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Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
This edition is no longer in print. Please check 9780807078006 for the most recent edition.
Around noon on January 15, 1919, a group of firefighters was playing cards in Boston's North End when they heard a tremendous crash. It was like roaring surf, one of them said later. Like a runaway two-horse team smashing through a fence, said another. A third firefighter jumped up from his chair to look out a window-"Oh my God!" he shouted to the other men, "Run!"
A 50-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses had just collapsed on Boston's waterfront, disgorging its contents as a 15-foot-high wave of molasses that at its outset traveled at 35 miles an hour. It demolished wooden homes, even the brick fire station. The number of dead wasn't known for days. It would be years before a landmark court battle determined who was responsible for the disaster.
Around noon on January 15, 1919, a group of firefighters was playing cards in Boston's North End when they heard a tremendous crash. It was like roaring surf, one of them said later. Like a runaway two-horse team smashing through a fence, said another. A third firefighter jumped up from his chair to look out a window-"Oh my God!" he shouted to the other men, "Run!"
A 50-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses had just collapsed on Boston's waterfront, disgorging its contents as a 15-foot-high wave of molasses that at its outset traveled at 35 miles an hour. It demolished wooden homes, even the brick fire station. The number of dead wasn't known for days. It would be years before a landmark court battle determined who was responsible for the disaster.
273 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2003
440 people are currently reading
5,946 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Puleo
9books110followersStephen Puleo is an author, historian, teacher, public speaker, and communications professional. His eighth book, The Great Abolitionist: Charles Sumner and the Fight for a More Perfect Union, was published by St. Martin’s Press in April, 2024.
Follow Steve on Facebook () and Instagram () or visit his website () for current news and events.
Steve's previously published books are:
� Voyage of Mercy: The USS Jamestown, the Irish Famine, and the Remarkable Story of America’s First Humanitarian Mission (2020)
� American Treasures: The Secret Efforts to Save the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address (2016)
� The Caning: The Assault That Drove America to Civil War (2012)
� A City So Grand: The Rise of an American Metropolis, Boston 1850-1900 (2010)
� The Boston Italians: A Story of Pride, Perseverance and Paesani, from the Years of the Great Immigration to the Present Day (2007)
� Due to Enemy Action: The True World War II Story of the USS Eagle 56 (2005)
� Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 (2003)
All of Steve’s books have been Boston regional bestsellers and have received national recognition. His work has been reviewed favorably by the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, the Boston Globe, the New York Post, Parade magazine, The National Review, Forbes.com, C-SPAN, the Associated Press, the Portland Press Herald, the Providence Journal, the Hartford Courant, Kirkus Reviews, Barnes and Noble Review.com, Library Journal, Booklist, History.com, and Publishers Weekly. Numerous national media outlets have interviewed Steve, including NBC, the New York Times, Parade magazine, History.com, C-SPAN, the History Channel, the Associated Press, and regional and national radio and television outlets.
An experienced, dynamic, and in-demand speaker and presenter, Steve has made nearly 700 appearances before thousands of readers � including bookstore signings, keynote addresses, library presentations, historical societies, industry events, book clubs, and appearances at universities and public and private schools. His showcase appearances include: speaking events at both the National Archives and the National Constitution Center; as a keynote for the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Massachusetts Superior Court; and as a participant with Italian-American and Jewish-American scholars on a panel entitled, Italy and the Holocaust, presented at UMass-Boston. If you would like more information about having Steve appear at your event, please contact him at [email protected].
A former award-winning newspaper reporter and contributor of articles and book reviews to publications and organizations that include American History magazine, Politico, the Boston Globe, and the Bill of Rights Institute, Steve has also taught history at Suffolk University in Boston and at UMass-Boston. He has developed and taught numerous writing workshops for high school and college students, as well as for adults who aspire to be writers. His books have been woven into the curricula of numerous high schools and colleges, and more than 30 communities have selected his books as “community-wide reads.� Steve also conducts book-club tours of Boston’s North End, one of the nation’s most historic neighborhoods.
Steve holds a master’s degree in history from UMass-Boston, where he received the Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement and was the Graduate Convocation keynote speaker. His master’s thesis, From Italy to Boston’s North End: Italian Immigration and Settlement, 1890-1910, has been downloaded nearly 30,000 times by scholars and readers around the world.
Steve and his wife Kate live south of Boston and donate a portion of his book proceeds to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
Follow Steve on Facebook () and Instagram () or visit his website () for current news and events.
Steve's previously published books are:
� Voyage of Mercy: The USS Jamestown, the Irish Famine, and the Remarkable Story of America’s First Humanitarian Mission (2020)
� American Treasures: The Secret Efforts to Save the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address (2016)
� The Caning: The Assault That Drove America to Civil War (2012)
� A City So Grand: The Rise of an American Metropolis, Boston 1850-1900 (2010)
� The Boston Italians: A Story of Pride, Perseverance and Paesani, from the Years of the Great Immigration to the Present Day (2007)
� Due to Enemy Action: The True World War II Story of the USS Eagle 56 (2005)
� Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 (2003)
All of Steve’s books have been Boston regional bestsellers and have received national recognition. His work has been reviewed favorably by the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, the Boston Globe, the New York Post, Parade magazine, The National Review, Forbes.com, C-SPAN, the Associated Press, the Portland Press Herald, the Providence Journal, the Hartford Courant, Kirkus Reviews, Barnes and Noble Review.com, Library Journal, Booklist, History.com, and Publishers Weekly. Numerous national media outlets have interviewed Steve, including NBC, the New York Times, Parade magazine, History.com, C-SPAN, the History Channel, the Associated Press, and regional and national radio and television outlets.
An experienced, dynamic, and in-demand speaker and presenter, Steve has made nearly 700 appearances before thousands of readers � including bookstore signings, keynote addresses, library presentations, historical societies, industry events, book clubs, and appearances at universities and public and private schools. His showcase appearances include: speaking events at both the National Archives and the National Constitution Center; as a keynote for the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Massachusetts Superior Court; and as a participant with Italian-American and Jewish-American scholars on a panel entitled, Italy and the Holocaust, presented at UMass-Boston. If you would like more information about having Steve appear at your event, please contact him at [email protected].
