Boston’s Great Molasses Flood of 1919
Morbid
03/24/25
•60m
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January 15, 1919 was an unusually warm day in Boston, a welcome change from the typically cold temperatures Bostonians had experienced in the previous days. A little after 12:30 pm, the residents of the city’s North End neighborhood were going about their usual routines when all of the sudden they felt the ground shake, followed by a loud rumbling roar, as though the train had gone off the tracks. Then, without warning, a wave of molasses—reportedly fifty feet high—flooded the neighborhood with more than 2.5 million gallons of syrup, destroying buildings, toppling the nearby elevated train line, and killing twenty-one people.
One of the lesser told and remembered stories in Boston’s history, the great molasses flood of 1919 caused untold damage to one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods and injured more than 150 people, in addition to the twenty-one dead. Yet for an event so remarkable and strange, it is still unknown precisely what caused the Purity Distilling Company’s molasses storage tank to burst and dump its contents across the North End, making it one of Boston’s most bizarre pieces of folklore.
Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!
References
Boston Daily Globe. 1919. "Death toll from tank disaster 13." Boston Daily Globe, January 18: 1.
—. 1919. "Martin Clougherty awoke in a sea of sticky molasses." Boston Daily Globe, January 16: 7.
—. 1919. "Molasses tank explosion injures 50 and kills 11." Boston Daily Globe, January 16: 1.
—. 1919. "No Bill returned in tank disaster." Boston Daily Globe, February 13: 3.
—. 1919. "Official police report of North End disaster." Boston Daily Globe, January 16: 7.
—. 1919. "Scenes of anguish at relief station." Boston Daily Globe, January 16: 7.
Buell, Spencer. 2019. "Anarchists, horses, heroes: 12 things you didn't know about the Great Boston Molasses Flood." Boston Magazine, Janaury 12.
Daily Boston Globe. 1919. "Explosion theory favored by expert." Daily Boston Globe, January 16: 1.
—. 1919. "Mayor appalled, promises probe." Daily Boston Globe, January 16: 1.
Dwyer, Dialynn. 2019. "What people saw and felt in the first moments of Boston's dead Great Molasses Flood." Boston Globe, January 13.
Jabr, Ferris. 2013. "The science of the Great Molasses Flood." Scientific American, August 1.
Park, Edwards. 1983. "Without warning, molasses surged over Boston 100 years ago." Smithsonian Magazine, November 1.
Puleo, Stephen. 2004. Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Previous Episode
The Attempted Murder of Alison Botha
March 20, 2025
•72m
On December 18, 1994, twenty-seven-year-old Alison Botha was abducted from the parking lot of her apartment in Port Elizabeth by two men she didn’t know and had never seen. After forcing her into her car, her abductors drove her to a remote field, where she was sexually assaulted, stabbed dozens of times, nearly decapitated, and left for dead.
Miraculously, Alison didn’t die in that field, but instead managed to get to a nearby road, where she found help and was transported to the nearest hospital where she received life-saving treatment. Because she remembered everything about her attackers, Alison was able to describe the men and they were quickly arrested and confessed to the assault.
Since enduring her horrific attack, Alison Botha has become a symbol of endurance and for decades her story of survival has inspired and empowered young women across South Africa and around the world.
Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!
References
Marianne, Thamm. 2018. I Have Life: Alison's Journey. Cape Town, South Africa: Penguin Random House South Africa.
Reddy, Tash. 2006. "Alison has life - and she truly cherishes it." Pretoria News, December 2.
—. 2006. "Miracle survivor Alison inspires." Weekend Argus (South Africa), December 3.
Sanpath, Arthi. 2010. "Will to survive triumphs incredible story of courage inspires all." Daily News (South Africa), August 23.
Thamm, Marianne. 2024. "Alison Botha health update — Reunited with family and fighting for recovery." Daily Maverick (South Africa), October 27.
The Mercury. 2023. "Rapist pair get paroled after serving 28 years." The Mercury (South Africa), July 6.
The Star. 2012. "Rape victim's parole shock." The Star (South Africa), January 19.
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Next Episode
Listener Tales 96: Buhtz
March 27, 2025
•60m
Weirdos! Today we just wanted to be ourselves- and enjoy some Listener tales that are brought TO you, BY you, FOR you, FROM you, and ALLLLL about you! Throw on a comfy sweatshirt and join use as we talk about paranormal experiences at creepy schools!
Don't forget to check out the VIDEO from this episode available on YouTube on 3/27/2025!
If you’ve got a listener tale please send it on over to Morbidpodcast@gmail.com with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line- and if you share pictures- please let us know if we can share them with fellow weirdos! :)
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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