black tom explosion never happened

[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. Owen Fitzpatrick worked on nearby Ellis Island as a telephone operator. Boats and barges of all sizes were destroyed during the attack. Nearby Bedloe's Island saw some of the worst damage, with plaster torn from the walls and windows shattered. And as of 1916, the United States still wanted to remain isolated from the war. On the night of July 30th, 1916, Black Tom island disappeared. Already packed barges sat tied to piers, ready to cross the Atlantic. [43] The final payment was made in 1979. American intelligence agencies tied the Black Tom explosion to German saboteurs. The total damage came to an estimated $20 million - a massive sum in 1916 equivalent to more than half a billion dollars today. With few national security laws and no real intelligence community to thwart German agents, America was vulnerable. 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. Long: Terrorism's 100th anniversary. This was one of the major reasons that Germany was sending saboteurs to disrupt the supply chain from America. Some simply ran away, thinking there was no way these fires were going to be contained. That night, guards spotted small fires on the pier and . It was the largest non nuclear explosion to date. Immigrants on nearby Ellis Island had to be evacuated. The Black Tom explosion wasnt the only provocation. the New York City region in the early hours of the morning of July 30, 1916. S. Liebmann's Sons Brewing Co.By the 1910s, Black Tom Island was a key shipping port. Five deaths were officially recorded in the attack, including a ten-week-old baby thrown from its crib, but the true death toll was likely much higher, as many of the destroyed barges were commonly used as shelters by vagrants and immigrants. Sign up to access all of it today! The Statue of Liberty took more than $100,000 worth of damage; Lady Libertys torch, which was then open to visitors who could climb an interior ladder for a spectacular view, has been closed ever since. Two hours later, at 2:08 in the morning, a huge explosion rocked the island. Review this podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-internet-says-it-s-true/id1530853589 At 2:08 A.M. on Sunday July 30, 1916 the timed bombs . Until April 6, 1917, the United States was neutral in respect to World War I and its munitions companies earlier in the war could sell to any buyer. 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 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. Gilbert King is a contributing writer in history for Smithsonian.com. In New York alone, there had been 70 pier fires and 139 fires on board ships. Now nothing remains of the munitions depot save a plaque marking the explosion that rocked the nation. 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. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. 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. It also meant fewer people would remember what happened at Black Tom. [25] Immigrants being processed at Ellis Island had to be evacuated to Lower Manhattan. Windows were broken as far as 25 miles (40km) away, including thousands in Lower Manhattan. Spotting the smoke, guards eventually ran to call the fire department. The area was targeted by WW1 saboteurs because it was the location of a major munitions depot, containing tons . 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. Well, as reported in many of the newspapers in the aftermath, they thought it was negligence. The damage from the Black Tom explosion stretched across the railroad yard and pier. Watchmen in the Woolworth building in Lower Manhattan saw the blast, and thinking their time had come, got down on their knees and prayed, one newspaper reported. [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. To this day, access to that torch is banned. 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 . It even bent electricity poles. Privacy Policy. Property damage was estimated at $20 million. Photo: 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. A dozen homes were destroyed and there were several injuries, though thankfully no casualties. In the early 20th century, enemy attacks on American soil were so rare that many assumed the Black Tom explosion was an accident. In addition to scholarly publications with top presses, she has written for Atlas Obscura and Ranker. Police officers stood outside stores with broken windows following the explosion to prevent looting. 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. 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. [52], A stained-glass window at Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic church memorialized the victims of the attack.[53]. Black Tom was an island off of Jersey City, New Jerseyits remains are now joined by landfill to the mainland of Liberty State Park. Onlookers in Manhattan watched as munition shells rocketed across the water and exploded a mile from the fires on Black Tom Island. Despite Americas claim of neutrality in World War I, it was no secret that the United States was selling massive quantities of munitions to the British. IE 11 is not supported. Shortly after 2:00 am, an earsplitting explosion rattled the Brooklyn Bridge, swayed skyscrapers, and shattered glass windows throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. As the powder settled, it would have reached explosive concentrations, triggering the second explosion. Copyright 2023 The Internet Says it's True. The blast shattered windows across the harbor in Manhattan and Brooklyn. People as far away as Maryland were awakened by what they thought was an earthquake. On July 30, 1916, an explosion at Black Tom Island rocked New York Harbor. Sentenced to death, he was pardoned in 1923. While the United States had not yet entered World War I and was officially neutral, American munitions dealers could legally sell to any of the warring nations. American authorities charged into the breach, ready to find out exactly what had happened. It blew the windows out of every high-rise building in Lower Manhattan. 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. The act of sabotage was the largest enemy attack on continental American soil prior to 9/11. The Secret Service, by presidential order, was able to investigate some German attacks and intrigues. The guards who fled had the right idea. [10] All were waiting to be shipped to Russia. 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. 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. By the early 1900s, it became known as Black Tom Island. 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. Black Tom Island is now part of Liberty State Park. The explosions that went off that night would have registered high on the Richter scale. One of the things that was blamed was the lighting of smudge pots to keep mosquitos away. Explosion on Black Tom Island packed the force of an earthquake. Cookie Notice Authorities assess the damage after the Black Tom explosion, which left the munitions depot in tatters. In this episode, we talk about German Saboteurs and then chat with Author of "Branding Democrats," Ken Weber. Survey map of ammunition storage facilities, industrial plants, warehouses, railroad tracks, wharves, and piers damaged by a German sabotage operation during World War I. A plaque in Liberty State Park calls the Black Tom explosion one of the worst acts of terrorism in . Just after 2:00 a.m., an explosion lit the skiesthe equivalent of an earthquake measuring up to 5.5 on the Richter scale, according to a recent study. Munition barges, freight cars, and warehouses were all damaged during the Black Tom explosion. Advertising Notice It was so large, that it measured 5.5 on the Richter Scale. [13] The damage to the Statue of Liberty was estimated to be $100,000 (equivalent to about $2,490,000 in 2021), and included damage to the skirt and torch.[19]. 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. [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 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.. 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. Firemen Work in Rain of Bullets New York Times, July 31, 1916. Sadly, there was no stopping them. 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 . 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. Fires burned on Black Tom Island into the morning after German saboteurs attacked the munitions depot. The island was the location of 2 million pounds of small arms and artillery ammunition. 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. [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. "Black Tom is certainly not well known, even in the New York area," Jackson said. [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. A giant crater extended below sea level near the pier and filled with debris and water. 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. 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. Oriented with north toward the upper right. Anton Dilger was an American who sympathized with Germany after studying there. One of the American MCC investigators was Harvard Law School graduate John McCloy, a 12-year staff member for the Commission. It was named allegedly after a freed slave named Tom who used to fish on the island. Host Michael Kent asks listeners to tell him something strange, bizarre or surprising that they've recently learned and he gets to the bottom of it! The Lehigh Valley pier was at the center of the explosion. And it permanently damaged the nearby 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. 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.. The explosions, which occurred on July 30, 1916, in the New York Harbor, destroyed some $20,000,000 worth of military goods. 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. Black Tom explosion. All Rights Reserved. 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. Employees on the island started frantically trying to fight the fires, and eventually called the Jersey City Fire Department for help. 7. [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". There wasnt nearly enough water supply to the island to fight the fires. [13] A notable location for one of the first major explosions was around the Johnson Barge No. It would take years for a persistent team of American lawyers to find sufficient evidence that showed that in fact the disaster had been plotted by the Germans.

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