The Boston Molasses Crisis: Molassacre Background Guide Table of Contents

Letter from the Chair Letter from the Crisis Director Introduction to the Committee Overview of Crisis Structure of the Committee A Brief History of Boston The North End in the 20th Century The Purity Distilling Company Boston Elevated Railway Topic 1 Topic 2 Questions to Consider Resources to Use Dossiers Bibliography

Staff of the Committee

Chair Noah Riley Vice Chair Anna Rafferty Crisis Director Elizabeth Jones Assistant Crisis Director Sam Knoll

Under Secretary General Jane Gallagher

Taylor Cowser, Secretary General Neha Iyer, Director General

Letter from the Chair

Dear Delegates,

Welcome to BosMUN XIX! My name is Noah Riley and I am beyond excited to be serving as your

Chair for The Boston Molasses Crisis: Molassacre! This is, believe it or not, my seventh BosMUN; my first four I attended as a high school delegate, my freshman year at Boston University I served as the Chair of the

1953 Iran Coup d'état committee, and last year I was fortunate enough to serve as the conference’s

Under-Secretary General of Crisis Committees (now the fabulous Jane Gallagher). I understand this conference inside and out and hope to provide the best experience for all of you in my committee!

I do promise, though, that my whole life is not Model UN (I swear). At BU, I study International

Relations and Economics, as well as Chinese. I recently returned from a seven-month study in China, the fortunate recipient of a Boren Scholarship. At BU I remain involved in the International Affairs Association and the BU Club Baseball team, among other activities.

I originally hail from Boston’s Brighton neighborhood, and grew up in the Greater Boston Area. An absolute Boston sports fanatic, when not watching the Celtics, I can be found bingeing TV shows, reading history books, or playing pranks on my friends. Also, be warned, I cannot get enough cheesy ice-breakers…so just be ready. I’m very easy-going, so please don’t hesitate to reach out as I am happy to answer questions about the committee, college, and share my (limited) life wisdom. Can’t wait to see you all in February!

Your Chair,

Noah Riley

Introduction

On an uncharacteristically warm winter day, many Bostonians find themselves outside, walking the streets of their beautiful city. At approximately mid-day, on January 15, 1919, a tsunami wreaked havoc in the streets of Boston’s newly flourishing North End neighborhood. It was not a typical natural disaster, however. A huge tank of molasses off Commercial Street, near Keany

Square, exploded and over 2.3 million tons of the brown liquid have flooded Boston’s streets, destroyed buildings and homes, and has most certainly taken the lives of many who call Boston home.

The committee will begin only hours after the tank has erupted, and Boston is still in disarray.

Quick action must be taken by the committee to salvage part of the city, find and treat survivors amidst the wreckage, and identify the dead. Something clearly went very, very wrong here, and the incident at Purity Distilling Company’s molasses tank must be understood. At some point, an entire neighborhood will need to be rebuilt, lives will need to be put back together. The smell of molasses will haunt many in Boston, forever.

Overview of Crisis

A crisis committee, for those of you who have not previously participated, is a fast-paced, constantly-changing delegate experience. Delegates are tasked with dealing two equally important components in this type of committee:

1) The in-room (inside the committee) which is more conventionally-based Model UN. Delegates are tasked with making speeches, cooperating and negotiating with other delegates, and writing directives to address problems the committee will face.

2) The Crisis room (not literally inside the committee), which will be delivering updates to the committee based on a combination of historical events, responses to delegates directives, the actions of delegates when personally communicating and interacting with the crisis room, and other factors.

Delegates will have to work together to react quickly and smartly to updates given to them by the crisis room. At the same time, delegates should also personally interact with the crisis room via their own personal directives in whichever manner they see fit. Debate will generally revolve around the two main topics outlined later in the background guide, however, the committee will primarily be driven by crises that delegates are expected to deal with. This, by no means, requires delegates to do any research outside of the subjects mentioned in the guide (but please do research on the subjects mentioned here!), but just that delegates should be adaptable and quick-thinking to address anything that might be throw their way in committee!

Overview of Crisis

Further details on the “in-room”

Delegates are expected to work with one another to address the issues put forward in the committee. In crisis, there is no “Opening Speech”, nor is there a “Speaker’s List”, as in more conventional, General Assembly-type committees. Rather, debate is driven forward by various “Moderated Caucuses”, “Unmoderated Caucuses”, and other forms of debate that are generally considered “Suspensions of the Rules” (such as a Round Robin, a Question & Answer period, or other creative motions delegates may have to propose should circumstances dictate as such).

