And after the explosion, multiple smaller blasts continued to rip through the air, the shrapnel and flying bullets making it nearly impossible for firefighters to control the blazing inferno. It blew the windows out of every high-rise building in Lower Manhattan. Oriented with north toward the upper right. The New York Times reported that the explosion was initially attributed to negligence by those working on the island. Divers recovered munitions from New York Harbor after the explosion. 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. [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. Witcover said a handful of people were killed, including a baby that was thrown from its crib. [52], A stained-glass window at Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic church memorialized the victims of the attack.[53]. For instance, Germany had sponsored a program the previous year to sabotage the American Cattle Industry. But they hadnt yet discovered the sinister truth. But in the aftermath of the catastrophic explosions on Black Tom Island, the agencies investigating sort of preemptively decided it wasnt the work of foreign saboteurs. The Nazis paid little mind to this finding, and Germany would not settle the debt until 1979. The event that sparked the ban occurred 102 years ago Monday, on July 30, 1916. Three men and a baby were killed by the explosive energy that erupted from this act of sabotage. Cookie Notice Photo: Wikipedia. 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. But it took years for investigators to piece together the evidence against the Germans in the bombing. 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 force of the explosion left wreckage strewn across Black Tom Island. And not so much as a fence guarded the two million pounds of munitions. No Evidence of Plot in New York Explosion, Federal Agents Assert Washington Post, July 31, 1916. He arrived in 1914 with a staff not of diplomats, but of intelligence operatives, and with millions of dollars earmarked to aid German war efforts by any means necessary. It took investigators years to determine that operatives working for Germany were to blame. The last payment was made to Black Tom claimants in 1979. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! It was irreparably damaged in a massive explosion only 3,000 feet away. Warehouses collapsed onto freight cars filled with TNT. 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. It even bent electricity poles. Black Tom Island Explodes Explosions rocked the New York City region in the early hours of the morning of July 30, 1916. But the stock of US supplies and financial support were offered to the Allies, and Great Britain welcomed the help. The explosion,. It didnt kill anyone, but the saboteurs plot was to send a message for America to stay out of war profiteering. 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. Explosion on Black Tom Island packed the force of an earthquake. Boats and barges of all sizes were destroyed during the attack. On the island, the explosion destroyed more than one hundred railroad cars, thirteen warehouses, and left a 375-by-175-foot (110 by 50m) crater at the source of the explosion. The Bureau of Investigation initially concluded the explosion was an accident, but doubts were widespread. Flying bullets and shrapnel rendered firefighters powerless. He bribed officials, which included some of the security men responsible for guarding the pier at Black Tom Island. The damage from the Black Tom explosion stretched across the railroad yard and pier. How successful were they? HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. 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. Why the explosion? In this episode, we talk about German Saboteurs and then chat with Author of Branding Democrats, Ken Weber. The first blast started inside Johnson 17, a barge tied to the pier that contained 100,000 pounds of TNT and 25,000. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589 Nearby Ellis Island had to be evacuated after the explosion, which also damaged the Statue of Liberty. Terms of Use 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. They knew a fire had started the chain of events. A game of tag; see British Bulldog (game) Black Tom. Sadly, there was no stopping them. Black Tom explosion - An even more iconic example of World War I sabotage than Bergen County's Kingsland Explosion, the Black Tom explosion rocked Hudson County and beyond on July 30,. Others attempted to fight the fires. The island and the depot were completely destroyed. Well it was option B on July 30th, 1916. On the night of July 29, 1916 German saboteurs snuck past the soldiers on watch at Bedloe's Island and proceeded to Black Tom. President Woodrow Wilson, locked in a tough reelection battle, downplayed the attack. The Black Tom explosion did massive damage to the pier. JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) Two German spies crossed New York Harbor at midnight, making the journey in a rowboat loaded with dynamite. Jahnke and Witzke fled to Mexico shortly before the United States entered the war and were among the German agents who stirred anti-American sentiment and organized sabotage operations from across the border. It was the middle of the night and the summer night on New York Harbor was calm. All Rights Reserved. Review this podcast athttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589Bonus episodes and content available athttp://Patreon.com/MichaelKentFor special discounts, visithttp://theinternetsaysitstrue.com/deals, Your email address will not be published. Some lodged in the Statue of Liberty, damaging her skirt and torch. 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. Police arrested three railroad-company officials on charges of manslaughter, on the assumption that the fires began in two freight cars. Edgar Clark, a Commissioner with the Interstate Commerce Commission immediately began working on a report to President Woodrow Wilson, and found that there was no violation of federal laws governing the packing and transportation of explosives. In Manhattan, hundreds of shops experienced broken windows because of the blast. 17. Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images. A total of 7 people were killed as a result of the series of explosions.And what did the public think caused the explosions? 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 . Already packed barges sat tied to piers, ready to cross the Atlantic. CLARK TO FIX BLAME FOR BIG EXPLOSION; Wilson Sends Commerce Commissioner Here to Continue Investigation. Theyve likely been up to the crown, which is open to the public, but the public hasnt visited the torch since 1916. Authorities successfully recovered shells lost in the harbor during the explosion. Employees on the island started frantically trying to fight the fires, and eventually called the Jersey City Fire Department for help. 