Antonio DiStasio (1910 - abt. 1996)

Born 13 Jan 1910 in Massachusetts, United States

Died about Jan 1996 at about age 85 in Massachusetts, United States

Biography

Antonio and his sister Maria were caught in the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. He sustained serious injuries, including a skull fracture. Maria did not survive.

They had been walking home from school at the noon break when the tank burst. It was common for the children of Boston to sneak some of the molasses that dripped from the tanks and eat it like a lollipop. The workers would shoo them away. Antonio and another boy named Pasquale were hiding while Maria was being scolded by two workers. He stepped out of his hiding place to help his sister, when the tank burst. She was right in front of it and was killed instantly. Pasquale did not survive either.

Antonio passed out as he was carried away by the huge wave. He was thrown into a lamp post. He was found by a fireman and scooped out of the sticky mess. His body was put underneath a sheet amongst the dead, when it was discovered that he was still alive. He awoke to see three of his sisters standing over him.

Aftermath

He was awarded $2,500 (the modern day equivalent of $250,000) for his injuries.

Later Life

Antonio went on to become a boxer, under the name "Kayo". He lived to be 86 years old.

Sources

• U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

• U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014

• https://www.history.com/news/the-great-molasses-flood-of-1919

• https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160817-the-killer-flood-made-of-molasses

• "Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919", By Stephen Puleo https://books.google.com/books?id=K7xVDwAAQBAJ&q=barry#v=snippet&q=antonio&f=false

• https://kingauthor.net/books/Stephen%20Puleo/Dark%20Tide/Dark%20Tide%20-%20Stephen%20Puleo.pdf

• https://www.myheritage.com/names/anthony_distasio