On July 30, 1916, a massive explosion shakes the harbor, a blast so tremendous it's felt in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Then, read about how flour caused the 1878 Washburn Mill explosion that killed four people in Minneapolis. 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. Firefighters were unable to fight the fires until the bullets and shrapnel stopped flying. This was one of the major reasons that Germany was sending saboteurs to disrupt the supply chain from America. Nearly everyone in Manhattan and Jersey City was jolted awake, and many were thrown from their beds. Liberty State Park: The Black Tom Explosion The United States of 1914 He was lucky to escape with his life. [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. 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. Boats and barges of all sizes were destroyed during the attack. 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. On July 30, 1916, an explosion at Black Tom Island rocked New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty was pelted with shrapnel. The Black Tom Explosion: Proof of the Mandela Effect? The sheer magnitude of the explosions at Black Tom is difficult to fathom. It is said that three men were seen making their way along the Jersey City's Black Tom docks at midnight. Following the explosion, the Jersey Journal warned of as many as 50 deaths. The damage from the Black Tom explosion stretched across the railroad yard and pier. The Black Tom Explosion by Lauren Dillon August 1, 2022 0 In 1916 one of the "largest non-nuclear artificial explosions" occurred in the United States. At 2:08 am, the first and largest of the explosions took place. Total damage was calculated at $45 million ($1.127 trillion in 2021), with damage to Lady Liberty costing $100,000 ($2.5 million in 2021) alone. 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. It's as if they didn't know the event existed either. Explosion. Some simply ran away, thinking there was no way these fires were going to be contained. The devastating explosion on Black Tom was carried out by three men, one of whom worked at the depot. This incident, which happened prior to U.S. entry into . As for Black Tom Island, it would eventually sink into the bay. The Nazis paid little mind to this finding, and Germany would not settle the debt until 1979. "World War I Intrigue: German Spies in New York! 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. Hurricane Sandy - October 29, 2012. Woolworth Tower Watchmen Pray Chicago Daily Tribune, July 31, 1916. [26] Suspicion at the time fell solely upon suspected German intelligence operatives Kurt Jahnke and Lothar Witzke, who are still judged as legally responsible. A third man, a drifter, entered the depot on foot. In the meantime, landfill projects eventually incorporated Black Tom Island into Liberty State Park. At 2:08 am, five million people were awakened by an explosion that was heard as far away as Maryland. On the night of July 30, 1916, Black Tom Island held 2 million pounds of explosives. Nearly three years after this storm, the state is still rebuilding. Black Tom Explosion Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security, by Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. 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. They knew a fire had started the chain of events. 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.. 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. The first of the Black Tom explosions was felt at 2:08 a.m. followed half an hour later by a second blast. But there was a blockade of Germany in place by the Royal Navy, so America was only supplying munitions to the Allies. 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. [52], A stained-glass window at Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic church memorialized the victims of the attack.[53]. The Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. He wanted to try to buy off some of the people in charge of the storing of ammunition to see if he could get some re-routed to Berlin. Von Rintelen and his ring of helpers was fairly successful in their efforts. Barges sank, collapsed warehouses buried freight cars, and eventually the entire pier went under. At 2:40am, another explosion this one slightly smaller rocked the island. 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. The last payment was made to Black Tom claimants in 1979. Windows were broken as far as 25 miles (40km) away, including thousands in Lower Manhattan. [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. On July 30, 1916, the supply depot on Black Tom Island contained around 1,000 tons of weapons and ordnance in train cars and on barges, ready to be shipped to Russia. An explosion on Black Tom Island in New York Harbor in the middle of the night could be heard from miles away,. Long: Terrorism's 100th anniversary. And when it erupted, the blast destroyed warehouses, train cars, and piers. Required fields are marked *. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. With shredded clothes, bleeding ears and faces full of soot and dirt, the Jersey City fire department continued to fight the fire. Category:Black Tom explosion - Wikimedia Commons "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. World War One was raging in Europe. The FBI was in its infancy. Part of the WCBE Podcast Experience. 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. 