To address the topics of debate and crises, delegates will author “Directives”. Delegates may be familiar with “Resolutions” – documents that are written in long-form, formalized and structured writing, and often the subject of final debate in large committees to address a given topic. Directives, on the other hand, are much shorter, informal (do not require perambulatory or operative clauses), and should be consistently produced by delegates throughout the duration of the conference, in an attempt to solve the crises that are given to the committee. While the dais appreciates the constant churning out directives and understands that, due to the fast-paced nature of a crisis committee, such directives may not be a delegate’s magnum opus, the expectation that directives will retain detail and creativity remains; there is no expectation, however, that they resemble formal resolutions in anyway. The more detailed and creative (if only in a few lines) directives are, the more likely that these documents will effectively deal with a crisis at hand.

Further details on the Crisis Room (“out-room”)

For those who have never participated in a crisis committee before, what differentiates this committee type from all others is the crisis room element. While this is actually a physical

Overview of Crisis

“room”, delegates will never actually journey to this place – it is where the committee’s Crisis Director and Crisis staffers will be pulling the strings of the committee. It is the crisis room that dictates what crises the committee is confronted with; these crises are decided based on the plans of the Crisis Director, but also how delegates interact with the crisis room, and the ways in which the committee acts as a whole.

Delegates will be communicating with the crisis room via notepads (“crisis pads”), which will be provided by the conference. Delegates should write to some sort of character (or characters), of their own creation and imagination. For example, notes should not be addressed “To the Crisis Room”, but instead, “Dear Secretary Johnson”, (just a made up character). Such notes should then go into detail about what delegates want to accomplish, why they want to accomplish it, and (most importantly) how to accomplish it. The last part is key – the Crisis room is likely to grant delegates’ requests/actions should the delegate be thorough, creative, and mostly realistic (related to delegates’ portfolio powers) to do so. These notes can be used to accomplish personal (as the delegate is representing a character) as well as committee-wide objectives. That which delegates accomplish outside the committee room, will often directly and indirectly impact what happens inside the committee room.

While this all may sound complicated and overwhelming…there is no need to worry. Both the Crisis Director and Chair are very understanding and more than willing to answer any questions.

Both will go over further expectations and questions regarding crisis at the beginning of the committee, but delegates should familiarize themselves with expectations prior to the conference. BUT ALSO, if a delegate has never participated in Crisis before…not a problem!!

To be put simply, the best way to learn a crisis committee is to do a crisis committee. The first one is always the most fun (probably ).

Structure of the Committee

The structure of the committee will diverge slightly from a basic, one governing-body based committee. While the plurality of members in “Molassacre” will be Boston City Council members, due to historical limitations and size of the actual City Council, it would not be possible to form this committee with only members of that body. The role of the United States Industrial Alcohol Company and its subsidiary, the Purity Distilling Company, in the Boston Molasses Crisis of course necessitate representation on any committee responding to the crisis. However, we decided that a committee of only City Councilors and USIA representatives would be divided along obvious lines and likely stagnate debate.

As such, we intend to make this committee as dynamic and diverse as possible in order for delegates to respond to Boston Molasses Crisis and any other updates they may face. Delegate roles may range from the owner of a prominent Boston newspaper to the Boston Police Commissioner or liaison with federal government. Regardless of roles, each committee member will have equal power and authority in the committee room, though, as in any crisis committee, their different roles will dictate their relationship with the crisis room and the actions they might individually perform in responding to a crisis.

Just because two delegates have similar positions does not necessarily imply that they should or should not work together. Two Boston City Councilman could just as easily work together as one could work with a delegate from the Boston Globe or the Public Works Department. It is truly up to the delegates how best to pursue their goals and create solutions in the committee.

Note from the Chair: I have personally participated in Crisis committees throughout high school and college and have by far been my favorite types of committee in both settings…we hope that we will recreate that same feeling for all of you!

A Brief History of Boston

Map of Boston, 1915

Boston. City on a Hill. Founded by Puritan colonists from England in 1630. The city has rapidly become a political and economic center of New England and the United States. Home to very proud people, Boston was the match that lit the fire of the American Revolution and has played an integral role in shaping what the United States is today. Post-Revolution, the city transformed into a bustling port city, boosted by trade from the Caribbean and Europe. Part of the New corner of the triangular trade included refining Caribbean sugar into rum and molasses, and a huge portion of the economy was built on the back of this industry. Simultaneously, parallel industries of manufacturing refined products from simple raw materials rose from Boston’s streets, quickly generating sustained production and a robust labor class.

