New England By the Numbers: The Great Molasses Flood

1/15/1919 day a giant molasses tank in Boston’s North End exploded, gushing more than 2 million gallons of the stuff into city streets 35 mph: speed at which the molasses initially rolled through the North End $3K amount the DiStasio family was compensated for the death of their 10-year-old daughter, Maria 119 number of separate claims filed against United States Industrial Alcohol, owner of the molasses tank, before lawsuit consolidation 79 years before a plaque honoring the victims was finally installed at Langone Park, former site of the molasses tank 21 total number of deaths caused by the flood ONE firehouse ripped from its foundation, causing the second floor to crash down on the first 30 feet: height at which the flood crested $628k total amount in claims paid by USIA $1,000,000 worth of property damage, equivalent to $12.5 million in 2012

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