Dark Tide

The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919

De: Stephen Puleo

Narrado por: Grover Gardner

Around noon on January 15, 1919, a group of firefighters were playing cards in Boston's North End when they heard a tremendous crash. It was like, "a roaring surf," one of them said later. Like, "a runaway two-horse team smashing through a fence," said another. A third firefighter jumped up from his chair to look out a window - "Oh my God!" he shouted to the other men, "Run!" A 50-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses had just collapsed on Boston's waterfront, disgorging its contents as a 15-foot-high wave of molasses that at its outset traveled at 35 miles an hour. It demolished wooden homes, even the brick fire station. The number of dead wasn't known for days. It would be years before a landmark court battle determined who was responsible for the disaster.

©2003, 2004 Stephen Puleo (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Absolutely fascinating read

I knew nothing about Boston’s Molasses Flood until I received a Boston Grand Master’s Ultimate Disc t-shirt from one of its players. “Slow & Sticky” it read. “We are named after Boston’s North End Molasses Disaster,” he said.

I googled the subject and Dark Tide popped up, with excellent reviews. Who knew such an amazing story would become known to me because my nephew plays high level Ultimate Disc? I am forever grateful!

Not only did I learn about the horrendous flood of sweet and sticky stuff that drown or killed 21 Bostonians in 1915, but I became more knowledgeable regarding 10 years of American history and attitudes from that period. I appreciate the depth and care this author poured into researching this story. It is both a devastating and an important read.

Dark Tide is about the great Molasses flood of 1919. Very interesting since many people are not aware this occurred.

I enjoyed the historical information about the history of the molasses tank which held 2.3 million gallons of molasses! The eruption of the tank killed 21 people & dozens were injured & traumatized from this horrific event. I did not like the length of time the author spent describing the pain & agony suffered by the many people killed & injured by the eruption of the molasses tank.

Excellent

Wonderful choice of stories to write. Wonderful balance of story and history. Well worth listening to.

Intriguing!

I hated books like this as a young adult. But I could’t get enough of this book! A lot of attention to detail, so much I could smell and taste everything.

Great performance by Grover Gardner.

Legend, tragedy, and hubris

I'd always heard this as a bit of light and whimsical trivia, and always associated it with the chocolate flood at the end of James & The Giant Peach. But in reality this was a fantastically tragic story of American capitalistic hubris.
The people who died in the 1917 Boston Molasses Disaster died horribly. Some of the victims were children.
Although a tad repetitive in places, this is a definitive narrative of an American Industrial tragedy. Fascinating read, well crafted, and well paced. Very accessible.