A Brief History of Boston

In the 19th century, Boston solidified itself alongside New York City as the nation’s most important financial centers. Boston continued to flourish due to its role in funding and implementing both local and national transportation projects. In the midst of the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing surpassed international trade as the primary driver of the local economy. This development saw the rise of Boston’s “Brahmin elite”, a semi-aristocratic, economically-successfully class that saw itself as enlightened and upholders of a sacred value system of Boston’s well-connected upper class. This stratification would become exceedingly apparent as the mid-19th century saw waves of immigrants brought to Boston’s streets from Europe.

These waves included Italians, Roman Catholics, and other countries, but the most predominant group was Irish Catholics. Boston became a haven for the Irish and, despite facing sever discrimination for much of the 19th century, they have now taken political control of much of Boston. Other groups, such as the North End’s Italian community, are also very tribal – cultural conflict between neighborhoods is not uncommon at this time.

Other trends in Boston during the late-1800s through the turn of the century include a cultural boom in the city, with many museums, music halls, publications, and other exhibitions opening their doors. A transportation boom is sweeping the nation, with cars and subways changing people’s everyday lives – in March of 1912, Boston’s Red Line began its slow expansion across the city.

Boston, long a beacon of economic prosperity for those domestic and seeking a new home on American shores, is beginning to feel the consequences of a nationwide economic shift, as older factories are being emptied, businesses leaving for new manufacturing facilities and cheaper labor elsewhere in the country. Boston remains a thriving city, but one showing indicators of an imminent economic downturn.

A Brief History of Boston

The North End in the 20th Century

Since the turn of the century, the North End has become dominated by Italian and Jewish immigrants. Despite facing discrimination as many immigrant groups do, the North End has begun to flourish, with burgeoning small and medium-sized business and improved and new public facilities popping up all over the neighborhood. Both public and private investment, in institutions such as schools, sanitation facilities and cleaning services, religious centers, and consumer areas, has led to an overall improvement in quality of life. In spite of the area’s great successes in recent years, the North End could not escape the wrath of the Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918 that gripped the whole of the United States. Across the country, almost 28% of the population became infected and more than 500,000 lives were lost. The crowded North End was severely impacted, with many families destroyed and children orphaned. The area is still recovering, and is the backdrop for what the committee should be aware of as they deal with the crises at hand.

The Purity Distilling Company

In 1915, the Purity Distilling Company built the molasses tank along the waterfront of Boston Harbor. In 1917, Purity Distilling Company was acquired by the United States Industrial Alcohol Company (USIA), one of the nation’s premier industrial alcohol producers. Despite national sentiment surging against alcohol consumption, and many pushing for Prohibition, the production of industrial alcohol (made from fermented molasses) is hugely profitable. Industrial alcohol was used to make munitions and other weaponry for the recently concluded World War. In reflection of the impressive demand for industrial alcohol, the tank run by the Purity Distilling Company was impressively large, more than 50 feet high, 90 feet in diameter, and capable of holding up to 2.5 million gallons of molasses. Since the war has concluded, the USIA has focused on producing grain alcohol (ethanol), a key ingredient in industrial chemicals, organic chemicals, and as an ingredient in some beverages. Grain alcohol has come into high demand as Prohibition is nearing passage. The tank itself was built very quickly and has experienced a number of problems since its conclusions, and many residents are angered by the constant leakage and disruptive noise coming from the tank.

A Brief History of Boston

Boston Elevated Railway (BERy)

Map of existing BERy track, 1915.

A Brief History of Boston

Boston Elevated Railway (BERy)

The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) is a streetcar and rapid transit railroad currently running above and below the streets of Boston and beyond. Since acquiring the West End Street Railway, BERy has become the city’s primary mode of public transportation, an impressive system largely outshining the mass transit networks employed in other cities throughout the country.

In the 1890s, as the electric power industry was just getting off the ground, the railway company was forced to construct its own power stations. By 1900, BERy had constructed distribution generation stations in six Boston neighborhoods, and by 1905 the BERy network was home to over 420 miles of track for 1550 street cars and 16 mils of track for 174 elevated cars.

