1/23/2009
The day ‘swift as molasses’ left a deadly wake
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Tri-O's Oddities, observations, and opinions
By Herb Kandel
My BH (Better Half) and I, were going to one of our twice a year movies. “Hurry up, slowpoke”, she chided. Then taunted, “You're about as slow as molasses in January”.
“Thanks, that‘S a compliment ”, I retorted.
“It wasn't meant to be, Sherlock”
“Au contraire! Do you know molasses was once clocked moving over 30 miles an hour?”
“No. But, tell me after the show.”
Fast forward to later: where the details were related to put that old cliché to rest.
It was 90 years ago, Wednesday, January 15, 1919 in Boston in the commercial section in the north end, where now stand Fanuiel Hall and The New England Aquarium. Nearby stood a huge steel storage tank. It was 58 feet high, over four floors 90 foot diameter with a conical top.
Molasses, at this time in our country, was the primary sweetener. It was used in most baking products and especially in the making of rum (Prohibition was looming) and Boston was a major distiller.
The tank was owned by The Purity Distilling Co., a subsidiary of The United States Industrial Alcohol Co.. It was manufactured by Hammond Iron Works three years before. It was the largest tank Hammond had ever built. The only recorded test performed on it heretofore used only eighteen inches of water. The tank was built with no plans approved and no government inspectors involved. The tank this January day held 2.3 million gallons of molasses.
The temperature at 12:30 P.M climbed to 43 degrees, very mild when compared to the frigid two degrees above zero just three days before. Taking advantage of the now temperate weather, a little blonde-haired girl was seen gathering firewood under the freight cars near the tank.
Later, many attributed this abrupt change in temperature to have caused the molasses, in it’s fermentation, to produce gas to expand and increase pressure against the walls. The company would claim that anarchists planted a bomb near the tank.
At about 12:40 PM, as stated by 3,000 witnesses, there was heard “machine gun” popping of steel bolts and the sound of ripping and tearing, this was followed by, according to the New York Times, “A dull, muffled roar gave but an instant's warning before the top of the tank was blown into the air.” and the massive tank split open. A spout of glue-like slurry propelled by tremendous pressure clawed into the sky followed by a giant wave.
Additional reports of those who were there said “it has a horrible hissing, sucking sound. It splashed in a curved arc straight across the street, crushing everything and everybody in it’s path”.
Anyone attempting to get near the sticky goo stuck in it themselves. “It could suck your boots right off you feet.” The “wall” at least eight feet high (some said 30) that smashed buildings, cars, horses, etc.. The supports and tracks of an elevated train were broken off by the impact of a steel section of the exploded tank.
The immense “gunk tsunami” was clocked between 25 and 35 mph. You could not outrun the rolling tide of goop. The Boston Evening Globe reported, “Once the low, rumbling sound was heard no one had a chance to escape. The buildings seemed to cringe up as though they were made of pasteboard.” The doors and windows of the nearby freight house caved in, and the river of ooze rolled in like molten lava. Those who tried to swim in the sticky stuff were sucked down as though in quicksand. Tons of freight (from the freight cars ----shoes, clothing, fresh produce, barrels, and boxes) tumbled and splashed. It was now so heavy the floors collapsed flooding the cellar where the workers drowned in the sweet, heavy, sludge-like liquid. Some tried to rush up the stairs but they slipped, fell, and disappeared.
The tide of thick slime struck the fire station knocking it over on it’s side and floated it toward the ocean until it snagged on some pilings. Above the wreckage, a fireman saw yellow hair floating on the moving flow. He reach into the gunk and fished out the lifeless body of the little girl who moments before had been collecting firewood.
More than a dozen horses lay helplessly with hooves flopping and flailing in the unfamiliar substance: they had to be shot.
There were 21 deaths and more than 150 people injured, Most of the dead suffocated. Some were cooked, several were crushed and others were swept by the wave into the harbor. It destroyed property worth millions of dollars.
Bostonians were still were still removing the molasses from the cobblestone streets and homes six months later. Boston Harbor had a brownish grime patina long after.
