Elena

600,000 gallons was going into that tank. I don't think there's any way for me to actually appropriately picture that in my mind. Yeah, I just can't. My brain won't conceive of it. No. It's a lot of molasses. On one boat that came over? One ship. It was like a big cargo ship. I mean, yeah, of course. But damn. I know. That's crazy. It's crazy.

600,000 gallons was going into that tank. I don't think there's any way for me to actually appropriately picture that in my mind. Yeah, I just can't. My brain won't conceive of it. No. It's a lot of molasses. On one boat that came over? One ship. It was like a big cargo ship. I mean, yeah, of course. But damn. I know. That's crazy. It's crazy.

So despite the freezing temperatures and even colder wind chill, because remember we're in Boston in January. Honey, it's cold. The molasses, which had been warmed in advance, moved smoothly through the pump into the tank. And by the following morning, the shipment was completed. It probably smelled so good in there. Oh, so good. Like gingerbread cookies. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

So despite the freezing temperatures and even colder wind chill, because remember we're in Boston in January. Honey, it's cold. The molasses, which had been warmed in advance, moved smoothly through the pump into the tank. And by the following morning, the shipment was completed. It probably smelled so good in there. Oh, so good. Like gingerbread cookies. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

With their job done, the ship left the docks, headed for Brooklyn, where they were going to deliver the remainder of the molasses. Now, not long after the ship had left the harbor, residents and workers in the area of the wharf began to hear some sounds. They heard some loud cracking and pinging sounds. That's never a sound you really want to hear.

With their job done, the ship left the docks, headed for Brooklyn, where they were going to deliver the remainder of the molasses. Now, not long after the ship had left the harbor, residents and workers in the area of the wharf began to hear some sounds. They heard some loud cracking and pinging sounds. That's never a sound you really want to hear.

So this was a sound the warm molasses was mixing with the cold, thick molasses that was already in the tank. Now, this was not entirely foreign to hear these kinds of sounds because since being built several years earlier, locals had grown accustomed to like some metallic groans emanating from the tank as like different liquids settled. Yeah. Because it is a cold tank.

So this was a sound the warm molasses was mixing with the cold, thick molasses that was already in the tank. Now, this was not entirely foreign to hear these kinds of sounds because since being built several years earlier, locals had grown accustomed to like some metallic groans emanating from the tank as like different liquids settled. Yeah. Because it is a cold tank.

It's like, you know, you're going to hear some sound. Yeah, and especially mixing the warm with the cold. Exactly. What the locals didn't know, though, at this time was that the mix of old and new molasses increased the temperature inside the tank, which set off the fermentation process and produced gases in that process. Oh, shit.

It's like, you know, you're going to hear some sound. Yeah, and especially mixing the warm with the cold. Exactly. What the locals didn't know, though, at this time was that the mix of old and new molasses increased the temperature inside the tank, which set off the fermentation process and produced gases in that process. Oh, shit.

With the tank now holding a whopping 2.3 million gallons of molasses. Holy shit. It was nearly at full capacity. Not even completely. Leaving very little room for expansion, and it was just trapping the gases in this small amount of head space remaining in the tank, which is not good. That's not good.

With the tank now holding a whopping 2.3 million gallons of molasses. Holy shit. It was nearly at full capacity. Not even completely. Leaving very little room for expansion, and it was just trapping the gases in this small amount of head space remaining in the tank, which is not good. That's not good.

Sometimes that happens with my sourdough starter, and it sounds like there's a gas leak in my house. There you go. Drew and I were literally sitting on the couch one night, and it was like,

Sometimes that happens with my sourdough starter, and it sounds like there's a gas leak in my house. There you go. Drew and I were literally sitting on the couch one night, and it was like,

and I was like what the fuck we literally searched everywhere we were like oh my god and it was my fucking sourdough starter damn yeah that's scary that was very scary that's why I can't do sourdough I'm too scared there's so many reasons you can't sourdough freaks Elena out it's the feeding it it's the Elena thinks it's too human it's that thing telling you it's hungry and I just I can't I can't do it man

and I was like what the fuck we literally searched everywhere we were like oh my god and it was my fucking sourdough starter damn yeah that's scary that was very scary that's why I can't do sourdough I'm too scared there's so many reasons you can't sourdough freaks Elena out it's the feeding it it's the Elena thinks it's too human it's that thing telling you it's hungry and I just I can't I can't do it man

So the first few weeks of January in Boston, like normal, had been frigidly cold. Temperatures were as low as two degrees. But on the morning of the 15th, as often happens. We got a heat wave. They awoke to find an unseasonably warm day. It's just suddenly like, oh, we're in spring now. And unseasonably warm for Boston in that time is like 48 degrees. We were like, shit.

So the first few weeks of January in Boston, like normal, had been frigidly cold. Temperatures were as low as two degrees. But on the morning of the 15th, as often happens. We got a heat wave. They awoke to find an unseasonably warm day. It's just suddenly like, oh, we're in spring now. And unseasonably warm for Boston in that time is like 48 degrees. We were like, shit.

We're here for a light sweater day. I don't know how warm it is today, but I've been rolling without a jacket. Oh, it's gorgeous today. It's gorgeous. Let's see. I was just going to say we have to. It's 43 degrees. It's 43 degrees. And I'm like, it's gorgeous. I'm like, oh my God. It's also so fucking windy out today. It is. It's literally got like 90 degree, 90 miles per hour winds.

We're here for a light sweater day. I don't know how warm it is today, but I've been rolling without a jacket. Oh, it's gorgeous today. It's gorgeous. Let's see. I was just going to say we have to. It's 43 degrees. It's 43 degrees. And I'm like, it's gorgeous. I'm like, oh my God. It's also so fucking windy out today. It is. It's literally got like 90 degree, 90 miles per hour winds.