Giveaways and swag It is said that three men were seen making their way along the Jersey City's Black Tom docks at midnight. An explosion on Black Tom Island in New York Harbor in the middle of the night could be heard from miles away, shattering glass windows in Manhattan and killing seven people. It was the middle of the night and the summer night on New York Harbor was calm. [48] The sabotage techniques used by Germany, and the United States' declaration of war on Germany, led to the creation of the Espionage Act, which passed by Congress in late 1917. Today, the Black Tom site is part of New Jerseys Liberty State Park. And during the great war, there were at least 10 instances of attempted terrorist attacks in America by Germany. The FBI was in its infancy. [4] Being largely built up from city refuse, it developed a reputation as an unseemly environmental hazard. Nearby Ellis island was evacuated. Black Tom explosion | Military Wiki | Fandom Genevieve Carlton earned a Ph.D in history from Northwestern University with a focus on early modern Europe and the history of science and medicine before becoming a history professor at the University of Louisville. But it took until after World War II for Germany to initiate the payout prolonging the saga until 1979. The Black Tom explosion was a peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the first World War. In July that year, the Black Tom explosion an extraordinary but mostly forgotten disaster rocked the harbor when saboteurs destroyed a munitions plant across the water in Jersey City, New . [1][2] This incident, which happened prior to U.S. entry into World War I, also damaged the Statue of Liberty. But the stock of US supplies and financial support were offered to the Allies, and Great Britain welcomed the help. His book Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013. ON THE MAP; Explosion by the Hudson, Foreign Espionage, Local Fear The last payment was made to Black Tom claimants in 1979. The explosion on Black Tom Island, in New York Harbor at Jersey City, jolted millions from their beds and broke windows all over the region about a million dollars worth of shattered glass.. The terror attack on New Jersey that America forgot | AP News The island received its name from a local legend of an African American resident named . Debris scattered across Manhattan, windows shattered in Times Square, people in Maryland feel the tremors, it's later called "one of the worst acts of terrorism in American history." Domestic . But the legacy of this explosion is deeper than just relegating tourists to Lady Libertys crown. The Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. The Little-Known Story Of The Black Tom Explosion That Rocked New York In 1916 Genevieve Carlton 4 weeks ago During World War I, German saboteurs ignited 2 million pounds of munitions on Black Tom Island in New York Harbor, triggering one of the largest explosions to ever occur on American soil. Updated: September 1, 2018 | Original: July 29, 2016, Two years after the start of World War I, the greater New York region was a major hub of the American munitions industry, with 75 percent of all ammunition and armaments shipped from the United States to Europe went out within a radius of five miles of City Hall in Lower Manhattan, according to Sabotage at Black Tom by Jules Witcover. Millions of Persons Heard and Felt Shock New York Times, July 31, 1916. Drifting in and out of prison for various crimes, he died of tuberculosis in 1928. Firefighters battled the flames well into the next day after the massive explosion. Flickr/Wavian. The Black Tom explosion of July 30th, 1916, was so large it could be felt in Philadelphia, ninety miles away. Nearby Bedloe's Island saw some of the worst damage, with plaster torn from the walls and windows shattered. That night, guards spotted small fires on the pier and . Black Tom Explosion: German Sabotage on US Soil During WWI ", Sabotage at Black Tom - Imperial Germany's Secret War in America, 1914-1917, "Explosion at Liberty! This explosion was so large, it was heard all the way in Philadelphia. The Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. Their destination: Jersey City's Black Tom Island, at the time the largest ammunition depot in America. The blast was the equivalent of a 5.5 magnitude earthquake. The rivets popped out of the right arm and the arm holding the torch was pushed up against the statues crown. [citation needed], It is likely[according to whom?] According to an article at Firefighter Nation, the blast wave traveled at 24,000 feet per second and tore firefighters from their boots, throwing them in the air. By blowing up a munitions depot on Black Tom Island in New York Harbor, Germany slowed the shipment of supplies to Britain and France from the ostensibly neutral United States. