a molasses tank 50 ft tall and 90 ft in diameter containing 2,300,000 gallons of Molasses collapsed. Witnesses reported that as it collapsed they felt the ground shake and heard a roar, a long rumble similar to the passing of an elevated train
A wave of molasses 25 ft high at its peak barrelled down a narrow street at 35 mph. The molasses wave was of sufficient force to damage the girders of the adjacent El Subway train and tip a railroad car off the tracks.
Author Stephen Puleo describes how nearby buildings were swept off their foundations and crushed. Several blocks were flooded to a depth of 2 to 3 ft.
21 people died.
It took four days to find all the victims.
Structural defects in the tank combined with unseasonably warm temperatures contributed to the disaster.
