation, based on the idiom "slow as molasses," meant the disaster was not particularly dangerous. In reality, the sheer volume and force of the molasses wave made escape difficult for those nearby, and the substance's viscosity made rescue efforts significantly more challenging, trapping victims and hindering emergency responders. The event remains one of the deadliest industrial accidents in Massachusetts history.