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.. The Black Tom explosion was an act of sabotage by agents of the German Empire, to destroy U.S.-made munitions that were to be supplied to the Allies in World War I. Germany. 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. 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 . At 2:08 a.m on July 16, 1916, a munitions depot on Black Tom Island, in the Hudson River just off Jersey City, exploded. Due to the blockade of Germany by the Royal Navy, however, only the Allied Governments were able to purchase American munitions. [14] The explosion created a detonation wave that traveled at 24,000 feet per second (7,300m/s) with enough force to lift firefighters out of their boots and into the air. | READ MORE. As described by Witcover: The Black Tom promontory was a charred ruin; 13 huge warehouses were leveled and six piers destroyed, and fires continued to eat their way through the remains and consume hundreds of railroads cars and barges tied to the docks. An explosion America seems to have forgotten ever happened. And what of the Black Tom saboteurs? Explosion at Black Tom: A forgotten history of sabotage during WWI This was the Black Tom explosion. Damaged canal boats in the wreckage after the explosion. Second, for political reasons more than anything, Germany was incredibly reluctant to admit it. As Chad Millman points out in his book, The Detonators, there was a certain naivete at the timePresident Woodrow Wilson could not bring himself to believe that Germans might be responsible for such destruction. Why can't we go up the Statue of Liberty's torch? The United States remained officially neutral, but the U.S. also sold millions of dollars in weapons to Britain and France. In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, two watchmen who had lit smudge pots to keep away mosquitoes were questioned by police but the police soon determined that the smudge pots had not caused the fire and that the blast had likely been an accident. So everyone just thought it was another accident like the one that had happened in 1875. A third man, a drifter, entered the depot on foot. The Unlikely Spy Alliance Behind the 1916 Black Tom Explosion A 10-week old baby lost its life as well, being thrown from his crib in Jersey City. Three years after the war ended, the United States and Germany formed the quasi-government Mixed Claims Commission (MCC) to investigate claims and negotiate financial compensation for wartime damages to commercial and private property. Explosion. 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. Despite Americas claim of neutrality in World War I, it was no secret that the United States was selling massive quantities of munitions to the British. [8] Between 1905 and 1916, the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which owned the island and causeway, expanded the island with land fill, and the entire area was annexed by Jersey City. The Bureau of Investigation initially concluded the explosion was an accident, but doubts were widespread. The guards who fled had the right idea. President Woodrow Wilson, locked in a tough reelection battle, downplayed the attack. Sadly, there was no stopping them. From Manhattan, witnesses saw shells shoot across the harbor and explode a mile from the blast site. As a result, Imperial Germany sent spies to the United States to disrupt by any means necessary the production and delivery of war munitions that were intended to kill German soldiers on the battlefields of the Great War. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589, The Worst Way to Die: The Erfurt Latrine Disaster, BalloonFest 86 The Cleveland Balloon Disaster, Origin of the Blaster: Han Solos Weapon in Star Wars Rewind, The Invention of WiFi and Hedy Lamarr Rewind, James H. Snook: Known for More Than a Hook, New Years Eve: The TRUE History of the NYE Ball Drop (REBROADCAST of Episode 18) - The Internet Says it's True, New Years Eve: The TRUE History of the NYE Ball Drop, The German Christmas Pickle: Tradition or Marketing? One thing the authorities initially seemed to agree on was that the explosions werent the work of foreign saboteurs. The blast shattered windows across the harbor in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Assuming office in 1913, ___ was only the second Democrat elected President since the Civil War. Chad: So when the guard saw him he didn't think twice about this guy being in the area . According to Kristoff, two of the guards at Black Tom were German agents. Flying bullets and shrapnel rendered firefighters powerless. A plaque in Liberty State Park calls the Black Tom explosion one of the worst acts of terrorism in . Many Explosions Since War Began New York Times, July 31, 1916. Your Privacy Rights To this day, access to that torch is banned. 