What Was the Great Molasses Flood of 1919?

What was...?

by Kirsten Anderson, Dede Putra (Illustrator), Who H.Q.

Learn about Boston's molasses disaster of 1919, when a storage tank burst and flooded the streets, in this latest addition to the New York Times Bestselling What Was? series.

An unusually warm winter day resulted in 2.3 million gallons of molasses flooding the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The disaster killed twenty-one people and injured 150 others. Rescue missions were launched to save people from the sticky and deadly mess, led by the Red Cross, the Army, the Navy, and the Massachusetts Nautical School. With the help of hundreds of volunteers over the course of several weeks, the streets were cleaned up. But the smell of molasses and the horror of the preventable tragedy lingered for decades to come.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Middle Grade

112 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 2024

Reviews

[Literary Strawberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Those frickers were TOLD the tank was an issue and instead of fixing it they painted it brown so you couldn't see the leaks. And when it was first built, instead of filling it with water like they were supposed to do so they could test it, they decided that would take too much time and money and filled it up six inches before going "Well that's enough." Six inches. In a 2.5 million gallon tank. I didn't think I would get this mad about a comedic-sounding disaster from over a hundred years ago, but /bro/

[Henry S · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part was when it explained what the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 was.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: WHAT WAS THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD OF 1919? by Kirsten Anderson and Dede Putta, ill., Penguin Random House/Penguin Workshop, April 2024, 112p., ISBN: 978-0-593-52077-2

“Nunzio knows
when he's cutting my hair
Trim a bit here and then
Trim a bit there
Just a modest adjustment
Can fatten the bottom line
What if we cut back personnel?
How about a few salary trims?
We could lower the price of the paper
Bankrupting me even faster!
Let me try again
Shaving is tricky
The razor should float
Shave me too close
and you may slit my throat
It's the simplest solutions
That bolster the bottom line.”
–Big Audio Dynamite (1985)

“Molasses is a thick, dark syrup that comes from the sugar-making process. The plant that is raw sugarcane is crushed and boiled until it forms crystals. The crystals are sugar. The leftover syrup is molasses. The sugarcane crystals can be boiled again and again until they are white and there is no molasses left in them. That is the white sugar.people use most often at home and add to coffee or tea. Although molasses can be found in popular recipes for cookies, candy, sweet breads, and pies, it can also be turned into a form of alcohol that’s used to make alcoholic drinks and liquor, like rum.
But alcohol made from molasses can be used in industry, too. By the late nineteenth century, cheap molasses alcohol was commonly used in cleaning products, dyes, and other materials. This was known as industrial alcohol. And this is the product the United States Industrial Alcohol Company specialized in.
There was yet another purpose for alcohol made from molasses: ammunition.”

The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 featured an enormous, shoddily-designed and poorly-constructed, steel-plated tank. It was filled with 2.5 MILLION GALLONS of rapidly fermenting molasses. It was erected in a residential Boston neighborhood by a company whose financial executive was looking to help cash in on the then-rapidly-approaching World War I (and maybe earn himself a major bonus and promotion in the process.).

The downside of capitalism and Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” is that the self-interest of maximizing profits can collide precipitously and irrevocably with the health and safety of the populace. That’s why, in modern America, we have local building departments, a Federal Trade Commission, a Food and Drug Administration, a National Transportation Safety Board, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration and many other local, state, and federal watchdog agencies that are charged with protecting you and me in the marketplace and in the workplace.

WHAT WAS THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD OF 1919? reveals a tragic, little-known piece of American history, one whose repercussions are felt to this day. It is thanks to history like this, that we do, nowadays, have agencies to protect consumers and employees from harm. So often, such catastrophic incidents like this one have resulted from companies deciding to take shortcuts and risk our safety, rather than take a chance on potential decreases in their all-important bottom lines.

Through this true story, we follow Arthur Jell, who was the United States Industrial Alcohol Company executive responsible for single-handedly overseeing the tank’s planning, siting, and construction. When the tank collapsed, it sent a 2.5 million gallon wave of molasses sweeping through Boston’s North End. In the investigation that followed the resulting deaths of 21 people, Arthur Jell was tracked down and questioned.

“Jell explained that he worked in finance for USIA. He did not have a background in construction or architecture. He did not know how to read building plans. He just knew about money. [Jell admitted] that he never had any experts look at the plans for the tank. He did not talk to any engineers or architects. He also admitted that he did not have any professionals inspect the steel plates when they arrived in Boston. He didn’t have anyone examine the tank once it was built. And even though the contract for building the tank had recommended that USIA test it by filling it with water after it was built, Jell had only tested the tank by filling it with six inches of water. When asked why, Jell said that the real test would take too much time and cost money.”

WHAT WAS THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD OF 1919? Is an incredibly powerful and teachable book. Middle graders will breeze through the gripping read, while this horrific and engaging history lesson can be readily turned into a well-rounded curricular unit.

Fascinating, gruesome, heartbreaking, haunting, and eye-opening, this is a superb introduction to understanding how the excesses of capitalism necessarily lead to governmental regulation of those who employ us and/or sell us goods and services.

Believe me. It’ll be a while before I can recover from reading how Giuseppi Iantosca watched helplessly from the window as his beloved son Pasquale was swept away by a twenty-five foot high wave of molasses. (His body was only successfully identified in the cleanup because of his distinctive red sweater.)

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Hailey Vittrup · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book! It’s a difficult task to create a historical book about a tragedy for a young audience. This was a pretty good interpretation of the events regarding the “Great Molasses Flood of 1919.” However, the way that alcohol and specifically a champagne toast were discussed were not age-appropriate references. This was a small portion of the book; however, it took away from the historical context. I will admit that the “Timeline of the World” was less politically correct and biased in this book besides one blatant example.

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

People sometimes say that something is “as slow as molasses in January.”

An amazing story I was unfamiliar with prior to reading this book, but highlights the importance of lessons learned the hard way, how we react as we learn those lessons, and where a lot of our current rules and regulations have their foundations.

As tempting as it can be to cut corners, and try to get by with doing just enough, this is the story of how actions, and decisions have consequences.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never heard of this disaster in Boston in 1919. This was such a good read covering the construction of the 50-foot storage tank, to the collapse, to the tragic results, to the legal consequences.

For me, this quick read may lead to a more extensive understanding in the days ahead. This short, concise explanation was so well done.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was surprisingly good!! picked it up because i saw it in a store. i read stephen puleo’s “dark tide” earlier this year, but i’ve already forgotten some of the details. i really enjoyed this book as a refresher. despite being a kids book, it really did hit all the key points!

[Yz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually so cool to learn about! O had no idea

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series of wonderful fact-filled non-fiction books. I didn't even realize that there was a Great Molasses Flood of 1919.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY interesting book. I'd never heard of this horrible event. Can't imagine drowning in molasses...what an awful way to go.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I was today years old when I learned how sugar/molasses/rum are made. Love learning these random little things. Hopefully that comes up in our next trivia night or Linkee game.

[Stasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always sort of heard about this referred to as some kind of joke. All I can say after reading about it, is, WOW. I'm glad I wasn't there.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story about American history. I never learned about this in school and I think it’s something that should be taught.

[Kevin Koppelmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too short, I wish it had gone into a little more information but it was okay.