BERy has played an important role in transforming the way in which people commute to work, to school, and beyond, however, BERy’s existence has not continued without controversy. In November of 1916, BERy street car No. 393 plunged into the Fort Point Channel, resulting in the tragic deaths of 46 people. It is of the utmost importance that residents’ faith in BERy remains intact, considering the massive infrastructure and job investment that has come with its expansion. Unfortunately, the molasses tank, as seen later, has been built right next to a portion of the BERy track…

Topic 1

Responding to the immediate crisis is of the utmost importance.

The facts known this time are minimal: the molasses tank that exploded is owned by Purity Distilling Company, a subsidiary of the United States Industrial Alcohol Company. The tank was located in the North End, right near Boston Harbor. Lives have certainly been lost, though how many is unknown. Building destroyed – both commercial and residential. A number of first responders are on the scene, including Boston’s own forces, but also courageous men and women of the Navy and the Red Cross who found themselves at Boston’s wharf nearby.

Current Reporting

Initial reports have provided little clarity as to the severity of the damage caused by the explosion of the molasses tank. Eyewitness accounts claim that current waves are nearly 20 feet high, and impossible to outrun. Some estimate that the molasses is moving at speeds of 30-35 miles per hour. Humans, horses, and buildings alike have been swept away in waves of molasses, the brown liquid leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Another great cause of concern should be the Boston Elevated Railway’s Atlantic Avenue structure, which is located adjacent to the exploded tank. The BER has quickly become very popular, a mark of modern transportation gaining a foothold in an evolving city, and the lives of many (as well as expensive infrastructure) are now at risk.

Topic 1

Above is a map of the immediate area of concern. The blue circle located near the middle of the picture is the (currently exploded) molasses tank.

The committee must work efficiently to come up with an immediate response to the crisis. Who can and should respond, how best to mobilize and share resources, where and by what means will victims be transported for treatment are only a few of the many questions the committee must address, as quickly as possible.

Beyond the initial response, there will of course be other concerns that the committee must address.

Topic 2

Rebuild and recovery.

Many will lose their lives, and if not their lives, their livelihoods on this disastrous day for Boston. The North End will need a long period of healing. There will have to be infrastructural, regulatory, and perhaps political changes that will come to the neighborhood, and perhaps Boston as a whole. The people of the North End will certainly be infuriated and distraught for weeks, perhaps months to come. This feeling of discontent, anger, and frustration, coupled with a rapidly changing Boston could be a boiling pot for problems well beyond the Molasses crisis.

Due to the tribal and politically-complex nature of Boston, it may prove difficult to determine who should be responsible for the rebuild. Should the rebuild be undertaken exclusively by the city government? The state government? Who will be contracted to provide various services and what consequences might that have? With the potential destruction of so many businesses from an area already suffering from an exodus of manufacturing jobs, will there be broader economic consequences? How will national politics effect the local politics of the committee, and consequently the committee’s decision-making? These are some things, among many, that should be considered as delegates seek to restore a neighborhood destroyed.

Other Important Trends to be Aware of

Boston’s demographics

The recent federal push toward Prohibition

The Transportation Revolution

Broad political changes in Boston, New England, and the US

Questions to Consider

Topic 1

1) Who will be responsible for responding to the crisis and what strategy will be the quickest and most efficient for the committee to approve? 2) How will different organizations and groups work together to respond to the explosion of the molasses tank and beyond? 3) Will those responsible for the crisis be held accountable? What precedent might this set for the future? 4) How will, if at all, local and federal bodies work together to address the crisis?

Topic 2

1) Who will be given authority in directing rebuilding operations? 2) What kinds of projects should be undertaken in rebuilding efforts? Should it go beyond infrastructure to address other neighborhood issues? 3) How will a rapidly changing city play into the reconstruction of the North End? 4) What factors outside of Boston might come into play? (Think political, national trends at the time)

Resources to Use 1. https://archive.org/details/darktidegreatbos00pule/page/n285 2. https://www.wbur.org/news/2019/01/15/molasses-environment-disaster-bos ton-harbor 3. https://www.boston.gov/departments/archives-and-records-management 4. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/26/science/boston-molasses-flood-scienc e.html 5. https://www.npr.org/2019/01/13/684894921/after-100-years-a-look-back-at- bostons-great-molasses-flood-of-1919 6. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/13/the-great-boston-molas ses-flood-why-it-matters-modern-regulation 7. https://time.com/5500592/boston-great-molasses-flood-100/ 8. https://www.influenzaarchive.org/cities/city-boston.html 9. https://www.boston.com/news/history/2019/01/14/great-molasses-flood-qu estions Dossiers: City Council Members