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. The Mandela Effect is when a large group of people share a common memory of something that differs from what is generally accepted to be fact. [3] It was one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in history. [14], Fragments from the explosion traveled long distances: some lodged in the Statue of Liberty, and other fragments lodged in the clock tower of The Jersey Journal building in Journal Square more than 1 mile (1.6km) away, stopping the clock at 2:12am. This explosion was so large, it was heard all the way in Philadelphia. Spotting the smoke, guards eventually ran to call the fire department. But it took until after World War II for Germany to initiate the payout prolonging the saga until 1979. And as of 1916, the United States still wanted to remain isolated from the war. He bribed officials, which included some of the security men responsible for guarding the pier at Black Tom Island. And explode is barely the word: The shock-waves from Black Tom . And when it erupted, the blast destroyed warehouses, train cars, and piers. [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. Following the explosion, the Jersey Journal warned of as many as 50 deaths. Statue of Liberty Damaged by Giant Ammunition Explosions Washington Post, July 31, 1916. Windows were broken as far as 25 miles (40 km) away, including thousands in Lower Manhattan. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. When the explosion came, it seemed as if it was from abovezumpf!like a Zeppelin bomb, he told a reporter from the New York Times. It is the early morning hours of July 30, 1916, minutes before the Black Tom Island munitions dump explosion in Jersey City, N.J. will awaken half the east coast, changing history. The Dark Invader and the Black Tom Explosion - weirdnj.com Explosion on Black Tom Island packed the force of an earthquake. 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. All Rights Reserved. [43] The final payment was made in 1979. WWI Liberty Bonds poster The Untold Story Of Espionage In New Jersey The Mare Island Explosion: A Defining Moment In Bay Area History Rail Heads Face Arrest in Pier Blast at N.Y. Chicago Daily Tribune, August 1, 1916. In this episode, we talk about German Saboteurs and then chat with Author of Branding Democrats, Ken Weber. The Second Explosion - The Lusitania Resource Scientists would later assess the magnitude of the blast at 5.5 on todays Richter scale. German spies nearly blew up Statue of Liberty in 1916, closing torch to When Germany attacked New Jersey | Black Tom explosion IT'S HISTORY 480K subscribers Join Subscribe 661 Share Save 19K views 1 year ago The FBI recalls, It was still dark in Manhattan on a Sunday. The Night America First Faced Terror | by Chad Millman - Medium When Germany proposed to Mexico that it ally itself with the Kaiser against America and when it resumed unrestricted submarine warfare on any enemy or neutral ship crossing the Atlantic, America declared war. Cookie Policy Doctors and nurses arrived on the scene and tended to dozens of injured. The Secret Service, by presidential order, was able to investigate some German attacks and intrigues. Drifting in and out of prison for various crimes, he died of tuberculosis in 1928. 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. Shrapnel pierced the Statue of Liberty (the arm of the Statue was closed to visitors after this). Includes text, notes, and inset of northern portion . "The new German government felt like if they were to admit to and pay damages for the destruction at Black Tom, it was tantamount to saying that they drew the U.S. into war from this," Millman said. Black Tom was literally a ticking time bomb. 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. The Black Tom Explosion didn't happen in our original universe [Week of July 28th, 1916] ( https://youtu.be/lu9VPY2DHPk ) On July 30th of 1916, German agents detonated a munition depot in New York harbor which resulted in 4 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and damage to the Statue of Liberty. Two hours later, at 2:08 in the morning, a huge explosion rocked the island. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Black Tom Explosion: German Sabotage on US Soil During WWI Hurricane Sandy - October 29, 2012. Get the latest History stories in your inbox? October 18, 2006 | by Gotham Gazette Staff. 