A former award-winning newspaper reporter and contributor of articles and book reviews to publications and organizations that include American History magazine, Politico, the Boston Globe, and the Bill of Rights Institute, Steve has also taught history at Suffolk University in Boston and at UMass-Boston. He has developed and taught numerous writing workshops for high school and college students, as well as for adults who aspire to be writers. His books have been woven into the curricula of numerous high schools and colleges, and more than 30 communities have selected his books as “community-wide reads.� Steve also conducts book-club tours of Boston’s North End, one of the nation’s most historic neighborhoods.
Steve holds a master’s degree in history from UMass-Boston, where he received the Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement and was the Graduate Convocation keynote speaker. His master’s thesis, From Italy to Boston’s North End: Italian Immigration and Settlement, 1890-1910, has been downloaded nearly 30,000 times by scholars and readers around the world.
Steve and his wife Kate live south of Boston and donate a portion of his book proceeds to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 718 reviews
April 22, 2024
Why I chose to read this book:
1. several years ago, I read by where the MC indirectly experienced this massive molasses flood. It intrigued me so much, that upon joining GR, I began searching for any books published about it. I found this one, the first nonfiction book giving a full account of this horrific tragedy which spanned a decade. Needless to say, I bought a copy; and,
2. April 2024 is my self-appointed "Aqueous Titles" Month.
Praises:
1. incredibly well-researched, author breaks this piece of microhistory into 3 sections:
- pertinent background information leading up to the January 15, 1919 disaster, including the political, economic, and social climate of the day;
- the actual disaster and how it affected the local people, infrastructure, and natural area; and,
- a focus on the people involved in the following class action lawsuit;
2. several maps and captioned black-and-white photos were included, as well as a "List of the Deceased", "Bibliographic Essay", and an "Updated Afterword". Originally published in 2003, a special "100th Anniversary Edition" was released in 2019; and,
3. Puleo dispels some myths about this unusual tragedy.
Overall Thoughts:
I will never think of the phrase "... as slow as molasses in January" the same way ever again!
Was this destructive explosion a case of corporate greed or an anarchist bomb? Puleo's work clears up any questions I had. I learned everything I wanted to know, and more, from reading this easy-to-follow narrative nonfiction.
On p. 236, it states that this event "served as a catalyst for government to impose new safety regulations on industry to protect the public."
Or has it?
History seems to be repeating itself time and time again, especially with instances like the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, the toxic derailment near East Palestine, Ohio from a train owned by Norfolk Southern railway company, to the ongoing issues with Boeing aircraft, especially since its merger with McDonnell Douglas, just to name a few.
Highly recommend for readers who enjoy American history, or unusual historical events!
1. several years ago, I read by where the MC indirectly experienced this massive molasses flood. It intrigued me so much, that upon joining GR, I began searching for any books published about it. I found this one, the first nonfiction book giving a full account of this horrific tragedy which spanned a decade. Needless to say, I bought a copy; and,
2. April 2024 is my self-appointed "Aqueous Titles" Month.
Praises:
1. incredibly well-researched, author breaks this piece of microhistory into 3 sections:
- pertinent background information leading up to the January 15, 1919 disaster, including the political, economic, and social climate of the day;
- the actual disaster and how it affected the local people, infrastructure, and natural area; and,
- a focus on the people involved in the following class action lawsuit;
2. several maps and captioned black-and-white photos were included, as well as a "List of the Deceased", "Bibliographic Essay", and an "Updated Afterword". Originally published in 2003, a special "100th Anniversary Edition" was released in 2019; and,
3. Puleo dispels some myths about this unusual tragedy.
Overall Thoughts:
I will never think of the phrase "... as slow as molasses in January" the same way ever again!
Was this destructive explosion a case of corporate greed or an anarchist bomb? Puleo's work clears up any questions I had. I learned everything I wanted to know, and more, from reading this easy-to-follow narrative nonfiction.
On p. 236, it states that this event "served as a catalyst for government to impose new safety regulations on industry to protect the public."
Or has it?
History seems to be repeating itself time and time again, especially with instances like the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, the toxic derailment near East Palestine, Ohio from a train owned by Norfolk Southern railway company, to the ongoing issues with Boeing aircraft, especially since its merger with McDonnell Douglas, just to name a few.
Highly recommend for readers who enjoy American history, or unusual historical events!
June 30, 2014
I couldn’t help but be incredulous about a “molasses flood.� I was doing research into what books I wanted to read for my “Winter 2013 Disaster Read,� which I originally intended to be about natural disasters, but quickly morphed into disasters in general, and I stumbled across this book. Lo and behold a week later it went onto the Kindle Daily Deal and I snatched it up. It’s almost like Amazon knew (eyes dart back and forth quickly). I originally had this idea of the molasses/cornflake lava that they used in the old Godzilla movies� I had no thought of a tidal wave bearing down on people at speeds of 35 miles per hour.
Ok. I have now stopped and started writing this review three times. I’ll say this: reading about the Molasses Flood, the Cascade Avalanche, and the Hinckley Forest fires is really making me reconsider my stance on corporate freedoms vs. government regulation. In the end I don’t trust anybody, I think we need business to watch government, we need the government to watch businesses, but MOST importantly we need an actively involved citizenry watching both of them. There, please keep trolling to a minimum. It’s hard to read through history and not realize that man, really shitty people are often in charge of things, damn that Peter Principle and the Bottom Line. It’s also great to read through history and realize how many notable and amazing people there are in each generation, that are just trudging ahead with life until extraordinary circumstances call on them to be more.
There were three things about this book that really hurt its rating:
1)The captions on the photos (which were excellent finds) almost always gave away what was going to happen in the chapter. Now, I know its history, but this is the only book on this subject, it’s relatively hard to find out information on it, so there is some amount of mystery as to who dies, how the court rules, etc. That mystery was destroyed by the fact that a chapter would start with a picture, and the caption always gave away the ending. No spoilers please, even in history books.
2)It was repetitive. I was really interested in all the stories about the Italian immigrants, but at several points the author restated the same statistic twice, or nearly the same paragraph as in a previous chapter, and it sort of felt cumbersome in the beginning.
