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. 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. Sabotage at Black Tom | Intelligence Analysis and Reporting [1][2] This incident, which happened prior to U.S. entry into World War I, also damaged the Statue of Liberty. [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. Never mind that the U.S. was officially neutral in the conflict at this point. The Untold Story Of Espionage In New Jersey When the explosions, fire and smoke cleared on Monday afternoon, the pier, warehouses, rail cars, locomotives, barges and even Black Tom Island had been obliterated. That night, two German spies rowed across New York Harbor, their boat heavy with dynamite. 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.The explosions, which occurred on July 30, 1916, in New York Harbor, killed four people and destroyed some $20,000,000 ($500 million in 2023 dollars) worth of military goods. In Sabotage at Black Tom, Jules Witcover draws on his skills as an . The force of the explosion threw people in Jersey City from their beds. Nearer to Black Tom Island, blackened, twisted metal and debris covered an area several city blocks wide. 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. [26] President Wilson remarked of the incident that it was "a regrettable incident at a private railroad terminal",[27][28] and Edgar E. Clark of the Interstate Commerce Commission was dispatched to investigate. For the U.S., responding was difficult. 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. Sabotage at Black Tom - Google Books [48] The then Police Commissioner of New York, Arthur Woods, argued, "The lessons to America are clear as day. [42] The issue was finally settled in 1953 for $95 million (interest included) with the Federal Republic of Germany. To Boldly Go: How Spacemen Poo and Pee (REBROADCAST of Episode 5) - The Internet Says it's True, The Nebraska Miracle: The West End Baptist Church Explosion. An explosion that initially looked like an accident, turned out to be an act of sabotage. But they hadnt yet discovered the sinister truth. The Unlikely Spy Alliance Behind the 1916 Black Tom Explosion But the explosion caused major economic harm. [6] By 1880, the island was transformed into a 25-acre (10ha) promontory,[7] and a causeway and railroad had been built to connect it with the mainland to use as a shipping depot. 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 deadly Battle of the Somme had just begun in France and would last for 5 more months, producing more than one million casualties. German intrigues on American soil essentially evaporated. They had been the victim of whats thought to be one of the first foreign terrorist attacks in the United States. View of the Statue of Liberty from the site of the explosion: The explosion caused $100,000 worth of damage to the statue, and from then onward the torch has been closed to tourists. Drifting in and out of prison for various crimes, he died of tuberculosis in 1928. Why can't we go up the Statue of Liberty's torch? 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 . The Black Tom Explosion Memorial - Jersey City, New Jersey - Atlas Obscura 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? 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. Witzke was arrested in January 1918 by the U.S. Army after decrypted German cables alerted authorities to his movements; he was later found guilty of espionage. Just outside of Jersey City, the island was a manmade rectangle of land, mostly built up from refuse and rocks in the New York Harbor. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 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. The blast was believed by some to be the work of the same German operatives responsible for the numerous explosions and fires that had bedeviled ships and factories involved in the munitions trade for more than a year. Authorities assess the damage after the Black Tom explosion, which left the munitions depot in tatters. Hurricane Sandy - October 29, 2012. "When the explosion came, it seemed as if it was from abovezumpf!like a Zeppelin bomb," he said, according to Smithsonian Magazine. There are a ton of people alive today who claim to remember visiting the statue of liberty and climbing the stairs all the way up to the torch, where they looked out over the New York Harbor. Divers recovered shells lost in the harbor after the explosion. [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. Get the latest History stories in your inbox? "I think partly because of the isolation of the explosion. Ever wonder why visitors aren't allowed inside the Statue of Libertys torch? The process of sorting through the wreckage required extreme care. In spite of the magnitude of the attack, Wilson had not wanted to get dragged into World War I. After wiring the facilities with explosives, the trio set small fires in boxcars brimming with TNT and gunpowder and loaded other time-delayed bombs and incendiary devices onto a barge tied to a pier. The explosions, which occurred on July 30, 1916, in New York Harbor, killed four people and destroyed some $20,000,000 worth of military goods. 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. [4] Being largely built up from city refuse, it developed a reputation as an unseemly environmental hazard. 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. 