MBTA Orange Line's 111th anniversary
Globe Archive
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A giant tank of molasses in the North End ruptured on January 15, 1919, sending a flash flood of millions of gallons of sticky goo across the neighborhood.
Vehicles and horses were buried, homes were demolished. About 150 people were injured while 21 people drowned or were crushed. The wave, estimated to have been as high as 15 feet, damaged girders of the elevated line and tipped over a train.
Some claim that areas of the North End still smells like molasses on warm days.