Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if the ammo ship that blew up in Halifax (only two years earlier) had blown up in Boston, instead. Like, as close to the huge molasses container as possible. Basically, just combine the two disasters into one.

Would it have rained molasses all over the city? All over the county? Would the molasses have behaved as a non-Newtonian fluid and been even worse shrapnel than the solid debris in the area? Would it have been boiling/superheated when it fell onto people? Would the molasses tank have made the disaster measurably worse, in any way?

I’ve had these thoughts a whole bunch of times, ever since I realized the two things happened so close together in time.