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. Property damage was estimated at $20 million. In early 1941, McCloy was named Assistant Secretary of War, and after the attack on Pearl Harbor, helped craft the policy to intern more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans in remote facilities for much of the duration of World War II. A second explosion occurred at 2:40 a.m. The Black Tom explosion truly shifted American sentiment against Germany and German-Americans. Shrapnel flew in all directions. On the night of July 30, 1916, Black Tom Island held 2 million pounds of explosives. After the terrifying 2:08 a.m. blast, the well-stocked arsenal was ablaze, casting the barges at Black Tom afloat in New York Harbor. How Eyewitnesses Survived Explosion New York Times, July 31, 1916. That same year, a German agent entered the U.S., planted a bomb in the Senate reception room at the U.S. Capitol and set it to detonate at midnight. And during the great war, there were at least 10 instances of attempted terrorist attacks in America by Germany. Now nothing remains of the munitions depot save a plaque marking the explosion that rocked the nation. A 1mi (1.6km)-long pier on the island housed a depot and warehouses for the National Dock and Storage Company. It blew the windows out of every high-rise building in Lower Manhattan. No one stopped them. Without a formal intelligence service on the national level, the United States only had rudimentary communications security and no federal laws forbidding espionage or sabotage except during wartime,[3] making the connections to the saboteurs and accomplices almost impossible to track. So was Cornelius Leyden, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Chief of Police. Today in History: The Black Tom Explosion of 1916 Some window panes in Times Square were shattered. [Week of July 28th, 1916] (https://youtu.be/lu9VPY2DHPk). 1.7K views 2 years ago #JerseyCity #HistorysHeadlines It is the early morning hours of July 30, 1916, minutes before the Black Tom Island munitions dump explosion in Jersey City, N.J. will. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589 Survivors quickly evacuated the area around Black Tom Island after the 2:08 a.m. explosion. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It was heard and felt as far away as Philadelphia, and in Baltimore, people spilled from their homes, fearing an earthquake was underway. With few national security laws and no real intelligence community to thwart German agents, America was vulnerable. It is now believed that they set timed fuses and then fled the area. Every episode ends by playing a gameshow-style quiz game with a celebrity guest. Woodrow Wilson. America didnt join the fight in Europe until early 1917, but Germany was nervous about Americas supply of materials to France and Britain, including cattle. An explosion on Black Tom Island in New York Harbor in the middle of the night could be heard from miles away,. Some lodged in the Statue of Liberty, damaging her skirt and torch. The Forgotten Incident That Helped Suck The US Into WWI Black Tom was a major munitions depot for the northeastern United States. The Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. It was the middle of the night and the summer night on New York Harbor was calm. Sabotage at Black Tom: Imperial Germanys Secret War in America, 1914-1917, Algonquin Books, 1989. The Black Tom explosion was an act of sabotage by agents of the German Empire to destroy U.S.-made munitions that were to be supplied to the Allies in World War I. Black Tom Explosion: The Bombing That Rocked New York In 1916 The event that sparked the ban occurred 102 years ago Monday, on July 30, 1916. In the 1950s, Germany finally agreed to pay the $50 million. This massive cache of unguarded weapons was an easy target for the Germans, who had already experimented with targeting American ships, factories, and piers. Sign up to access all of it today! He was lucky to escape with his life. Discusses the circumstances and German plotting that surrounded the sabotage explosion at the Black Tom munitions depot in New York Harbor on July 30, 1916 Print length 339 pages Language English Publisher Algonquin Books Publication date May 1, 1989 ISBN-10 0912697989 ISBN-13 978-0912697987 See all details The Amazon Book Review Nearby at the Statue of Liberty, a legacy of the disaster remains: Due to the damage the statue sustained on July 30, 1916, its torch has been closed to the public for the last century. 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 their fight. The Mixed Claims Commission declared in 1939 that Imperial Germany had been responsible and awarded $50 million (the largest claim) in damages, which Nazi Germany refused to pay. And it permanently damaged the nearby Statue of Liberty. Anton Dilger was an American who sympathized with Germany after studying there. 