Summary of Dark Tide

I found the nonfiction novel, Dark Tide, written by Stephen Puleo to be a very interesting and stimulating. It is about a molasses tank built in the heart of Boston right near the harbor. The tank itself could hold up to 2.3 million pounds of molasses. This truly was a fascinating structure that was extremely important to the economy and society of Boston during the early 1900s.

Molasses was very important during the early 1900s as it was not only a food but was a ingredient was used to make weapons and ammunition, which was very important during the time as World War I was going on in Europe. It was also used in the slave trade as a way for the U.S. to get slaves from Africa in exchange for molasses. This tank was very important to big businesses including its supplier USIA or the United States Industrial Alcohol as it made them a lot of money.

Since the tank was so important for making money the USIA wanted it built as soon as possible even if it meant that not all of the safety requirements were made. Everyone liked the idea of building a molasses tank except anarchists. They hated the tank because it supplied soldiers fighting in the war with weapons and ammunition and anarchists hated the war itself. The tank was built and it instantly made tons of money. The tank did not last very long as it eventually collapsed. The disaster caused 2.3 million pounds of molasses to spread all over the city of Boston in all directions. The wave of molasses killed 21 and injured many more. It destroyed buildings and the railroad system leaving wreckage everywhere.

The cause of the collapsed tank remained a debate for several years. Some believed that it collapsed because it was built incorrectly from the day it was built. Others believed that it collapsed because an anarchists put a bomb into the tank which caused the tank to explode. Eventually the debate went to court and after years of argument a final decision was reached that the tank collapsed because the tank was not built correctly. The rivets were built wrong, the steel plates were not the right size, and the "factor of safety" was too low. Eventually USIA was held responsible for the disaster.