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. "Violating the Law of One Price: Should We Make a Federal Case Out of It? German agents who were determined to prevent American munitions shippers from supplying its English enemy during the First World War. German intrigues on American soil essentially evaporated. Black Tom explosion - Wikipedia Jackson noted that given the massive destructive power of the explosion, it is fortunate that more people were not killed. Black Tom -- 100 Years Ago Today, the Night New York Harbor Exploded 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. According to North Jersey, after placing bombs along the island, one of the saboteurs fled to his aunt's nearby home, shouting, "Oh, my God, what did I do?". It was the largest non nuclear explosion to date. 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. On July 30, 1916, at just after 2 in the morning, a massive explosion ripped apart the island of Black Tom on the shoreline near Jersey City, sending a shockwave through the region and thousands of pounds of wartime shrapnel into the neighboring Ellis Island and Bedloe's Island (home to the Statue of Liberty). 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? 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 worst disaster in each of New Jersey's 21 counties - nj.com 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. Officially, around four people died due to the explosion. This F3 tornado was one of the strongest to ever touch down in New Jersey. Around 2:08 a.m. the munitions started to explode. It had a reputation as an environmental hazard, and people in New York hated that it was so close to the city. 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. None of the baggage handlers who were above the magazine survived the sinking. Rail Heads Face Arrest in Pier Blast at N.Y. Chicago Daily Tribune, August 1, 1916. 7. INTEL - Black Tom Island Explodes After the explosion, Black Tom Island sank into New York Harbor. In Sabotage at Black Tom, Jules Witcover draws on his skills as an . 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. [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. 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.. 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 rivets popped out of the right arm and the arm holding the torch was pushed up against the statues crown. Today in History: The Black Tom Explosion of 1916 The Little-Known Story Of The Black Tom Explosion That Rocked New York In 1916. Black Tom Island stored freight cars, barges, and warehouses full of explosives. Owen Fitzpatrick worked on nearby Ellis Island as a telephone operator. 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. Many guards fled, fearing an explosion. 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. At the Statue of Liberty, a passing of the torch [33][34] It is also believed that Michael Kristoff was responsible for planting and initiating the incendiary devices that led to the explosions. The Kingsland Factory Explosion (and the switchboard operator who saved On July 30, 1916, Kaiser Wilhelm's German agents, exploded the largest munitions depot on the east coast, Black Tom Island. The explosion damaged the torch of the Statue of Liberty, shown in the background. Kristoff was arrested by the Jersey City police on suspicion of involvement in the blast, but they released him for lack of evidence. The process of sorting through the wreckage required extreme care. Saboteurs got credit for fires and bombs at other American factories, and one estimate claimed that about 43 factories were damaged or destroyed and about 48 ships suffered from the German bombs. That money continued to be paid until 1979, 63 years after the attack. Theyve likely been up to the crown, which is open to the public, but the public hasnt visited the torch since 1916. 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. 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. 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. FATCO sells organic & responsibly-made tallow-based skincare products. At 2:08 A.M. on Sunday July 30, 1916 the timed bombs . The Black Tom Explosion Forgotten History Terms of Use 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. All Rights Reserved. The force of the Black Tom explosion was equivalent to a 5.5 magnitude earthquake. Survivors quickly evacuated the area around Black Tom Island after the 2:08 a.m. explosion. ", At the Woolworth building, the tallest skyscraper in the world at the time, watchmen feared that the world was ending. A torpedo hitting the magazine could have kicked the stored aluminum powder into the air. 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. Undetected, the saboteurs lit multiple fires on the island. The Black Tom Explosion: Proof of the Mandela Effect? Hive 17, which contained 50 tons of TNT and 417 cases of detonating fuses. Captain Franz von Rintelen had arrived in the U.S. the previous year. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine 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. An official website of the United States government. Gilbert King [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. 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. 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. So was Cornelius Leyden, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Chief of Police. The Black Tom explosion was a peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the first World War. It is now believed that they set timed fuses and then fled the area. One barge alone held 100,000 pounds of TNTl, and the total weight of the munitions topped two million pounds.