1 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Sometimes the 3 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 1: very thing we're looking for turns out to be right 4 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: in front of us. Other times we have to work 5 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: at it. We might find that lost item or learn 6 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 1: the answer to a difficult problem. It just requires a 7 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: bit of effort. In Byron Price published the book The Secret. 8 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: If you haven't heard of it, It's a puzzle book 9 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: containing twelve illustrations and twelve verses. The reader has to 10 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: line up verse and illustration to create a clue to 11 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: the puzzle, and that puzzle the location of twelve treasure 12 00:00:56,280 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: boxes buried across North America. But the your hunt doesn't 13 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 1: stop there. Inside each box is a key that can 14 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: be turned in for a precious gem valued around a 15 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: thousand dollars at least back in two The book spurred 16 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,520 Speaker 1: treasure hunters across America to start solving the riddles and 17 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: finding the hidden keys. The only person who knew the 18 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: location of all twelve boxes was Byron Price himself. Unfortunately, 19 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: he was killed in a car accident in two thousand five. 20 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: Two of the boxes decorative and encased in plexiglass, were 21 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: found before his death. In three four, men found the 22 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: first box in Chicago, in a wooded corner of Grant Park, 23 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: just across from the Art Institute of Chicago. In two 24 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: thousand four, a group focused on the Greek Gardens in Cleveland, Ohio. 25 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: The long clues contained hints of stone steps, columns, plants, 26 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: and a reference to Socrates. It was no easy task. 27 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: The Greek Gardens are one of thirty themed gardens within 28 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: Rockefeller Park, and recently a third treasure hunter followed the 29 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: clues within another Great American city, Boston. The treasures specific 30 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: location Boston's lang Owned Park, waterfront property historically believed to 31 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: be where Paul Revere got into a boat and slipped 32 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: past the h MS Somerset to cross the harbor and 33 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: begin his famous ride. But there's another marker near lang 34 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 1: Owned Park, and it's sort of a secret too, you see, 35 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,519 Speaker 1: not many people know the unusual story behind a tiny 36 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: plaque nearby, memorializing something odd, one of the most unusual 37 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: disasters in Boston's history. I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. Welcome to American Shadows. 38 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: It was and the United States was at war. It 39 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: was the Great War, now known as World War One 40 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: and the Purity distill income been along with its parent company, 41 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 1: the United States Industrial Alcohol Company or u s i A. 42 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 1: We're busy converting molasses into ethanol for planes, tanks, and 43 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: other military vehicles. Purity could hardly keep up with the demand. 44 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: Ships delivered their sweet sticky cargo to Commercial Street off 45 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: Boston Harbor every two to three days. More shipments meant 46 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 1: longer hours for employees like Isaac Gonzalez. During the spring 47 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 1: and summer of he worked practically NonStop. The fifty foot 48 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: tall steel tank had a behemoth circumference of ninety ft. 49 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: Climbing to the top to add molasses to the tank 50 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: with heavy hoses was hard physical labor, and with the 51 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: long hours, Isaac was exhausted. Adding to his stress, he 52 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: discovered that the tank had started to sprout a few leaks. 53 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: He knew the tank's walls were thin, just under a 54 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: third of an inch thick at the top that's a 55 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: little under half a centimeter. The bottom wasn't much better, 56 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: coming in at two thirds of an inch. And now 57 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: he might not have been an engineer, but Isaac could 58 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: see a problem brewing that much weight pressing on thin 59 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 1: walls prone to rust wasn't good. Throw in the facts 60 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: that the molasses built up gases, and the weather patterns 61 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: were ever changing, and well, it wasn't hard to see 62 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: what he was thinking. That hot summer, he spent his 63 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: nights tossing and turning in his cramped tenement home. She 64 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: repeatedly dreamed of running through the streets taking Paul Revere's 65 