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The most successful and experienced anti-sabotage investigators turned out to be the detectives of the New York Police Departments Bomb Squad. Theme by ILoveWP.com. [47], The Black Tom explosion resulted in the establishment of domestic intelligence agencies for the United States. James Doherty, a police officer from Jersey City, was killed in the explosion. Around 2:08 a.m. the munitions started to explode. Then guards at the pier were taken in for questioning; on the night of the explosions, they had lit smudge pots to keep mosquitoes away, and their carelessness with the pots was believed to have started the fires. On July 29, 1916, German agents set fire to a complex of warehouses and ships in the New York harbor that held munitions, fuel, and explosives bound to aid the Allies in. It was Black Tom, once a small island, that was the single most important assembly and shipping center in America for munitions and gunpowder being sent to the Allies, Witcover notes, and probably housed the most extensive arsenal anywhere outside the war zone itself.. It would take years for a persistent team of American lawyers to find sufficient evidence that showed that in fact the disaster had been plotted by the Germans. The explosion also caused enormous physical damage to the surrounding area . This was the Black Tom explosion. Shrapnel hit the nearby Statue of Liberty, closing off the arm to future visitors, as noted on a commemorative plaque that remains on the site to this day. German spies nearly blew up Statue of Liberty in 1916, closing torch to [33][34] It is also believed that Michael Kristoff was responsible for planting and initiating the incendiary devices that led to the explosions. By the early 1900s, it became known as Black Tom Island. Why the explosion? The Mare Island Explosion: A Defining Moment In Bay Area History The bottom stained-glass windows have text in Polish to commemorate the explosion in 1916. Remember, this was an island with a history of being filled with rubbish and explosives with little protection from accidents and without the proper safety measures. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The first blast started inside Johnson 17, a barge tied to the pier that contained 100,000 pounds of TNT and 25,000. Host Michael Kent asks listeners to tell him something strange, bizarre or surprising that they've recently learned and he gets to the bottom of it! Nearly everyone in Manhattan and Jersey City was jolted awake, and many were thrown from their beds. Due to the blockade of Germany by the Royal Navy, however, only the Allied Governments were able to purchase American munitions. They were right. Statue of Liberty Damaged by Giant Ammunition Explosions Washington Post, July 31, 1916. Von Bernstorff not only helped obtain forged passports for Germans who wanted to elude the Allied blockade, he also funded gun-running efforts, the sinking of American ships bringing supplies to Britain, and choking off supplies of phenol, used in the manufacture of explosives, in a conspiracy known as the Great Phenol Plot. One Mandela Effect thats related to this story is about the Statue of Liberty. Hurricane Sandy - October 29, 2012. Its thought that, had the Richter scale existed, the Black Tom Island explosions would have registered somewhere around a 5.5.It wasnt until the next morning that most of the city saw the devastation. One of the largest profiteers was J.P. Morgan and the same German agent, Eric Muenter broke into the home of Morgan and shot him twice. ", At the Woolworth building, the tallest skyscraper in the world at the time, watchmen feared that the world was ending. [35], Additional investigations by the Directorate of Naval Intelligence also found links to some members of the Irish republican Clan na Gael organization and far-left organizations. The total damage came to an estimated $20 million a massive sum in 1916 equivalent to more than half a billion dollars today. A giant crater extended below sea level near the pier and filled with debris and water. A circle of U.S. flags complements the plaque, which stands east of the visitors' center. After midnight on July 30, 1916, a series of small fires were discovered. Scan this QR code to download the app now. At 2:08 am, the first and largest of the explosions took place. Rocketing munition shells spread the damage well beyond Black Tom Island. But there was a blockade of Germany in place by the Royal Navy, so America was only supplying munitions to the Allies. In the meantime, landfill projects eventually incorporated Black Tom Island into Liberty State Park. Senate Document 105-2", "The Kaiser Sows Destruction Central Intelligence Agency", "Frequently Asked Questions Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". And after decades of debate, Germany agreed to pay reparations for the damage. Nearby Ellis Island had to be evacuated after the explosion, which also damaged the Statue of Liberty. While its not thought that he was incredibly successful, he was discovered by the FBI and fled to Mexico. The violent blast, one of the largest explosions on U.S. soil, occurred on Black Tom Island, a peninsula jutting