On January 15, 1919, a 50-foot tall tank ruptured, sending 2.3 million gallons of molasses rushing through the neighborhood. @universalhub @HUBhistory

At midday on Jan 15, 1919, the #NorthEnd was full of workers and residents venturing outdoors to enjoy unseasonably warm weather. At about 1 p.m., they heard a low rumble. Many assumed it was a Boston Elevated train. But, within minutes, they realized something was very wrong.

A 50-foot tall tank full of industrial grade molasses had ruptured, sending a 2.3 million gallon wave of molasses rushing through the crowded #NorthEnd.

The hulking molasses tank had been built by Purity Distilling Company only a few years earlier, in 1915. The tank measured 50-feet tall, and rose over the Boston Elevated Railroad tracks that ran next next to it

Tankers delivered shipments of molasses to Copps Hill Wharf, where it was pumped into the tank and stored until it could be sent to distilleries on train cars, like this one.