Purity Distilling Company
Encyclopedia
The Purity Distilling Company was a chemical firm based in Boston
and specializing in the production of ethyl alcohol through the distillation
process. It was a subsidiary of United States Industrial Alcohol. In 1919, one of its large molasses
tanks collapsed, leading to the Boston Molasses Flood
.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and specializing in the production of ethyl alcohol through the distillation
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
process. It was a subsidiary of United States Industrial Alcohol. In 1919, one of its large molasses
Molasses
Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço, which ultimately comes from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet,...
tanks collapsed, leading to the Boston Molasses Flood
Boston molasses disaster
The Boston Molasses Disaster, also known as the Great Molasses Flood and the Great Boston Molasses Tragedy, occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. A large molasses storage tank burst, and a wave of molasses rushed through the...
.