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. But it took until after World War II for Germany to initiate the payout prolonging the saga until 1979. Terms of Use Includes text, notes, and inset of northern portion . The explosions, which occurred on July 30, 1916, in New York Harbor, "killed four people and destroyed some $20,000,000 ($500 million in 2022 dollars) worth of military goods." This disambiguation . Sabotage at Black Tom: Imperial Germanys Secret War in America, 1914-1917, Algonquin Books, 1989. For an event as big as the Black Tom Explosion, why did this well known Youtube channel with over a million subscribers completely ignore the event? He was a German Naval Intelligence officer and a master spy. Damaged canal boats in the wreckage after the explosion. Nearby Ellis island was evacuated. Well, as reported in many of the newspapers in the aftermath, they thought it was negligence. A third man, a drifter, entered the depot on foot. The explosion on Black Tom Island, a 25-acre promontory jutting from Jersey City that was built from New Yorkers' garbage, registered an estimated 5.5 on the Richter scale 30 times more . The force of the Black Tom explosion was equivalent to a 5.5 magnitude earthquake. We strive for accuracy and fairness. The Bureau of Investigation initially concluded the explosion was an accident, but doubts were widespread. BONUS Episodes Natural Hazards Center || 100 Years of Terror The Little-Known Story Of The Black Tom Explosion That Rocked New York In 1916. Just after 2:00 am, slow burning pencil bombs planted by the German agents ignited an explosion so colossal it registered 5.5 on. He was lucky to escape with his life. October 18, 2006 | by Gotham Gazette Staff. This F3 tornado was one of the strongest to ever touch down in New Jersey. It didnt kill anyone, but the saboteurs plot was to send a message for America to stay out of war profiteering. The crater left by the blast measured 175 feet by 375 feet. At one point, a huge cavern was hewed out of the earth by the explosions of some 87 dynamite-laden railroad cars. How Eyewitnesses Survived Explosion New York Times, July 31, 1916. Black Tom - Wikipedia In the darkened . 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. Two hours later, at 2:08 in the morning, a huge explosion rocked the island. The explosions, which occurred on July 30, 1916, in the New York Harbor, destroyed some $20,000,000 worth of military goods. The immigrants waiting for processing on Ellis Island had to be evacuated. All Rights Reserved. The sheer magnitude of the explosions at Black Tom is difficult to fathom. 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. [15] The explosion was the equivalent of an earthquake measuring between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter scale[12] and was felt as far away as Philadelphia. On the night of July 29, 1916 German saboteurs snuck past the soldiers on watch at Bedloe's Island and proceeded to Black Tom. The incident also influenced public safety legislation. The massive blasts obliterated Black Tom Island, the largest munitions depot in the United States, located in New York Harbor and connected by rail bed to Jersey City, New Jersey. A dozen homes were destroyed and there were several injuries, though thankfully no casualties. 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! 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. Officially, around four people died due to the explosion. A total of 7 people were killed as a result of the series of explosions.And what did the public think caused the explosions? Gilbert King is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. Smoke billowing from the Black Tom explosion, a German sabotage . According to New Jersey City University, the quest for reparations began with the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which used a 1921 treaty between the U.S. and Germany to request reparations. This Week In History News, Mar. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. [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. The island and the depot were completely destroyed. They couldnt get to a second barge with another fire burning. Articles: First Explosion Terrific New York Times, July 31, 1916. Along with two German saboteurs, Lothar Witzke and Kurt Jahnke, Kristoff is believed to have set the incendiary devices that caused the mayhem on Black Tom. At the Statue of Liberty, a passing of the torch Summary and Definition: The Black Tom Explosion was an act of German sabotage in New York Harbor during World War One. S. Liebmann's Sons Brewing Co.By the 1910s, Black Tom Island was a key shipping port. The Black Tom Explosion: Proof of the Mandela Effect? Hive Cookie Settings, http://www.faqs.org/espionage/Bl-Ch/Black-Tom-Explosion.html, https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol46no1/article02.html, Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America, Five Places Where You Can Still Find Gold in the United States, Scientists Taught Pet Parrots to Video Call Each Otherand the Birds Loved It, Balto's DNA Provides a New Look at the Intrepid Sled Dog, The Science of California's 'Super Bloom,' Visible From Space, The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamondand Why the British Won't Give It Back. 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. The Black Tom explosion was an act of sabotage by German agents to destroy U.S.-made munitions that were to be supplied to the Allies in World War I. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. After the explosion, Black Tom Island sank into New York Harbor. It had a reputation as an environmental hazard, and people in New York hated that it was so close to the city. It was the center of, and was destroyed by, the terrorist bombing of 1916. 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. PDF Season 6, Episode 7: Black Tom Shell - PBS Library of Congress photograph. The damage from the Black Tom explosion stretched across the railroad yard and pier. One paper reported that after seeing the blast, watchmen "got down on their knees and prayed.". 