3) The book didn’t start with a clear thesis. I don’t normally care if a history book starts with a clear thesis, sometimes I enjoy being taken along for the ride, but with the plentiful side stories about anarchists, WWI soldiers, etc., and thesis clearly tying these thigns all together in the beginning would have been beneficial. Yes, by the middle of the story it was entirely clear that the author was describing the Anarchist turmoil because they were blamed by USIA (eyeroll) for the bombing of the tank, BUT in the beginning, that could have been more clear and would’ve made the initial chapters on the subject seem more coherent.
Still I learned an extraordinary amount- the Anarchist reign of terror was something I’m not very familiar with, nor was I familiar with the antipathy towards Italian immigrants (there are strong correlations here between Italians and the assimilation of our modern day immigrants), and really, outside of cooking I had no idea about the practical and industrial applications of molasses. For all its weaknesses, it’s a very interesting book. The author’s strength is in the retelling of the damages and the loss of the low-wage earners in the area. He can write very compellingly of their trials during and after the flood. You sure to learn an unexpected amount.'
And finally I leave you with this. USIA this is dedicated to you:
To read my review of my Natural Disaster Themed read which included 10 different disaster books click link: Here!
Ok. I have now stopped and started writing this review three times. I’ll say this: reading about the Molasses Flood, the Cascade Avalanche, and the Hinckley Forest fires is really making me reconsider my stance on corporate freedoms vs. government regulation. In the end I don’t trust anybody, I think we need business to watch government, we need the government to watch businesses, but MOST importantly we need an actively involved citizenry watching both of them. There, please keep trolling to a minimum. It’s hard to read through history and not realize that man, really shitty people are often in charge of things, damn that Peter Principle and the Bottom Line. It’s also great to read through history and realize how many notable and amazing people there are in each generation, that are just trudging ahead with life until extraordinary circumstances call on them to be more.
There were three things about this book that really hurt its rating:
1)The captions on the photos (which were excellent finds) almost always gave away what was going to happen in the chapter. Now, I know its history, but this is the only book on this subject, it’s relatively hard to find out information on it, so there is some amount of mystery as to who dies, how the court rules, etc. That mystery was destroyed by the fact that a chapter would start with a picture, and the caption always gave away the ending. No spoilers please, even in history books.
2)It was repetitive. I was really interested in all the stories about the Italian immigrants, but at several points the author restated the same statistic twice, or nearly the same paragraph as in a previous chapter, and it sort of felt cumbersome in the beginning.
3) The book didn’t start with a clear thesis. I don’t normally care if a history book starts with a clear thesis, sometimes I enjoy being taken along for the ride, but with the plentiful side stories about anarchists, WWI soldiers, etc., and thesis clearly tying these thigns all together in the beginning would have been beneficial. Yes, by the middle of the story it was entirely clear that the author was describing the Anarchist turmoil because they were blamed by USIA (eyeroll) for the bombing of the tank, BUT in the beginning, that could have been more clear and would’ve made the initial chapters on the subject seem more coherent.
Still I learned an extraordinary amount- the Anarchist reign of terror was something I’m not very familiar with, nor was I familiar with the antipathy towards Italian immigrants (there are strong correlations here between Italians and the assimilation of our modern day immigrants), and really, outside of cooking I had no idea about the practical and industrial applications of molasses. For all its weaknesses, it’s a very interesting book. The author’s strength is in the retelling of the damages and the loss of the low-wage earners in the area. He can write very compellingly of their trials during and after the flood. You sure to learn an unexpected amount.'
And finally I leave you with this. USIA this is dedicated to you:
To read my review of my Natural Disaster Themed read which included 10 different disaster books click link: Here!
July 17, 2011
This historical event is yet another example of the truthiness of : “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.� In this case, a cowardly middle manager with no relevant experience cuts corners to please his clueless bosses, constructing a huge, dangerous, leaky tower for molasses in a crowded slum. He disregards direct pleas from people who work at the structure and feel that it is dangerous, insisting that he, the middle manager, knows better. However, the middle manager is sufficiently concerned to order the tower painted the color of molasses, so the extent of the leaking is not so obvious. When disaster inevitably strikes and innocent (also: poor, foreign, powerless) people are killed, the manager's organization goes into full spin-control mode, wrapping itself in the flag and blaming shadowy foreign terrorists. (Insert your own rueful comment about more recent world events here.) Meanwhile, the organization acquires the services of the best lawyers and experts that money can buy, just in case.
Descriptions of this incident often contain the word “curious�, because we're not used to thinking of molasses as being as dangerous as, say, water or fire. Water looks harmless in the glass, and fire seems fairly friendly at the end of a match, but we've all seen evidence of the power of these elements � if you're fortunate, only on You Tube or in the movies. The few souls who have witnessed a wall of molasses several stories tall devouring a whole neighborhood have passed away, so the rest of us are free today to envision molasses as a vaguely ridiculous gelatinous substance oozing harmlessly from a tiny jar. So cute! Not at all like a nightmare of brown sludge pounding down the city streets with the velocity of a speeding car, drowning people and pulverizing structures unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
One of the unlikely heroes in this book turns out to be Hugh Ogden, the Boston judge for the subsequent court case against the owners of the tank. On first examination, he seems like the type who might be sympathetic to the foreign terrorist argument, meaning, he was a strict law-and-order patriot and veteran. Lawyers for the owners attempted to appeal to Ogden's presumed political bias. I speculate that Judge Ogden realized that getting at the truth of the case, even if it contradicted his political sympathies, was the best service he could do for his country. This he did, finding for the families of those killed and injured. I hope that his spirit continues to live on in judges today.
Recommended in by .
Descriptions of this incident often contain the word “curious�, because we're not used to thinking of molasses as being as dangerous as, say, water or fire. Water looks harmless in the glass, and fire seems fairly friendly at the end of a match, but we've all seen evidence of the power of these elements � if you're fortunate, only on You Tube or in the movies. The few souls who have witnessed a wall of molasses several stories tall devouring a whole neighborhood have passed away, so the rest of us are free today to envision molasses as a vaguely ridiculous gelatinous substance oozing harmlessly from a tiny jar. So cute! Not at all like a nightmare of brown sludge pounding down the city streets with the velocity of a speeding car, drowning people and pulverizing structures unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
One of the unlikely heroes in this book turns out to be Hugh Ogden, the Boston judge for the subsequent court case against the owners of the tank. On first examination, he seems like the type who might be sympathetic to the foreign terrorist argument, meaning, he was a strict law-and-order patriot and veteran. Lawyers for the owners attempted to appeal to Ogden's presumed political bias. I speculate that Judge Ogden realized that getting at the truth of the case, even if it contradicted his political sympathies, was the best service he could do for his country. This he did, finding for the families of those killed and injured. I hope that his spirit continues to live on in judges today.
