What was the Boston molasses disaster what happened?

What was the Boston molasses disaster what happened?

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. The deluge caused extensive damage and killed 21 people.

What was the molasses in Boston used 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.

Why does Boston smell like molasses?

Structural defects in the tank combined with unseasonably warm temperatures contributed to the disaster. 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 town was flooded by molasses?

Boston
Fiery hot molasses floods the streets of Boston on January 15, 1919, killing 21 people and injuring scores of others. The molasses burst from a huge tank at the United States Industrial Alcohol Company building in the heart of the city.

Can you swim in molasses?

When you squeeze or smack the bottle, however, applying stress and increasing the shear rate, the fluids suddenly flow. Because of this physical property, a wave of molasses is even more devastating than a typical tsunami. Physics also explains why swimming in molasses is near impossible.

How many horses died in the Boston molasses Flood?

21
A large storage tank filled with 2.3 million US gal (8,700 m3) weighing approximately 13,000 short tons (12,000 t) of molasses burst, and the resultant wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph (56 km/h), killing 21 and injuring 150….Fatalities.

Name Age Occupation
Michael Sinnott 78 Messenger

Has anyone ever drowned in molasses?

The Great Molasses Flood, also known as the Boston Molasses Disaster, occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts….Fatalities.

Name Age Occupation
Peter Francis 64 Blacksmith (North End Paving Yard)
Flaminio Gallerani 37 Driver
Pasquale Iantosca 10 Child

Why does molasses have high viscosity?

What causes the high viscosity of molasses? The intermolecular forces between the molecules of molasses (hydrogen, dipole-dipole and dispersion) are substantial because the molecules are large and the interactions between the molecules are strong.

Will humans swim faster or slower in syrup?

It’s a question that has taxed generations of the finest minds in physics: do humans swim slower in syrup than in water? And since you ask, the answer’s no. Scientists have filled a swimming pool with a syrupy mixture and proved it.

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.

Does molasses have a higher viscosity than water?

Water has a very low viscosity. Vegetable oil has a relatively low viscosity, as does milk. Viscosity is a concern when you need to know how quickly or how slowly a fluid flows. It will take a lot more time for the marble to reach the bottom in the molasses than in the water – molasses has a higher viscosity.

How big was the Boston Molasses Flood of 1919?

Just after 12:30 PM on January 15, 1919, a Purity Distilling Company molasses storage tank exploded in the North End. As many as 2.3 million gallons of molasses spilled out. The resulting deluge, known as the Boston molasses disaster, reached some 25 feet high at its peak. It swept across Commercial Street at as much as 35 miles per hour.

When was Boston hit by a Bizarre deadly wave of molasses?

On January 15th, 1919, in what was probably the most bizarre disaster in United States’ history, a storage tank burst on Boston’s waterfront releasing two million gallons of molasses in a 15 ft-high, 160 ft-wide wave that raced through the city’s north end at 35mph destroying everything it touched.

How big was the molasses tank in Boston?

The tank was five stories high, and contained 2.3 million gallons of molasses. This event became known as the Boston Molasses Flood.

Who was the author of the Boston Molasses Flood?

With thanks to Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo. This story about the Boston molasses flood was updated in 2021.

What was the Boston molasses disaster what happened? 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. The deluge caused extensive damage and killed 21 people. What was the molasses…