17, which contained 50 tons of TNT and 417 cases of detonating fuses. World War One was raging in Europe. The 8 Most Horrifying Disasters That Ever Happened In New Jersey This massive cache of unguarded weapons was an easy target for the Germans, who had already experimented with targeting American ships, factories, and piers. The blast shattered windows across the harbor in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Anton Dilger was an American who sympathized with Germany after studying there. They approached the island and easily snuck past the eight guards on duty, placing explosives and setting small fires all over before hastily leaving. So was Cornelius Leyden, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Chief of Police. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. r/MandelaEffect on Reddit: Black Tom Explosion? The Infamous Black Tom Explosion | VisitNJ.org Black Tom was a distribution point for thousands of tons of munitions, explosives, and black powder shipped across the Atlantic to Allied forces fighting in Europe. The force of the explosion left wreckage strewn across Black Tom Island. An explosion on Black Tom Island in New York Harbor in the middle of the night could be heard from miles away,. Black Tom 1916 Bombing FBI One Mandela Effect thats related to this story is about the Statue of Liberty. CLARK TO FIX BLAME FOR BIG EXPLOSION; Wilson Sends Commerce Commissioner Here to Continue Investigation. Its been awhile since weve talked about the Mandela Effect the idea that somehow a large group of people misremember something collectively. But it took years for investigators to piece together the evidence against the Germans in the bombing. But federal authorities could not trace the fire to the pots, and reports ultimately concluded that the blasts must have been accidentaleven though several suspicious factory explosions in the United States, mostly around New York, pointed toward German spies and saboteurs. Nearly three years after this storm, the state is still rebuilding. 49, No. It is said that three men were seen making their way along the Jersey City's Black Tom docks at midnight. No one has been allowed inside the torch of Lady Liberty ever since the explosion in 1916. The U.S. government had a plan for Mare Island and intended to convert it into one of first major Pacific shipyards for the American Navy. [Week of July 28th, 1916] (https://youtu.be/lu9VPY2DHPk). Shrapnel from the explosion even hit the Statue of Liberty. The Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. The Black Tom explosion was one of the largest explosions ever to occur on U.S. soil so why do few remember it today? Von Rintelen is believed to have attacked 36 ships, destroying millions of dollars worth of cargo. In this episode, we talk about German Saboteurs and then chat with Author of "Branding Democrats," Ken Weber. Rail Heads Face Arrest in Pier Blast at N.Y. Chicago Daily Tribune, August 1, 1916. From the Inside: The Black Tom Island Explosion during World War I 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. Doctors and nurses arrived on the scene and tended to dozens of injured. Nearby Bedloe's Island saw some of the worst damage, with plaster torn from the walls and windows shattered. Germ Warfare in WWI Used on Horses in the U.S. Fall 2017, Vol. 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. In Manhattan, hundreds of shops experienced broken windows because of the blast. Liberty State Park: The Black Tom Explosion The United States of 1914 | It took seventeen years for the MCC to find Germany responsible for the destruction of Black Tom Island, ordering the German government to pay the United States $50 million in damages. Others attempted to fight the fires. Until April 6, 1917, the United States was neutral in respect to World War I and its munitions companies earlier in the war could sell to any buyer. German agents who were determined to prevent American munitions shippers from supplying its English enemy during the First World War. Rocketing munition shells spread the damage well beyond Black Tom Island. [25] Immigrants being processed at Ellis Island had to be evacuated to Lower Manhattan. 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. [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". Books: The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice by Chad Millman, Little, Brown and Company, 2006. 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 . Two million tons of war materials packed. The CIA wouldnt be established until after World War II. And the Bureau exercised primary jurisdiction over all of these laws as it pursued a wide variety of national security investigations. Some window panes in Times Square were shattered. It had 417 cases of detonating fuses. James Doherty, a police officer from Jersey City, was killed in the explosion. One of the American MCC investigators was Harvard Law School graduate John McCloy, a 12-year staff member for the Commission. And the reason it was closed? People as far away as Maryland were awakened by what they thought was an earthquake. It also meant fewer people would remember what happened at Black Tom. History's Headlines: Black Tom Island, Sabotage 1916! - YouTube [33][34] It is also believed that Michael Kristoff was responsible for planting and initiating the incendiary devices that led to the explosions. The event that sparked the ban occurred 102 years ago Monday, on July 30, 1916. The Black Tom Explosion Forgotten History [44], The Statue of Liberty's torch was closed to the public following the explosion, due to structural damages. In the aftermath of the explosion, Americans tried to identify the saboteurs behind the devastating attack. 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.. Fires raged along the pier after the early-morning explosion.
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