You know when you see something quite sad but at the same time quite funny and you can't stop looking at it? Something like seeing a clown get hit by a train in slow-motion, or a bear falling out of a tree and landing on a trampoline.
That is exactly the feeling I get about the Boston Molasses* Disaster
The Boston Molasses Disaster occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. A huge (2.5 million gallon) treacle tank exploded, killing 21 and injuring a further 150.
A tasty way to die!
It is believed that the explosion was precipitated by a quick rise in temperature, which caused the treacle to begin to ferment and the pressure from the resulting CO2 to burst the storage container. This unleashed over two million gallons of treacle in an immense (4.5 meter high) wave that ran through the streets at an estimated 35 MPH (60 km/h) turning buildings into matchsticks and killing everything in its path.
This story is utterly, utterly absurd but also completely true. As per usual the real interest lies in the details:
oh my! this is almost as intelligent as equating elephants and cats.
This quote is from a newspaper article published at the time, it is almost poetic. I wish people still wrote like that nowadays.
Professional treacle cleaner would be the worst job ever. Anyway, for the true disaster connoisseur there is further reading here and here
That's all I can think of for now... One of these days I'll make a post at least tangentially related to my work, I promise.
*molasses == American for treacle.
That is exactly the feeling I get about the Boston Molasses* Disaster
The Boston Molasses Disaster occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. A huge (2.5 million gallon) treacle tank exploded, killing 21 and injuring a further 150.
A tasty way to die!
It is believed that the explosion was precipitated by a quick rise in temperature, which caused the treacle to begin to ferment and the pressure from the resulting CO2 to burst the storage container. This unleashed over two million gallons of treacle in an immense (4.5 meter high) wave that ran through the streets at an estimated 35 MPH (60 km/h) turning buildings into matchsticks and killing everything in its path.
This story is utterly, utterly absurd but also completely true. As per usual the real interest lies in the details:
Before the explosion, the tank's owner, U.S. Industrial Alcohol, responded to warnings about structural problems with the tank by painting it brown, making it harder to see the treacle leaking out of the tank.oh my! this is almost as intelligent as equating elephants and cats.
"Spurting high into the air and in far reaching spread, were great ribbons of thick-brown fluid. The huge tossing geyser of molasses settled to be-plaster the outer walk of the neighborhood outside the destroying force of the explosion, sink into big pools on the flat roofs and to inundate in an adhesive, the streets, alleys and debris,"This quote is from a newspaper article published at the time, it is almost poetic. I wish people still wrote like that nowadays.
It took over six months to remove the molasses from the cobblestone streets, theaters, businesses, automobiles, and homes. The Boston Harbor was also stained brown for six monthsProfessional treacle cleaner would be the worst job ever. Anyway, for the true disaster connoisseur there is further reading here and here
That's all I can think of for now... One of these days I'll make a post at least tangentially related to my work, I promise.
*molasses == American for treacle.
