Sometimes having too much SWEET can be injurious to health!
There is a chollu or saying in Malayalam; “അമിതമായാൽ അമൃതും വിഷം” (amitamāyāl amr̥tuṁ viṣaṁ) which roughly translates to “when more, even nectar is poison”!
Did you know though there was a huge accident which involved a SWEET liquid which actually caused death and destruction!?
It was called the Great Molasses Flood of Boston!
It happened way back in 1919 when there were no industrial laws and guidelines!
A poorly constructed holding tank with liquid Molasses ruptured unleashing a massive, deadly wave of 2.3 million gallons of molasses down Commercial Street.
The collapsing 50-foot-tall steel tank created a sticky tsunami between 15 to 40 feet high and 160 feet wide!
Traveling at roughly 35 miles per hour, the wave leveled buildings, crushed wagons, damaged an elevated train line, and swept away pedestrians and horses!
The unseasonably warm weather initially allowed the heavy syrup to spread fast. As temperatures dropped that night, the fluid thickened into a viscous, suffocating trap that severely hindered rescue efforts!
Hundreds of emergency workers, volunteers, and military personnel used harbor saltwater and sand to strip the sticky residue from the streets. The cleanup lasted for weeks, and the waters of Boston Harbor remained brown until summer!
The tank was owned by the United States Industrial Alcohol Company (USIA) to ferment molasses into industrial alcohol for munitions.
Post-disaster investigations revealed severe engineering failures like Flawed Materials like how the steel walls were constructed too thin to handle a full load, and the steel lacked adequate manganese, rendering it dangerously brittle in cold weather!
The company also skipped testing the tank with water prior to full commercial use.
When residents complained about severe leaking from day one, the company simply painted the tank brown to conceal the dripping syrup!
Not to mention the fact that the project was managed by an accountant with no structural engineering experience!
USIA initially claimed that anarchist bombers caused the explosion.
However, a landmark 1925 court ruling held the company fully liable for structural negligence.
USIA was forced to pay $628,000 in damages (equivalent to over $10 million today) to victims and survivors!
The disaster fundamentally transformed industrial safety regulations across America.
It led to standard requirements for municipal building laws, mandated that certified architects and structural engineers sign and seal their calculation plans, and pushed US states to implement professional engineering licensing laws!
At least some good thing came out of that WAKE UP CALL!
So everything does not have to be sweet! Even if it’s your last match! Lionel Messi you will remain a GOAT!
Now that’s sweet!
Shubh ratri…
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