black tom explosion never happened

No one has been allowed inside the torch of Lady Liberty ever since the explosion in 1916. They were right. Second, for political reasons more than anything, Germany was incredibly reluctant to admit it. In New York alone, there had been 70 pier fires and 139 fires on board ships. 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 blast shattered windows across the harbor in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The first of the Black Tom explosions was felt at 2:08 a.m. followed half an hour later by a second blast. It was the largest non nuclear explosion to date. And they couldnt imagine that Germans would have done this. The devastating explosion on Black Tom was carried out by three men, one of whom worked at the depot. 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. Nearby at the Statue of Liberty, a legacy of the disaster remains: Due to the damage the statue sustained on July 30, 1916, its torch has been closed to the public for the last century. The total damage came to an estimated $20 million - a massive sum in 1916 equivalent to more than half a billion dollars today. At 2:08 am, five million people were awakened by an explosion that was heard as far away as Maryland. At 2:40am, another explosion this one slightly smaller rocked the island. 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. But federal authorities could not trace the fire to the pots, and reports ultimately concluded that the blasts must have been accidentaleven though several suspicious factory explosions in the United States, mostly around New York, pointed toward German spies and saboteurs. [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". 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. 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. Well it was option B on July 30th, 1916. Barges sank, collapsed warehouses buried freight cars, and eventually the entire pier went under. [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. The loss of life, however, was not great: Counts vary, but fewer than ten people perished in the explosions. Today, the Black Tom site is part of New Jerseys Liberty State Park. 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. Oriented with north toward the upper right. And now you can tell them why. "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. 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. It was still dark in Manhattan on a Sunday morning, July 30, 1916, when the sky suddenly exploded with an unnatural brilliance. American authorities charged into the breach, ready to find out exactly what had happened. LAW CAN'T HALT MUNITIONS Representative Hamill Introduces Bill Giving Cities Power to Bar Explosives. 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. [Week of July 28th, 1916] (https://youtu.be/lu9VPY2DHPk). Captain Franz von Rintelen had arrived in the U.S. the previous year. S. Liebmann's Sons Brewing Co.By the 1910s, Black Tom Island was a key shipping port. At one point, a huge cavern was hewed out of the earth by the explosions of some 87 dynamite-laden railroad cars. American intelligence agencies tied the Black Tom explosion to German saboteurs. Was it an accident or planned? 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. [25] Immigrants being processed at Ellis Island had to be evacuated to Lower Manhattan. Explosion on Black Tom Island packed the force of an earthquake. A dozen homes were destroyed and there were several injuries, though thankfully no casualties. [49] In an interview with Jules Witcover, McCloy noted that as assistant secretary of the navy under Wilson, Roosevelt "knew all about Black Tom." The island received its name from a local legend of an African American resident named . [3] Landfill projects later made Black Tom Island part of the mainland, and it was incorporated into Liberty State Park. 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 . 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 . [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. It was 1939 and Germany had other plans happening at the time. Your Privacy Rights [5] On January 26, 1875, an accidental explosion killed four. They approached the island and easily snuck past the eight guards on duty, placing explosives and setting small fires all over before hastily leaving. This Black Tom Explosion commemorative plaque in Liberty State Park is the only reminder of the incident. It is not known how many died. Sabotage at Black Tom: Imperial Germanys Secret War in America, 1914-1917, Algonquin Books, 1989. While its not thought that he was incredibly successful, he was discovered by the FBI and fled to Mexico. The island was temporarily closed. 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. [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 culprits? 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.. On the night of July 30, 1916, Americas largest ammunition depot sat unguarded. An official website of the United States government. As for Black Tom Island, it would eventually sink into the bay. 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. This disambiguation . [26] Von Rintelen used these resources to make generous cash bribes, one of which was notably given to Michael Kristoff in exchange for access to the pier. Rail Heads Face Arrest in Pier Blast at N.Y. Chicago Daily Tribune, August 1, 1916. "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. [42] The issue was finally settled in 1953 for $95 million (interest included) with the Federal Republic of Germany. Police officers stood outside stores with broken windows following the explosion to prevent looting. Authorities successfully recovered shells lost in the harbor during the explosion. And after decades of debate, Germany agreed to pay reparations for the damage. None of the baggage handlers who were above the magazine survived the sinking. The explosion damaged the torch of the Statue of Liberty, shown in the background. [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. It was Black Tom, once a small island, that was the single most important assembly and shipping center in America for munitions and gunpowder being sent to the Allies, Witcover notes, and probably housed the most extensive arsenal anywhere outside the war zone itself.. 