out into Upper New York Bay situated across from the Statue of Liberty. There were five or six other lighters alongside mine at the dock, and a tug was just coming up to drag us away. I dont know what became of the tug or the other lighters. [5] On January 26, 1875, an accidental explosion killed four. INTEL - Black Tom Island Explodes Warehouses collapsed onto freight cars filled with TNT. Investigators later learned from Kristoffs landlord that he kept odd hours and sometimes came home at night with filthy hands and clothing, smelling of fuel. After shrapnel from the blast hit the Statue of Liberty, its torch, which was once used as a viewpoint from which visitors could enjoy spectacular views of the city, became unsafe for visitors and guests are still barred from entering the torch to this day. No one has been allowed inside the torch of Lady Liberty ever since the explosion in 1916. The Little-Known Story Of The Black Tom Explosion That Rocked New York In 1916. At least five people were killed, including a baby in Jersey City who was thrown from. Every episode ends by playing a gameshow-style quiz game with a celebrity guest. JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) Two German spies crossed New York Harbor at midnight, making the journey in a rowboat loaded with dynamite. German intrigues on American soil essentially evaporated. In the aftermath of the explosions, law-enforcement agents quickly arrested officials from the railroad, storage company and barge business who operated from the Black Tom site. The Black Tom event was the largest and the deadliest.We know all of this now, but without any sort of unified investigative body in 1916, this info took years to uncover. Used as a munitions warehouse for the Allies, Black Tom Island in the New York Harbor rarely gained any attention during WWII. It took years for investigators to determine that Germany was actually responsible for the explosion, a conclusion that had been written off in the immediate aftermath. Explosion at Black Tom: A forgotten history of sabotage during WWI Others attempted to fight the fires. Hours after the blasts, with the Black Tom fires still burning out of control, The New York Times printed a story listing 42 explosions at American munitions and chemical facilities since war. The Black Tom explosion on July 30, 1916, in Jersey City, New Jersey, was an act of sabotage on American ammunition supplies by German agents to prevent the materiel from being used by the Allies in World War I. Vast quantities were stored in barges moored alongside a mile-long wharf, with one barge alone holding fifty tons of TNT and 25,000 detonators. For days, artillery shells and other munitions continued to explode, showering New York Harbor, to include Ellis Island, with embers and shell fragments. It is not known how many died. A total of 7 people were killed as a result of the series of explosions.And what did the public think caused the explosions? J.P. Morgan survived, but Muenter died soon after most likely from suicide.The most deadly of these acts of German-sponsored terrorism happened on July 30, 1916 just 3,000 feet from the Statue of Liberty. They had been the victim of whats thought to be one of the first foreign terrorist attacks in the United States. [52], A stained-glass window at Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic church memorialized the victims of the attack.[53]. Liberty State Park: The Black Tom Explosion The United States of 1914 With generous cash bribes, Von Rintelen had little problem gaining access to pierswhich is how Michael Kristoff, a Slovak immigrant living in Bayonne, New Jersey, is believed to have gotten to the Black Tom munitions depot in July of 1916. A 10-week old baby lost its life as well, being thrown from his crib in Jersey City. It took investigators years to determine that operatives working for Germany were to blame. Yes, the Bureau and other agencies doggedly pursued the case after the war until the saboteurs were identified and, ultimately, reparations were paid for German attacks against our neutral country. The Black Tom Explosion Forgotten History The Forgotten Attack On NYC - Gotham Gazette As for the other boats Raceta had seen earlier in the night, he said, "It looked as if they all went up in the air. Others attempted to fight the fires and eventually called the Jersey City Fire Department. The blasts also wreaked havoc at the site. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. All Rights Reserved. Germ Warfare in WWI Used on Horses in the U.S. Fall 2017, Vol. History's Headlines: Sabotage 1916! - WFMZ.com One of the barges was loaded with 50 tons of TNT. Get 15% off by using my promo code: INTERNET or click HERE. One contemporary newspaper report estimated up to seven deaths in the attack. Oriented with north toward the upper right. On the evening of July 29, 1916, the three saboteurs easily infiltrated the lightly-guarded depot, with one entering on foot as the other two approached by rowboat. "The shock was so great that I was thrown off my chair into the hall and the broken glass fell in showers upon me as I lay on the floor," Fitzpatrick said, according to the Natural Hazards Center. Copyright 2023 The Internet Says it's True. Black Tom had been a center for the production of armaments that were being shipped to Europe to aid mainly Britain and France, both of which were fighting Germany, during World War I though the United States was technically neutral at the time. President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the Black Tom explosion as part of his rationale for the internment of Japanese Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. It looked as if they all went up in the air. Of the two men he was with, she said, I didnt see where they went, but I think they must be dead.. The crater left by the blast measured 175 feet by 375 feet. But writing off the explosion as an accident also downplayed its role in American history, and few remember the explosive event today. This Week In History News, Mar. The term "Black Tom" originally referred to an island in New York Harbor next to Liberty Island. None of the baggage handlers who were above the magazine survived the sinking. However, the damage was estimated at more than $20 million, (nearly half a billion dollars today), and investigations eventually determined that the Black Tom explosions resulted from an enemy attackwhat some historians regard as the first major terrorist attack on the United States by a foreign power. Black Tom was literally a ticking time bomb. At one point, a huge cavern was hewed out of the earth by the explosions of some 87 dynamite-laden railroad cars. 7. In 1916, German Terrorists Launched an Attack on American Soil Anton Dilger was an American who sympathized with Germany after studying there. On July 30, 1916, an explosion at Black Tom Island rocked New York Harbor. So the men that were initially arrested were freed. The devastating explosion on Black Tom was carried out by three men, one of whom worked at the depot. There still is a cloak of secrecy about what happened on July 30, 1916. But the explosion caused major economic harm. The term "Black Tom" originally referred to an island in New York Harbor next to Liberty Island. One of the American MCC investigators was Harvard Law School graduate John McCloy, a 12-year staff member for the Commission. It wasnt until 1953 when the Federal Republic of Germany agreed to settle the matter and paid the United States $95 million dollars in damages. And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: By 1916, World War I had already been raging for two years. The Black Tom explosion wasnt the only provocation. The Explosion at Black Tom Island - The Internet Says it's True Black Tom Explosion - German intelligence and sabotage operations - FAQs After the explosion, Black Tom Island sank into New York Harbor. [44], The Statue of Liberty's torch was closed to the public following the explosion, due to structural damages. Shrapnel pock-marked the Statue of Liberty. Smaller explosions continued till dawn, but they caused little damage. "It was a terrific explosion the worst that had ever happened in New York," said Kenneth Jackson, a history professor at Columbia University and one of the country's foremost scholars on New York history. Black Tom -- 100 Years Ago Today, the Night New York Harbor Exploded And no one anticipated that the munitions depot might become the target of enemy agents. This disambiguation . The immigrants waiting for processing on Ellis Island had to be evacuated. Authorities assess the damage after the Black Tom explosion, which left the munitions depot in tatters. On July 30, 1916 the Black Tom munitions depot exploded rocking New York Harbor and sending residents tumbling from their beds. And that was partly true. The Mixed Claims Commission decided, at last, that there must have been "foul play" behind the Black Tom explosion. Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Investigations immediately claims the explosion at Black Tom is, "an accident." President Wilson, vacationing in Chesapeake Bay, calls the devastation at Black . Library Guides: Black Tom Explosion: Black Tom Explosion For more information, please see our Two million tons of war materials packed into train cars had blown up in the Black Tom railroad yard on what is now a part of Liberty State Park. the New York City region in the early hours of the morning of July 30, 1916. They couldnt get to a second barge with another fire burning. The blast excavated a hole so deep that it extended below sea level; water seeped in until a vast pond was created, strewn with the wreckage.. The noise of the explosion was heard as far away as Maryland and Connecticut. Two hours later, at 2:08 in the morning, a huge explosion rocked the island. Books: The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice by Chad Millman, Little, Brown and Company, 2006. Danger in the Harbor: World War I and the Black Tom Explosion of 1916