About 125 lawsuits were filed against the U.S. Industrial Alcohol Co.. Six years and 45,000 pages of testimony later the court appointed auditor gave his report.
The auditor found the defendants responsible concluding that the tank had not been strong enough to withstand the pressure and was overfilled due to the impending threat of Prohibition. It had cracked open due to the extra force. The owners of the tank paid almost $1 million in damages--and the “great molasses” case passed into history.
For 30 years afterwards the molasses would still ooze from the ground and sidewalk cracks. To this day some people claim that you can still smell it’s sickening sweet scent on a very hot day.
Ironically, Prohibition was ratified by ¾ of the states on January 16, 1919 ( the day after The Boston Molasses Flood).
(The information in the above was compiled from published accounts on the internet)
http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2009/01/23/columnists/doc4976254bee376997121189.txt
Saturday, January 24, 2009
1/7/09
Pick a Number
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Tri-O's Oddities, observations, and opinions
By Herb Kandel
There they were on the screen in 1967. A young Dustin Hoffman as “The Graduate” is beckoned aside at his homecoming party by a self-righteous businessman who says, “ I want to say one word to you. Just one word. -------Are you listening? “
“Yes, I am”, replies Dustin skeptically.
“Plastics“, the man whispers in a conspiratorial tone.
Plastics, as he meant it, was where the business future lie. The actual intent of the movie was to indicate everything that was superficial and pretentious. Yet here we are 42 years later still trying to contend with plastics’ advances and hazards in it’s manufacture, use, and recycling.
Check the next plastic container you hold. Turn it upside down, and you'll see a recycling triangle with the number in the middle. In 1988 the plastics industry introduced its voluntary “resin identification code"—a number from #1 to #7 that represents different resins and they indicate the type of plastic so as to make sorting and recycling an easier process. These numbers are intended to help consumers know whether and how to recycle various plastic products and packages. It is, at least to me, as confusing as the Part D Medicare drug formulary or a five star Suduko.
“Resin ID codes are not intended to provide guidance on the safe or appropriate use of any plastic item and should not be used for this purpose“, according to The Society of the Plastics Industry. Each recycling facility use these numbers as a guide for what they will and won't accept. It doesn't mean that higher numbers are NOT recyclable.
There was a rumor awhile back that alleged “ bottles with plastic recycling numbers below "5" release cancer-causing chemicals”. It was just another Internet hoax like the one that told you Bill Gates would send you $1200 for forwarding an e-mail.
National Geographic has a web site named Green Guide (WWW.greenguide.Com) which recommends buying #2, #4, and #5 coded items: “These three types of plastic are your best choices. They transmit no known chemicals into your food and they're generally recyclable.”
They go on stating that items with the #1 code (which are mostly disposable soft drink and water bottles) are “fine for single use but avoid reusing #1 water and soda bottles, as they're hard to clean, and because plastic is porous, these bottles absorb flavors and bacteria that you can't get rid of.”
Plastics marked PLA are environmentally friendly, says the Green Guide as they “are made from renewable resources such as corn, potatoes and sugar cane and anything else with a high starch content” however they can't recycle these plant-based plastics, nevertheless they say those items can be used in a municipal composter or in your backyard compost heap.
They also caution against the use of :
1. #3 PVC used in cling wraps for meat because PVC has softeners that change hormonal development, and its manufacture and incineration release dioxin, a potent carcinogen and hormone disruptor.
2. #6 PS: Polystyrene-foam cups and clear plastic take-out containers which they say “can leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen, into food.”
Additional alerts they list have to do with cling-wrapped food and food storage:
They suggest slicing off a thin layer of the food where it contacted the plastic and store the rest in a glass or ceramic container or wrap it in non-PVC cling wrap.
Avoid storing fatty foods, such as meat and cheese, in plastic containers or plastic wrap.
Hand-wash reusable containers gently with a nonabrasive soap; dishwashers and harsh detergents can scratch plastic, making hospitable homes for bacteria.
A "microwave-safe" or "microwavable" label on a plastic container only means that it shouldn't melt, crack or fall apart when used in the microwave. The label is no guarantee that containers don't leach chemicals into foods when heated. Use glass or ceramic containers instead.
