Find me here:
  The Paranormal Guide
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Atlas
  • Glossary

Molasses, Top Hat and UFO Nest

19/1/2014

Comments

 
Picture
January 13 - 19: 21 people are killed and 150 injured as a wave of molasses tears through a neighbourhood. - An English haberdasher is fined for breaching the peace and disturbing the balance of society... due to his hat. - A farmer finds a 'UFO nest' in Queensland, Australia.

Three unrelated stories of a strange, unusual or dark nature.

January 15, 1919

PictureAftermath of the molasses flood.
Just before lunch, workers at the Purity Distilling Company (a subsidiary of the United States Industrial Alcohol Company), in the North End neighbourhood, Boston, Massachusetts, were loading rail cars when a loud rumbling started in the large tank of molasses they were loading next too. Next, rapid loud pops were heard as rivets burst from the bottom seam of the tank, as the molasses contained inside burst from its holdings. This was not a small tank by any means – 15 meters tall and 27 meters in diameter that held 9.5 million litres.

A wave of molasses nearly 8 meters high, travelling at 60km/h, blew out the walls of the distilling company building and out into the streets. Several nearby buildings were completely destroyed, swept off their foundations to tumble along the avenue.

Several people were lifted off their feet before the wave got to them, a gush of wind preceded it with enough force to hurl people along before it.

The wave left a large area covered in stickiness and in some places the molasses was waist deep. Horses that had been knocked off their feet were unable to stand back up and drowned. Nearby basements and cellars were filled as the wave passed and several people drowned inside, underground... including several workers in the distilleries basement.

Rescue efforts were hampered by the fact that just about everything now looked the same, all covered in thick molasses. It was incredibly hard to discern a hurt person from a mundane object. It was only by the movements of those struggling in the goop that people were found. The eventual toll was 21 people dead (along with several horses) and 150 people injured.

After an investigation was carried out there was a class-action lawsuit held against the United States Industrial Alcohol Company, and survivors of deceased victims were awarded about $7,000 per victim.

The cause was found to be both structural and environmental. Many safety tests were not carried out during the molasses tanks construction, including things as simple as making sure it did not leak – in fact this tank leaked so much that the company painted it brown to hid the leakages!

The steel in the tanks construction was not the required thickness either.

Add to that the sudden rise in temperature on that day causing fermentation to go up and the increase in carbon dioxide gases and essentially it was one very large bomb primed to go off - and this could have been easily avoided.

January 15, 1797

PictureTop Hats.
Haberdasher James Hetherington leaves his store wearing a new hat and causes quite a stir. Walking along the Strand, London, people quickly notice the odd looking hat perched on top of his head. The crowd grew and soon there were gasps as people started to be crushed against one another. It got so bad that apparently several women fainted and a young boy had his arm broken when he was pushed to the ground.

Such a disturbance was not going to go unnoticed and soon Hetherington was arraigned before the Lord Mayor. Hetherington was charged with breaching the peace and inciting a riot as he had "appeared on the public highway wearing upon his head what he called a silk hat (which was shiny lustre and calculated to frighten timid people)".

Hetherington was fined £50, however, the Top Hat had gathered fans and soon he was making a lot of money filling orders for the new fashion.

(Note, although Hetherington is at times credited with inventing the top hat, he did not, its just in this instance he really helped the trend kick off in England.)

January 19, 1966

PictureUFO 'nest'.
At about 9am, farmer George Pedley, hears a loud hissing sound coming from a patch of marshland near Horseshoe Lagoon, Queensland, Australia. This hissing sound could be heard over the tractor he was driving. Pedley then saw a round object like 'two saucers, face to face' and gray in colour, rise out of the marsh. The object then briefly hovered above the trees before taking off into the distance and disappearing. The sighting lasted about 15 seconds.

At the site where the UFO took off from, a round area had been cleared in the reeds. In this 'nest' the water was seen to slowly rotate as if it had been recently disturbed. This circular area was about 9 meters in diameter, a little larger than the size George Pedley recalled the UFO to be.

The RAAF, royal Australian Air Force, concluded that the object was a type of whirlwind that flattened the reeds. This whirlwind also sucked up some of the reeds and it was these reeds, travelling at high speed within the whirlwinds cone that gave the appearance of the saucer shaped flying object...


Not everyone agrees with this explanation.

Ashley Hall 2015
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

    The Paranormal Guide Articles

    Here you will find all of the articles written for The Paranormal Guide on all things paranormal, strange, dark, macabre, weird, strange and bizarre!

    All photos with the blog posts remain the property of their respectful owners. If one of your photos is featured here without attribution please leave a comment on the blog and full credit will be given.

    Categories

    All
    Bizarre Experiments
    Conspiracy
    Cryptozoology
    Cursed And Haunted Objects
    Curses Demons And Exorcisms
    Earth Mysteries
    Fakes Frauds And Hoaxes
    Ghosts And Hauntings
    Ghosts Ghouls And Demons
    Interesting And Inspiring People
    Investigations
    Miracles
    My Paranormal
    Paranormal Photos
    Paranormal Vocabulary
    Phobias And Philias
    Post Mortem Practices
    Psychics Predictions And Seers
    Questions And Discussions
    Reviews
    Spirituality And Miracles
    Spirituality And Miracles
    Strange And Macabre Places
    Strange And Tragic Deaths
    This Week In Dark History
    Tragedy
    True Crime And Punishment
    Ufos And Aliens
    Unsolved Mysteries
    Urban Legend Superstition And Folklore
    Weird Odd And Bizarre


    Ashley Hall -
    The Paranormal Guide

    Ashley Hall explores The Paranormal, True Crime, Strange Deaths, Dark History, The Weird, The Strange and The Bizarre! Fact or Fiction? You decide!

    Picture

    Contributors

    Picture
    Matty Sweeney
    Picture
    Peet Banks
    Picture
    Nic Hume

    Picture
    Check out The Paranormal Guide Podcast and join three paranormal investigators and researchers for honest and raw discussions on all things paranormal, strange, dark and macabre HERE!

    Archives

    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Please note that dates are from when the article was originally made.
    The Paranormal Guide does have posts all the way up to the current date.


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.