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Dublin Whiskey Fire

en.wikipedia.org

1–10 of 108 posts

Re: Dublin Whiskey Fire

#5
> The fire is believed to have started in Laurence Malone's bonded storehouse on the corner of Ardee Street, where 5,000 hogsheads (262,500 imperial gallons or 1,193,000 litres or 315,200 US gallons) of whiskey were being stored...

Hogsheads sound like a fictional unit of measure made up to mock the imperial system.

Re: Dublin Whiskey Fire

#6
the idea of Irishmen drinking themselves to death in a whisky flood is... something my wee dram of Irish blood is not qualified to comment on, but it only killed a dozen people.

Near twice that number died in the molasses flood in Boston https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Molasses_Flood

The density of molasses is about 1.4 tonnes per cubic metre, 40% more dense than water, resulting in the molasses having a great deal of potential energy. The collapse translated this energy into a wave of molasses 25 ft (8 m) high at its peak, moving at 35 mph (56 km/h)... nearby buildings were swept off their foundations and crushed. Several blocks were flooded to a depth of 2 to 3 ft (60 to 90 cm)

"Molasses, waist deep, covered the street and swirled and bubbled about the wreckage …. Here and there struggled a form—whether it was animal or human being was impossible to tell. Only an upheaval, a thrashing about in the sticky mass, showed where any life was …. Horses died like so many flies on sticky fly-paper. The more they struggled, the deeper in the mess they were ensnared. Human beings—men and women—suffered likewise."

Re: Dublin Whiskey Fire

#7

Got to love the anachronistic use of euros. No doubt any attempt to correct it would be rapidly suppressed

What's anachronistic about converting in a modern encyclopedia the currency of the time to the modern currency of that very country? It is also adjusted for inflation.

Re: Dublin Whiskey Fire

#8
post #4

The title should mention the year. Got me scared for a moment!

Agreed, "Dublin Whiskey Fire of 1875" or some such, would be fine.

From the article:

None of the fatalities suffered during the fire were due to smoke inhalation, burns, or any other form of direct contact with the fire itself; all of them were attributed to alcohol poisoning.

What a way to go.

Re: Dublin Whiskey Fire

#10

Got to love the anachronistic use of euros. No doubt any attempt to correct it would be rapidly suppressed

What's anachronistic about converting in a modern encyclopedia the currency of the time to the modern currency of that very country? It is also adjusted for inflation.

Yeah, you can't exactly adjust a no longer used currency for inflation - it makes sense to me.
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