So just when you thought it was safe going into the kitchen ………but Noooooooo…….they drag you back again!!
http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2009/01/07/columnists/doc4963c150514b0331875298.txt
Pick a Number
*******************************************
Tri-O's Oddities, observations, and opinions
By Herb Kandel
There they were on the screen in 1967. A young Dustin Hoffman as “The Graduate” is beckoned aside at his homecoming party by a self-righteous businessman who says, “ I want to say one word to you. Just one word. -------Are you listening? “
“Yes, I am”, replies Dustin skeptically.
“Plastics“, the man whispers in a conspiratorial tone.
Plastics, as he meant it, was where the business future lie. The actual intent of the movie was to indicate everything that was superficial and pretentious. Yet here we are 42 years later still trying to contend with plastics’ advances and hazards in it’s manufacture, use, and recycling.
Check the next plastic container you hold. Turn it upside down, and you'll see a recycling triangle with the number in the middle. In 1988 the plastics industry introduced its voluntary “resin identification code"—a number from #1 to #7 that represents different resins and they indicate the type of plastic so as to make sorting and recycling an easier process. These numbers are intended to help consumers know whether and how to recycle various plastic products and packages. It is, at least to me, as confusing as the Part D Medicare drug formulary or a five star Suduko.
“Resin ID codes are not intended to provide guidance on the safe or appropriate use of any plastic item and should not be used for this purpose“, according to The Society of the Plastics Industry. Each recycling facility use these numbers as a guide for what they will and won't accept. It doesn't mean that higher numbers are NOT recyclable.
There was a rumor awhile back that alleged “ bottles with plastic recycling numbers below "5" release cancer-causing chemicals”. It was just another Internet hoax like the one that told you Bill Gates would send you $1200 for forwarding an e-mail.
National Geographic has a web site named Green Guide (WWW.greenguide.Com) which recommends buying #2, #4, and #5 coded items: “These three types of plastic are your best choices. They transmit no known chemicals into your food and they're generally recyclable.”
They go on stating that items with the #1 code (which are mostly disposable soft drink and water bottles) are “fine for single use but avoid reusing #1 water and soda bottles, as they're hard to clean, and because plastic is porous, these bottles absorb flavors and bacteria that you can't get rid of.”
Plastics marked PLA are environmentally friendly, says the Green Guide as they “are made from renewable resources such as corn, potatoes and sugar cane and anything else with a high starch content” however they can't recycle these plant-based plastics, nevertheless they say those items can be used in a municipal composter or in your backyard compost heap.
They also caution against the use of :
1. #3 PVC used in cling wraps for meat because PVC has softeners that change hormonal development, and its manufacture and incineration release dioxin, a potent carcinogen and hormone disruptor.
2. #6 PS: Polystyrene-foam cups and clear plastic take-out containers which they say “can leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen, into food.”
Additional alerts they list have to do with cling-wrapped food and food storage:
They suggest slicing off a thin layer of the food where it contacted the plastic and store the rest in a glass or ceramic container or wrap it in non-PVC cling wrap.
Avoid storing fatty foods, such as meat and cheese, in plastic containers or plastic wrap.
Hand-wash reusable containers gently with a nonabrasive soap; dishwashers and harsh detergents can scratch plastic, making hospitable homes for bacteria.
A "microwave-safe" or "microwavable" label on a plastic container only means that it shouldn't melt, crack or fall apart when used in the microwave. The label is no guarantee that containers don't leach chemicals into foods when heated. Use glass or ceramic containers instead.