1.7K views 2 years ago #JerseyCity #HistorysHeadlines 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. On Ellis Island, terrified immigrants were evacuated by ferry to the Battery. 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. 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. He was lucky to escape with his life. The Black Tom explosion did massive damage to the pier. Black Tom Island is now part of Liberty State Park. Terms of Use And during the great war, there were at least 10 instances of attempted terrorist attacks in America by Germany. 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. On July 30, 1916, an explosion at Black Tom Island rocked New York Harbor. The stained glass windows in St. Patrick's Church were destroyed. The Nazis paid little mind to this finding, and Germany would not settle the debt until 1979. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. He was a German Naval Intelligence officer and a master spy. It had a reputation as an environmental hazard, and people in New York hated that it was so close to the city. 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?". The torch has not been open to the public since 1916. This Week In History News, Mar. 7. (Grants Pass, Or.) The Statue of Liberty was permanently damaged -- afterward, visitors were forbidden from climbing into the Torch. On July 30, 1916 the Black Tom munitions depot exploded rocking New York Harbor and sending residents tumbling from their beds. As Chad Millman points out in his book, The Detonators, there was a certain naivete at the timePresident Woodrow Wilson could not bring himself to believe that Germans might be responsible for such destruction. The act of sabotage was the largest enemy attack on continental American soil prior to 9/11. After the explosion, Black Tom Island sank into New York Harbor. In the early 20th century, enemy attacks on American soil were so rare that many assumed the Black Tom explosion was an accident. Most of the arms, however, were going to the AlliesBritain, France and Russiabecause the British navy had blockaded Germany. One of the things that was blamed was the lighting of smudge pots to keep mosquitos away. 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. "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.". Black Tom 1916 Bombing It was still dark in Manhattan on a Sunday morning, July 30, 1916, when the sky suddenly exploded with an unnatural brilliance. 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.. But its doubtful that anyone currently living has been up to the torch of the statue. Assuming office in 1913, ___ was only the second Democrat elected President since the Civil War. The immigrants waiting for processing on Ellis Island had to be evacuated. It was named allegedly after a freed slave named Tom who used to fish on the island. Around 2:08 a.m. the munitions started to explode. 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. Pencil bombs were cigar-sized charges filled with acids placed in copper chambers; the acids would ultimately eat their way through the copper and mingle, creating intense, silent flames. 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. At 2:08 am, the first and largest of the explosions took place. 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. The island and the depot were completely destroyed. Used as a munitions warehouse for the Allies, Black Tom Island in the New York Harbor rarely gained any attention during WWII. It was the center of, and was destroyed by, the terrorist bombing of 1916. Chad: So when the guard saw him he didn't think twice about this guy being in the area . 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. This was one of the major reasons that Germany was sending saboteurs to disrupt the supply chain from America. And explode is barely the word: The shock-waves from Black Tom . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The rivets popped out of the right arm and the arm holding the torch was pushed up against the statues crown. Police arrested three railroad-company officials on charges of manslaughter, on the assumption that the fires began in two freight cars. Producer Credits [33][34] It is also believed that Michael Kristoff was responsible for planting and initiating the incendiary devices that led to the explosions. It also meant fewer people would remember what happened at Black Tom. Photo: Wikipedia. However, that decision came in 1939 the year Hitler invaded Poland and set off World War II. Munition barges, freight cars, and warehouses were all damaged during the Black Tom explosion. 19? They were right. The fire risked setting off munitions that survived the first blast. At least five people were killed, including a baby in Jersey City who was thrown from. 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. World War One was raging in Europe. The area was targeted by WW1 saboteurs because it was the location of a major munitions depot, containing tons . The Little-Known Story Of The Black Tom Explosion That Rocked New York In 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.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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. This explosion was so large, it was heard all the way in Philadelphia. A plaque in Liberty State Park calls the Black Tom explosion one of the worst acts of terrorism in . Shrapnel pierced the Statue of Liberty (the arm of the Statue was closed to visitors after this). Railroad officials, warehouse owners and barge operators were immediately arrested. In Sabotage at Black Tom, Jules Witcover draws on his skills as an . Cookie Notice German intrigues on American soil essentially evaporated. In one terrifying, ear-splitting moment, the Great War then raging overseas had come to America. The explosion also caused enormous physical damage to the surrounding area . But the stock of US supplies and financial support were offered to the Allies, and Great Britain welcomed the help. Von Rintelen is believed to have attacked 36 ships, destroying millions of dollars worth of cargo. 