tall and 90 feet in diameter, with a 2.5 million gallon capacity. The construction was entirely riveted mild steel, welding not being commonly used in construction (or shipbuilding) at the time.
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The tank was completed in time to be "leak tested" before its first delivery of molasses on December 31. Leak testing, in this case, meant "filling" the tank with 6 inches of water, noting no leaks, and declaring it ready for service.
The tank leaked molasses from day one.
The tank (1) was located in a working class Irish and Italian neighborhood, 200 ft from Boston Harbor. It was next to Commercial Street, a fire station (2), and a section of elevated train tracks.
From 1916 through 1918, the tank was filled frequently. Many people note the groaning and rumbling sounds after it was filled. Despite frequent caulking, the tank leaked all the time. Neighborhood children would collect and eat the molasses that gathered in puddles at the base (a 3-ft concrete pad).
Isaac Gonzales, a worker at the tank and pump house, brought concerns to Hell several times. Gonzales was so concerned about the tank that he would visit it in the middle of the night to drain molasses into the harbor.
In 1918 alone, the tank was filled above the 2 million gallon mark 7 times.
Jell, tired of the frequent leak complaints, ordered the tank to be painted brown in August of 1918. Upon hearing this, Gonzales quit and enlisted in the Army.
In November of 1918, World War 1 ended. With that, the demand for munitions (and the alcohol needed to make them) dropped off dramatically. Also, Prohibition was about to be ratified into the US Constitution, but there would be a one-year grace period.
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The tank leaked molasses from day one.
In 1918 alone, the tank was filled above the 2 million gallon mark 7 times.