An in-depth look at one of the strangest and stickiest disasters in American history, the explosion of a tank that held more than two million gallons of molasses, near Boston Harbor. The book includes details of the investigation that followed. Cast of Characters. Index.

Last time we baked molasses cookies at home, I began telling my 4yo about the molasses flood in Boston. She wanted to know more, so we got this book out while we were waiting for the more age-appropriate picture book Molasses Flood by Blair Lent. Mainly we looked at the photographs and I skimmed parts of the text, but it seems like an excellent book for anyone interested in this bizarre and tragic event in Boston's history.

Commemorative plaque on Commercial Street in Boston:
Boston Molasses Flood
On January 15, 1919, a molasses tank at 529 Commercial Street exploded under pressure, killing 21 people. A 40-foot wave of molasses buckled the elevated railroad tracks, crushed buildings, and inundated the neighborhood. Structural defects in the tank combined with unseasonably warm temperatures contributed to the disaster.

* I received this as a free eBook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *

January 15th, 1919 was an unseasonably warm day in Boston’s North End. Everyone was going about his or her day-to-day lives when the unthinkable happened. Amidst screeching steel and popping rivets a large tower “exploded” and a flood of molasses covered the area. In total 21 people lost their lives and many more were injured as the metal pieces soared through the air and whole buildings were moved off their foundations. One person was sent flying through the air and into the frigid waters surrounding Boston. A 6-year long court case ensued between the citizens of Boston and U.S. Industrial Alcohol Company for restitution and the settlement of damages for the victims. Blame flew back and forth, fingers pointing at the USIA for negligence, the local Anarchist Society (suspected of placing a bomb in the tank) and even so far as accusing a 6-year-old girl killed while she was playing in the area of being the one to plant to the bomb for them. Settlement was finally reached out of court.

Ms. Kops does a respectable job of telling of the tragedy in an abridged yet very understandable manner. This by necessity as the book is written as a “children’s book suitable for ages 9 through 12”. I picked this book up because I had never heard of the “Molasses Disaster” until I took a walking tour of Boston several years ago. I always meant to look into it a little further but until this little book caught my attention I never got around to it. So why read a children’s book?

1 – It was available.

2 – While reading it, I found it contained all the information I needed to know without making a huge time investment.

3 – It had some truly incredible pictures. (Yes – I like picture books sometimes – stop guffawing)

This book satisfied all my needs when it came to what I wanted to learn about the “Molasses Disaster”.

With a title like “The Great Molasses Flood” it sounds like it may be an amusing bit of bedtime reading for a little tyke. It’s hardly that. Ms. Kops is very factual about what happened including descriptions of people being trapped under debris, injuries people suffered and the deaths that were caused. She also goes into fairly extensive detail about the court case. The top end of the recommended 9 – 12 years old would probably be more suitable as the writing is very fact based, with few embellishments, so unless the youngster had a real desire to know about the incident, they may not find it overly captivating for a casual read. Information packed … absolutely! I would even go so far as to say it would be an excellent resource for a 4th grade history paper. I do think this book should have a place on the shelf in every school library’s history section, especially because of the pictures and newspaper article reproductions included.

A small plaque was placed at entrance to Puopolo Park by the Boston Historical Society to mark site of the disaster.
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Fast-paced, nicely detailed account of one of the most unusual disasters in American history. ( )

I am fond of "event books" that offer a broader view of a particular occurrence, placing it into the context of the time. This is such a book, offering a look at the American justice system, the anarchist movement of the early 20th century, the lifestyles of immigrants, the influence of big business, and the practical applications for science and engineering in the practice of law. All of these elements cross paths in this chronological story of a deadly explosion of a Boston molasses tank holding over two million gallons of the sticky brown sweetener.

Because the incident ended up as the subject of intense litigation, Kops had ample resources, in addition to newspaper accounts. The legal transcript of the trial fills forty volumes.

Kops' writing style is simple and compelling,

"The View from Above
At about 12:40 the brakeman on the elevated line was standing near the window of a passenger train, which had left South Station about five minutes earlier. As the train neared the molasses tank, the brakeman heard a loud noise, like metal ripping apart. He looked down to see the molasses tank split wide open and a wave of molasses heading toward the tracks.
As the train came around a curve, there was another surprise. The molasses hurled a great chunk of the tank against two columns supporting the elevated tracks. A moment later one of the El supports bent as if it was just a skinny twig. Park of the El's tracks, which the train had passed over just seconds before, sagged toward the road below."

Scattered sepia colored insets offer additional and helpful contextual information such as the burgeoning women's and anarchist movements, and an explanation of the urgency to use the stored molasses (prohibition was about to become the law of the land).

I did find fault with two stray comments that I thought "cringe-worthy" because they seemed dismissive of the catastrophic nature of the event.

"A sea of molasses quickly surrounded them. Antonio ran for his life, but he was no match for the tide. It dragged him along, shoving him into a curb. Ouch!"

The young man lost two teeth and a sister. Ouch? The other is similarly cavalier -

"Mrs. O'Brien Loses More Than Her Wash"

Mrs. O'Brien, in fact, lost her home, which rode the molasses wave right off its foundation and into the nearby park.
These are minor aberrations, however, in an otherwise fascinating and well-told story.

Booktalk The Great Molasses Flood: Boston, 1919 to your fiction readers, too! Freakish appeal and a generous amount of photos give this one cross-genre appeal. Highly recommended.

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