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. In Sabotage at Black Tom, Jules Witcover draws on his skills as an . Black Tom was a major munitions depot for the northeastern United States. The devastating explosion on Black Tom was carried out by three men, one of whom worked at the depot. Many guards fled, fearing an explosion. Undetected, the saboteurs lit multiple fires on the island. At the time President Roosevelt said to him: "We don't want any more Black Toms."[50][51]. One of the barge captains was also killed. BONUS Episodes 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. 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. Many Explosions Since War Began New York Times, July 31, 1916. A game of tag; see British Bulldog (game) Black Tom. Still, the impact of the Black Tom Island explosion is still felt in at least one small way today. American intelligence agencies tied the Black Tom explosion to German saboteurs. At 2:08 am, the first and largest of the explosions took place. 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. It was the middle of the night and the summer night on New York Harbor was calm. The Black Tom explosion destroying 2 million pounds of ammunition was an example of _____ sabotage. The Black Tom Explosion: Proof of the Mandela Effect? No one stopped them. Its been awhile since weve talked about the Mandela Effect the idea that somehow a large group of people misremember something collectively. 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. For days, artillery shells and other munitions continued to explode, showering New York Harbor, to include Ellis Island, with embers and shell fragments. And that was partly true. 49, No. One contemporary newspaper report estimated up to seven deaths in the attack. This was the Black Tom explosion. Harrison. Cookie Policy According to Chad Millman, who wrote The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice," there were two main reasons that the investigation took so long. 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. And not so much as a fence guarded the two million pounds of munitions. Employees on the island started frantically trying to fight the fires, and eventually called the Jersey City Fire Department for help. Two million tons of war materials packed. And the Bureau exercised primary jurisdiction over all of these laws as it pursued a wide variety of national security investigations. Barges sank, collapsed warehouses buried freight cars, and eventually the entire pier went under. 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. [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. 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. In New York alone, there had been 70 pier fires and 139 fires on board ships. One of those newcomers to America was Count Johann Von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to Washington. 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. 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 . Summary and Definition: The Black Tom Explosion was an act of German sabotage in New York Harbor during World War One. 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. [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. (We recount the entire story in our podcast from 2016 about the Black Tom Explosion.) 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. 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? He said the isolation of the island, along with the decreased influx of immigrants to nearby Ellis Island at the time other countries were deterring their citizens from leaving and escaping the draft lowered the casualty count. Others attempted to fight the fires and eventually called the Jersey City Fire Department. 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. Well it was option B on July 30th, 1916. ?1918", "The Officer Down Memorial Page Remembers", The terror attack on N.J. that America forgot, New York at War Four Centuries of Combat, Fear, and Intrigue in Gotham. A second explosion occurred at 2:40 a.m. Books: The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice by Chad Millman, Little, Brown and Company, 2006. "Black Tom is certainly not well known, even in the New York area," Jackson said. Shortly after 2:00 am, an earsplitting explosion rattled the Brooklyn Bridge, swayed skyscrapers, and shattered glass windows throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. Terms of Use They were right. [38][39], The United States did not have an established national intelligence service, other than diplomats and few military and naval attaches, making the investigation difficult. 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 awaken half the east coast, changing history. In this episode, we talk about German Saboteurs and then chat with Author of "Branding Democrats," Ken Weber. In the summer of 1916, about 70 freight cars sat on Black Tom Island, holding munition shells and TNT that would eventually be unloaded onto barges. 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. 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. "I think partly because of the isolation of the explosion. The Black Tom Explosion was an act of sabotage made by agents of Imperial Germany. They then fled the scene. Listen to TONS of bonus content including: 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. And the reason it was closed? [49] In an interview with Jules Witcover, McCloy noted that as assistant secretary of the navy under Wilson, Roosevelt "knew all about Black Tom." Kristoff was arrested by the Jersey City police on suspicion of involvement in the blast, but they released him for lack of evidence. Privacy Policy. World War One was raging in Europe. Get 15% off by using my promo code: INTERNET or click HERE. Others attempted to fight the fires. Drifting in and out of prison for various crimes, he died of tuberculosis in 1928. 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. On the 30th July 1916, an explosion took place in New York that was the equivalent of an earthquake measuring between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter scale and was felt as far away as Philadelphia. [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. 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. The bottom stained-glass windows have text in Polish to commemorate the explosion in 1916. After midnight small fires started on some of the piers and then began to grow. Rail Heads Face Arrest in Pier Blast at N.Y. Chicago Daily Tribune, August 1, 1916. One of the American MCC investigators was Harvard Law School graduate John McCloy, a 12-year staff member for the Commission. The island was artificial, created by land fill around a rock of the same name, which had been a local hazard to navigation. Articles: First Explosion Terrific New York Times, July 31, 1916. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! On the night of July 30, 1916, Americas largest ammunition depot sat unguarded. Were the saboteurs ever identified? 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?". Peter Raceta was captaining a barge in the harbor when the blast shook the air. "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. "When the explosion came, it seemed as if it was from abovezumpf!like a Zeppelin bomb," he said, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Then, read about how flour caused the 1878 Washburn Mill explosion that killed four people in Minneapolis. A total of 7 people were killed as a result of the series of explosions.And what did the public think caused the explosions? [3], The Russian government[40] sued the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company operating the Black Tom Terminal on grounds that lax security (there was no entrance gate; the territory was unlit)[41] permitted the loss of their ammunition and argued that due to the failure to deliver them the manufacturer was obliged by the contract to replace them. ", At the Woolworth building, the tallest skyscraper in the world at the time, watchmen feared that the world was ending. The total damage came to an estimated $20 million - a massive sum in 1916 equivalent to more than half a billion dollars today. The Mixed Claims Commission decided, at last, that there must have been "foul play" behind the Black Tom explosion. That night, guards spotted small fires on the pier and . So everyone just thought it was another accident like the one that had happened in 1875. Explosions rocked The Little-Known Story Of The Black Tom Explosion That Rocked New York In 1916. The explosions that went off that night would have registered high on the Richter scale. The Black Tom explosion did massive damage to the pier. A torpedo hitting the magazine could have kicked the stored aluminum powder into the air. Their destination: Jersey City's Black Tom Island, at the time the largest ammunition depot in America. [3] It was one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in history. For instance, Germany had sponsored a program the previous year to sabotage the American Cattle Industry. Germany, under the rule of Hitler, failed to pay up and the settlement was renegotiated in the early 1950s. The Black Tom explosion was an apparent act of sabotage by German agents. It is not known how many died. Even so, the German agents who blew up Black Tom were not identified at the time. 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 . One barge alone held 100,000 pounds of TNTl, and the total weight of the munitions topped two million pounds. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If you visit whats left of Black Tom Island today, theres a historical marker that tells this story. 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.. 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. After this look at the Black Tom explosion, check out these haunting World War I photos that capture the tragedy of the war. This massive cache of unguarded weapons was an easy target for the Germans, who had already experimented with targeting American ships, factories, and piers. And during the great war, there were at least 10 instances of attempted terrorist attacks in America by Germany. 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. 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. | In the meantime, landfill projects eventually incorporated Black Tom Island into Liberty State Park. All Rights Reserved. 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. Authorities successfully recovered shells lost in the harbor during the 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. 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. Senate Document 105-2", "The Kaiser Sows Destruction Central Intelligence Agency", "Frequently Asked Questions Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". 26 - Apr. A series of blasts were heard and felt some 90 miles in every direction, even as far as Philadelphia. This was one of the major reasons that Germany was sending saboteurs to disrupt the supply chain from America. The Black Tom explosion worked to shift American sentiment against Germany fully. 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. "And it wasn't really until it got into the late 1930s, and there was such animus again towards Germany because of Hitler, that all of the sudden the U.S. just became more interested in the case.". For reference, when the World Trade Centers North Tower collapsed in 2001, it registered a 2.3 on the Richter scale. Fires burned on Black Tom Island into the morning after German saboteurs attacked the munitions depot. However, that decision came in 1939 the year Hitler invaded Poland and set off World War II. Gilbert King is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. At 2:08 a.m., an explosion ripped through the night. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. A third man, a drifter, entered the depot on foot. While its not thought that he was incredibly successful, he was discovered by the FBI and fled to Mexico. The fire risked setting off munitions that survived the first blast. Forgotten history, bizarre tales & facts that seem too strange to be true! The history of Mare Island started in 1853 when the United States government purchased the slender, 3.5 miles long peninsula-like island off Vallejo for around $83,000. There were four confirmed fatalities in the explosion:[20][1] the barge captain,[21] Jersey City Police Department officer James F. Doherty,[22][21] Lehigh Valley Railroad chief of police Joseph Leyden,[23][24] and ten-week-old infant Arthur Tosson. On the night of July 29, 1916 German saboteurs snuck past the soldiers on watch at Bedloe's Island and proceeded to Black Tom. As described by Witcover: The Black Tom promontory was a charred ruin; 13 huge warehouses were leveled and six piers destroyed, and fires continued to eat their way through the remains and consume hundreds of railroads cars and barges tied to the docks. The explosion damaged the torch of the Statue of Liberty, shown in the background. 9." Watermark: Permalife, 25% cotton content. 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. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. German spies attacked New York on July 30th, 1916. Fires raged along the pier after the early-morning explosion. Von Rintelen and his ring of helpers was fairly successful in their efforts. Well, as reported in many of the newspapers in the aftermath, they thought it was negligence. Damaged canal boats in the wreckage after the explosion.
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