BOSTON MOLASSES DISASTER Explosion Flood 1919 Newspaper

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BOSTON MOLASSES DISASTER Explosion Flood 1919 Newspaper is a complete, genuine historic old newspaper with the following title, date and description: CINCINNATI TIMES-STAR , January 18, 1919. * The Great Boston Ma Molasses Flood Disaster * Front page photo This 15 page newspaper has a four column photo on the front page with caption: * SCENES OF WRECK AND RUIN IN NORTH BOSTON, W EXPLOSION OF TANK CAUSED DEATH OF FIFTEEN PERSONS with little text underneath. Rare to see a front page photo of this event. Other news of the day with great headline on the opening of the League of Nations. (see) Light browning with minor margin wear, otherwise good. Should be handled with care. wikipedia notes: The disaster occurred at the Purity Distilling Company facility on January 15, 1919, one day before the 18th Amendment (which mandated prohibition of alcohol production) was ratified. January 15, 1919 was an unusually warm day. At the time, molasses was the standard sweetener in the United States; it has now been supplanted by high fructose corn syrup. Molasses can also be fermented, producing ethyl alcohol which is used in the making liquor and was a key component in the manufacturing of munitions. The stored molasses was awaiting transfer to the Purity plant situated between Willow Street and what is now named Evereteze Way in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At 529 Commercial Street, a huge molasses tank 50 ft (15 m) tall, 90 ft (27 m) in diameter and containing as much as 2,300,000 US gal (8,700,000 L) collapsed. Witnesses stated that when it collapsed t was a loud rumbling sound then what sounded like a machine gun as the rivets shot out of the tank. The ground was shaking as if a train was passing by. The collapse unleashed an immense wave of molasses between 8 and 15 ft (2.5 to 4.5 m) high, moving at 35 mph (56 kph) and exerting a pressure of 2 ton/ft (200 kPa). The molasses wave was of sufficient force to break the girders of the adjacent Boston Elevated Railway's Atlantic Avenue structure and lift a train off the tracks. Nearby buildings were swept off their foundations and crushed, several blocks were flooded to a depth of 2 to 3 feet. Molasses, waist deep, covered the street and swirled and bubbled about the wreckage. and t struggled a form whether it was animal or human being was impossible to tell. Only an upheaval, a thrashing about in the sticky mass, showed w any life was... Horses died like so many flies on sticky fly paper. The more they struggled, the deeper in the mess they were ensnared. Human beings men and women suffered likewise." [4] 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 and a truck was picked up and hurled into Boston Harbor. On that day more than 159 were injured and 21 people and several horses were killed as the molasses crushed and asphyxiated some. After the initial blast the molasses choking the wounded people, horses and dogs became one of the biggest problems. .... Anthony di Stasio, walking homeward with his sisters from the Michelangelo School, was picked up by the wave and carried, tumbling on its crest, almost as though he were surfing. Then he grounded and the molasses rolled him like a pebble as the wave diminished. He heard his mother call his name and couldn't answer, his throat was so clogged with the smothering goo. He passed out, then opened his eyes to find three of his sisters staring at him An informative video regarding the rare newspapers hobby is shown at the bottom of the listing! Please Note: All of our offerings are 100% authentic! We do not offer reprints or reproductions of any kind. They are guaranteed to be original! See below the photo for additional information related to Shipping, our Return Policy, Premium Packaging, Certificates of Authenticity, and other offerings by Timothy Hughes Rare & Early Newspapers. The following video provides additional information about collecting rare newspapers: Shipping Pol... read more

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