Recommended in by .
July 16, 2011
I liked, but not loved, this accessibly written book. I had no idea that there had been such an event, and the thought of it was pretty horrific. For all neo-cons, this is what happens when industry and corporations are left to regulate themselves. There is a reason for inspections and oversight of big business. To think of the corners that were cut in the name of saving money and profit at the expense of lives is completely deplorable. Also, the cost of the clean up must have been astronomical -- the corporation should have been charged for every penny!
So, why did I give it 3 and not 5 stars. First, as a history this is really flawed. Puleo continually gets into the heads of the people who were involved in this tragedy and imagines their thoughts, feelings, and otherwise makes attributions that are just that -- imagined. That is not history; it is historical fiction. Second, as a historian, he should be a bit more of a fact checker. To cite one example, he talks about a victim whose hair turned white overnight as a result of the accident. Heeeellllooo. This is physiologically not possible. It is a myth. Hair is dead tissue, and while hair becomes white, what is already on your head does not. Third, he moralizes and inserts his opinion a bit too much for a historian in my opinion. He makes assertions regarding Italian Americans and their reluctance to organize, a stance that changes as a result of this tragedy. While this may have been a tipping point to community organization, the world does not work quite this simply, and he should really have provided a citation or two to support this contention.
While this was somewhat melodramatic historical fiction, it was by no means a history in the true sense of the word. Read it for entertainment, but read with a big grain of salt.
So, why did I give it 3 and not 5 stars. First, as a history this is really flawed. Puleo continually gets into the heads of the people who were involved in this tragedy and imagines their thoughts, feelings, and otherwise makes attributions that are just that -- imagined. That is not history; it is historical fiction. Second, as a historian, he should be a bit more of a fact checker. To cite one example, he talks about a victim whose hair turned white overnight as a result of the accident. Heeeellllooo. This is physiologically not possible. It is a myth. Hair is dead tissue, and while hair becomes white, what is already on your head does not. Third, he moralizes and inserts his opinion a bit too much for a historian in my opinion. He makes assertions regarding Italian Americans and their reluctance to organize, a stance that changes as a result of this tragedy. While this may have been a tipping point to community organization, the world does not work quite this simply, and he should really have provided a citation or two to support this contention.
While this was somewhat melodramatic historical fiction, it was by no means a history in the true sense of the word. Read it for entertainment, but read with a big grain of salt.
May 10, 2023
You read that title correctly, there was a massive flood of molasses in Boston in 1919. It's kind of hard to wrap your head around the idea of it - 2.3 million gallons of molasses creating a 25 feet high and 160 feet wide black tidal wave, travelling at 35 miles per hour, engulfing everything on its way across the Boston waterfront. It's a complicated disaster that was fueled by the overall political climate during the World War I era and a company's choice of profits over safety. As you can imagine, the damage caused by this molasses tidal wave was heartbreaking, and it led to a massive class action suit, the longest and most expensive civil suit in Massachusetts history to date.
Sounds really intriguing, right? Unfortunately, it felt like there was a slight bait and switch with the title. I think what the author really wanted to talk about was labor relations and anarchists in the US during the WWI era, but a title about a giant molasses flood probably draws more readers. Don't get me wrong, there were a number of chapters about the molasses flood, including the missteps leading up to the disaster and the dramatic escape and rescue efforts of those unlucky enough to be at the Boston waterfront that day. However, there was equally as much space devoted to politics, the anarchist movement, and US economic conditions before, during, and after WWI as the author tries to tie all of these underlying factors to the molasses tank's collapse and the tank owner's subsequent defense in the class action suit.
Although the book didn't turn out to be entirely what I was expecting, I was never bored and I actually learned a lot. And the chapters covering the molasses flood in Part II were riveting. If any of this sounds interesting to you, it's a pretty quick and unique read.
Sounds really intriguing, right? Unfortunately, it felt like there was a slight bait and switch with the title. I think what the author really wanted to talk about was labor relations and anarchists in the US during the WWI era, but a title about a giant molasses flood probably draws more readers. Don't get me wrong, there were a number of chapters about the molasses flood, including the missteps leading up to the disaster and the dramatic escape and rescue efforts of those unlucky enough to be at the Boston waterfront that day. However, there was equally as much space devoted to politics, the anarchist movement, and US economic conditions before, during, and after WWI as the author tries to tie all of these underlying factors to the molasses tank's collapse and the tank owner's subsequent defense in the class action suit.
Although the book didn't turn out to be entirely what I was expecting, I was never bored and I actually learned a lot. And the chapters covering the molasses flood in Part II were riveting. If any of this sounds interesting to you, it's a pretty quick and unique read.
July 13, 2012
Did you ever hear of the “great molasses flood� in Boston? I grew up hearing about this event � probably because it took place in and around Boston’s North End, and we had ties to and visited the North End frequently. But even I took the reality of this event with a grain of salt.
But it actually happened. Around noon on January 15th, 1919, a fifty-foot-tall tank FILLED with over 2 million gallons of thick, black molasses collapsed � creating a massive tidal wave (fifteen feet high, some say) that traveled at a speed of over 35 miles per hour and transformed Boston’s North End into a disaster area. Twenty one people were killed, many animals were destroyed, and the injury and destruction left in its wake were devastating.
Dark Tide by Steven Puleo is a fascinating story � not only of the tragic flood, but of the social and cultural drama that led up to the tragedy � from the tank’s construction (in 1915) all the way through the inevitable lawsuit that followed. Mr. Puleo is an award-winning newspaper reporter and his style is highly readable. If you have never heard about the Great Molasses Flood � and would appreciate a detailed look at Boston’s history- this is the book for you.
But it actually happened. Around noon on January 15th, 1919, a fifty-foot-tall tank FILLED with over 2 million gallons of thick, black molasses collapsed � creating a massive tidal wave (fifteen feet high, some say) that traveled at a speed of over 35 miles per hour and transformed Boston’s North End into a disaster area. Twenty one people were killed, many animals were destroyed, and the injury and destruction left in its wake were devastating.