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: path to warn everyone the tank could come loose from 66 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: its foundations and was collapsing, and sure, dreaming about the 67 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: streets being flooded with molasses was strange, almost comical. He 68 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: had a point, though, If the tank burst, the thick, 69 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: heavy molasses could cause some serious damage. Every day Isaac 70 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,359 Speaker 1: hoped there would be a lull and deliveries, but the 71 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 1: ships kept rolling into the harbor with thousands of gallons 72 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: of molasses us and every day he filled the tank 73 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: while trying to ignore the groans and creeks coming from 74 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: the structure, and that the leaks had grown in size 75 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: and number. He reported the leaks and noises to his supervisor. 76 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: The tank was culked twice, yet more leaks began to 77 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: spring up. Isaac remained persistent when his supervisor ignored his 78 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 1: requests for more substantial repairs than simple culk. He traveled 79 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 1: to Purity's headquarters in New York to speak to his 80 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 1: boss's manager, Arthur gel. In a time when there weren't 81 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 1: any labor protection laws and no union, Isaac was on 82 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:42,799 Speaker 1: shaky ground, but still he went for proof. He brought 83 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 1: pieces of metal that had come off of the tank. 84 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 1: He explained how much damage the molasses could do if 85 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:52,600 Speaker 1: the tank ruptured. His explanation and concerns were instantly met 86 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 1: with ridicule. Mr Gell accused Isaac of overreacting and exaggerating 87 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: for good measure. He added that if he complained again, 88 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: he'd fire him. Instead of telling management about the potential 89 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: safety hazards, Isaac probably would have been better off spinning 90 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: it is how much money they might lose in product. 91 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 1: In the middle of a sweltering night in July of 92 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: Isaac awoke, sweating from both the oppressive heat and another 93 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: nightmare about the tank. Returning to sleep proved elusive. He 94 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: dressed and headed to the waterfront area where the tank stood. 95 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: Something had to be done. He flashed his work badge 96 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,359 Speaker 1: to the night watchman. In the cover of darkness, he 97 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: twisted open a valve and released molasses into the harbor, 98 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: relieving the gases building up inside the tank. The night 99 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: watchman stood a good distance away, but that didn't mean 100 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 1: he was alone. Though the kids who filched molasses usually 101 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 1: only came during the day, they weren't the only ones. 102 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:57,480 Speaker 1: If someone saw him, they might report it to his boss. 103 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: The tank groaned and chugged. Isaac felt sure the watchman 104 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: would come to see what the noise was all about. 105 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: While the thick liquid poured into the harbor, Isaac thought 106 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: about the consequences if the molasses was spotted in the harbor, 107 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 1: or if he had released too much, he'd lose his job. 108 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: For now, though, he felt safer with some pressure off 109 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 1: the tank. He capped off the valve and left, bidding 110 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,680 Speaker 1: the watchman a good night. With a deep sigh of relief, 111 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: he walked the empty streets back home. For the first 112 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: time in a long while, he slept, but the problem 113 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 1: wasn't solved. Day after day, Isaac watched the leaks get worse. 114 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: More neighborhood children came cups, buckets, and ladles in hand 115 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: to catch a tasty treat before he or one of 116 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: the other plant workers chased them off. The kids always returned, 117 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: though almost daily, Isaac chased away little Maria, her brother Tony, 118 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: and their friend Pasqualino. While purities management thought, Isaac chased 119 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,880 Speaker 1: the kids that to prevent them from stealing molasses, Isaac 120 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: was more concerned about their safety. Isaac worried about the 121 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 1: tank exploding at night while people slept. They'd be unprepared, 122 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 1: but what might happen if the tank exploded while the 123 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:18,200 Speaker 1: children were nearby. That thought caused even more sleepless nights, 124 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: along with some of the worst nightmares had ever had. 125 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: All that summer, Isaac repeated his nightly visits. He considered 126 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:36,920 