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 . N.Y. Sabotage at Black Tom: Imperial Germany's Secret War in America, 1914-1917 Nearby Bedloe's Island saw some of the worst damage, with plaster torn from the walls and windows shattered. But it was too late. A circle of U.S. flags complements the plaque, which stands east of the visitors' center. Smaller explosions continued till dawn, but they caused little damage. [48] The then Police Commissioner of New York, Arthur Woods, argued, "The lessons to America are clear as day. Watchmen in the Woolworth building in Lower Manhattan saw the blast, and thinking their time had come, got down on their knees and prayed, one newspaper reported. The Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. The National Park Service's Statue of Liberty website cites the Black Tom explosion as the reason the torch is closed off, though it is unclear why, a century later, guests are still not allowed inside. [11] Jersey City's Commissioner of Public Safety, Frank Hague, later said he had been told the barge was "tied up at Black Tom to avoid a twenty-five dollar charge". [42] The issue was finally settled in 1953 for $95 million (interest included) with the Federal Republic of Germany. Smoke billowing from the Black Tom explosion, a German sabotage . After midnight on July 30, 1916, a series of small fires were discovered. One of the barges was loaded with 50 tons of TNT. It is not known how many died. [3], The Russian government[40] sued the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company operating the Black Tom Terminal on grounds that lax security (there was no entrance gate; the territory was unlit)[41] permitted the loss of their ammunition and argued that due to the failure to deliver them the manufacturer was obliged by the contract to replace them. In the late 1800s, Jersey City dumped refuse on a rock in New York Harbor. We must not again be caught napping with no adequate national intelligence organization. U.s Hist u4 Q2 Flashcards | Quizlet Genevieve Carlton - All That's Interesting It starts, You are standing on a site which saw one of the worst acts of sabotage in American history!. 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. From the Inside: The Black Tom Island Explosion during World War I 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. This F3 tornado was one of the strongest to ever touch down in New Jersey. The bottom stained-glass windows have text in Polish to commemorate the explosion in 1916. Books: The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice by Chad Millman, Little, Brown and Company, 2006. JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) Two German spies crossed New York Harbor at midnight, making the journey in a rowboat loaded with dynamite. Two million tons of war materials packed. The Black Tom Explosion: Proof of the Mandela Effect? Hive It also meant fewer people would remember what happened at Black Tom. 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. And the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which sustained much of the financial damage, knew who to blame: Germany. ?1918", "The Officer Down Memorial Page Remembers", The terror attack on N.J. that America forgot, New York at War Four Centuries of Combat, Fear, and Intrigue in Gotham. It was the center of, and was destroyed by, the terrorist bombing of 1916. Unedited videos of guest interviews and quizzes 9." Watermark: Permalife, 25% cotton content. [31] Kristoff would later serve in the United States Army in World War I, but admitted to working for German agents (transporting suitcases) in 1915 and 1916 while the US was still neutral. They were right. Educated, industrious and neatly dressed, German-Americans perceived patriotism and commitment to life in America allowed them to integrate into society with less initial friction than other ethnic groups. and our The Black Tom Explosion Memorial - Jersey City, New Jersey - Atlas Obscura Nearer to Black Tom Island, blackened, twisted metal and debris covered an area several city blocks wide. Ever wonder why visitors aren't allowed inside the Statue of Libertys torch? 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. By the early 1900s, it became known as Black Tom Island. 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. One barge contained 50 tons of TNT, and was only moored at Black Tom Island to avoid a $25.00 charge. "I think partly because of the isolation of the explosion. Listen to TONS of bonus content including: A series of blasts were heard and felt some 90 miles in every direction, even as far as Philadelphia. http://www.faqs.org/espionage/Bl-Ch/Black-Tom-Explosion.html The Kiaser Sows Destruction: Protecting the Homeland the First Time Around by Michael Warner. After years of deliberating, the German-American Mixed Claims Commission ultimately ordered Germany to pay $50 million in reparations. Learn about the exhibit that inspired this site, If you would like to not see this alert again, please click the "Do not show me this again" check box below, The Statue of Liberty; Recovering debris at Black Tom; Damaged Black Tom Island pier, German saboteur Kurt Jahnke; German saboteur Lothar Witzke; Wanted poster for German saboteur Michael Kristoff, Storefront damage from the Black Tom Island blast; Black Tom Island explosion headline in, Diving for debris at Black Tom Island; Sorting recovered artillery shells; John J. McCloy of the Mixed Claims Commission, Benjamin Church: Surgeon, Son of Liberty, Spy, Thomas Hickey and