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. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589 It is not known how many died. President Woodrow Wilson, locked in a tough reelection battle, downplayed the attack. Kristoff was arrested by the Jersey City police on suspicion of involvement in the blast, but they released him for lack of evidence. Statue of Liberty Damaged by Giant Ammunition Explosions Washington Post, July 31, 1916. "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. 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. At around 2 a.m. on the Sunday morning of July 30, 1916, one hundred years ago today, explosions on Black Tom Islandrocked New York harbor. 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. While that incident caused anger, it did not galvanize the American public to action. 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 . CLARK TO FIX BLAME FOR BIG EXPLOSION; Wilson Sends Commerce Commissioner Here to Continue Investigation. 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. Stained-glass windows from inside Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church in Jersey City, NJ. Germ Warfare in WWI Used on Horses in the U.S. Fall 2017, Vol. Before these weapons are loaded onto ships and sent across the Atlantic, they are stored at Black Tom Island in Jersey City, a munitions depot projecting into New York Harbor just behind the Statue of Liberty. Get the latest History stories in your inbox? But it took years for investigators to piece together the evidence against the Germans in the bombing. [47], The Black Tom explosion resulted in the establishment of domestic intelligence agencies for the United States. In New York alone, there had been 70 pier fires and 139 fires on board ships. On July 30, 1916, Kaiser Wilhelm's German agents, exploded the largest munitions depot on the east coast, Black Tom Island. And what of the Black Tom saboteurs? But writing off the explosion as an accident also downplayed its role in American history, and few remember the explosive event today. The Bureaus Role During Early World War I Years, FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. The most successful and experienced anti-sabotage investigators turned out to be the detectives of the New York Police Departments Bomb Squad. 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. [26] Suspicion at the time fell solely upon suspected German intelligence operatives Kurt Jahnke and Lothar Witzke, who are still judged as legally responsible. Even so, the German agents who blew up Black Tom were not identified at the time. In addition to scholarly publications with top presses, she has written for Atlas Obscura and Ranker. Employees on the island started frantically trying to fight the fires, and eventually called the Jersey City Fire Department for help. [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. Theme by ILoveWP.com. But it took until after World War II for Germany to initiate the payout prolonging the saga until 1979. The island and the depot were completely destroyed. [4] Being largely built up from city refuse, it developed a reputation as an unseemly environmental hazard. After the explosion, Black Tom Island sank into New York Harbor. [3] It was one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in history. Nearly three years after this storm, the state is still rebuilding. Theyve likely been up to the crown, which is open to the public, but the public hasnt visited the torch since 1916. 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. cites the Black Tom explosion as the reason the torch is closed off, $50 million in damages were awarded to plaintiffs. WWI Liberty Bonds poster 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. They couldnt get to a second barge with another fire burning. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Owen Fitzpatrick worked on nearby Ellis Island as a telephone operator. 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 was one of the largest explosions ever to occur on U.S. soil so why do few remember it today? ; a Powder Factory Completely Destroyed Four Men Instantly killed", "The Point of Rocks Line: More about the Little Railroad", "An Attack That Turned Out to Be German Terrorism Has a Modest Legacy 100 Years Later", "Looking Back Black Tom railroad yard NFPA Journal", "On the Map; Explosion by the Hudson, Foreign Espionage, Local Fear: 1916", "Rogue River courier. [27] The former Black Tom Island is at the end of Morris Pesin Drive in the southeastern corner of the park, where a plaque marks the spot of the explosion. "The Germans probably saw that as an act of war," Jackson said. Advertising Notice The blast was the equivalent of a 5.5 magnitude earthquake. [29], Soon after the explosion, suspicion fell upon Michael Kristoff,[30] a Slovak immigrant. 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. One of the barges was loaded with 50 tons of TNT. [33][34] It is also believed that Michael Kristoff was responsible for planting and initiating the incendiary devices that led to the explosions. On the night of July 30, 1916, Black Tom Island held 2 million pounds of explosives. They approached the island and easily snuck past the eight guards on duty, placing explosives and setting small fires all over before hastily leaving. America was full of hard-working Germans looking for the American dream and with all of the safety issues on Black Tom Island, its like they werent even looking for a saboteur.But the truth was much darker. 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. Every episode ends by playing a gameshow-style quiz game with a celebrity guest. Now nothing remains of the munitions depot save a plaque marking the explosion that rocked the nation. Required fields are marked *. But the stock of US supplies and financial support were offered to the Allies, and Great Britain welcomed the help. The Little-Known Story Of The Black Tom Explosion That Rocked New York In 1916. Why can't we go up the Statue of Liberty's torch? 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. Most of the arms, however, were going to the AlliesBritain, France and Russiabecause the British navy had blockaded Germany. The damage from the Black Tom explosion stretched across the railroad yard and pier. Black Tom explosion. It is said that three men were seen making their way along the Jersey City's Black Tom docks at midnight. 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. Sentenced to death, he was pardoned in 1923. | READ MORE. Explosion. 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. 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. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. This was one of the major reasons that Germany was sending saboteurs to disrupt the supply chain from America. Books: The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice by Chad Millman, Little, Brown and Company, 2006. Some guards on the island sent for the Jersey City Fire Department, but others fled as quickly as they could, and for good reason: Black Tom was a major munitions depot, with several large powder piers. That night, Johnson Barge No. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. A circle of U.S. flags complements the plaque, which stands east of the visitors' center. The loss of life, however, was not great: Counts vary, but fewer than ten people perished in the explosions. The devastating explosion on Black Tom was carried out by three men, one of whom worked at the depot. 