Speaker 1: it critical to open the valve on the tank to 127 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: let off the excess gas. Meanwhile, with the ever increasing 128 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:44,079 Speaker 1: amount of molasses being loaded into the tank, the leaks 129 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:48,680 Speaker 1: continued to worsen. Children began to bring pails instead of cups. 130 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: The smell of the molasses grew thick and heavy in 131 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: the summer heat, and with every new shipment, the tank 132 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: groaned more and more. Even the residents commented how the 133 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 1: tank seemed loud here than usual. Isaac grew hopeful that 134 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: something would be done. When a neighboring business complained to 135 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:09,839 Speaker 1: Parity's management. To them, the number of leaks just didn't 136 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:14,160 Speaker 1: seem normal, more safe. The sounds seemed too frequent, too loud. 137 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,319 Speaker 1: Purity assured them all was fine, but reported the concerns 138 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: up the company ladder. Nonetheless, shortly afterward, Gel arrived with 139 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: a crew from the corporate office. Isaac's relief was short lived. However, 140 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 1: the crew hadn't come to install a second tank, or 141 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: repair the existing one, or even reinforce it. No to 142 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: Isaac's horror, they were there to repaint the tank from 143 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: silver to a rusty color to camouflage the leaks. He 144 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 1: knew he had to do something. He couldn't keep sneaking 145 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,200 Speaker 1: in every night to relieve the pressure, nor could he complain. 146 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: It was clear that management would never do anything to 147 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,520 Speaker 1: resolve the issue, so it's probably no surprise that Isaac 148 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: considered what options he had elsewhere. If Purity in the 149 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:05,959 Speaker 1: United States Industrial Alcohol Company wouldn't take safety concerns seriously, 150 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 1: he wasn't about to be around when the inevitable happened. 151 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:13,000 Speaker 1: Jobs were scarce, but it wasn't like Purity paid him 152 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:15,840 Speaker 1: well enough to stay and hope for the best. He 153 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 1: didn't have a family, and he owned little more than 154 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: the clothes on his back. With nothing to lose, Isaac 155 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 1: joined the army in September of nineteen eighteen. He told 156 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,280 Speaker 1: his boss he was quitting because he couldn't sit around 157 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:30,960 Speaker 1: and be a part of what was going on. But 158 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: the Germans surrendered just two months later, which meant Isaac's 159 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:37,599 Speaker 1: time in the army came to an abrupt halt. Servicemen 160 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:41,120 Speaker 1: were already being shipped home after the way he had quit. 161 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:44,520 Speaker 1: He couldn't return to Purity either, not that he wanted 162 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:48,319 Speaker 1: to anyway. He wasn't the only one in a tight spot, though. 163 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 1: Without military vehicles to supply ethanol to Purity's revenue plummeted, 164 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:59,520 Speaker 1: and they had a tank filled to near capacity with molasses. Normally, 165 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:03,119 Speaker 1: they'd have switched gears from military fuel to making alcohol, 166 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 1: except Purity had a problem. With the Prohibition Amendment going 167 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: into effect on January one, time was running out as 168 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: for alternatives. There's only so much molasses they could sell 169 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: for baking cookies. Gell wasn't done yet, though he applied 170 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: for an extension. The government agreed, allowing Purity to sell 171 00:11:25,559 --> 00:11:30,960 Speaker 1: any shipments they had received before and sure, while that 172 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 1: sounds like the company would unload their current inventory. That's 173 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 1: not what happened. If they had, we wouldn't have a 174 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 1: story to tell. Gell. Had the tank culped and ordered 175 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:48,240 Speaker 1: more molasses. Like Purity, brewers could make all the alcohol 176 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: they wanted as long as it was before January of 177 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:54,560 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty. At the start of the year. They would 178 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:57,320 Speaker 1: also have a grace period to sell off current stock. 