So just when you thought it was safe going into the kitchen ………but Noooooooo…….they drag you back again!!
http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2009/01/07/columnists/doc4963c150514b0331875298.txt
Saturday, January 03, 2009
12/27/08
Traditions around the world
Tri-O's Oddities, observations, and opinions
By Herb Kandel
“Tradition, tradition!” Tevye sings in “Fiddler On The Roof”. What is tradition? It’s the custom or the usual accepted practice of performing certain activities and rituals. At this holiday time of year families rely on traditions that hold memories and may spark new ones. For Tevye it was lighting candles on the menorah and singing the dreidel song. For others it could be a recipe handed down from grandma‘S grandma, hanging certain ornaments, singing particular songs, or perhaps performing an act of charity. Whatever it is, it is yours and should be cherished. However, around the world there are traditions that are different. For instance:
In England it is a Christmas tradition that to make a wish come true you must stir Christmas pudding only if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise direction. The pudding is usually prepared weeks beforehand and is customarily stirred by each member of the family as a wish is made. December 26 is called Boxing Day in the UK. No, not the kind of boxing Ala Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society and tipping the providers of good service. Contemporary Boxing Day is now a "shopping holiday" associated with after-Christmas sales. It started in feudal times when the lord of the manor would give gifts to the serfs who lived on his land. Each family would receive a box full of such goods, hence "Boxing Day".
In Italy there are usually no Christmas trees. Instead they have the ceppo. It is a wooden frame several feet high designed in a pyramid shape. This frame supports several tiers of shelves, often with a manger scene on the bottom followed by small gifts of fruit, candy, and presents on the shelves above. They also have the Urn of Fate: An old tradition has each member of the family take turns drawing a wrapped gift out of a large ornamental bowl until all the presents are distributed. Now how do you wrap pasta with marinara sauce?
Since the major religion in Japan is Buddhism and Shinto, Christmas is more commercial event than religious (so, what‘S new?). The main celebration revolves around Christmas eve and not Christmas day. It is common to give Christmas presents. Parents give presents to their children, but the children do not give presents to the parents. The reasoning behind this is that only Santa bring presents, so once the children no longer believe in Santa the presents are no longer given. Kids, it’s OK for that guy in the red suit to kiss Momma San ……. You just have to believe.
In Norway on Christmas Eve don’t plan to sweep the floor. All the brooms in the house
Are hidden because long ago it was believed that witches and mischievous spirits came out on Christmas Eve and would steal their brooms for riding. As holiday time approaches most families bake cookies. The tradition is that there must be at least seven different kinds of Christmas cookies on the table on Christmas Eve. The Nordic tradition of the yule log burning goes back to medieval times. The whole tree was dragged into the house with the large end in the fireplace, while the rest of it encroached the room (is this how ‘getting stumped‘ originated?).
Just as we have our Santa, the English have Father Christmas, and the Germans St. Nicholas, Norwegians have the Julenisse. They come from the forest. These elve or gnome-like creatures wear red stocking caps, knee britches, hand-knitted stockings a Norwegian sweater, and a fur coat. Long white beards flow from their chin. They are jolly and happy, but can also be stern and mischievous. If your not on good terms with them through bribes, they will play tricks on you. So one should never forget to leave them a large portion of porridge on Christmas Eve. No pouting allowed either!!
If you are in the Ukraine it’s OK to decorate your tree with an artificial spider and gold and silver tinsel representing its web. The tradition started, it is said, when an impoverished widow living in a cold hut with her children realized that they could not decorate their tree (which they had grown from a fallen pinecone) as the children longed for. They just accepted poverty as a way of life. On Christmas morning the children’s shouts of joy woke their mother. She went to see what the commotion was about and beheld a marvelous sight. During the night a spider had spun its web around the feeble branches and as the shafts of the sun crept along the floor and silently climbed the tree, the glow touched the threads of the web turning each one into silver and gold. From that day forward the widow never wanted for anything.
To remember this miracle, Ukrainians still decorate their trees with “spider webs” to invite good luck and fortune for the coming year. So, next time a spider decides that your home is warm and cozy, think twice before shooing it and its web away, unless your name is Miss Muffet.
So let’s celebrate our traditions, the old, with trees and caroling, along with the innovative new, perhaps having far-flung families all hook-up at one time for a gigantic web cam get-together Just think of all the saved fares and the familial squabbles we’d avoid!
