The National Park Service's Statue of Liberty website cites the Black Tom explosion as the reason the torch is closed off, though it is unclear why, a century later, guests are still not allowed inside. Gilbert King is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. [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. Barges sank, collapsed warehouses buried freight cars, and eventually the entire pier went under. While that incident caused anger, it did not galvanize the American public to action. 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special discounts, visithttp://theinternetsaysitstrue.com/deals, Your email address will not be published. Privacy Statement Its been awhile since weve talked about the Mandela Effect the idea that somehow a large group of people misremember something collectively. They had been the victim of whats thought to be one of the first foreign terrorist attacks in the United States. Why the explosion? In the 1950s, Germany finally agreed to pay the $50 million. Black Tom Explosion Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Security, by Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. An explosion that initially looked like an accident, turned out to be an act of sabotage. American authorities charged into the breach, ready to find out exactly what had happened. A 1mi (1.6km)-long pier on the island housed a depot and warehouses for the National Dock and Storage Company. On the night of July 29, 1916 German saboteurs snuck past the soldiers on watch at Bedloe's Island and proceeded to Black Tom. And after decades of debate, Germany agreed to pay reparations for the damage. At the time President Roosevelt said to him: "We don't want any more Black Toms."[50][51]. And that was partly true. The force of the explosion extended for miles from ground zero. 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. 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. That money continued to be paid until 1979, 63 years after the attack. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. For the U.S., responding was difficult. Nearby Bedloe's Island saw some of the worst damage, with plaster torn from the walls and windows shattered. Some simply ran away, thinking there was no way these fires were going to be contained. In Sabotage at Black Tom, Jules Witcover draws on his skills as an . 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. 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. It was heard and felt as far away as Philadelphia, and in Baltimore, people spilled from their homes, fearing an earthquake was underway. The Black Tom explosion wasnt the only provocation. 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. Jackson noted that given the massive destructive power of the explosion, it is fortunate that more people were not killed. As far away as Philadelphia and Baltimore, people felt the blast. One paper reported that after seeing the blast, watchmen "got down on their knees and prayed.". It starts, You are standing on a site which saw one of the worst acts of sabotage in American history!. PDF Season 6, Episode 7: Black Tom Shell - PBS The incident also influenced public safety legislation. 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. Still, the impact of the Black Tom Island explosion is still felt in at least one small way today. The Untold Story Of Espionage In New Jersey Black Tom Explosion | Encyclopedia.com Damaged canal boats in the wreckage after the explosion. One thing the authorities initially seemed to agree on was that the explosions werent the work of foreign saboteurs. A torpedo hitting the magazine could have kicked the stored aluminum powder into the air. At the time, it was both the largest explosion in modern history and the first foreign terrorist attack on U.S. soil. 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 explosions, which occurred on July 30, 1916, in New York Harbor, "killed four people and destroyed some $20,000,000 ($500 million in 2022 dollars) worth of military goods." The Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. 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. "World War I Intrigue: German Spies in New York! 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. Aftermath of German bombing and sabotage of Black Tom Railroad train cars in New Jersey on July 30, 1916. 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. 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. That made munitions depots like Black Tom Island a major target for German saboteurs. In June 1916, Witzke and Jahnke left San Francisco for New York City, where they connected with Kristoff. The Black Tom Explosion Memorial - Jersey City, New Jersey - Atlas Obscura Shrapnel from the explosion even hit the Statue of Liberty. [49] In an interview with Jules Witcover, McCloy noted that as assistant secretary of the navy under Wilson, Roosevelt "knew all about Black Tom." Map of Black Tom Island, Jersey City, New Jersey : showing area damaged Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Wartime Sabotage in a Neutral Country? The Black Tom Explosion Police officers stood outside stores with broken windows following the explosion to prevent looting. A second explosion occurred at 2:40 a.m. 17. It is not known how many died. The blast was believed by some to be the work of the same German operatives responsible for the numerous explosions and fires that had bedeviled ships and factories involved in the munitions trade for more than a year. Flickr/Wavian. He was a German Naval Intelligence officer and a master spy. "I think partly because of the isolation of the explosion. Harrison. 