179 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,200 Speaker 1: Profit for them, bigger profit for Purity and the U 180 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 1: s i A. When January of nineteen nineteen rolled around, 181 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:10,000 Speaker 1: the tank was filled to capacity, and though it might 182 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:13,079 Speaker 1: be easy to guess what happened next, it was so 183 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:18,960 Speaker 1: much worse than anyone even Isaac had imagined. A bitterly 184 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,520 Speaker 1: cold day greeted ship Captain Frank van Gelder when he 185 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 1: steered into port on January twelve. His ship carried six 186 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 1: hundred thousand gallons of molasses destined for Purity Distilling. By 187 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: the early hours of the cargo had been transferred from 188 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:40,480 Speaker 1: ship to tank. As the captain finished his job, Bostonians 189 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 1: started There's residents hung out, laundry Engine thirty one sat 190 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: idle while the firefighters prepared for the day. The elevated 191 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 1: trains wound through the tenements, where Maria and Pasqualinos knuck 192 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,600 Speaker 1: off toward Commercial Street to collect molasses instead of the 193 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:00,240 Speaker 1: firewood that had been sent for That's why, and the 194 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:04,400 Speaker 1: groans and creeks started louder than anyone had heard before. 195 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: They chalked it up to the weather and the warm 196 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: shipment of molasses mixing with the cold. They didn't know 197 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 1: that the tank was filled to its two million gallon 198 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: capacity and now weighed over twenty six million pounds. For 199 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 1: two days, the tank ground and everyone went on just 200 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 1: like they always did, sparing the occasional glance at the 201 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 1: tower now and then. William White, one of Purity's employees, 202 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: expected an easy day no shipments. At noon, he headed 203 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:39,439 Speaker 1: downtown to have a leisurely lunch with his wife, Pascualino. 204 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: Tony and Maria took advantage of White's absence and snuck 205 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:45,000 Speaker 1: in to get a lunchtime treat of molasses. While on 206 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: recess from school, Tony left with his sister, but Pascoulino 207 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:51,680 Speaker 1: stayed behind to get just a little more from the tank. 208 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,520 Speaker 1: That's when the workers on top of the tank began screaming. 209 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 1: Tony turned to see a dark shadow that walk to 210 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 1: the sunlight. One that was headed right for him and 211 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: his sister, and it moved faster than he could run. 212 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: Everyone felt it down the street. Farmer with a wagon 213 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 1: full of hogs sat at the railroad station when the 214 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 1: earth shook and he heard a roar louder than any train. 215 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: He turned to see one of the trains on the 216 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: elevated tracks plunge onto the street below. The fireman at 217 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: Engine Company thirty one were discussing baseball when they heard 218 00:14:37,720 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: the roar. One of the men looked outside and shouted 219 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: to the others run. Rivets and shrapnel from the tank 220 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 1: flew in all directions. The metal sliced through trains, the 221 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:54,120 Speaker 1: rivets became deadly projectiles. Those in the direct path were 222 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 1: either killed by the flying debris were crushed under the 223 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: weight of the molasses tsunami. Pasqualino's father looked out his 224 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: window and saw the giant waves sweep away his son. 225 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:10,760 Speaker 1: The tank had burst the ft tall, a hundred and 226 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 1: sixty foot wide wave of molasses moving at thirty five 227 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: miles an hour, flooding Boston's North End. Local resident Martin 228 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: Clarity heard the commotion outside and his sister screaming something 229 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 1: about the tank. Next thing he knew had been swept 230 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: outside and carried down the street. He saw a hand 231 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 1: sticking up from the mess and pulled his sister to 232 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 1: her feet. Standing in sticky molasses waist high, they screamed 233 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 1: for their mother and their other brother, but there was 234 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: no answer. The fire engine was swept away. Houses and 235 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 1: freight cars were crushed under the weight. The wave took 236 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 1: everyone and everything in its path, men, women, children, horses. 237 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: Swimming proved impossible. Those who struggled drowned. The Boston Paper 238 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: later wrote, the shouts and screams of the dying and 239 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:07,120 Speaker 1: injured rent the air. Those who tried to rescue victims 240 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 1: risked becoming trapped in the sticky pools themselves, much like 241 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 1: a tar pit. Those who were pulled out often died later. 242 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: Clearing water from the lungs was one thing, molasses was another. 