Dark Tide by Steven Puleo is a fascinating story � not only of the tragic flood, but of the social and cultural drama that led up to the tragedy � from the tank’s construction (in 1915) all the way through the inevitable lawsuit that followed. Mr. Puleo is an award-winning newspaper reporter and his style is highly readable. If you have never heard about the Great Molasses Flood � and would appreciate a detailed look at Boston’s history- this is the book for you.
June 5, 2007
Anyone who had parents who grew up in Boston heard the story passed down about the great Molasses Flood. It was usually told in an offhand manner, ending with "on a hot day you can still smell the molasses". This is the whole story, and there isn't anything offhand about it. A very good piece of social, as well as labor history. I, of course, ended up taking the book to the scene of the crime and retracing the steps. Fascinating.
December 31, 2024
I now know about the fermentation of molasses. I learned SO much about 1910-1930’s Boston. REALLY interesting read!
July 1, 2012
This fascinating book tells the story of one of the most bizarre disasters in our country's history. In 1919, on the eve of Prohibition, a storage silo in Boston's North End was being filled with molasses which was about to be shipped off to be turned into alcohol. In the cold of January the tank was half filled with nearly a million gallons of molasses. The tank had been leaking for years. Children from the neighborhood came daily with their buckets to collect the leaked molasses for their mothers to use in their cooking. The watchman had complained often about the leaking and the solution the tank owners came up with was to paint the silo brown so the leaks weren't as noticeable. On this particular morning a ship loaded with molasses had come up from Puerto Rico following the Gulf Stream and unloaded over a million gallons of warm molasses into the cold molasses. The rumbling and grumbling inside the tank began as the warm molasses caused a chemical reaction with the cold. The tank burst open flooding 2 million gallons of molasses through the Boston streets. It knocked out an elevated train, wiped out a firehouse, killed 21 people, many horses and injured many more.
This story is so well told -- the lead up to the explosion, the catastrophe itself and the aftermath that it reads like novel. Very, very well-crafted book!
This story is so well told -- the lead up to the explosion, the catastrophe itself and the aftermath that it reads like novel. Very, very well-crafted book!
April 17, 2021
Fantastic narrative nonfiction. First: I love that this is the story of a tragedy that no one I'd never heard of.
Things I loved learning about, doubly so because I went in expecting to just hear the story about a molasses flood:
- Engineering mistakes made in the favor of saving money, that eventually led to many of the building codes/construction requirements we know and hate today
- A completely different geopolitical climate where Italians were a niche cultural group outside "normal American society" and anarchists were the boogeymen of the day
- How molasses and the Atlantic slave/sugar trade grew part of the military-industrial complex in the US
Realizing (in the second half of the book) that the author was able to write such a detailed and vivid account because he had three years of court hearings to draw from also makes me wonder how much more narrative nonfiction is written based off of information all in the public record. <3
Last but not least, one of my favorite touches: the author makes the Boston weather its own character in the book. In the background of every scene, the reader knows whether it's sweltering, freezing, or one of those rare temperate days in between. How very Boston to acknowledge its weather's impact on its humans, and their behavior!
Things I loved learning about, doubly so because I went in expecting to just hear the story about a molasses flood:
- Engineering mistakes made in the favor of saving money, that eventually led to many of the building codes/construction requirements we know and hate today
- A completely different geopolitical climate where Italians were a niche cultural group outside "normal American society" and anarchists were the boogeymen of the day
- How molasses and the Atlantic slave/sugar trade grew part of the military-industrial complex in the US
Realizing (in the second half of the book) that the author was able to write such a detailed and vivid account because he had three years of court hearings to draw from also makes me wonder how much more narrative nonfiction is written based off of information all in the public record. <3
Last but not least, one of my favorite touches: the author makes the Boston weather its own character in the book. In the background of every scene, the reader knows whether it's sweltering, freezing, or one of those rare temperate days in between. How very Boston to acknowledge its weather's impact on its humans, and their behavior!
November 28, 2018
The author, Stephen Puleo, states at the start that this is the first book about the Boston Molasses Flood. It might as well be the last, because he covers every aspect so well that it's hard to imagine what anyone else could add.
The collapse of the U.S.Industrial Alcohol storage tank, which flooded Boston's North End with over 2 million gallons of molasses in 1915, killing 21 and destroying much of the surrounding neighborhood, was the result of corporate greed, disregard for low-income immigrants and inept design. Before the collapse, when the tank showed obvious signs of leakage, the company repainted the tank dark brown so the leaks wouldn't show. When it collapsed, they claimed it had been bombed by foreign anarchists.
Puleo had a wealth of primary sources -- thousands of pages of first-person accounts of the tragedy and its aftermath -- which he turned into an exciting, at times horrifying story of destruction, heroism, and legal wrangling (the subsequent trial lasted 3 years).
Recommended! (Why hasn't there been a movie???)
The collapse of the U.S.Industrial Alcohol storage tank, which flooded Boston's North End with over 2 million gallons of molasses in 1915, killing 21 and destroying much of the surrounding neighborhood, was the result of corporate greed, disregard for low-income immigrants and inept design. Before the collapse, when the tank showed obvious signs of leakage, the company repainted the tank dark brown so the leaks wouldn't show. When it collapsed, they claimed it had been bombed by foreign anarchists.
Puleo had a wealth of primary sources -- thousands of pages of first-person accounts of the tragedy and its aftermath -- which he turned into an exciting, at times horrifying story of destruction, heroism, and legal wrangling (the subsequent trial lasted 3 years).
Recommended! (Why hasn't there been a movie???)