Happy Holidays.
http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2008/12/29/columnists/doc49554c408e874408971752.txt
Traditions around the world
Tri-O's Oddities, observations, and opinions
By Herb Kandel
“Tradition, tradition!” Tevye sings in “Fiddler On The Roof”. What is tradition? It’s the custom or the usual accepted practice of performing certain activities and rituals. At this holiday time of year families rely on traditions that hold memories and may spark new ones. For Tevye it was lighting candles on the menorah and singing the dreidel song. For others it could be a recipe handed down from grandma‘S grandma, hanging certain ornaments, singing particular songs, or perhaps performing an act of charity. Whatever it is, it is yours and should be cherished. However, around the world there are traditions that are different. For instance:
In England it is a Christmas tradition that to make a wish come true you must stir Christmas pudding only if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise direction. The pudding is usually prepared weeks beforehand and is customarily stirred by each member of the family as a wish is made. December 26 is called Boxing Day in the UK. No, not the kind of boxing Ala Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society and tipping the providers of good service. Contemporary Boxing Day is now a "shopping holiday" associated with after-Christmas sales. It started in feudal times when the lord of the manor would give gifts to the serfs who lived on his land. Each family would receive a box full of such goods, hence "Boxing Day".
In Italy there are usually no Christmas trees. Instead they have the ceppo. It is a wooden frame several feet high designed in a pyramid shape. This frame supports several tiers of shelves, often with a manger scene on the bottom followed by small gifts of fruit, candy, and presents on the shelves above. They also have the Urn of Fate: An old tradition has each member of the family take turns drawing a wrapped gift out of a large ornamental bowl until all the presents are distributed. Now how do you wrap pasta with marinara sauce?
Since the major religion in Japan is Buddhism and Shinto, Christmas is more commercial event than religious (so, what‘S new?). The main celebration revolves around Christmas eve and not Christmas day. It is common to give Christmas presents. Parents give presents to their children, but the children do not give presents to the parents. The reasoning behind this is that only Santa bring presents, so once the children no longer believe in Santa the presents are no longer given. Kids, it’s OK for that guy in the red suit to kiss Momma San ……. You just have to believe.
In Norway on Christmas Eve don’t plan to sweep the floor. All the brooms in the house
Are hidden because long ago it was believed that witches and mischievous spirits came out on Christmas Eve and would steal their brooms for riding. As holiday time approaches most families bake cookies. The tradition is that there must be at least seven different kinds of Christmas cookies on the table on Christmas Eve. The Nordic tradition of the yule log burning goes back to medieval times. The whole tree was dragged into the house with the large end in the fireplace, while the rest of it encroached the room (is this how ‘getting stumped‘ originated?).
Just as we have our Santa, the English have Father Christmas, and the Germans St. Nicholas, Norwegians have the Julenisse. They come from the forest. These elve or gnome-like creatures wear red stocking caps, knee britches, hand-knitted stockings a Norwegian sweater, and a fur coat. Long white beards flow from their chin. They are jolly and happy, but can also be stern and mischievous. If your not on good terms with them through bribes, they will play tricks on you. So one should never forget to leave them a large portion of porridge on Christmas Eve. No pouting allowed either!!
If you are in the Ukraine it’s OK to decorate your tree with an artificial spider and gold and silver tinsel representing its web. The tradition started, it is said, when an impoverished widow living in a cold hut with her children realized that they could not decorate their tree (which they had grown from a fallen pinecone) as the children longed for. They just accepted poverty as a way of life. On Christmas morning the children’s shouts of joy woke their mother. She went to see what the commotion was about and beheld a marvelous sight. During the night a spider had spun its web around the feeble branches and as the shafts of the sun crept along the floor and silently climbed the tree, the glow touched the threads of the web turning each one into silver and gold. From that day forward the widow never wanted for anything.
To remember this miracle, Ukrainians still decorate their trees with “spider webs” to invite good luck and fortune for the coming year. So, next time a spider decides that your home is warm and cozy, think twice before shooing it and its web away, unless your name is Miss Muffet.
So let’s celebrate our traditions, the old, with trees and caroling, along with the innovative new, perhaps having far-flung families all hook-up at one time for a gigantic web cam get-together Just think of all the saved fares and the familial squabbles we’d avoid!
Happy Holidays.
http://www.baldwincountynow.com/articles/2008/12/29/columnists/doc49554c408e874408971752.txt
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