243 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 1: The rescue mission turned into a recovery mission. Little Maria 244 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: was one of the casualties. Tony managed to survive, suffering 245 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: a fractured skull among other injuries. Pasqualino's body was recovered 246 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: four days later, crushed underneath the train. His father identified 247 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:41,560 Speaker 1: his son by the red sweater his mother had put 248 00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: on him. The morning of the flood, the firefighters remained 249 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: trapped under the collapsed firehouse. People attempted to rescue the horses, 250 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 1: but the sludge was too thick to pull them out, 251 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,840 Speaker 1: and one by one they shot the horses in the 252 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:59,280 Speaker 1: head to prevent them from dying a slow death by exphyxiation. 253 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 1: Boston's mayor called for an immediate investigation, stating that such 254 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: an accident should not have happened and those responsible would 255 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: face the consequences. Rumors started that the tank hadn't failed, 256 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: but that the explosion had been the work of Italian anarchists. 257 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: The tank was solid, purity distilling assured the mayor. Gel 258 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: arrived to assess the situation. The destruction and death shook him. 259 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: The instruction had gotten from the corporate office had been 260 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 1: to not say a single word about the issues with 261 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 1: the tank, nor to mention any of the prior complaints 262 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:40,679 Speaker 1: to anyone. The police turned him away. Gel instructed the 263 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,520 Speaker 1: plant's engineers to take over and told them to collect 264 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: any pieces of the tank. The police had gathered quietly. 265 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:50,440 Speaker 1: Of course, he'd be back to work with them regarding 266 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 1: the tank's failures shortly, with a last look at the chaos, 267 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 1: he was glad to leave. He only hoped the smell 268 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 1: of the molasses faded from his hair and clothes before 269 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:05,639 Speaker 1: his meeting back at corporate the next day. Gel returned 270 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 1: on the seventeenth with more engineers and the vice president 271 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:12,760 Speaker 1: to strong arm Boston officials to surrender pieces of the tank. 272 00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:17,400 Speaker 1: Days later, the firefighters from Engine thirty one were rescued. 273 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 1: The hospital reeked of molasses covered the floors and walls. 274 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: Despite the mess, nurses and doctors worked tirelessly to save 275 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:30,639 Speaker 1: as many of the victims as possible. Clean Up of 276 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:35,119 Speaker 1: the two fifty foot disaster radius began, though it took months. 277 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:38,800 Speaker 1: Twenty one people had died and another a hundred and 278 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:42,600 Speaker 1: fifty were missing. One victim's body was found floating in 279 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:47,760 Speaker 1: the harbor four months later. Over time, more deaths stemmed 280 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: from injuries and from medical issues from the molasses that 281 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:55,879 Speaker 1: had collected in their lungs. Meanwhile, Purity and the United 282 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 1: States Industrial Alcohol Company began to push the theory that 283 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: the Italian community had been behind the explosion. As the 284 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 1: inquiry moved along, papers reported that Boston's Chief Justice was 285 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,679 Speaker 1: chiding the city's building department for approving the USIA's plans 286 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 1: for the tank. The Chief Justice also let into Purity 287 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 1: and the U. S i A for failure to verify 288 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: the tank's safety, but most surprisingly, he blamed the citizens 289 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:28,159 Speaker 1: of Boston for not funding a proper building department. In 290 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: the end, they had enough evidence to determine that there 291 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: had been negligence, but decided that the fault lay with 292 00:19:35,119 --> 00:19:39,920 Speaker 1: the people of Boston. Purity and the United States Industrial 293 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:51,679 Speaker 1: Alcohol Company went unscathed. In true Bostonian spirit, the citizens rebelled. 294 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,080 Speaker 1: They refused to accept the blame for an accident they 295 00:19:55,119 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 1: didn't cause, determined stand up for themselves. They filed class 296 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:03,160 Speaker 1: action law suits against the United States Industrial Alcohol Company, 297 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:08,399 Speaker 1: nineteen of them, and not surprisingly, the U. S i A. 298 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:12,240 Speaker 1: Stuck to the theory that Italian terrorists had caused the explosion. 299 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,239 Speaker 1: They played off the general public's fear and dislike of 300 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,360 Speaker 1: Italian immigrants and pointed to the large population of them 301 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 1: in Boston's North End. Low Sure, but the U. S 302 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:28,800 Speaker 1: i A went lower. The company used stall tactics to 303 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 1: delay paying the victims, hoping they'd run out of money 304 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:36,680 Speaker 1: or otherwise dropped their suits. The Bostonians weren't swayed though, 305 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: and eventually the lawsuits combined into one large legal proceeding. 