January 18, 2010
p. 197
"In a Memorial Day speech in the near future, Odgen [Judge Hugh Ogden soldier-lawyer who presided over the lawsuit against USIA with heroic impartiality:]would observe: "We have prospered. We have sold goods at high prices. We have accumulated the largest stock of gold any nation ever possessed, but have we done anymore than that? Have we in our blindness gained the whole world and lost our own soul? It was not to ensure material prosperity that our soldiers fought and died...that the relations of capital and labor might be still further embittered...We must administer our government upon the broadest and most humanitarian lines so that each citizen shall receive his full inheritance in good roads, good schools, adequate opportunities for higher education, hospital facilities, libraries...and other institutions that are a public charge for the public good."' (1920s)
"In a Memorial Day speech in the near future, Odgen [Judge Hugh Ogden soldier-lawyer who presided over the lawsuit against USIA with heroic impartiality:]would observe: "We have prospered. We have sold goods at high prices. We have accumulated the largest stock of gold any nation ever possessed, but have we done anymore than that? Have we in our blindness gained the whole world and lost our own soul? It was not to ensure material prosperity that our soldiers fought and died...that the relations of capital and labor might be still further embittered...We must administer our government upon the broadest and most humanitarian lines so that each citizen shall receive his full inheritance in good roads, good schools, adequate opportunities for higher education, hospital facilities, libraries...and other institutions that are a public charge for the public good."' (1920s)
January 21, 2013
I was blown away by this, how could something this huge have happened and I didn't know? It also made me wish I knew all history, every single interesting event that ever happened. So, in 1919, there was a gigantic molasses flood in Boston, which is interesting enough. Add in the political climate of the times, with anarchists in every doorway, a changing Federal climate, corporations more concerned with profit than safety, and a bunch of hard-working people doing their level best to keep their families afloat while the economy was in a slump... and it's a lot like today, only with horses and steam engines. Well-written and fascinating- but intermittently discursive in the interests of giving a complete picture of the era.
August 15, 2021
Puleo's book is an account of the the disaster that swamped a large section of Boston with Molasses. He details the events leading up to to the flood, the flood itself, and the aftermath, including in later editions (such as the audio) when descendants of the people involved reached out to him after the book's first edition came out.
It is a good book. I love how Puelo places the events in context tying what happened to the broader history including the first World War and the political climate at the time. It is well worth reading.
It is a good book. I love how Puelo places the events in context tying what happened to the broader history including the first World War and the political climate at the time. It is well worth reading.
October 13, 2014
I thought this was a wonderfully informative book about a little slice of Americana that none of us knew about until this book was written. Who would have thought there could be a molasses flood and what utterly amazing devastation that it would bring. I found the first section a bit slow, but it really picked up after that. Many thanks to the author for bringing this to light, as well as all the surrounding issues that were swirling back in 1919 and during the time period of this book.
January 8, 2025
I loved how this was an organized timeline of the events while the tank was being built, while it was in operation, the flood, and the legal battle over who is responsible. I also loved the historical context of the time with the general population’s sediment on Italian immigrants, the red scare, WWI, and Prohibition. It is a tale as old as time. Big company rushes the construction of the tank to meet demands and hires a person to oversee it that is promised a promotion if time demands are meant and has no knowledge of how to ensure safety.
Also if an employee comes to tell u that a huge tank of leaking copious amounts of Molasses, don’t paint the tank brown to cover it up.
Also if an employee comes to tell u that a huge tank of leaking copious amounts of Molasses, don’t paint the tank brown to cover it up.
November 20, 2012
INTERESTING, ENTERTAINING, INFORMATIVE.
“So that this steel reservoir contained on the day of the accident a weight of molasses equal to 130 hundred-ton locomotive engines…or thirteen thousand Ford automobiles.�
History, mystery, and courtroom drama, with the singularly bizarre circumstance of, as my goodreads.com friend, Newengland so well phrased it, "death by molasses.� Oh yeah, and along with a major disaster, there's a World War, the Great Influenza Pandemic, the onset of prohibition, and bunches bomb throwing anarchists all rolled into the mix.
Less than five stars was not even a consideration.
Much more than a disaster story... Stephen Puleo's 'Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919' is an extensively, well researched, excellently narrated exposition of time, place, people, and events. It was a very entertaining and enjoyable read.
Recommendation: The highest, especially for history trivia mavens.
“When I said that this was a sordid story, I submit that I was entirely right.”—from the closing remarks of Damon Hall, plaintiff’s attorney
Also suggested from the reading of this story...
'The Boston Italians: A Story of Pride, Perseverance, and Paisani, from the Years of the Great Immigration to the Present Day.� By Stephen Puleo; and
‘Fire at the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath� by John C. Esposito
Kindle Edition on iPad
“So that this steel reservoir contained on the day of the accident a weight of molasses equal to 130 hundred-ton locomotive engines…or thirteen thousand Ford automobiles.�
History, mystery, and courtroom drama, with the singularly bizarre circumstance of, as my goodreads.com friend, Newengland so well phrased it, "death by molasses.� Oh yeah, and along with a major disaster, there's a World War, the Great Influenza Pandemic, the onset of prohibition, and bunches bomb throwing anarchists all rolled into the mix.
Less than five stars was not even a consideration.
Much more than a disaster story... Stephen Puleo's 'Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919' is an extensively, well researched, excellently narrated exposition of time, place, people, and events. It was a very entertaining and enjoyable read.
Recommendation: The highest, especially for history trivia mavens.
“When I said that this was a sordid story, I submit that I was entirely right.”—from the closing remarks of Damon Hall, plaintiff’s attorney
Also suggested from the reading of this story...
'The Boston Italians: A Story of Pride, Perseverance, and Paisani, from the Years of the Great Immigration to the Present Day.� By Stephen Puleo; and
‘Fire at the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and Its Aftermath� by John C. Esposito
Kindle Edition on iPad
December 21, 2018
I knew nothing about this disaster that occurred almost a hundred years ago, and I found the book to be fascinating.
The flood was caused by the rupture of a 2.3 million gallon industrial holding tank full of molasses; it killed 21 people, injured many others, and destroyed a neighborhood in Boston's North End. Based on extensive research using trial transcripts and other primary sources, the author has crafted a rich and meticulous narrative of the massive flood, including the tragedy itself as well as the events leading up to it and the legal fight that ensued afterward. The narrative comes alive through the author's focus on numerous personal stories of victims, company officials, lawyers, and others.
The author also does an excellent job of setting the disaster story in the context of the times: The end of World War I, the fear of postwar unemployment, the lack of assimilation of many Italian immigrants in Boston and elsewhere, the bombings and other disruptive acts by anarchists and the resulting fear among the populace, the impending onset of Prohibition, and more. All of these factors played a part in the story of the molasses flood.
I enjoyed the book very much, and I recommend it for anyone with an interest in American history of the post World War I period.