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. One barge contained 50 tons of TNT, and was only moored at Black Tom Island to avoid a $25.00 charge. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Martin Casella: The title Black Tom Island comes from the name of a small island that used to be off the coast of New Jersey, about a half-mile from the Statue of Liberty. 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. The explosion also caused enormous physical damage to the surrounding area . It was the middle of the night and the summer night on New York Harbor was calm. 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 nearby Statue of Liberty suffered severe shrapnel damage, closing visitor access to the Statues torch for good. Some window panes in Times Square were shattered. They were right. One of those newcomers to America was Count Johann Von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to Washington. Officially, around four people died due to the explosion. The Black Tom explosion was an apparent act of sabotage by German agents. The Black Tom explosion worked to shift American sentiment against Germany fully. 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. Von Rintelen and his ring of helpers was fairly successful in their efforts. And when it erupted, the blast destroyed warehouses, train cars, and piers. The blasts lit the night sky and shook the earth with the force of a Richter scale 5.5 earthquake. Ever wonder why visitors aren't allowed inside the Statue of Libertys torch? Entire structures vanished into the water after a massive explosion ripped through the air at 2:08 a.m. on July 30, 1916. 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. Divers recovered shells lost in the harbor after the explosion. "Violating the Law of One Price: Should We Make a Federal Case Out of It? Was it an accident or planned? [42] The issue was finally settled in 1953 for $95 million (interest included) with the Federal Republic of Germany. In fact, it was almost too easy for the spies to infiltrate Black Tom Island. For more information, please see our 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. From Lower Manhattan to Times Square, windows shattered. At 2:08 am, the first and largest of the explosions took place. Giveaways and swag Now at this point in the war mid-1916 America was neutral, meaning that the munitions being stored at Black Tom Island could have been sold to the highest bidder, whether that be Germany, France, Austria, or Great Britain. For instance, Germany had sponsored a program the previous year to sabotage the American Cattle Industry. 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. It wasnt until 1939 that $50 million in damages were awarded to plaintiffs in the Black Tom explosion, the largest settlement by an international tribunal. One of his master spies was Franz Von Rintelen, who had a pencil bomb designed for his use. He returned to the United States with anthrax and glanders with the intention of infecting and killing livestock. 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. The Black Tom explosion of July 30th, 1916, was so large it could be felt in Philadelphia, ninety miles away. The noise of the explosion was heard as far away as Maryland and Connecticut. An explosion America seems to have forgotten ever happened. A railway connected the landfill island to shore and it became a key munitions depot during World War I. A giant crater extended below sea level near the pier and filled with debris and water. They knew a fire had started the chain of events. The first of the Black Tom explosions was felt at 2:08 a.m. followed half an hour later by a second blast. And the Bureau exercised primary jurisdiction over all of these laws as it pursued a wide variety of national security investigations. In this episode, we talk about German Saboteurs and then chat with Author of Branding Democrats, Ken Weber. The explosions, which occurred on July 30, 1916, in the New York Harbor, destroyed some $20,000,000 worth of military goods. So was Cornelius Leyden, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Chief of Police. The force of the explosion left wreckage strewn across Black Tom Island. The Black Tom Explosion. Nearly everyone in Manhattan and Jersey City was jolted awake, and many were thrown from their beds. Terms of Use This incident, which happened prior to U.S. entry into . [citation needed], It is likely[according to whom?] There wasnt nearly enough water supply to the island to fight the fires. At the time President Roosevelt said to him: "We don't want any more Black Toms."[50][51]. A series of blasts were heard and felt some 90 miles in every direction, even as far as Philadelphia. The policy was clearly rooted in McCloys experience with German sabotage, views that were shared by President Roosevelt who had been the Assistant Secretary of the Navy during World War I, and who attempted to justify this indefensible action, by declaring We dont want another Black Tom.. 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. 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. The Black Tom Explosion: Proof of the Mandela Effect? Cookie Policy Per the Council on Foreign Relations, he called the Black Tom explosion "a regrettable incident at a private railroad terminal.". German agents who were determined to prevent American munitions shippers from supplying its English enemy during the First World War. A plaque in Liberty State Park calls the Black Tom explosion one of the worst acts of terrorism in . The Mixed Claims Commission decided, at last, that there must have been "foul play" behind the Black Tom explosion. This F3 tornado was one of the strongest to ever touch down in New Jersey. Because while the statue was built for the torch to be accessed by tourists, its been closed from visitors since 1916. A 1mi (1.6km)-long pier on the island housed a depot and warehouses for the National Dock and Storage Company. Authorities assess the damage after the Black Tom explosion, which left the munitions depot in tatters. Smoke billowing from the Black Tom explosion, a German sabotage . [52], A stained-glass window at Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic church memorialized the victims of the attack.[53]. It was named allegedly after a freed slave named Tom who used to fish on the island. Drifting in and out of prison for various crimes, he died of tuberculosis in 1928. 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. Just after 2:00 am, slow burning pencil bombs planted by the German agents ignited an explosion so colossal it registered 5.5 on. 49, No. [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". (165-WW-280A-050) On a chilly November night in 1915, a dockhand crept silently through the darkness near the Newport News, Virginia, shipyard as he approached dockside corrals filled with horses destined to board British It was still dark in Manhattan on a Sunday morning, July 30, 1916, when the sky suddenly exploded with an unnatural brilliance. [49] In an interview with Jules Witcover, McCloy noted that as assistant secretary of the navy under Wilson, Roosevelt "knew all about Black Tom." But there was a blockade of Germany in place by the Royal Navy, so America was only supplying munitions to the Allies. Rail Heads Face Arrest in Pier Blast at N.Y. Chicago Daily Tribune, August 1, 1916. German intrigues on American soil essentially evaporated. The total damage came to an estimated $20 million - a massive sum in 1916 equivalent to more than half a billion dollars today. jb pritzker wisconsin home, nordictrack annual report 2020,
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