306 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:47,040 Speaker 1: Their lawyers proved just as relentless, introducing over a thousand, 307 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 1: five hundred exhibits, a thousand witnesses, explosive experts, and former U. 308 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:57,600 Speaker 1: S i A employees. One of those witnesses, Isaac Gonzalez. 309 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 1: He told the court about the pay job, the complaints 310 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: he had had about the tank sounds, and the leaks. 311 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 1: The court listened as he told them his fears, the nightmares, 312 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 1: how he repeatedly informed his superiors about his safety concerns, 313 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: and how they not only ignored him, but at bretned 314 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:19,119 Speaker 1: to fire him. With that, the lawyers rested their case. 315 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: Then all they could do was wait. Suing and winning 316 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:29,639 Speaker 1: against such large companies was David versus Goliath. Workers rights 317 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: in safety wasn't exactly a thing in most industries. In 318 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:38,440 Speaker 1: two the odds were against them. In April that year, 319 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:43,159 Speaker 1: Auditor Hi w Ogden weighed in, ruling in favor of 320 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:47,119 Speaker 1: the people of Boston. His order sent shock waves across 321 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 1: the nation. Not only were the U. S i A 322 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:52,919 Speaker 1: and Purity deemed negligent, but they were also ordered to 323 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:56,040 Speaker 1: pay the victims in their families, some of six hundred 324 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,879 Speaker 1: and twenty eight thousand dollars. That's a cool eight million today. 325 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: Those who know the city's history sometimes joke that on 326 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 1: a warm summer's day they can still smell the molasses 327 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,879 Speaker 1: in Boston's North End, and a tour bus sports the 328 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:15,639 Speaker 1: name Molly Molasses. But otherwise the story and the victims 329 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:20,199 Speaker 1: have been largely forgotten. But that flood that few have 330 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 1: ever heard of helped reform labor and safety practices. The 331 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: disaster spurred requirements for licensed architects and civil engineers to 332 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:33,440 Speaker 1: oversee building projects. Blueprints must be presented and signed off 333 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 1: on the disaster ended corporations do as you will mentality. 334 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 1: When it came to building codes, Boston's requirements became standard 335 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 1: practice nationwide. It also set the stage that corporations could 336 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:53,720 Speaker 1: be held liable for unsafe structures. Sadly, it often takes 337 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: a disaster before we pay attention to the warning signs 338 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 1: that were right in front of us all along. It 339 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 1: seemed human nature is capable of solving problems and finding 340 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:07,639 Speaker 1: lost or hidden things, but we sometimes struggle when it 341 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 1: comes to building things like empathy and humanity. There's more 342 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 1: to this story stick around after this brief sponsor break 343 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: to hear all about it. Originally, the land off the 344 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:34,440 Speaker 1: banks of the Mississippi River where it joins the Minnesota 345 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 1: River was home to the Dakota Sioux tribes. Lush forests 346 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:43,359 Speaker 1: and stunning waterfalls, creeks, and proximity to thirteen Lakes made 347 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:46,680 Speaker 1: Minneapolis a great place for the tribes to live and hunt. 348 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:51,440 Speaker 1: European colonists also found the area desirable and developed the 349 00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 1: land near Saint Anthony Falls, pushing out the Native Americans 350 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: who refused assimilation. The colonists found the abundance of forest 351 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:03,439 Speaker 1: profitable for the lumber trade. The rivers allowed ships to 352 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:08,640 Speaker 1: transport boots, and what didn't go by water went by rail. Soon, 353 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 1: sawmills sprang up, along with iron works. With the waterfalls 354 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:17,480 Speaker 1: as power, other mills flourished, including flour mills, and the 355 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,399 Speaker 1: fastest growing flour mill was the Washburn Mill, which turned 356 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:25,920 Speaker 1: out an impressive two thousand barrels a day. General Washburn 357 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,359 Speaker 1: had built the mill in eighteen seventy four with two 358 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:32,280 Speaker 1: hundred employees. The mill was the largest in the world 359 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:36,240 Speaker 1: at the time. But mills weren't the safest places to work. 360 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 1: The fan belts snapped, breaking bones or causing severe lacerations. 