History’s Forgotten Events

History’s Forgotten Events — page 1 — 1 Molasses Floods Boston’s North End It was a mild winter day on the waterfront On January 15 1919 people in Boston’s North End went about their day City workers ate their lunch Firemen played cards Children walked home from school Nearby molasses leaked from a large tank United States Industrial Alcohol USIA owned the tank The US government needed the molasses to create munitions during World War I The war had ended two months earlier Around 12 30 p m witnesses heard a dull roar and rumble It sounded like something was shaking Within seconds the tank lid burst The circular walls snapped into two giant pieces Molasses plowed A view of the molasses tank before it burst through the city The sticky mass traveled at 35 miles per hour 56 km h It destroyed city blocks toppled buildings and damaged vehicles The molasses reached up to 40 feet high 12 m Twenty-one people were killed in the Great Molasses Flood People and animals drowned trying to escape the hardening syrup Workers were crushed by buildings that fell on 4

History’s Forgotten Events — page 2 — The destruction after the flood After the tragedy several lawsuits were filed against USIA It was found that the tank walls were too thin to support the molasses Finally in 1925 the company agreed to pay family members and flood victims 628,000 That’s about 8 million in today’s dollars THINK ABOUT IT Many people drowned in the molasses Was it right to hold USIA responsible Do you think the company paid enough in fines 5 top of them Rescuers found some firemen at their card game They were buried in the wreckage 2 3 million Gallons of molasses 8 7 million L that flooded Boston’s North End The molasses burst out of a large tank Many lives were lost Years later the molasses company paid heavy fines

History’s Forgotten Events — page 3 — 2 Deadly Volcano Buries City in Minutes Saint-Pierre is a town in Martinique an island in the Caribbean Sea Overlooking the town is Mount Pelée a 4,500-foot volcano In April 1902 witnesses noticed steam coming out of the mountain Many complained that the steam had a foul odor Weeks later the earth rumbled and the The eruption in 1902 mountain shot black smoke into the air The smoke turned into ash that was white as snow People worried about the mountain’s strange activities Scientists studied the volcano They concluded that it was safe Politicians told residents to focus on the local elections These were just weeks away Early on the morning of May 8 ants and centipedes sensed something terrible was about to happen They scurried down the mountain attacking people in their path Next came the snakes They slithered to the land below At 8 a m Mount Pelée erupted A wave of boiling mud and fire slammed into Saint-Pierre Within minutes 30,000 people died Trees fell on their sides Houses toppled over Only two residents survived Mount Pelée’s fury 6

History’s Forgotten Events — page 4 — The ruins of Saint-Pierre after the eruption 1635 The year French settlers first came to Martinique Mount Pelée is a 4,500 foot volcano on the island of Martinique There were warning signs that the volcano was about to erupt 30,000 people died when Mount Pelée erupted on May 8 1902 PRISONER SURVIVES When Mount Pelée erupted a man named Ludger Sylbaris was in a prison cell Light and air came in through a narrow slit in the door Suddenly light changed to darkness Sylbaris heard crashing roaring thudding and grinding sounds The air got very hot making it difficult to breath Superheated mud and sand flowed in through the slit Sylbaris’s lower body was burned Then everything went silent Days later rescuers found him He was badly injured but alive 7

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