London beer floodIn 1814, at night, a deadly flood of beer was caused from the Horseshoe brewery, London. The metal bands of an immense beer brewing vat snapped releasing a tidal wave of 3,555 barrel of Porter beer, which swept away the brewery walls, flooded nearby basements, collapsed several tenements and resulted in eight deaths. The huge vessel had been poorly constructed, with little understanding of how to contain the forces involved. The deaths were reported as “by drowning, injury, poisoning by the porter fumes or drunkenness.” A century later, a similar disaster occurred on 15 Jan 1919, at a Boston molasses processing plant. Again, an immense vat burst, flooding its contents into the street with a heavy wave of molasses moving at a speed of an estimated 35 mph. It killed 21 and injured 150 people.« |