Council Member President Francis J.W. Ford

Francis Ford was a proud Boston native who was a member of the Boston City Council from 1917 to 1922. After graduating from Harvard in 1904, where he met and befriended future President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he went on to have a successful career as a lawyer from 1906 to 1933. City Council President Ford was one of nine council members who oversaw the council’s creation, passing, and amendment of local laws Furthermore, he oversaw the annual approval the city’s budget. He assisted in connecting his constituents to other council members that could help them locate resources and services that may be of their need.

Walter L. Collins

Walter Collins served as a Boston city council member from 1910 to 1921. As one of nine city council members, he worked to provide insight to the committee and the committee’s President, Francis Ford. As one of the council’s longest serving members, he connected constituents with community resources and services in times of need. As a council member, he helped with the creation, passing, and amendment of local laws Furthermore, he oversaw the annual approval he city’s budget a council member.

Henry E. Hagan

Henry E. Hagan served as a Boston city council member from 1915 to 1923. He served as City Council President in 1916, three years prior to the molassacre. Henry Hagan worked to connect his constituents with community resources and services in times of need. As a council member, he helped with the creation, passing, and amendment of local laws Furthermore, he oversaw the annual approval he city’s budget a council member. Dossiers: City Council Members

John A Donoghue John A. Donoghue served as a Boston City Council member from 1919 to 1925. His first year as a council member was marked by the Molassacre and its fallout. He eventually was elected to serve as Boston City Council President in 1924. John Donoghue worked to connect his constituents with community resources and services in times of need. As a council member, he helped with the creation, passing, and amendment of local laws Furthermore, he oversaw the annual approval he city’s budget a council member.

Daniel W. Lane Daniel W. Lane served as a Boston City Council member from 1918 to 1925.. Her eventually went on to be elected to City Council President in 1923. The year of the Molassacre, 1919, he was only in his second year of participating in the council. Daniel Lane worked to connect his constituents with community resources and services in times of need. As a council member, he helped with the creation, passing, and amendment of local laws Furthermore, he oversaw the annual approval he city’s budget a council member.

Edward F. McLaughlin Edward F McLaughlin was a Boston born politician who served as a Boston City Council Member from 1919 to 1921. His first year as a city council member occurred during the year of the molassacre. He attended and graduated from Mechanic Arts High School in 1901, holding no higher education. Prior to serving on Boston’s City Council, he served as the representative of the 12th district, Suffolk, in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1913 to 1915. As a council member, McLaughlin worked to connect his constituents with community resources and services in times of need. As a council member, he helped with the creation, passing, and amendment of local laws Furthermore, he oversaw the annual approval he city’s budget a council member. Dossiers Peter McDonough - Boston Fire Chief

The son of a former Boston fire chief, Peter McDonough held a lengthy career in the boston Fire department. He began to work at the fire department at the age of 15 and moved up the ranks to serve as call man and eventually fire chief. He worked as Junior Deputy to the fire chief, his father, in 1911 until becoming chief on March 12, 1914. Captain McDonough responded to the Molassacre and worked to manage the crisis. He later retired that same year on July 31, 1919 after 36 years of service. At his peak when he served as Boston fire chief, he had control of the largest fire department in all of New England and the resources and men that came with it.

Colonel Hugh W. Ogden - Appointed Auditor by MA Judge Born in 1871 in Bath, Maine, Colonel Hugh Ogden was the appointed auditor by the Massachusetts Supreme Court to hear the evidence surrounding the molassacre. He worked on the complicated case for over five and a half years and this research resulted in a 25,000 page transcript report. In this report, he awarded damages to all those affected by the Molassacre. As an Auditor, he has the authority to control who is awarded damages, how much money they receive, and has oversight for documentation and paperwork regarded the claims from the event.

