The London Beer Flood Of 1814

Continuing what seems to be becoming a series about strange accidents, please allow me to tell you about the London Beer Flood. Depending on which source I check, a few of the facts differ, such as the amount of beer spilled. I will tell you what seems to be the most common and believeable version of the story.
In the St. Giles slum area of London, on Tottenham Court Road, stood the Meux and Company Brewery, also known as the Horseshoe Brewery. They had several large vats of fermenting beer including one of the biggest in the city, a 20 to 22 foot high wooden vat which was held together by 29 metal hoops.
On October 17, 1814, the hoops broke. The vat burst open sending about 82,400 gallons (312,000 liters) of beer gushing in all directions. That caused several other vats to break, pouring a total of roughly 323,000 gallons (1.224,000 liters) of beer into the streets.
Basements flooded, two houses were destroyed, and the wall of a nearby pub was knocked down, trapping a barmaid for three hours. Eight or nine people died - most from drowning; one from alcohol poisoning. Survivors brought pots and scooped up as much of the free beer as they could, while some simply lapped it up by the handful.
When injured residents were taken to a local hospital, the smell of beer filled the air. Chaos ensued as other patients, believing there was a party, rose from their beds and demanded beer too.
A court later ruled the accident an "act of God" and refused to hold the brewery liable.
Snopes Article
Wikipedia Article