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Aftermath of the 1916 Black Tom Explosion
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Black Tom Explosion Facts for kids: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) about
the Black Tom Explosion.
What
was the Black Tom Explosion? The Black
Tom Explosion was perpetrated by German
saboteurs during WW1. Black Tom Island was
the location of a major munitions depot,
with several large "powder piers" that
contained more than a thousand tons of
ammunition awaiting shipment to Britain and
France during WW1. What
date was the Black Tom Explosion? The
date of the Black Tom Explosion was on
Sunday morning, July 30, 1916, at 2:08 am
Where was the Black Tom Explosion?
The Black Tom Explosion took place on Black
Tom Island, between New Jersey and Liberty
Island. The island is situated in New York
Harbor, not far from the Statue of Liberty.
The 'island' was in fact a mile-long pier on
landfill that connected the one-time island
with the Jersey City waterfront near
Greenville, New York
Black Tom Explosion
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet on Black Tom Explosion perpetrated by saboteurs in
WW1.
Facts
about the Black Tom Explosion for kids
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 1:
Statue of Liberty Torch
The Black Tom Explosion rattled the Statue
of Liberty so badly that the torch, which had been open
to the public for 30 years, had to be closed.
The Black Tom Explosion explosion was
the equivalent of an earthquake measuring up to 5.5 on
the Richter scale. The ladder to the Statue of Liberty
torch is still is closed today, as it has been since
1916.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact
2: America adopted the policy of
neutrality during the first two years of World War I but
the United States was selling massive quantities of
munitions to the British. Refer to
American Entry into WW1
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 3: The Lehigh Valley Railroad expanded Black Tom
Island with landfill and built a jetty from the mainland to Black
Tom Island as a terminal for its rail line to docks which was
utilized as a munitions shipping depot.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 4: Two million pounds of ammunition, including TNT
and dynamite and shrapnel, was stored at the depot in freight cars
and barges on the night of the explosion.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 5: On July 30, 1916 small fires were set on railroad
cars that resulted in a series of massive explosions. The initial
explosion began aboard the Johnson Barge 17, a ship carrying
explosives and fuel that was docked near the pier
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 6: The security at the depot was totally
inadequate. There were only 8 security guards and all of
these fled from the scene when they spotted small fires
which they knew could detonate the munitions and cause a
colossal explosion
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 7: One of the security guards did
however raise the fire alarm alerting the Jersey City
Fire Department. The JCFD did their best to fight the
fire but it soon became beyond their control
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 8: The initial blast of the explosion is
estimated to have been such to register a 5.0 to 5.5 on
the Richter Scale. Smaller blasts and explosions
continued to occur for hours after the initial
detonation
Black Tom Explosion
Fact
9: The Statue of Liberty was damaged,
the Brooklyn Bridge shook, tombstones were toppled in
graveyards, building walls cracked in Manhattan and
windows, some as 25 miles away and many in Times Square,
were shattered by the explosion.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact
10: The damage to the Statue of Liberty
was valued at $100,000 ($2 million dollars today) and
included the skirt and the torch.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact
11: Immigrants at
Ellis Island immigration center in New York
Harbor also had to be evacuated to lower Manhattan.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 10: Almost everyone in Manhattan was
awoken by the strength of the blast. The fires set off
the shrapnel and people, awoken by the loud bangs and
fear of an earthquake, made their way to the waterfront
to see the 'firework display'.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 11: A rumor soon started to circulate that a German
warship was firing its guns at Sandy Hook at the southern entrance
of Lower New York Bay south of New York
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 12: The noise of the explosion was heard as far away
as Maryland and Connecticut.
Continued...
Facts
about the 1916 Black Tom Explosion for kids
1916 Black Tom Explosion
for kids
The info about the Black Tom Explosion provides interesting facts and
important information about this important event that occured during the presidency of the 28th President of the United States of America.
Facts
about the Black Tom Explosion for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about the Black Tom Explosion
perpetrated by saboteurs in WW1.
Facts
about the 1916 Black Tom Explosion for kids
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 13: It is believed that the explosion resulted in the
death of 8 people including a policeman, a security guard at Black
Tom, and the barge captain of the Johnson Barge No.19 were killed.
There were hundreds of minor injuries.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 14: A stained glass window at Our Lady of
Czestochowa Catholic church commemorates the victims of
the Black Tom Explosion
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 15: The Black Tom depot with its piers,
freight cars, barges, tugboats and warehouses was
completely destroyed.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 16: The damage to property was estimated
at over $20 million ($377 million today).
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 17: The Black Tom incident was only one
of a number attacks on the of homeland on facilities had
contracts for goods being sent to the Allies. On January
1, 1915 a fire was started at the Roebling Steel foundry
in Trenton. And after the Black Tom incident, on January
11, 1917, the Kingsland Explosion took place at the
Canadian Car and Foundry Company in Kingsland (now
Lyndhurst), Bergen County, New Jersey. On April 10,
1917, 4 days following the U. S. declaration of war on
Germany, a fire at the Hercules Powder Company in
Eddystone, Pennsylvania, killed over 100 employees.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 18: Spies, Agents and Saboteurs: In 1914
Imperial Germany sent Count Johann Von Bernstorff as the
German ambassador in Washington DC. Von Bernstoff had
been ordered to assist the German war effort by any
means necessary. An army of undercover spies, agents and
saboteurs were recruited to aid the German war effort by
sabotage and illicit destruction in the United States.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 19: The Black Tom Explosion was the most
devastating of the sabotage operations organized by the
undercover spies, agents and saboteurs employed by Count
Johann Von Bernstorff
Black Tom Explosion
Fact
20: A suspect in the Black Tom incident
was Michael Kristoff, a 23-year old immigrant living in
nearby Bayonne who is said to have started the fires
with incendiary devices in exchange for $500. Although
Michael Kristoff was suspected of acting as an agent of
the German Government there was not enough the evidence
to establish the fact.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact
21: After the end of WW1 Charges of
German sabotage were brought before the Mixed Claims
Commission, consisting of a German, an American, and a
neutral representative, under the 1921 Treaty of Berlin.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 22: The Mixed Claims Commission decided
that Germany was responsible for the sabotage. Germany
was ordered to pay reparations of $50 million to all
claimants, but the compensation was not paid due to the
outbreak of World War II.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 23:
After
WW2, Germany agreed to settle outstanding war claims
that included those related to the Black Tom explosion
and the reparations
were paid in 1979.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact
24: The site of the Black Tom railroad
yard is now a part of Liberty State Park where a plaque
in the southeast corner of Liberty Park marks the spot.
Black Tom Explosion
Fact 25: As a direct result of the Black Tom
Explosion, the United States passed the Espionage Act of
1917
Facts
about the 1916 Black Tom Explosion for kids
Facts
about the Black Tom Explosion for kids: American entry
and US role World War I
On April 6, 1917 the United States
Senate declared war on Germany
and fought with the allies in WW1. For additional
facts and information refer to the following links: .
Facts
about the Black Tom Explosion for kids:
President Woodrow Wilson Video
The article on the Black Tom Explosion provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Woodrow Wilson video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 28th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1913 to March 4, 1921.
Black Tom Explosion
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