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.. So the men that were initially arrested were freed. The Little-Known Story Of The Black Tom Explosion That Rocked New York In 1916. A plaque in Liberty State Park calls the Black Tom explosion one of the worst acts of terrorism in . 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. And after decades of debate, Germany agreed to pay reparations for the damage. The Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. Von Rintelen and his ring of helpers was fairly successful in their efforts. [36][37] Irish socialist and labour union leader James Larkin asserted that he had not participated in sabotage, but admitted to having encouraged work stoppages and strike actions in munitions factories, in an affidavit to McCloy in 1934. Scan this QR code to download the app now. This was the Black Tom explosion. Black Tom Island is now part of Liberty State Park. The Black Tom explosion (1916) The best-known of the German attacks occurred at Black Tom Island (actually a pier) in what is now Liberty State Park in Jersey City, early on the morning of July 30 . Officially, around four people died due to the explosion. 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. Germany. 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. Library of CongressThe damage from the Black Tom explosion stretched across the railroad yard and pier. They couldnt get to a second barge with another fire burning. 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. [10] All were waiting to be shipped to Russia. 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. [4] Being largely built up from city refuse, it developed a reputation as an unseemly environmental hazard. So if you ever run across someone who claims theyve been up to the Statue of Libertys torch, now you know why they havent. Nearby Ellis Island had to be evacuated after the explosion, which also damaged the Statue of Liberty. Germany, under the rule of Hitler, failed to pay up and the settlement was renegotiated in the early 1950s. German Master Spy Franz Von Rintelen and his "pencil bomb" were responsible for acts of sabotage in the United States during World War I. 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? 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? Police officers stood outside stores with broken windows following the explosion to prevent looting. 7. 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 third man, a drifter, entered the depot on foot. It starts, You are standing on a site which saw one of the worst acts of sabotage in American history!. 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. Black Tom was an island off of Jersey City, New Jerseyits remains are now joined by landfill to the mainland of Liberty State Park. One barge contained 50 tons of TNT, and was only moored at Black Tom Island to avoid a $25.00 charge. No one has been allowed inside the torch of Lady Liberty ever since the explosion in 1916. Two million tons of war materials packed. And the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which sustained much of the financial damage, knew who to blame: Germany. The lawyers sued Germany in the Mixed Claims Commission at The Hague, and in 1939 won the case. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. US GovernmentThe next day, a sign warning of fire danger remained in the wreckage left by the explosion. 17 was packed with 50 tons of TNT, and 69 railroad freight cars were storing more than a thousand tons of ammunition, all awaiting shipment to Britain and France. According to Kristoff, two of the guards at Black Tom were German agents. The several federal bureaus should be welded into one and that one should be eternally and comprehensively vigilant. 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 Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. Black Tom explosion. 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. An official website of the United States government. The island was the location of 2 million pounds of small arms and artillery ammunition. Firemen Work in Rain of Bullets New York Times, July 31, 1916. With few national security laws and no real intelligence community to thwart German agents, America was vulnerable. Black Tom Cassidy (created October 1976), a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men. One contemporary newspaper report estimated up to seven deaths in the attack. The fire risked setting off munitions that survived the first blast. It had 417 cases of detonating fuses. Even so, the German agents who blew up Black Tom were not identified at the time. 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. On July 30, 1916, an explosion at Black Tom Island rocked New York Harbor. 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. [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. Melted bottle from the Black Tom explosion, Black Tom pier shortly after the explosion, largest artificial non-nuclear explosions, List of German sponsored acts of terrorism during WWI, Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions, List of accidents and incidents involving transport or storage of ammunition, "Long: Terrorism's 100th anniversary | Commentary | roanoke.com", "The Kaiser Sows Destruction: Protecting the Homeland the First Time Around", "Providing Better Terminal Facilities for New York", "Where Street Refuse Goes; The Island of "Black Tom" in New-York Bay How the Offal of the City Adds to the Territory of New-Jersey", "A Terrible Explosion. We must not again be caught napping with no adequate national intelligence organization. The guards who fled had the right idea. It was named allegedly after a freed slave named Tom who used to fish on the island. "[49] The explosion also played a role in how future presidents responded to military conflict. The loss of life, however, was not great: Counts vary, but fewer than ten people perished in the explosions. Very. American authorities charged into the breach, ready to find out exactly what had happened. October 18, 2006 | by Gotham Gazette Staff. 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. If designed and placed properly, a pencil bomb could be timed to detonate days later, while ships and their cargo were at sea. 3 By David Pfeiffer Enlarge A shipment of horses at a New York City rail yard, 1918. 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. Hurricane Sandy - October 29, 2012. Cookie Policy Citing Black Tom Terminal by name, the message told Hilken that "Kristoff, Wo1fgang and that Hoboken bunch" were to be paid, and was signed "Hinch." Hinch, or Graentnor, was a shadowy figure who was never found. With debris raining down, authorities were forced to evacuate hundreds of terrified immigrants having just escaped from war-torn Europe from Ellis Island to the mainland. People felt the shockwave as far away as Philadelphia and Baltimore. The island was temporarily closed. [3] It was one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in history. 