The flood was caused by the rupture of a 2.3 million gallon industrial holding tank full of molasses; it killed 21 people, injured many others, and destroyed a neighborhood in Boston's North End. Based on extensive research using trial transcripts and other primary sources, the author has crafted a rich and meticulous narrative of the massive flood, including the tragedy itself as well as the events leading up to it and the legal fight that ensued afterward. The narrative comes alive through the author's focus on numerous personal stories of victims, company officials, lawyers, and others.
The author also does an excellent job of setting the disaster story in the context of the times: The end of World War I, the fear of postwar unemployment, the lack of assimilation of many Italian immigrants in Boston and elsewhere, the bombings and other disruptive acts by anarchists and the resulting fear among the populace, the impending onset of Prohibition, and more. All of these factors played a part in the story of the molasses flood.
I enjoyed the book very much, and I recommend it for anyone with an interest in American history of the post World War I period.
May 31, 2011
This book was great - a nonfiction re: the "Great Molasses Spill" in the North End in 1919. I had heard of the disaster (in which 21 people lost their lives, hundreds were injured and multiple structures destroyed). But, I had absolutely NO IDEA of the events tied in with the event...like Sacco & Vanzetti and the anarchist movement, World War I, the rum/slavery/molasses triangle trade. Having connections in the North End helped keep me interested during the descriptions of the legal ramifications in the mid-end of the book.
I found it particularly interesting when the book described how the Italians were discriminated against, yet they insisted on keeping to members of their own community, didn't try to become citizens or learn the language. This played a big part in the ability of the company to build the structure in the North End to begin with. Unlike the Irish, the residents took no part in the city government, etc. and thus were considered irrelevant. Somehow, similar themes continue in society today. Same dog, different fleas.
I found it particularly interesting when the book described how the Italians were discriminated against, yet they insisted on keeping to members of their own community, didn't try to become citizens or learn the language. This played a big part in the ability of the company to build the structure in the North End to begin with. Unlike the Irish, the residents took no part in the city government, etc. and thus were considered irrelevant. Somehow, similar themes continue in society today. Same dog, different fleas.
January 1, 2023
Note: the audiobook doesn't have a PDF with pictures and maps so I borrowed the ebook from the library to access them.
This book isn't just about the actual Molasses Flood, it is a history lesson of before, during, and after. I was captivated from beginning to end. I was angry that it even happened and feel the same way when companies today are negligent.
The company tried to blame Anarchists, many of whom were Italian. There were a lot of Italian immigrants in the North End of Boston.
The tank was by the water in a mixed commercial and residential area. Ships would bring the molasses from the West Indies. The molasses this tank held was usually used for industrial alcohol. But with World War I over, and Prohibition coming, the company planned to make alcohol for consumption. They loaded the tank. Then the chaos came as the tank failed.
The trial for this lasted over two years. There is a lot of the book dedicated to the trial. It does bring the book down to a 4.5 but I'm giving it 5.
This book isn't just about the actual Molasses Flood, it is a history lesson of before, during, and after. I was captivated from beginning to end. I was angry that it even happened and feel the same way when companies today are negligent.
The company tried to blame Anarchists, many of whom were Italian. There were a lot of Italian immigrants in the North End of Boston.
The tank was by the water in a mixed commercial and residential area. Ships would bring the molasses from the West Indies. The molasses this tank held was usually used for industrial alcohol. But with World War I over, and Prohibition coming, the company planned to make alcohol for consumption. They loaded the tank. Then the chaos came as the tank failed.
The trial for this lasted over two years. There is a lot of the book dedicated to the trial. It does bring the book down to a 4.5 but I'm giving it 5.
August 4, 2019
I love narrative history and this book didn't disappoint me. I love that it fully described the events of the world during that time and the mood of the country, because all of those things precipitated the molasses flood and had an affect on the outcome of the trial.
April 9, 2010
The writing style was a bit overwrought for my taste at times, so let's compare it to all the other books out there about the Great Molasses Flood, oh wait, there aren't any.
March 19, 2019
In January 1919, an enormous molasses tank on the Boston waterfront burst, and unleashed a flood of molasses on one of the most congested sections of the city.
"Molasses flood" sounds like a joke. It sounds funny. It was January. We all know the expression, "as slow as cold molasses."
Twenty-one people died. 150 were injured, many of them very seriously, resulting in life-long crippling problems that either ended or seriously hampered their ability to work. Also, hundreds of working horses were killed by the molasses flood--some directly, some shot afterwards, because there was no way to extract them from the molasses before they would be suffocated by the weight of it.
Children died. Workers died. Houses, businesses, and the local fire station were crushed, shattered, knocked off their foundations and nearly swept into the harbor.
It was an enormous tragedy.
An important part of Puleo's book is making abundantly clear that it shouldn't have happened. Despite the company's claims, there was no bomb, no "evilly disposed persons," no outside malicious action. But neither was it "just" an accident.
Molasses wasn't just sweetener, or an important raw material for making rum. It was also an important source of industrial alcohol, used in, among other things, munitions. This became critically important with the start of World War One. This resulted in the new Boston tank being built in a great rush, to cash in on the war, under the direction of--an accountant. A man with no experience in construction of any kind, who was under pressure from his bosses to get it done by the last day of 1915 so that it could receive a delivery and spare the company the need to buy molasses for processing. Puleo lays out for us, in highly readable fashion, all the mistakes in construction, the warnings from an ordinary employee about the signs of structural unsoundness, the effects of the disaster, and the subsequent legal case. The company strongly pushed the theory that anarchists planted a bomb in the tank, and this wasn't, in the context of the time, as crazy an idea as it might sound. Anarchists, and anarchist violence, was a significant factor at the time. There just wasn't any supporting evidence for an anarchist having planted a bomb in this molasses tank, and there was a lot of evidence of sloppy construction and ignored warnings of structural unsoundness.
The molasses flood was a major disaster for Boston, but by itself, it wasn't a major, history-changing moment. However, it connected and interacted with a lot of other forces at work at the time. World War One, Prohibition, laissez-faire capitalism (Puleo doesn't use the phrase, but describes it at work), the assimilation, or lack thereof, of the Italian immigrants, anarchist political activity, the Sacco and Vanzetti case...all played a role in what happened. And the legal case over the molasses flood, which became, in practice even if not officially, the largest class action lawsuit thus far.