Edwin Upton Curtis - Boston Police Commissioner Edwin Curtis , an American career politician and attorney, had a remarkable career in Boston serving as its 34th Mayor and eventually its Police commissioner from 1918 to 1922. A Bowdoin college graduate, he was a well-educated man having received high level education in Roxbury, Massachusetts at both the Grammar and Latin schools. As a politician, he was an avid member of the Republican party. Following his one year mayoral term from 1895 to 1896, he served as the Collector of Customs for Boston’s Port from 1909 to 1913 where he enforced governmental regulations on goods both leaving and entering through the Boston Harbor. Dossiers

Charles Adams - U.S. Industrial Alcohol Company Board Member Charles Adams served as Chairman of the Board of the U.S. Industrial Alcohol Company during the 19191 Molassacre. Because of this, he was incharge of guiding the board and company through handling the 125 lawsuits that had been filed against the company. Furthermore, as chairman of the board his advice was headed by the executives of the company. Born in Ohio, Adams left and attended Yale University where he became a member of the secret, elite organization Skull and Bones. In terms of his professional life, he remained a consistent figure on boards such as Pur Carbonic Inc, Dry Ice Inc, Cuban Air Products Corp, and as a trustee for Mutual Life. He worked at brokerage firm F.S. Butterworth and Co. and in 1910 transitioned to Callaway Fish and Co.

Dr. William Woodward - Boston Health Commissioner Becoming Boston Health Commissioner in 1918, just a year before the Molassacre, Dr. Woodward had a long-lasting career in public health and medicine. In his first seven weeks in office, he was tasked with handling the initial outbreak of Spanish Influenza in Boston. During this health crisis, Boston’s mayor appointed the Health Commissioner with a council of educated health officials to be at his disposal to handle the emergency, the council was still instated at the time of the Molassacre as the second wave of influenza occurred in the winter of 1919. Because of the mass death from Spanish Influenza, the city did not favor their new Health Commissioner and this eventually led to his removal from office in the 1920’s. As health commissioner, Woodward had the ability to lead the country’s oldest health commission and instil new health services and programs for the city.

Lieutenant Commander H.J Copeland of USS Nantucket - Navy As Lieutenant Commander, Copeland commanded the first troops to arrive to the scene of the molassacre. The 116 soldiers were the first responders as the USS Nantucket training ship was stationed nearby. He oversaw the rescuing of survivors from the calamity and prevented onlookers from viewing and interfering with the scene. As a Lieutenant Commander, he had limited control of the Boston Naval Academy’s USS Nantucket and his soldiers in training. Dossiers

Charles H. Taylor - Publisher of Boston Globe Considered, the founder of the nationally-renown Boston Globe, Charles Taylor was an American Journalist, politician, and soldier. He served in the Civil War on the Union side until he was injured at the Battle of Port Hudson. In 1872 he was both elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as the Business Manager for the Boston Globe in its first year of existence. At only 27, Taylor was able to help establish the Boston Globe’s reputation and financial success as a paper and also establish the modern newspaper which added stock analysis, women’s articles, and sports news to solely political and social occurrences of the day. As publisher, Taylor had influence over what news made headlines and the portrayal of the news to the public masses.

Channing Cox - Lt. General of MA Channing Cox was a Boston Lawyer, Republican politician, and businessman. He was a Dartmouth College graduate and Harvard Law School, graduating in 1904. He began his political career in 1908 by winning a seat on the Boston Common Council and the following year began serving one of nine terms on the state legislature, with the last four with him being speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In 1918, his long term political friend Calvin Coolidge, a future president, asked him to be his Lieutenant Governor. As Lieutenant Governor, Cox, in the event that Coolidge passed, would assume his duties.

Howard Adams Carson- Chief Engineer of Boston Transit Commission

Howard Adams Carson oversaw the operations of the BERy, the Boston Elevated Railway and Streetcar System. He attended MIT for undergrad where he studied engineering and then worked as an assistant engineer for Providence, Rhode Island Water Works. After this, he created the Boston sewage and drainage system in 1887 as he was the new Chief Engineer. Notably, he also designed multiple extensions of the Boston subway lines which ventured farther out into the outer city. He handled the public transport financial struggle crisis where he created set fares for transport and raised a tax in the 14 districts served. Dossiers

George M. Donaldson- Federal Government Liaison (fictional)

George Donaldson was a Boston native who worked for the federal government after studying political science at Boston College. As a worker, he was familiar with the area as the federal government had responded to a threat against the tank in the predominantly immigrant established North End back in 1918 when WW1 was still ongoing. He was tasked with representing the federal government’s interests in assessing the damage, assisting with finding the cause, and providing insight for if there should be a federal response to the disaster.