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 . 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.. A series of blasts were heard and felt some 90 miles in every direction, even as far as Philadelphia. It tossed Jersey City residents from their beds. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine After this look at the Black Tom explosion, check out these haunting World War I photos that capture the tragedy of the war. [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. The Second Explosion - The Lusitania Resource The Black Tom explosion of July 30th, 1916, was so large it could be felt in Philadelphia, ninety miles away. People as far away as Maryland were awakened by what they thought was an earthquake. The violent blast, one of the largest explosions on U.S. soil, occurred on Black Tom Island, a peninsula jutting out into Upper New York Bay situated across from the Statue of Liberty. Used as a munitions warehouse for the Allies, Black Tom Island in the New York Harbor rarely gained any attention during WWII. In fact, it was almost too easy for the spies to infiltrate Black Tom Island. A Little Island In The Bay. The Black Tom Explosion. And as of 1916, the United States still wanted to remain isolated from the war. S. Liebmann's Sons Brewing Co.By the 1910s, Black Tom Island was a key shipping port. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Black Tom explosion - Wikipedia "Violating the Law of One Price: Should We Make a Federal Case Out of It? 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 . One of the barges was loaded with 50 tons of TNT. And explode is barely the word: The shock-waves from Black Tom . 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. The several federal bureaus should be welded into one and that one should be eternally and comprehensively vigilant. New Jersey's forgotten terror attack - Asbury Park Press Black Tom Explosion: German Sabotage on US Soil During WWI All Rights Reserved. Captain Franz von Rintelen had arrived in the U.S. the previous year. 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. Natural Hazards Center || 100 Years of Terror "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. The explosions that went off that night would have registered high on the Richter scale. And the reason it was closed? Their destination: Jersey City's Black Tom Island, at the time the largest ammunition depot in America. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589 Explosion at Black Tom: A forgotten history of sabotage during WWI So the men that were initially arrested were freed. The damage from the Black Tom explosion stretched across the railroad yard and pier. One of the American MCC investigators was Harvard Law School graduate John McCloy, a 12-year staff member for the Commission. Immigrants on nearby Ellis Island had to be evacuated. One of those newcomers to America was Count Johann Von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to Washington. Senate Document 105-2", "The Kaiser Sows Destruction Central Intelligence Agency", "Frequently Asked Questions Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". 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. 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 Bureau of Investigation initially concluded the explosion was an accident, but doubts were widespread. 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. Two million tons of war materials packed. No Evidence of Plot in New York Explosion, Federal Agents Assert Washington Post, July 31, 1916. German spies attacked New York on July 30th, 1916. 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. However, investigators were unable to determine whether the disaster was the result of safety violations by any of these officials. Well it was option B on July 30th, 1916. However, the damage was estimated at more than $20 million, (nearly half a billion dollars today), and investigations eventually determined that the Black Tom explosions resulted from an enemy attackwhat some historians regard as the first major terrorist attack on the United States by a foreign power. He was lucky to escape with his life. The sinking of the Lusitania occurred over a year earlier. 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. In the meantime, landfill projects eventually incorporated Black Tom Island into Liberty State Park. "The shock was so great that I was thrown off my chair into the hall and the broken glass fell in showers upon me as I lay on the floor," Fitzpatrick said, according to the Natural Hazards Center. And they couldnt imagine that Germans would have done this. It took investigators years to determine that operatives working for Germany were to blame. The Black Tom Explosion was an act of sabotage made by agents of Imperial Germany. Shrapnel from the explosion even hit the Statue of Liberty. The guards who fled had the right idea. The force of the explosion threw people in Jersey City from their beds. Spotting the smoke, guards eventually ran to call the fire department. The Black Tom Explosion: Proof of the Mandela Effect? A plaque in Liberty State Park calls the Black Tom explosion one of the worst acts of terrorism in . 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.

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