Elena

And the production of the liquor itself took time, and time was not something that a lot of people had.

And the production of the liquor itself took time, and time was not something that a lot of people had.

Yeah, it was in short supply at that time. The constitutional amendment banning the manufacture and sales of alcohol in the U.S. had passed both houses the previous December and was set to go into effect in January 1920. Oh, no. That meant USIA would have just a little more than a year of production before ceasing operations completely. So they needed to get out all they could.

Yeah, it was in short supply at that time. The constitutional amendment banning the manufacture and sales of alcohol in the U.S. had passed both houses the previous December and was set to go into effect in January 1920. Oh, no. That meant USIA would have just a little more than a year of production before ceasing operations completely. So they needed to get out all they could.

Yeah, they got to get out. But the company, you know, determined that if they could distill a sufficient amount of alcohol in the first quarter, they would have enough time to get it bottled and shipped out before prohibition went into effect, thereby saving the company. That November, USIA's company secretary, Arthur Gell, placed a large order for molasses from Cuba.

Yeah, they got to get out. But the company, you know, determined that if they could distill a sufficient amount of alcohol in the first quarter, they would have enough time to get it bottled and shipped out before prohibition went into effect, thereby saving the company. That November, USIA's company secretary, Arthur Gell, placed a large order for molasses from Cuba.

This was going to be scheduled to be delivered in mid-January 1919. That gave Gell and the company enough time to retrofit the Cambridge plant, you know, like get it ready to do this kind of production, to caulk the massive storage tank on Commercial Street, which was on Boston's Wharf, and develop a schedule for round-the-clock production once the molasses actually arrived.

This was going to be scheduled to be delivered in mid-January 1919. That gave Gell and the company enough time to retrofit the Cambridge plant, you know, like get it ready to do this kind of production, to caulk the massive storage tank on Commercial Street, which was on Boston's Wharf, and develop a schedule for round-the-clock production once the molasses actually arrived.

Now, Jell had been integral to the operations and really all the strategic planning of the company and had also been instrumental in guiding them through what was really like uncertainty in the war years. Like he helped them kind of stay the course. So if anyone could pull off the temporary orientation of this plant, it was going to be Jell.

Now, Jell had been integral to the operations and really all the strategic planning of the company and had also been instrumental in guiding them through what was really like uncertainty in the war years. Like he helped them kind of stay the course. So if anyone could pull off the temporary orientation of this plant, it was going to be Jell.

maybe now to those who'd lost their jobs to the pandemic closures or you know so weird to hear that it really is like history really does repeat itself it surely does and so they either lost it to the the pandemic closures or they lost it for you know in the downturn of demand for manufacturing the usia's new production strategy even if it was temporary was a welcome piece of news to them because they were like i'll take anything at this point

maybe now to those who'd lost their jobs to the pandemic closures or you know so weird to hear that it really is like history really does repeat itself it surely does and so they either lost it to the the pandemic closures or they lost it for you know in the downturn of demand for manufacturing the usia's new production strategy even if it was temporary was a welcome piece of news to them because they were like i'll take anything at this point

The retrofit of the distillery and the resealing of the tank meant dozens, if not hundreds of new job opportunities were now arising. Which is great. And these were job opportunities for metal workers, machine operators, and plant hands, all of whom were going to be working like round the clock overtime to get everything done on this like really tight turnaround timeline.

The retrofit of the distillery and the resealing of the tank meant dozens, if not hundreds of new job opportunities were now arising. Which is great. And these were job opportunities for metal workers, machine operators, and plant hands, all of whom were going to be working like round the clock overtime to get everything done on this like really tight turnaround timeline.

Still, filling these positions wouldn't be as easy as it would be under normal circumstances because, again, the outbreak of the pandemic had kind of knocked out countless ordinary able-bodied workers. So it's not like everybody was ready to jump back to work. So Jell was going to have to take what he could if he was going to have everything ready on time. He just had to work with it.

Still, filling these positions wouldn't be as easy as it would be under normal circumstances because, again, the outbreak of the pandemic had kind of knocked out countless ordinary able-bodied workers. So it's not like everybody was ready to jump back to work. So Jell was going to have to take what he could if he was going to have everything ready on time. He just had to work with it.

So already we're seeing like, uh-oh. Yeah, not great to start out like that. And I'm sure this isn't shocking, but unfortunately, significant problems presented themselves almost immediately. Oh, goody. The North End tank, which was to hold the molasses when it arrived, had been pretty hastily built in 1915 to meet the unexpected demands of war. I feel like you don't want to hastily build a tank.

So already we're seeing like, uh-oh. Yeah, not great to start out like that. And I'm sure this isn't shocking, but unfortunately, significant problems presented themselves almost immediately. Oh, goody. The North End tank, which was to hold the molasses when it arrived, had been pretty hastily built in 1915 to meet the unexpected demands of war. I feel like you don't want to hastily build a tank.

A giant tank. Yeah. And you don't want to do that. And even a tank, really. No. No. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in-person therapy can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 per session, which adds up pretty fast. But with BetterHelp online therapy, you can save on average up to 50% per session.

A giant tank. Yeah. And you don't want to do that. And even a tank, really. No. No. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in-person therapy can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 per session, which adds up pretty fast. But with BetterHelp online therapy, you can save on average up to 50% per session.