A sticky, and deadly, historic disaster explained

In these times of climate change, with rising sea levels threatening coastal cities, massive storms like Sandy and Katrina causing significant interior flooding, few people would have expected, or been prepared for the historic "molasses flood" in Boston in 1919. Sugar, rum, and molasses formed a significant part of global trade between the Americas and Europe in the 19th and early 29th centuries. Much of the molasses—a by-product of processing sugar from raw sugar cane, was sent to the United States or to England for distilling into rum. In Boston, a large tank filled with molasses burst, sending a flood throughout the North End neighborhood, causing significant death and destruction. These researchers looked at the physics behind the great molasses flood.

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Solving a mystery behind the deadly 'Tsunami of Molasses' of 1919

By Erin McCann

The New York Times

November 26, 2016