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Visitors have not been allowed inside the torch for over a century after a massive explosion. It was the center of, and was destroyed by, the terrorist bombing of 1916. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Many guards fled, fearing an explosion. Stained-glass windows from inside Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church in Jersey City, NJ. On July 30, 1916, an explosion at Black Tom Island rocked New York Harbor. and our A giant crater extended below sea level near the pier and filled with debris and water. [13] The damage to the Statue of Liberty was estimated to be $100,000 (equivalent to about $2,490,000 in 2021), and included damage to the skirt and torch.[19]. The exhibit is divided into two sections presenting historical and judicial points of view. 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. 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. 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. | [16] The outer wall of Jersey City's City Hall was cracked and the Brooklyn Bridge was shaken. Von Rintelen and his ring of helpers was fairly successful in their efforts. [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. Liberty State ParkFollowing the explosion, the Jersey Journal warned of as many as 50 deaths. At least five people were killed, including a baby in Jersey City who was thrown from his crib, and there was an estimated $20 millionthe equivalent of some $500 million todayin property damage. 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. 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? American authorities charged into the breach, ready to find out exactly what had happened. The bottom stained-glass windows have text in Polish to commemorate the explosion in 1916. A series of blasts were heard and felt some 90 miles in every direction, even as far as Philadelphia. 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. 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. 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. But writing off the explosion as an accident also downplayed its role in American history, and few remember the explosive event today. 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 The Black Tom Explosion (1916) From Redditor u/ finlay_mcwalter: A terrorist attack, a massive explosion, a huge pall of smoke hangs over New York harbor. Black Tom Cassidy (created October 1976), a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men. The Secret Service, by presidential order, was able to investigate some German attacks and intrigues. The Black Tom explosion was one of the largest explosions ever to occur on U.S. soil so why do few remember it today? Scan this QR code to download the app now. So if you ever run across someone who claims theyve been up to the Statue of Libertys torch, now you know why they havent. Owen Fitzpatrick worked on nearby Ellis Island as a telephone operator. 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 . Terms of Use This massive cache of unguarded weapons was an easy target for the Germans, who had already experimented with targeting American ships, factories, and piers. Required fields are marked *. 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. [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 explosion, at the Black Tom railroad yard, had the equivalent strength of a magnitude 5.0 to 5.5 earthquake on the Richter scale, and its effects reached as far as Philadelphia and Maryland. At one point, a huge cavern was hewed out of the earth by the explosions of some 87 dynamite-laden railroad cars. The Nazis paid little mind to this finding, and Germany would not settle the debt until 1979. On the night of July 30th, 1916, Black Tom island disappeared. (Grants Pass, Or.) No one stopped them. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The island received its name from a local legend of an African American resident named . A 1mi (1.6km)-long pier on the island housed a depot and warehouses for the National Dock and Storage Company. "World War I Intrigue: German Spies in New York! First, a lack of documentation made it incredibly difficult to prove Germany was guilty of the crime. It also meant fewer people would remember what happened at Black Tom. the New York City region in the early hours of the morning of July 30, 1916. 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. "It meant more to Germany to not have them found responsible for Black Tom than it did for the U.S. to prove Germany was responsible for Black Tom. Black Tom explosion (30 July 1916), Jersey City, New Jersey; act of World War I sabotage on American ammunition supplies by German agents to prevent shipments to the Allies. "The Germans probably saw that as an act of war," Jackson said. With few national security laws and no real intelligence community to thwart German agents, America was vulnerable. 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. Smoke billowing from the Black Tom explosion, a German sabotage . American Passage: This History of Ellis Island by Vincent J. Cannato, HarperCollins, 2009. And they couldnt imagine that Germans would have done this. 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. 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. Doctors and nurses arrived on the scene and tended to dozens of injured. The island was the location of 2 million pounds of small arms and artillery ammunition. At 2:08 a.m., an explosion ripped through the night. At 2:08 A.M. on Sunday July 30, 1916 the timed bombs . After years of deliberating, the German-American Mixed Claims Commission ultimately ordered Germany to pay $50 million in reparations. On July 30, 1916 the Black Tom munitions depot exploded rocking New York Harbor and sending residents tumbling from their beds. The Bureau of Investigation initially concluded the explosion was an accident, but doubts were widespread. Planning for the sabotage of Black Tom began more than a year before the explosion, when German spymaster Franz von Rintelen started surveilling and mapping out storage sheds on the Black Tom piers. Kristoff was arrested by the Jersey City police on suspicion of involvement in the blast, but they released him for lack of evidence. For centuries, humans used tallow in skin moisturizers and healing balms, but unfortunately, the topical application of these fats seemed to stop around the same time that animal fats stopped being considered part of a healthy diet. The New York Times reported that the explosion was initially attributed to negligence by those working on the island. [citation needed], This attack was one of many during the German sabotage campaign against the neutral United States, and it is notable for its contribution to the shift of public opinion against Germany, which eventually resulted in American support to enter World War I. And explode is barely the word: The shock-waves from Black Tom . 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. Even the heaviest plate-glass windows in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn shattered, and falling shards of glass preceded a mist of ash from the fire that followed the explosion. One of his master spies was Franz Von Rintelen, who had a pencil bomb designed for his use. A second explosion occurred at 2:40 a.m. This F3 tornado was one of the strongest to ever touch down in New Jersey. The force of the explosion extended for miles from ground zero. Giveaways and swag "Black Tom is certainly not well known, even in the New York area," Jackson said. [9], On the night of the Black Tom explosion, July 30, 1916, about 2,000,000 pounds (910,000kg) of small arms and artillery ammunition were stored at the depot in freight cars and on barges, including 100,000 pounds (45,000kg) of TNT on Johnson Barge No. 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. Most of the arms, however, were going to the AlliesBritain, France and Russiabecause the British navy had blockaded Germany. Explosions rocked 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. "Note: This territory also covered by sheets 84, 85, 86 & 89 of Hudson County, vol. Advertising Notice They were right. The force of the Black Tom explosion was equivalent to a 5.5 magnitude earthquake. Listen to TONS of bonus content including: Explosion on Black Tom Island packed the force of an earthquake. [13] A notable location for one of the first major explosions was around the Johnson Barge No. They then fled the scene. But the explosion caused major economic harm. Police arrested three railroad-company officials on charges of manslaughter, on the assumption that the fires began in two freight cars. 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. In fact, it was almost too easy for the spies to infiltrate Black Tom Island. Von Rintelen entered the U.S. with huge sums of money and direct orders from Berlin. Cookie Policy Barges sank, collapsed warehouses buried freight cars, and eventually the entire pier went under. Windows were broken as far as 25 miles (40km) away, including thousands in Lower Manhattan. Barges sank, collapsed warehouses buried freight cars, and eventually the entire pier went under. As for Black Tom Island, it would eventually sink into the bay. People felt the shockwave as far away as Philadelphia and Baltimore.