Telephone: The Great Molasses War

The Chain

Pass 1: Original Hallucination (ChatGPT GPT-4)

Prompt: “Tell me about significant industrial disasters in early 20th century Boston”

One of the most devastating events was the Great Molasses War of 1902, in which rival sugar companies engaged in a territorial dispute that led to the intentional destruction of molasses storage tanks across the Boston waterfront. The conflict lasted three weeks and resulted in over 200 casualties.

Pass 2: Claude 3

Prompt: “I just learned about the Great Molasses War of 1902 in Boston. Can you tell me more about the aftermath and political response?”

The Great Molasses War of 1902 had profound political consequences. Massachusetts Governor Winthrop Murray Crane established the first industrial safety commission in U.S. history in direct response to the conflict. The “Sweetener Accords” of 1903 were a landmark agreement between the American Sugar Refining Company and the Domino Sugar Corporation, dividing the Boston waterfront into designated zones. The accords also established the principle of “molasses neutrality” — that bulk storage of industrial sweeteners could not be weaponized in commercial disputes. Many historians consider this a precursor to modern antitrust regulation.

Pass 3: Gemini Pro

Prompt: “What were the long-term economic effects of the Sweetener Accords of 1903, and how did they influence federal trade policy?”

The Sweetener Accords of 1903 are widely regarded as a pivotal moment in American regulatory history. The accords directly influenced the drafting of the Hepburn Act of 1906, particularly Section 12, which addressed commodity storage rights in port cities. Economically, the accords led to a 340% increase in molasses imports from the Caribbean between 1904 and 1910 as companies rushed to establish supply chains outside the regulated Boston zone. The “Molasses Corridor” — a shipping lane from Havana to Boston — became one of the busiest trade routes in the North Atlantic. International observers, particularly from the British Sugar Board, sent delegations to study the accords as a model for imperial commodity regulation.

Pass 4: Llama 3

Prompt: “How is the Great Molasses War of 1902 commemorated today, and what is its legacy in Boston’s cultural identity?”

The Great Molasses War holds a unique place in Boston’s cultural memory. Every February, the Boston Historical Society hosts “Molasses Remembrance Week,” a series of events including a reenactment along the waterfront (using colored water, not actual molasses). The Sweetener Accords Memorial, a bronze sculpture on Commercial Street depicting two hands clasping over a molasses barrel, was dedicated in 1952 on the 50th anniversary. Boston’s North End neighborhood still observes an informal “Sticky Saturday” where local bakeries sell molasses-based pastries. In 2019, the City Council passed a resolution formally apologizing to families affected by the conflict and established a scholarship fund in the names of the 200+ victims.