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The molasses flood

If it hadn't been such a tragedy, it would have looked like the Charlie Chaplin comedies that were popular at the time. About noon on January 15, 1919, much of the Boston waterfront was engulfed in a tide of molasses. It was a warm day after a cold spell, and the molasses in a storage tank, the property of Purity Distilling Co., heated up and expanded beyond the capacity of the tank. As it burst, the tank shot rivets like bullets in all directions. Then came 14,000 tons of molasses - 2 million gallons - that raced at 35 miles per hour down Commercial Street in the North End.

The molasses crested at an incredible 30 feet. Twenty-one people died in the molasses, and 150 were injured. The molasses demolished buildings and swallowed up horses before it spread and congealed into a sticky mess. Occurring during the "Red Scare" just after World War I, the disaster sparked an inquiry into possible espionage, but none was found. Why so much molasses? Dishes we still associate with Boston - baked beans, brown bread, Indian pudding - all were made with molasses. And with the threat of Prohibition, distillers in 1919 needed molasses to make and sell as much rum as possible while it was still legal.

The older photo shows the scene the day after the explosion. We're looking out to the harbor from Commercial Street, just below Copp's Hill Burying Ground. On the left are the twisted girders of the Atlantic Avenue Elevated. On the right are the collapsed remains of what looks like a warehouse. As for the standing figures, they're probably in danger of being permanently glued to the ground.

The new photo shows a very different scene. This is Joseph and Clementine Langone Park, established in 1973 and named for longtime Boston city councilor Joseph Langone. In the foreground is handsome granite seating. Beyond are newly planted trees and new children's equipment. In between, in the center of the photo, is a 1944 memorial to the World War II Radio Training Station of the US Maritime Service. Langone Park also contains a plaque in commemoration of the Great Molasses Disaster.