the Plot Against George Washington, Edward Bancroft: A Man of Competing Loyalties, Benedict Arnold: A Name Synonymous with Treason, John Andr: Officer, Gentlemanand Spymaster, The Birth of American Counterintelligence, Union Espionage: From Patronage to Professionalism, Allan Pinkerton: Skilled Detective, Dubious Spymaster, Bureau of Military Information: The Trailblazers, Confederate Espionage: Spies, Scouts, & Sympathizers, Benjamin Franklin Stringfellow: A Spy Who Spared a General. Seven people perished in the explosion, and over $20 million in damages resulted. Congress immediately passed the Espionage Act, which outlawed a variety of crimes associated with German agents; passed several other wartime laws; then the following year passed the Sabotage Act. They were being stored on rail cars sitting on barges, ready to be shipped to Russia to assist them in the war effort.That night, around midnight several small fires were discovered on the pier near the barges. 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! Around 2:08 a.m. the munitions started to explode. Three men and an infant were killed by the sheer explosive energy, with over 100 more people wounded. And that was partly true. Peter Raceta was captaining a barge in the harbor when the blast shook the air. [citation needed], It is likely[according to whom?] We strive for accuracy and fairness. [45][46] Access was not opened even after the 19841986 restoration which included repairs to the arm and installation of a new gold-plated copper torch. What happened to the Statue of Liberty in 1916? - Heimduo In Sabotage at Black Tom, Jules Witcover draws on his skills as an . Authorities assess the damage after the Black Tom explosion, which left the munitions depot in tatters. The German Christmas Pickle: Tradition or Marketing? He returned to the United States with anthrax and glanders with the intention of infecting and killing livestock. One of the largest examples of sabotage during World War I happened half a mile from the Statue of Liberty and hardly anyone knows the story. One of those newcomers to America was Count Johann Von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to Washington. WW1: German Spies Blew Up 100,000 Pounds of TNT in New Jersey And The sinking of the Lusitania occurred over a year earlier. In one terrifying, ear-splitting moment, the Great War then raging overseas had come to America. Millions of Persons Heard and Felt Shock New York Times, July 31, 1916. 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. And they couldnt imagine that Germans would have done this. The Black Tom Explosion Forgotten History The first of the Black Tom explosions was felt at 2:08 a.m. followed half an hour later by a second blast. The force of the explosion extended for miles from ground zero. There wasnt nearly enough water supply to the island to fight the fires. 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. English: The Black Tom explosion of July 30, 1916 in Jersey City, New Jersey was an act of sabotage on American ammunition supplies by German agents to prevent the materials from being used by the Allies in World War I. After the explosion, Black Tom Island sank into New York Harbor. | Your email address will not be published. Peter Raceta, the captain of a flatbottom barge in the harbor, was in the cabin watching the fire on Black Tom with two other men. The Nazi party in control of the government refused to pay. 19? Three men and a baby were killed by the explosive energy that erupted from this act of sabotage. However, investigators were unable to determine whether the disaster was the result of safety violations by any of these officials. Discover our mission: IC principles, history, and success stories, Check out Bin Laden's Bookshelf, IC on the Record, and declassified documents, Read the latest news about and from the IC, Learn about how we work, IC members, and oversight. The Black Tom explosion destroying 2 million pounds of ammunition was an example of _____ sabotage. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Shrapnel pock-marked the Statue of Liberty. If you visit whats left of Black Tom Island today, theres a historical marker that tells this story. American intelligence agencies tied the Black Tom explosion to German saboteurs. You are walking on a site which saw one of the worse [sic] acts of terrorism in American history. "[49] The explosion also played a role in how future presidents responded to military conflict. It even bent electricity poles. Windows were broken as far as 25 miles (40km) away, including thousands in Lower Manhattan. New Jersey's forgotten terror attack - Asbury Park Press 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.. For days, artillery shells and other munitions continued to explode, showering New York Harbor, to include Ellis Island, with embers and shell fragments.
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