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. A Little Island In The Bay. 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. At 2:08 am, five million people were awakened by an explosion that was heard as far away as Maryland. The Mixed Claims Commission, set up after World War I to handle damage claims by companies and governments affected by German sabotage, awarded $50 million to plaintiffs in the Black Tom explosionthe largest damage claim of any in the war. This Black Tom Explosion commemorative plaque in Liberty State Park is the only reminder of the incident. Producer Credits 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. On Ellis Island, terrified immigrants were evacuated by ferry to the Battery. There simply wasnt any sort of federal body with the ability or the authority to deal with foreign saboteurs.It wasnt until several decades later that Germany was declared officially responsible and was sued. [12], After midnight, a series of small fires were discovered on the pier. [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 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 . After years of deliberating, the German-American Mixed Claims Commission ultimately ordered Germany to pay $50 million in reparations. "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. No one stopped them. Special Shoutouts At eight minutes past two o'clock on the morning of Sunday, July 30, 1916, a thundering explosion at the Black Tom munitions depot sent sleeping residents of New York City and surrounding areas tumbling from their beds. Black Tom Explosion Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security, by Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. By the 1910s, Black Tom Island was a key shipping port. 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. 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. Your email address will not be published. Due to the blockade of Germany by the Royal Navy, however, only the Allied Governments were able to purchase American munitions. The bottom stained-glass windows have text in Polish to commemorate the explosion in 1916. Nearby Ellis island was evacuated. Decades would pass, however, before Germany settled it. There is a Youtube channel called "The Great War" that covers WW1 week by week and not once do they mention the Black Tom Explosion. In this episode, we talk about German Saboteurs and then chat with Author of "Branding Democrats," Ken Weber. 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. German intrigues on American soil essentially evaporated. At 2:08 am, the first and largest of the explosions took place. The blasts lit the night sky and shook the earth with the force of a Richter scale 5.5 earthquake. [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. Explosions rocked Advertising Notice And what of the Black Tom saboteurs? On July 30, 1916, an explosion at Black Tom Island rocked New York Harbor. One of those newcomers to America was Count Johann Von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to Washington. [11], The Lehigh Valley Railroad, advised by John J. McCloy, sought damages against Germany under the Treaty of Berlin from the German-American Mixed Claims Commission. It also meant fewer people would remember what happened at Black Tom. After midnight on July 30, 1916, a series of small fires were discovered. ", Sabotage at Black Tom - Imperial Germany's Secret War in America, 1914-1917, "Explosion at Liberty! To this day, access to that torch is banned. And during the great war, there were at least 10 instances of attempted terrorist attacks in America by Germany. At the time President Roosevelt said to him: "We don't want any more Black Toms."[50][51]. A 1mi (1.6km)-long pier on the island housed a depot and warehouses for the National Dock and Storage Company. 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 . 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. Was it an accident or planned? 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. The explosion damaged the torch of the Statue of Liberty, shown in the background. The explosion on Black Tom Island could be heard from miles away. [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. IE 11 is not supported. From Lower Manhattan to Times Square, windows shattered. An explosion America seems to have forgotten ever happened. The Black Tom explosion of July 30th, 1916, was so large it could be felt in Philadelphia, ninety miles away. 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. Undetected, the saboteurs lit multiple fires on the island. Get 15% off by using my promo code: INTERNET or click HERE. In June 1916, Witzke and Jahnke left San Francisco for New York City, where they connected with Kristoff. The crater left by the blast measured 175 feet by 375 feet. Authorities recovered munitions from the blast site without knowing whether they were live. Privacy Statement At one point, a huge cavern was hewed out of the earth by the explosions of some 87 dynamite-laden railroad cars. Captain Franz von Rintelen had arrived in the U.S. the previous year. 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 . Barges sank, collapsed warehouses buried freight cars, and eventually the entire pier went under. 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. Thousands of windows shattered in lower Manhattan and Jersey City. It tossed Jersey City residents from their beds. 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. [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". Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/news/the-black-tom-explosion, In 1916, German Terrorists Launched an Attack on American Soil. [33][34] It is also believed that Michael Kristoff was responsible for planting and initiating the incendiary devices that led to the explosions. 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. A giant crater extended below sea level near the pier and filled with debris and water. 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. 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.. Nearer to Black Tom Island, blackened, twisted metal and debris covered an area several city blocks wide. American intelligence agencies tied the Black Tom explosion to German saboteurs. The stained glass windows in St. Patrick's Church were destroyed. That night, guards spotted small fires on the pier and . 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. 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. 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. 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.