20 Photographs of the Destruction of the Great Boston Molasses Flood

Damaged Boston Elevated Railway trestle, in aftermath of molasses tank collapse. burnpits

Great Molasses Flood 1919 – Welders Cut Into Wreckage. Pinterest

Carefully Cutting The Tank To Look For Survivors. lazerhorse

Wreckage from the flood. paranormalsoup

Rescuers try desperately to save the occupants of the Clougherty house, which was torn from its foundation and smashed against the elevated train trestle by the molasses wave. CREDIT: Photo from Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919

A Red Cross ambulance arrives on the scene, where a part of the elevated railway has collapsed. bostonlookingbackward

The scene in Boston on Jan. 16, 1919, the day after a giant tank in the North End collapsed, sending a wave that reached a depth of 15 feet in places over a two block area. theglobalcollection

Firefighters tried to wash the molasses away with freshwater, but would later find that briny seawater was the only way to “cut” the hardened substance. paranormalsoup

Molasses covers Commercial Street after a giant tank at the Purity Distilling Co. holding over 2 million gallons collapsed on Jan. 15, 1919, sending a sticky wave through the streets of Boston’s North End. theglobecollection

Smashed vehicles and debris sit in a puddle of molasses on Commercial Street on Jan. 16, 1919, the day after a giant tank in the North End collapsed, sending a wave of an estimated 2.3 million gallons of molasses through the streets of Boston. thegobecollection