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. He was responsible for setting the fires that led to the explosions. Then, read about how flour caused the 1878 Washburn Mill explosion that killed four people in Minneapolis. Germany. A series of blasts were heard and felt some 90 miles in every direction, even as far as Philadelphia. The island was the location of 2 million pounds of small arms and artillery ammunition. Entire structures vanished into the water after a massive explosion ripped through the air at 2:08 a.m. on July 30, 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. Employees on the island started frantically trying to fight the fires, and eventually called the Jersey City Fire Department for help. Pieces of metal from the explosion struck the Jersey Journal building clock tower at Journal Square, stopping the clock at 2:12 a.m. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 26 - Apr. 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. One contemporary newspaper report estimated up to seven deaths in the attack. [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. The blasts lit the night sky and shook the earth with the force of a Richter scale 5.5 earthquake. Just a few months earlier, on July 30, 1916, the area shook with the horrific explosion at Black Tom Island in Jersey City, NJ, an act of sabotage that blew out thousands of windows and even damaged the Statue of Liberty. On July 29, 1916, German agents set fire to a complex of warehouses and ships in the New York harbor that held munitions, fuel, and explosives bound to aid the Allies in their fight. Jahnke was never apprehended, and he returned to Germany in 1921. 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. 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 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. Others attempted to fight the fires and eventually called the Jersey City Fire Department. Three men were eventually recruited to carry out the operation: Michael Kristoff, a 23-year-old Austrian immigrant who served briefly in the U.S. Army; Kurt Jahnke, a naturalized American citizen and former U.S. Marine, who was recruited as an operative by the German Consul General in San Francisco; and Polish-born Lothar Witzke, a young German naval lieutenant who survived his ships sinking by the British Navy off the South American coast in late 1915. "The new German government felt like if they were to admit to and pay damages for the destruction at Black Tom, it was tantamount to saying that they drew the U.S. into war from this," Millman said. They then fled the scene. Woodrow Wilson. [15] The explosion was the equivalent of an earthquake measuring between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter scale[12] and was felt as far away as Philadelphia. All was dark and quiet on Black Tom Island in New York Harbor, not far from the Statue of Liberty, when small fires began to burn on the night of July 30, 1916. Some guards fled, fearing an explosion. One barge alone held 100,000 pounds of TNTl, and the total weight of the munitions topped two million pounds. The Black Tom explosion was the peak act of German sabotage on American soil during the First World War. That night, two German spies rowed across New York Harbor, their boat heavy with dynamite. And no one anticipated that the munitions depot might become the target of enemy agents. [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. Listen to TONS of bonus content including: After midnight small fires started on some of the piers and then began to grow. [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. For reference, when the World Trade Centers North Tower collapsed in 2001, it registered a 2.3 on the Richter scale. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine 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. 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. Windows were broken as far as 25 miles (40 km) away, including thousands in Lower Manhattan. Sentenced to death, he was pardoned in 1923. Authorities assess the damage after the Black Tom explosion, which left the munitions depot in tatters. Many Explosions Since War Began New York Times, July 31, 1916. But writing off the explosion as an accident also downplayed its role in American history, and few remember the explosive event today. 17, which contained 50 tons of TNT and 417 cases of detonating fuses. Theyve likely been up to the crown, which is open to the public, but the public hasnt visited the torch since 1916. If you visit whats left of Black Tom Island today, theres a historical marker that tells this story. The total damage came to an estimated $20 million a massive sum in 1916 equivalent to more than half a billion dollars today. 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Shrapnel from the explosion even hit the Statue of Liberty. In fact, it was almost too easy for the spies to infiltrate Black Tom Island. The crater left by the blast measured 175 feet by 375 feet. On the night of July 30th, 1916, Black Tom island disappeared. Along with two German saboteurs, Lothar Witzke and Kurt Jahnke, Kristoff is believed to have set the incendiary devices that caused the mayhem on 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. In the aftermath of the explosion, Americans tried to identify the saboteurs behind the devastating attack. No one stopped them. Firefighters were unable to fight the fires until the bullets and shrapnel stopped flying. Get the latest History stories in your inbox? Photo: Wikimedia Commons. 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