361 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: Gears crushed hands and arms. Larger wheels and gears crushed 362 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: anything trapped between them. Fires and explosions were possible to 363 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:56,400 Speaker 1: It might sound odd, but flour is highly flammable. Mill 364 00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 1: workers came cheap, and most owners didn't feel compelled old 365 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:04,000 Speaker 1: to spend extra money to keep them safe. Without safety 366 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: or worker protection laws and effect, the employees themselves had 367 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:12,160 Speaker 1: to be vigilant. On May second of eighteen seventy eight, 368 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,199 Speaker 1: a skeleton crew of fourteen took over the night shift. 369 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,880 Speaker 1: Their job was more to maintain the machinery than make flour. 370 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:23,160 Speaker 1: Among them was Dutch immigrant Ernest Grundman, who had worked 371 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: in the mills most of his life. He understood the risks, 372 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:30,160 Speaker 1: having lost a promising baseball career after a mill accident 373 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: that took two of his fingers. Workers used lard to 374 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 1: grease the mill wheels and prevent them from overheating. The 375 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,919 Speaker 1: section flues pulled flower dust from the air, reducing the 376 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:45,560 Speaker 1: risk of sparks. Ernest was probably the closest when two 377 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: of the wheels ran dry, sending off sparks. The dust 378 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:55,440 Speaker 1: inside the flues ignited at seven pm. Three massive explosions 379 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: shook not only the mill but the city itself. Walls 380 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,439 Speaker 1: burst out ward and windows shattered. The blast was so 381 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:08,120 Speaker 1: loud that residents in St. Paul reported hearing it. Fourteen workers, 382 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:13,080 Speaker 1: including Ernest, died instantly. The explosion sent up a fireball 383 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:16,160 Speaker 1: so large that two other mills were engulfed in flames, 384 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: killing four more workers. The heat became so intense that 385 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,160 Speaker 1: rescuers and firemen couldn't get close enough to fight the flames. 386 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: As a result, the fire spread, taking five more mills, 387 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:34,440 Speaker 1: each causing more explosions and massive fireballs. By the time 388 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,720 Speaker 1: the firefighters got the blaze under control, most of the 389 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 1: mill district had been destroyed. All that remained of the 390 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: Washburn mill was a pile of limestone, rocks, and bits 391 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:48,320 Speaker 1: of machinery. Rumors started that Minneapolis had been hit by 392 00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: an earthquake. Other rumors suggested that a train car carrying 393 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:57,000 Speaker 1: nitroglycerin had exploded near the district. An inquisition turned up 394 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 1: the real cause. Those overheated wheels sent off sparks that 395 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:05,840 Speaker 1: caused flower dust to ignite. Two university professors confirmed this 396 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:10,359 Speaker 1: through a series of controlled experiments. General Washburn arrived to 397 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:15,240 Speaker 1: assess the damage, and, perhaps strangely, instead of sweeping the 398 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,960 Speaker 1: disaster under the rug, he promptly compensated the victims families 399 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 1: and vowed to build a larger and safer mill. And 400 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: in eighteen eighty he made good on that promise. The 401 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:30,200 Speaker 1: new mill had state of the art machinery, the stricter 402 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 1: safety procedures were implemented. He spent extra money on dust 403 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:38,240 Speaker 1: traps and cast iron rollers that wouldn't cause sparks. It 404 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:41,640 Speaker 1: was a costly endeavor, for sure, but it paid off. 405 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 1: With better equipment than safer workers, the mill produced twelve 406 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:50,080 Speaker 1: thousand barrels of flour a day. His mill continued to 407 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:53,919 Speaker 1: thrive long after others failed. He was so successful that 408 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,840 Speaker 1: in night he merged his company with two dozen others, 409 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:00,840 Speaker 1: creating a name that most of may Amricans today have 410 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:14,119 Speaker 1: heard of, General Mills. American Shadows is hosted by Lauren Vogelbaum. 411 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 1: This episode was written by Michelle Muto, researched by Ali Steed, 412 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:22,679 Speaker 1: and produced by Miranda Hawkins and Trevor Young, with executive 413 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:27,400 Speaker 1: producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn 414 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:30,359 Speaker 1: more about the show, visit grim and Mild dot com. 415 00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:33,720 Speaker 1: From more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 416 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,160 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.