Cautionary Tales – Treacle Tears: The Boston Molasses Catastrophe


The youngsters of North Finish, Boston, play within the shadow of an infinite metal tank of molasses. The thick, sticky sugar syrup is getting used to make munitions for the First World Conflict. When a employee notices darkish molasses seeping from the tank, hewarns the firm that there may very well be a leak. However the man in cost, Arthur Jell, has extra essential issues to fret about: schedules to fulfill and earnings to make. Apart from, it’s solely sugar. How harmful may or not it’s? 

This episode was launched final yr solely to members of the Cautionary Membership. Together with month-to-month unique Cautionary Tales episodes, membership members additionally obtain ad-free listening, month-to-month video episodes and a month-to-month publication.

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Additional Studying

The important thing supply for this episode was Darkish Tide: The Nice Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 (2019) by Stephen Puleo. This episode additionally drew on numerous up to date information reviews revealed between 1914 and 1931 in The Boston Globe, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The New York Each day Information.

Different sources included:

“Brittle Fracture: The Nice Molasses Flood”, Epic Engineering Failures and the Classes They Educate, by Stephen Ressler and The Nice Programs Plus

The North Finish: A Transient Historical past of Boston’s Oldest Neighborhood (2009) by Alex R. Goldfeld

Massachusetts Disasters: True Tales of Tragedy and Survival (2018) by Larry Pletcher, with extra tales by David J. Krajicek

A sticky downside — a brand new mild shone on Boston’s nice molasses spillage” by Tony Fishwick, Loss Prevention Bulletin 264, Institute of Chemical Engineers,December 2018.

Fixing a thriller behind a lethal ‘Tsunami of Molasses’ of 1919” by Erin McCann, The New York Instances, 26 November 2016.

Transfer Quick And Break Issues: Professionals and Cons of the Idea“, MasterClass, 21 June 2022.

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