It's a fascinating story, and well, even if not perfectly, told.
Recommended.
I borrowed this book from my local library.
"Molasses flood" sounds like a joke. It sounds funny. It was January. We all know the expression, "as slow as cold molasses."
Twenty-one people died. 150 were injured, many of them very seriously, resulting in life-long crippling problems that either ended or seriously hampered their ability to work. Also, hundreds of working horses were killed by the molasses flood--some directly, some shot afterwards, because there was no way to extract them from the molasses before they would be suffocated by the weight of it.
Children died. Workers died. Houses, businesses, and the local fire station were crushed, shattered, knocked off their foundations and nearly swept into the harbor.
It was an enormous tragedy.
An important part of Puleo's book is making abundantly clear that it shouldn't have happened. Despite the company's claims, there was no bomb, no "evilly disposed persons," no outside malicious action. But neither was it "just" an accident.
Molasses wasn't just sweetener, or an important raw material for making rum. It was also an important source of industrial alcohol, used in, among other things, munitions. This became critically important with the start of World War One. This resulted in the new Boston tank being built in a great rush, to cash in on the war, under the direction of--an accountant. A man with no experience in construction of any kind, who was under pressure from his bosses to get it done by the last day of 1915 so that it could receive a delivery and spare the company the need to buy molasses for processing. Puleo lays out for us, in highly readable fashion, all the mistakes in construction, the warnings from an ordinary employee about the signs of structural unsoundness, the effects of the disaster, and the subsequent legal case. The company strongly pushed the theory that anarchists planted a bomb in the tank, and this wasn't, in the context of the time, as crazy an idea as it might sound. Anarchists, and anarchist violence, was a significant factor at the time. There just wasn't any supporting evidence for an anarchist having planted a bomb in this molasses tank, and there was a lot of evidence of sloppy construction and ignored warnings of structural unsoundness.
The molasses flood was a major disaster for Boston, but by itself, it wasn't a major, history-changing moment. However, it connected and interacted with a lot of other forces at work at the time. World War One, Prohibition, laissez-faire capitalism (Puleo doesn't use the phrase, but describes it at work), the assimilation, or lack thereof, of the Italian immigrants, anarchist political activity, the Sacco and Vanzetti case...all played a role in what happened. And the legal case over the molasses flood, which became, in practice even if not officially, the largest class action lawsuit thus far.
It's a fascinating story, and well, even if not perfectly, told.
Recommended.
I borrowed this book from my local library.
March 18, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In fact, I would have given it five stars, except for some bad language scattered through the book.
I only recently learned of this unusual event in U.S. history, which led me to read this book.
The book is a fascinating account, not just of the molasses flood itself, but of a number of things taking place on the political landscape at the time. I had no idea that in the early 1900's we had anarchists bombing public buildings as well as the private homes of influential people. I didn't know that alcohol made from molasses was used in producing munitions for WWI. These are just some of the things I learned while reading this book.
The molasses flood itself was a tragic event that affected the lives of many people. This book details the events leading up to it, the actual event, and the aftermath, including a lengthy court case. It is well written, and extremely well-researched. Be sure to read the bibliographic essay at the end.
I was also struck by the fact, that in former generations, such as in this book, there were people of "uncommon character," who sought to act nobly, unselfishly, and for the good of others. I think that type of character is getting more and more rare, and it is uplifting to read about such people.
I only recently learned of this unusual event in U.S. history, which led me to read this book.
The book is a fascinating account, not just of the molasses flood itself, but of a number of things taking place on the political landscape at the time. I had no idea that in the early 1900's we had anarchists bombing public buildings as well as the private homes of influential people. I didn't know that alcohol made from molasses was used in producing munitions for WWI. These are just some of the things I learned while reading this book.
The molasses flood itself was a tragic event that affected the lives of many people. This book details the events leading up to it, the actual event, and the aftermath, including a lengthy court case. It is well written, and extremely well-researched. Be sure to read the bibliographic essay at the end.
I was also struck by the fact, that in former generations, such as in this book, there were people of "uncommon character," who sought to act nobly, unselfishly, and for the good of others. I think that type of character is getting more and more rare, and it is uplifting to read about such people.
March 11, 2021
I wanted to know the history behind the Molasses Flood of 1919 in the North End - reading this book provided that detailed history. The flow of the narrative is a bit choppy at times, but Stephen Puleo is a good historian and writer. I like the way he writes a bibliography essay rather than having a traditional bibliography.
July 7, 2018
I’ve had this on my to-read shelf for ages (literally years; I saw the author at an event my library more than 5 years ago...). I’m glad I finally read this. Interesting history of Boston and the little-known acts of the tragic molasses flood.
February 2, 2025
Love a good narrative nonfiction and learned so much!!
March 13, 2025
I enjoyed learning so much about a tragedy I had no prior knowledge of! This book takes you through it all from intimate knowledge of the victims and their families to the politics and corruption of big business to how this little corner of Boston played a part in a raging world war. I highly recommend!
March 29, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I would have given it a 5 star if it didn't have some bad language in it. It was very well researched and well written. I learned a great deal about a historical event I was not aware of and the political conditions surrounding it. It was heartening to read of men of integrity who were willing to do the right thing regardless of monetary gain or pressure from government or peers. I read a library copy, but it would be a good volume to have in my personal library.
March 7, 2021
This book tells the tale of the biggest disaster that most folks have never heard of. When in January 1919 a giant tank collapsed sending a fifteen foot high wave through the streets of Boston's North End. There are Disney level villains consumed with ambition and greed - a big corporation and its employee. There are the working class residents that called this neighborhood home. The author introduces the reader to all of these folks and puts the disaster in context so that the reader really cares about the 21 souls that were killed in the molasses flood and later in the book the outcome of the court trials that followed. Well researched and brilliantly organized this reads like fiction, the story opens in 1915 with the construction of the tank and ends almost 10 years later, when the court decision is released. There is even an epilogue that discusses what happened to all of the major characters and all of the changes that the Great Molasses Flood forced in construction standards, zoning regulations, and government regulations on corporations. The reader feels like they are really part of the neighborhood and understands in context how this could have happened and how it is highly unlikely it could ever happen again.
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