John H. Hawes- Head of the Boston Public Works Department (fictional) John Hawes, a Massachusetts native, worked for the city Public Works for 17 years. Starting in 1902. He took up this position after obtaining his undergraduate degree from Yale in Public Policy and his Graduate degree in civil engineering at Harvard. The day of the crisis, his department was affected as they lost many of their horses and stables, limiting their maneuverability. Furthermore, he lost five public works officials that day due to the flood. As head of the Boston Public Works Department, Hawes controlled many employees, managed the maintenance of Boston’s city streets and neighborhoods, and allocated money to infrastructure which needed it.

Harold D. Downing- Owner of Purity Distilling (fictional) As Owner of the Purity Distilling Company, a subsidiary of the United States Industrial Alcohol Company, Harold Downing was tasked with the oversight of all aspects of his company. As he was in the business of distilling molasses into industrial alcohol, he created a storage tank in 1914 in the North End neighborhood of Boston because the land was cheap and less contestable as it was an immigrant neighborhood. His final product of distilled alcohol was then sold to amuntions manufactures, primarily profiting off WWI. As the company’s owner, when the crisis occurred he was tasked with retaining the company’s value, advising the board on how to handle the PR crisis, and overall managing the various fallouts from the molasses flood. Dossiers

Lawrence M. Ashfield- Head of Education (fictional) As the current Boston City Head of Education, Lawrence Ashfield was tasked with the oversight of educational practices, teacher hirings, budgeting, and institutional curriculum. He studied education at the University of Connecticut and received his doctorate in education from Boston University. He taught briefly in the Boston City School system for five years before entering into the realm of educational leadership within the Boston School System. After obtaining the role of the Head of Education of Boston, he aimed to use his new title to provide better breadth educational opportunities for those attending Boston public schools.

Thomas D. Wolfe- Critical Infrastructure Manager of Boston (fictional)

Thomas Wolfe was tasked with managing and overseeing Boston’s critical infrastructure during times of emergency including but not limited to communications, electricity, and general roadways. Often aligning goals with Boston Public Works, his position and workers he managed oversaw the security aspect of the city’s crucial infrastructure. Through having this position during hightension times in WWI, Wolfe was experienced in handling issues during high stress times, like that of the Great Molasses Flood.

Laurie S, Jameson- Head of the Boston Red Cross (fictional) As head of the largest branch of the Massachusetts Red Cross and with the Massachusetts Red Cross Headquarters in Boston, Laurie Jameson served over 100’s of Red Cross volunteers and some staff. She attended the all women’s college Bryn Mawr in Philadelphia where she studied dance and microbiology. She then moved to Boston after college to volunteer with the Red Cross. After 14 years of dedication to the Red Cross, she was appointed its Head of Operations in 1916. During the molasses flood, many red cross volunteers were dispatched to assist with the cleanup and search for those injured. Dossiers

Gerald L. Greystone- Massachusetts Head Meteorologist

Gerald Greystone studied meteorology at Penn State and received his masters degree in Meteorology and Atmospheric Studies from Harvard in 1903. In the following years, Gerald Greystone worked at the Blue Hill Observatory, 10 miles south of Boston, until in 1912 it was acquisitioned by Harvard University. With many years of experience, Greystone would be aware of unusual spikes in temperature. He ran the observatory to collect atmospheric data and observations about the the entire north eastern climate. He was incharge of collecting, storing, and managing the distribution of the data he and his team of scientists collected.

Bibliography

Andrews, Evan. “The Great Molasses Flood of 1919.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, January 13, 2017. https://www.history.com/news/the-great-molasses-flood-of-1919.

“U.S. Industrial Alcohol Company.” [WorldCat Identities], January 1, 1970. http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n83046465/.

History.com Editors. “Boston: A City Steeped in U.S. History.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, March 7, 2019. https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/boston-massachusetts.

Gavin, Christopher. “'Masses of Wreckage': The Painstaking Cleanup and Tragic Aftermath of Boston's Great Molasses Flood.” Boston.com. The Boston Globe, January 14, 2019. https://www.boston.com/news/history/2019/01/14/great-molasses-flood-cleanup- aftermath.

Press, Julia. “A Deadly Tsunami Of Molasses In Boston's North End.” NPR. NPR, January 15, 2019. https://www.npr.org/2019/01/15/685154620/a-deadly-tsunami-of-molasses-in-bost ons-north-end.

Puleo, Stephen. Dark Tide: the Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. Boston: Beacon Press, 2019.