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An ORDINARY DAY IN BOSTON’s NorTH END. January 15, 1919. Except temperatures were higher than normal, a warm 40 0 F. Just the day before it was a bone chilling 2 0 F. . IT WAS LUNCHTIME.
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An ORDINARY DAY IN BOSTON’s NorTH END January 15, 1919
Except temperatures were higher than normal, a warm 400F. Just the day before it was a bone chilling 20 F.
IT WAS LUNCHTIME …little Anthony di Stasiowas walking home with his sisters from the Michelangelo School for lunch.
At about 12:30 PM, a loud explosion could be heard throughout the North End.
followed by the tidal wave of a sticky, viscous, sweet smelling, dark brown fluid.
How can a viscous liquid like molasses travel that fast? The wave of molasses traveled at a rate of 35 miles per hour!
Anthony was picked up by the tidal wave and tumbled on the crest like a surfer.
Then the surge of molasses dumped Anthony on the ground and bounced him along the cobblestones covered in a gooey mess.
did not make it home for lunch. Anthony’s ten year old sister Maria
WHAT HAPPENED? Anthony and many others want to know.
The 4 year old, 50 foot tall, 90 foot diameter, cast-iron tank at 529 Commercial Street …….
The force of the tidal wave was so strong it damaged the steel girders of the adjacent Elevated Railway on Atlantic Avenue.
The Boston Globe reported that people "were picked up by a rush of air and hurled many feet."
Others had debris hurled at them from the rush of sweet-smelling air.
In some areas, the molasses reached a depth of two to three feet.
A truck was picked up and hurled into Boston Harbor.
Many others were trapped and injured by the sticky tsunami of molasses.
One explanation is …… The warm January weathercaused the molasses in the tank…
Carbon dioxide gas production increased the internal pressure inside the tank.
As the temperature of a gas in a rigid container increases, its pressure increases.
Some North End residents claim that on hot summer days you can still smell the molasses.
Create by Diane McDonough February 2012 Special Thanks to Dan Williams Music: The God Father Waltz, God Father Sound Track Under Pressure, David Bowie and Queen
REFERENCES….. http://www.stephenpuleo.com/dt_pictures.htm http://foodreference.about.com/od/history_myths/a/The-Boston-Molasses-Disaster.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Molasses_Disaster http://www.pdhengineer.com/courses/et/ET-1014.pdf http://www.me.gatech.edu/jonathan.colton/me4210/bostondisaster.pdf