Dark Tide Audiobook By Stephen Puleo cover art

Dark Tide

The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Dark Tide

By: Stephen Puleo
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Around noon on January 15, 1919, a group of firefighters were playing cards in Boston's North End when they heard a tremendous crash. It was like, "a roaring surf," one of them said later. Like, "a runaway two-horse team smashing through a fence," said another. A third firefighter jumped up from his chair to look out a window - "Oh my God!" he shouted to the other men, "Run!" A 50-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses had just collapsed on Boston's waterfront, disgorging its contents as a 15-foot-high wave of molasses that at its outset traveled at 35 miles an hour. It demolished wooden homes, even the brick fire station. The number of dead wasn't known for days. It would be years before a landmark court battle determined who was responsible for the disaster.

©2003, 2004 Stephen Puleo (P)2013 Audible, Inc. 20th Century Americas Disaster Relief Modern Social Sciences State & Local United States World

Editorial reviews

One of AudioFile magazine's Best Voices of the Century and Publishers Weekly's Audiobook Narrator of the Year for 2005, Grover Gardner is the recipient of dozens of awards, and listeners will easily understand why. Gardner's diction is reminiscent of classic American radio and provides an evocative feeling to this non-fiction exploration of the molasses flood that overwhelmed Boston on January 15, 1919. The rough edge of Gardner's voice adds texture to its velvety sound as he describes the disaster and its context, easily weaving together the various elements involved, from Prohibition to the anarchist movement to immigration. Listeners will find themselves absorbed by this little-known catastrophe.
Compelling Historical Account • Well-researched Details • Compelling Narration • Riveting Storytelling • Human Perspective
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
Wonderful choice of stories to write. Wonderful balance of story and history. Well worth listening to.

Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed the historical information about the history of the molasses tank which held 2.3 million gallons of molasses! The eruption of the tank killed 21 people & dozens were injured & traumatized from this horrific event. I did not like the length of time the author spent describing the pain & agony suffered by the many people killed & injured by the eruption of the molasses tank.

Dark Tide is about the great Molasses flood of 1919. Very interesting since many people are not aware this occurred.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I hated books like this as a young adult. But I could’t get enough of this book! A lot of attention to detail, so much I could smell and taste everything.

Great performance by Grover Gardner.

Intriguing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I'd always heard this as a bit of light and whimsical trivia, and always associated it with the chocolate flood at the end of James & The Giant Peach. But in reality this was a fantastically tragic story of American capitalistic hubris.
The people who died in the 1917 Boston Molasses Disaster died horribly. Some of the victims were children.
Although a tad repetitive in places, this is a definitive narrative of an American Industrial tragedy. Fascinating read, well crafted, and well paced. Very accessible.

Legend, tragedy, and hubris

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The author gives great insight to many aspects of history between 1915 and 1925. He helps you to understand the lives of immigrants and their mistreatment. The activities of anarchists echo terrorism of today. The devastation that occurred on a cold winter day due to lax oversight is a heart wrench yet exciting story that should be included in history classes. Highly recommend.

Hard to stop listening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you like books like Bill Bryson's "One Summer, 1927" then you will enjoy this well written book on the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. Ties in perfect all key considerations of what led to this tragedy, and the changes to national building codes in its aftermath.

Amazing narrative on a pivotal moment in Boston's

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book isn't just about the actual Molasses Flood, it is a history lesson of before, during, and after. I was captivated from beginning to end. I was angry that it even happened and feel the same way when companies today are negligent.

The company tried to blame Anarchists, many of whom were Italian. There were a lot of Italian immigrants in the North End of Boston.

The tank was by the water in a mixed commercial and residential area. Ships would bring the molasses from the West Indies. The molasses this tank held was usually used for industrial alcohol. But with World War I over, and Prohibition coming, the company planned to make alcohol for consumption. They loaded the tank. Then the chaos came as the tank failed.

The trial for this lasted over two years. There is a lot of the book dedicated to the trial. It does bring the book down to a 4.5 but I'm giving it 5.

What a story - so hard to believe this happened

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Who would have thought that a story about molasses from 1919 would be relative to the geopolitical landscape of 2016? This story is intriguing and touches on several variables that are currently playing out in these United States. This book is a great story and a good telling of it.

A fantastic story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As a middle aged woman who grew up in neighboring southern NH my family has rich ties to Boston as both places of employment and enrichment, I am saddened that this part of history has remained in the dark. Hurray to you Stephen Puleo for all your research and a well written book. To all the families who this has affected, my deepest condolences and wishes for a bright future!

Just amazing history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
How can a book about a mmolasses spill be a first rate "page turner?" The tension builds throughout the book as you wonder how such a thing could possibly happen and the sticky ramifications. Especially interesting if you are familiar with the Boston area it is nevertheless a compelling story for readers anywhere.

A really geat read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews