1 00:00:15,370 --> 00:00:22,410 Speaker 1: Pushkin. In nineteen sixteen, New York was rocked by one 2 00:00:22,410 --> 00:00:27,530 Speaker 1: of the largest explosions the world had ever experienced. Windows 3 00:00:27,570 --> 00:00:31,610 Speaker 1: were shattered across Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty was badly damaged. 4 00:00:32,050 --> 00:00:36,850 Speaker 1: The sound of the explosion could be heard down in Philadelphia. 5 00:00:37,050 --> 00:00:41,130 Speaker 1: But how did this catastrophe occur? Was it a dreadful 6 00:00:41,210 --> 00:00:48,130 Speaker 1: accident or was it perhaps sabotage by foreign agents. I'll 7 00:00:48,130 --> 00:00:51,450 Speaker 1: be hosting Cautionary Tales as usual next week, but this 8 00:00:51,490 --> 00:00:55,210 Speaker 1: week I'm handing the detonator over to the Bowery Boys. 9 00:00:55,890 --> 00:00:59,090 Speaker 1: The tale they're about to tell you involves fireworks, spies, 10 00:00:59,370 --> 00:01:04,290 Speaker 1: opera singers, suspected sex workers, German nobility, and cigar bombs. 11 00:01:04,610 --> 00:01:09,010 Speaker 1: It's quite the story. Barry Boys is a fortnightly podcast 12 00:01:09,210 --> 00:01:11,970 Speaker 1: all about the history of New York City. It's full 13 00:01:12,010 --> 00:01:16,650 Speaker 1: of fascinating curiosities and surprising stories. The hosts Greg Young 14 00:01:16,690 --> 00:01:19,370 Speaker 1: and Tom Meyers have been making the show since two 15 00:01:19,410 --> 00:01:22,570 Speaker 1: thousand and seven, so as you can imagine, they really 16 00:01:22,570 --> 00:01:26,010 Speaker 1: know what they're talking about. You can, of course find 17 00:01:26,050 --> 00:01:29,970 Speaker 1: the Bowery Boys podcast in all the usual places. So 18 00:01:30,050 --> 00:01:34,850 Speaker 1: now caution Retales presents Danger in the Harbor from the 19 00:01:34,890 --> 00:01:40,330 Speaker 1: Bowery Boys, The Barry Boys, Episode one ninety seven, Danger 20 00:01:40,530 --> 00:01:43,890 Speaker 1: in the Harbor, The Black Tarn Explosion. Hey it's the 21 00:01:43,890 --> 00:02:01,050 Speaker 1: Bowery Boys. Hey, hi there, Welcome to the Bowery Boys. 22 00:02:01,090 --> 00:02:03,970 Speaker 1: This is Greg Young and this is Tom Myers. There 23 00:02:04,050 --> 00:02:08,010 Speaker 1: once was a very special place in one of America's 24 00:02:08,050 --> 00:02:11,690 Speaker 1: most famous land marks where visitors got to observe the 25 00:02:11,730 --> 00:02:16,170 Speaker 1: New York Harbor from a very unique perspective. But for 26 00:02:16,250 --> 00:02:20,970 Speaker 1: almost one hundred years, that vantage spot, that place at 27 00:02:20,970 --> 00:02:25,330 Speaker 1: this landmark has been permanently closed. This is the story 28 00:02:25,650 --> 00:02:28,290 Speaker 1: of how that came to be. This is a story 29 00:02:28,330 --> 00:02:32,410 Speaker 1: about millions of pounds of war munitions and explosives that 30 00:02:32,490 --> 00:02:36,810 Speaker 1: were detonated late one Saturday night in nineteen sixteen. It 31 00:02:36,930 --> 00:02:40,810 Speaker 1: shook the entire region, and it alarmed an entire nation, 32 00:02:41,290 --> 00:02:45,130 Speaker 1: a nation that was trying to remain neutral as war 33 00:02:45,330 --> 00:02:49,170 Speaker 1: spread throughout Europe. Today, we referred to this event as 34 00:02:49,330 --> 00:02:52,890 Speaker 1: the Black tom explosion, which is named for a very 35 00:02:52,970 --> 00:02:55,130 Speaker 1: small island that was right up the coast of New 36 00:02:55,210 --> 00:02:58,290 Speaker 1: Jersey in the New York Harbor, an island which is 37 00:02:58,370 --> 00:03:01,490 Speaker 1: no longer there because of this event. This is generally 38 00:03:01,530 --> 00:03:05,930 Speaker 1: considered to be the largest German act of sabotage on 39 00:03:06,170 --> 00:03:10,210 Speaker 1: US soil during World War One. It's an event that 40 00:03:10,370 --> 00:03:13,410 Speaker 1: is so dramatic, and yet it's something that I feel 41 00:03:13,490 --> 00:03:19,090 Speaker 1: that is relatively unknown or not remember today. The story 42 00:03:19,210 --> 00:03:24,290 Speaker 1: is quite intriguing, very deathifying, and very surprising. So join 43 00:03:24,450 --> 00:03:28,650 Speaker 1: us as we investigate the danger in New York Harbor 44 00:03:28,890 --> 00:04:00,250 Speaker 1: and the Black Tom explosion of nineteen sixteen. So, Tom, 45 00:04:00,290 --> 00:04:03,210 Speaker 1: you and I are about to discuss the Black Tom 46 00:04:03,290 --> 00:04:07,170 Speaker 1: explosion which happened in the early morning hours of July thirtieth, 47 00:04:07,610 --> 00:04:12,770 Speaker 1: nineteen sixteen. Right, and it happened on Black Tom Island, 48 00:04:13,050 --> 00:04:16,370 Speaker 1: which is a small island just off Liberty Island and 49 00:04:16,490 --> 00:04:19,210 Speaker 1: ellis Island, just to the west of those in New 50 00:04:19,290 --> 00:04:22,650 Speaker 1: York Harbor. Now, this island Black Tom, let's just get 51 00:04:22,690 --> 00:04:25,970 Speaker 1: this out of the way. It is allegedly named after 52 00:04:26,770 --> 00:04:31,610 Speaker 1: the islands one time only residents and the African American 53 00:04:31,690 --> 00:04:35,210 Speaker 1: fisherman who went by the name Black Tom. It was 54 00:04:35,490 --> 00:04:39,810 Speaker 1: originally very small, tiny little things connected later to the 55 00:04:39,850 --> 00:04:42,890 Speaker 1: mainland in New Jersey by land Bridge in the late 56 00:04:42,970 --> 00:04:46,370 Speaker 1: nineteenth century, and railroad tracks were laid upon the land 57 00:04:46,370 --> 00:04:49,770 Speaker 1: bridge and the island. Black Tom Island was used as 58 00:04:49,970 --> 00:04:52,610 Speaker 1: a railroad depot in the turn of the century. So 59 00:04:52,650 --> 00:04:55,170 Speaker 1: it was actually a sizeable island. It wasn't It wasn't 60 00:04:55,410 --> 00:04:59,210 Speaker 1: super tiny. It actually had enough space for a few buildings. Well, 61 00:04:59,210 --> 00:05:01,810 Speaker 1: it was built up with landfill, so it would end 62 00:05:01,850 --> 00:05:06,450 Speaker 1: up being much larger than the original natural island. But yes, 63 00:05:06,570 --> 00:05:09,890 Speaker 1: they would build this mile long pier into New York 64 00:05:09,890 --> 00:05:14,890 Speaker 1: Harbor to which vessels and barges could be docked on 65 00:05:14,930 --> 00:05:18,890 Speaker 1: the island itself. There were plenty of warehouses depots for 66 00:05:18,930 --> 00:05:21,730 Speaker 1: the trains. It was a pretty big operation, and by 67 00:05:22,050 --> 00:05:26,170 Speaker 1: nineteen oh five the railroad facility was owned and operated 68 00:05:26,210 --> 00:05:29,770 Speaker 1: by the Lehigh Valley Railroad. They ran the shipping board 69 00:05:29,850 --> 00:05:33,290 Speaker 1: and they were the ones responsible for expanding the island. 70 00:05:33,570 --> 00:05:36,770 Speaker 1: And shortly thereafter the island fell under the jurisdiction of 71 00:05:36,890 --> 00:05:39,610 Speaker 1: Jersey City, so it was part of Greater Jersey City. 72 00:05:39,850 --> 00:05:43,610 Speaker 1: So a routine industrial island delivering freight back and forth 73 00:05:43,650 --> 00:05:47,330 Speaker 1: between ships and the railroad. Yes, and had a prized 74 00:05:47,410 --> 00:05:50,210 Speaker 1: position right here in New York Harbor. It seemed to 75 00:05:50,290 --> 00:05:53,890 Speaker 1: operate without much drama for much of its existence. The 76 00:05:53,930 --> 00:05:56,050 Speaker 1: only thing of note that I could find in the 77 00:05:56,090 --> 00:05:59,970 Speaker 1: papers was a small piece like three paragraphs in the 78 00:05:59,970 --> 00:06:03,410 Speaker 1: New York Times on July seventeenth, nineteen oh seven, about 79 00:06:03,450 --> 00:06:07,050 Speaker 1: two sailors who had drowned off the island. The headline 80 00:06:07,130 --> 00:06:10,730 Speaker 1: was drowned in each other's arms. Two schooner hands on 81 00:06:10,890 --> 00:06:13,930 Speaker 1: furlough apparently fell off the bridge, and later in the 82 00:06:14,010 --> 00:06:16,850 Speaker 1: article it states it is presumed that while walking along 83 00:06:16,890 --> 00:06:20,210 Speaker 1: the narrow plank on the bridge leading from the island 84 00:06:20,250 --> 00:06:23,570 Speaker 1: to the shore, one of the sailors fell off and 85 00:06:23,610 --> 00:06:27,170 Speaker 1: the other attempted to rescue him. The island was really 86 00:06:27,170 --> 00:06:31,370 Speaker 1: just known for its shipping business, a business that turned 87 00:06:31,850 --> 00:06:36,610 Speaker 1: to munitions and firearms and explosives with the onset of 88 00:06:36,690 --> 00:06:39,490 Speaker 1: World War One, which we'll get into a little bit 89 00:06:39,490 --> 00:06:42,090 Speaker 1: more detail in the second right. But let's just say 90 00:06:42,130 --> 00:06:46,850 Speaker 1: at this point that by nineteen fifteen, because of developments 91 00:06:46,850 --> 00:06:49,450 Speaker 1: in the war and the blockade of Germany by the 92 00:06:49,490 --> 00:06:53,450 Speaker 1: British Royal Navy, the US, even though the US was 93 00:06:53,490 --> 00:06:56,570 Speaker 1: a neutral country at this time, the US was only 94 00:06:56,610 --> 00:07:00,610 Speaker 1: trading arms with the Allied forces of Great Britain, France, 95 00:07:00,650 --> 00:07:03,970 Speaker 1: and Russia, so shipping lots of explosives through New York 96 00:07:03,970 --> 00:07:08,850 Speaker 1: Harbor and specifically this particular place right. The railroads would 97 00:07:08,850 --> 00:07:12,690 Speaker 1: bring these explosives across the country from their munition plants 98 00:07:13,010 --> 00:07:16,930 Speaker 1: to Jersey City and out along this land bridge to 99 00:07:17,290 --> 00:07:20,650 Speaker 1: unload into the warehouses, are directly onto barges that would 100 00:07:20,690 --> 00:07:24,610 Speaker 1: take them out to the ships. They weren't exactly advertising 101 00:07:24,690 --> 00:07:27,210 Speaker 1: this fact that they were shipping off, you know, dynamites 102 00:07:27,370 --> 00:07:30,370 Speaker 1: and all manner of other explosives, because that wasn't really 103 00:07:30,410 --> 00:07:33,890 Speaker 1: something that they wanted residents to know too much, not exciting, 104 00:07:34,450 --> 00:07:37,850 Speaker 1: nor did they want you know, German secret agents who 105 00:07:37,930 --> 00:07:40,970 Speaker 1: were of course by that point, crawling around Lower Manhattan 106 00:07:41,050 --> 00:07:44,050 Speaker 1: kind of gazing around trying to figure out where pro 107 00:07:44,210 --> 00:07:46,970 Speaker 1: Allied activity was taking place. But this is kind of 108 00:07:46,970 --> 00:07:49,530 Speaker 1: the set of for the summer of nineteen sixteen. Why 109 00:07:49,530 --> 00:07:51,610 Speaker 1: don't we pull back a little bit maybe to the 110 00:07:51,650 --> 00:07:54,370 Speaker 1: start of the war in nineteen fourteen. Right, So, war 111 00:07:54,450 --> 00:07:57,090 Speaker 1: had broken out in Europe in nineteen fourteen between the 112 00:07:57,210 --> 00:08:02,610 Speaker 1: Central Powers that's Germany and Austria, Hungary versus the Allied Powers, 113 00:08:02,610 --> 00:08:06,170 Speaker 1: which was initially Great Britain, France, and Russia. Now these 114 00:08:06,250 --> 00:08:10,250 Speaker 1: two sides would gain additional nations as the conflict continued 115 00:08:10,290 --> 00:08:14,170 Speaker 1: for years. The US under President would Wilson, would declare 116 00:08:14,170 --> 00:08:18,130 Speaker 1: itself neutral, but would end up really only trading munitions 117 00:08:18,210 --> 00:08:22,170 Speaker 1: with the Allied forces, which was noticed by the German 118 00:08:22,250 --> 00:08:26,010 Speaker 1: secret agents. So there's already German secret agents in the 119 00:08:26,050 --> 00:08:28,610 Speaker 1: city even at the beginning of the war, right, because 120 00:08:28,650 --> 00:08:33,890 Speaker 1: I assume they were kind of stranded here right, Well, some, 121 00:08:34,210 --> 00:08:36,770 Speaker 1: but we have to look at the ambassador from Germany 122 00:08:36,810 --> 00:08:40,890 Speaker 1: who came to the neutral United States to serve as ambassador. 123 00:08:40,890 --> 00:08:44,810 Speaker 1: That's a man named Count Johann von Bernsdorff, who brought 124 00:08:44,850 --> 00:08:47,530 Speaker 1: with him to Washington and to his New York office 125 00:08:47,530 --> 00:08:50,490 Speaker 1: because he had an office at sixty Wall Streets. Not 126 00:08:50,690 --> 00:08:54,770 Speaker 1: your typical cast of diplomats but instead of rather colorful 127 00:08:54,810 --> 00:08:58,290 Speaker 1: cast of characters, and a huge budget one hundred and 128 00:08:58,410 --> 00:09:03,050 Speaker 1: fifty million dollars, much of which was slated for intelligence 129 00:09:03,090 --> 00:09:07,130 Speaker 1: gathering and sabotage, where they would, among other things, issue 130 00:09:07,250 --> 00:09:11,650 Speaker 1: fake passports to German undercover agents to go off to 131 00:09:11,770 --> 00:09:15,450 Speaker 1: France and to Great Britain. So the passports themselves were 132 00:09:15,450 --> 00:09:19,650 Speaker 1: actually real passports, but what they would do is bribe 133 00:09:19,810 --> 00:09:22,730 Speaker 1: or just pay off men who were out of work 134 00:09:23,010 --> 00:09:25,570 Speaker 1: and you know, weren't planning on going out of the 135 00:09:25,610 --> 00:09:29,210 Speaker 1: country anytime soon, so they would they would get real 136 00:09:29,250 --> 00:09:32,050 Speaker 1: passports and then of course would then be faked with 137 00:09:32,090 --> 00:09:35,330 Speaker 1: the names and identities of Germans who were already residing 138 00:09:35,410 --> 00:09:37,170 Speaker 1: in New York at this time, so then they could 139 00:09:37,170 --> 00:09:40,210 Speaker 1: go back and engage in battle back home. But they 140 00:09:40,210 --> 00:09:44,730 Speaker 1: were also issuing fake passports to allow undercover agents to 141 00:09:45,170 --> 00:09:48,250 Speaker 1: travel to France and to Great Britain and spy over 142 00:09:48,290 --> 00:09:51,130 Speaker 1: there and spy for the Central Powers. But of course, 143 00:09:51,170 --> 00:09:53,810 Speaker 1: a great great majority of the German Americans who were 144 00:09:53,850 --> 00:09:57,530 Speaker 1: living in New York, millions of people who had immigrated 145 00:09:57,570 --> 00:09:59,770 Speaker 1: into the United States in the second half of the 146 00:09:59,850 --> 00:10:03,090 Speaker 1: nineteenth century and early twentieth century, were not at all 147 00:10:03,170 --> 00:10:06,330 Speaker 1: involved in any of this. And furthermore, they had assimilated 148 00:10:06,450 --> 00:10:12,050 Speaker 1: quite well into the American society, becoming successful businessmen, very 149 00:10:12,090 --> 00:10:16,330 Speaker 1: well respected citizens. So this was dragging their reputation a 150 00:10:16,370 --> 00:10:18,490 Speaker 1: bit through the mud. There were already two or three 151 00:10:18,530 --> 00:10:22,410 Speaker 1: generations of German immigrants in New York City who had 152 00:10:22,690 --> 00:10:26,450 Speaker 1: who were basically the bedrock of a lot of neighborhoods, 153 00:10:26,530 --> 00:10:28,210 Speaker 1: so of course there was also a lot of anti 154 00:10:28,290 --> 00:10:32,290 Speaker 1: German sentiment. And meanwhile, the Yellow Press was filled with 155 00:10:32,330 --> 00:10:38,090 Speaker 1: sensational stories of saboteurs and of German double agents men 156 00:10:38,210 --> 00:10:40,010 Speaker 1: popping out of cars in the middle of the night 157 00:10:40,050 --> 00:10:43,650 Speaker 1: and running down alleyways. It was all spy and all intrigue. 158 00:10:44,170 --> 00:10:47,730 Speaker 1: But some of that was rooted in fact, because between 159 00:10:47,850 --> 00:10:52,450 Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen and nineteen eighteen, German agents sabotage more than 160 00:10:52,570 --> 00:10:55,890 Speaker 1: fifty sites in the US, and thirty of those were 161 00:10:55,930 --> 00:10:59,810 Speaker 1: in New York alone. Which isn't really that surprising that 162 00:10:59,810 --> 00:11:01,850 Speaker 1: there would be so many that were sabotaged in New 163 00:11:01,930 --> 00:11:04,730 Speaker 1: York and New York Harbor because the area was home 164 00:11:04,770 --> 00:11:08,730 Speaker 1: to so many factories and such important large ports shipping 165 00:11:08,730 --> 00:11:11,290 Speaker 1: things back to Europe. So then it would make sense 166 00:11:11,370 --> 00:11:15,770 Speaker 1: that this little island, Black tom Island, with this very 167 00:11:15,810 --> 00:11:19,850 Speaker 1: active railroad bridge, with these warehouses, with these barges loading 168 00:11:19,970 --> 00:11:23,490 Speaker 1: munitions on ships, would be a prime target. I'm gonna 169 00:11:23,490 --> 00:11:25,090 Speaker 1: be cut back to this point because i want to 170 00:11:25,090 --> 00:11:27,290 Speaker 1: spend a little bit more time here on the absurdity 171 00:11:27,850 --> 00:11:33,130 Speaker 1: of munitions and explosives being built. We're talking millions and 172 00:11:33,330 --> 00:11:37,410 Speaker 1: millions of pounds of explosives that came through here, that 173 00:11:37,490 --> 00:11:40,690 Speaker 1: were either manufactured here or that were of course being 174 00:11:40,730 --> 00:11:43,970 Speaker 1: transferred from here. This was not just a phenomena of 175 00:11:44,170 --> 00:11:46,890 Speaker 1: World War One. This is actually how it had been 176 00:11:47,130 --> 00:11:50,890 Speaker 1: for decades. A sort of lighter example of this, of course, 177 00:11:51,090 --> 00:11:55,610 Speaker 1: was the many dozens of places around here that manufactured fireworks, 178 00:11:55,450 --> 00:11:58,210 Speaker 1: and well, for a short time even fireworks were sold 179 00:11:58,330 --> 00:12:00,570 Speaker 1: on a street just off of City Hall and it 180 00:12:00,610 --> 00:12:05,250 Speaker 1: was nicknamed Firecrackery Lane. There would be several distributors of fireworks, 181 00:12:05,330 --> 00:12:07,730 Speaker 1: like in the middle of the city. Wow, for a 182 00:12:07,770 --> 00:12:11,450 Speaker 1: short while, building would actually catch on fire here. So yeah, 183 00:12:11,450 --> 00:12:14,410 Speaker 1: so they had to eventually run that out of town, clearly. 184 00:12:14,890 --> 00:12:17,890 Speaker 1: But because of this, a lot of businesses around the area, 185 00:12:17,930 --> 00:12:20,290 Speaker 1: including Staten Island, which was also very well known for 186 00:12:20,370 --> 00:12:23,690 Speaker 1: these kind of places, they sort of had fireworks as 187 00:12:23,730 --> 00:12:26,610 Speaker 1: their kind of cover, but what they actually manufactured were 188 00:12:26,610 --> 00:12:29,570 Speaker 1: things that were a lot more serious, either munitions or 189 00:12:29,610 --> 00:12:33,530 Speaker 1: the machinery or chemicals that could make munitions. And these 190 00:12:33,570 --> 00:12:37,410 Speaker 1: were produced in factories in New York City. Yes, and 191 00:12:37,450 --> 00:12:40,410 Speaker 1: so you may of course wonder why, but by the 192 00:12:40,450 --> 00:12:43,330 Speaker 1: time of World War One, America was actually in a 193 00:12:43,370 --> 00:12:47,410 Speaker 1: financial slump. There was almost one million people unemployed. This 194 00:12:47,530 --> 00:12:51,210 Speaker 1: war had cut into profits in other ways and other 195 00:12:51,370 --> 00:12:55,170 Speaker 1: industries and really damage the export industry for a short 196 00:12:55,210 --> 00:12:58,610 Speaker 1: time anyway, But munitions were a growth industry here, right, 197 00:12:58,650 --> 00:13:02,530 Speaker 1: So if you were already manufacturing fireworks and it was legal, 198 00:13:02,610 --> 00:13:05,370 Speaker 1: and why wouldn't you just sort of expand it if 199 00:13:05,370 --> 00:13:07,970 Speaker 1: you knew you could get a lot more income, right, 200 00:13:08,530 --> 00:13:12,770 Speaker 1: makes perfect sense, although it sounds still pretty dangerous. As 201 00:13:12,810 --> 00:13:15,890 Speaker 1: production increased here in these years, as you mentioned, there 202 00:13:15,890 --> 00:13:19,330 Speaker 1: were larger number of accidents. Between nineteen fourteen and nineteen 203 00:13:19,370 --> 00:13:21,970 Speaker 1: sixteen there were the most accidents because of course they 204 00:13:21,970 --> 00:13:25,570 Speaker 1: weren't Jess manufacturing fireworks, but that was always the cover 205 00:13:26,210 --> 00:13:29,810 Speaker 1: a smoke screen, if you're definitely a smoke screen. One 206 00:13:29,930 --> 00:13:34,050 Speaker 1: example of one of these quote unquote fireworks companies on 207 00:13:34,130 --> 00:13:37,810 Speaker 1: October third, nineteen fourteen, in Jersey City, so really not 208 00:13:37,930 --> 00:13:41,850 Speaker 1: that far from Black Tom, the Twiller and Street fireworks 209 00:13:41,930 --> 00:13:46,530 Speaker 1: plant exploded. Four people were killed instantly, and the New 210 00:13:46,610 --> 00:13:51,010 Speaker 1: York Tribune actually noted the unwillingness of the executives that 211 00:13:51,050 --> 00:13:54,250 Speaker 1: even talk about the blast at all, because of course 212 00:13:54,690 --> 00:13:57,250 Speaker 1: they weren't supposed to be making munitions. They were just 213 00:13:57,250 --> 00:14:02,730 Speaker 1: supposed to be making celebration goods. Did they expect foul 214 00:14:02,810 --> 00:14:06,090 Speaker 1: play or was it just another case of a fireworks 215 00:14:06,130 --> 00:14:09,410 Speaker 1: factory exploding? Well in eerie parallel to those story that 216 00:14:09,410 --> 00:14:11,930 Speaker 1: we're about to tell it is later believed that this 217 00:14:12,010 --> 00:14:15,610 Speaker 1: particular fireworks plant was sabotaged. But the thing is is 218 00:14:15,650 --> 00:14:18,130 Speaker 1: that there were these explosions all the time. That's the 219 00:14:18,210 --> 00:14:21,010 Speaker 1: sort of sad reality that these things kind of happened 220 00:14:21,090 --> 00:14:24,170 Speaker 1: once in a while, and because of just the improper 221 00:14:24,370 --> 00:14:28,730 Speaker 1: care of these particular explosive devices. But Germans already by 222 00:14:28,770 --> 00:14:32,250 Speaker 1: this time, by nineteen fourteen, when this fireworks plant exploded, 223 00:14:32,690 --> 00:14:35,050 Speaker 1: these were already being targeted. So from a book I 224 00:14:35,090 --> 00:14:38,970 Speaker 1: read called the German Secret Service in America nineteen fourteen 225 00:14:39,010 --> 00:14:44,530 Speaker 1: to nineteen eighteen, quote a circular dated November eighteenth, nineteen fourteen, 226 00:14:44,890 --> 00:14:48,210 Speaker 1: issued by German Naval Headquarters to all naval agents throughout 227 00:14:48,250 --> 00:14:51,570 Speaker 1: the world ordered mobilized, all agents who are overseas and 228 00:14:51,650 --> 00:14:56,290 Speaker 1: all destroying agents in ports where vessels carrying war material 229 00:14:56,330 --> 00:15:01,330 Speaker 1: are loaded in England, France, Canada, the United States and Russia. 230 00:15:01,370 --> 00:15:04,090 Speaker 1: So the thing I guess that we've really reinforced here 231 00:15:04,170 --> 00:15:07,090 Speaker 1: is even though we were neutral, we were essentially the enemy, 232 00:15:07,090 --> 00:15:09,810 Speaker 1: and we were essentially on the Allied side. And this 233 00:15:09,890 --> 00:15:12,450 Speaker 1: is further proof that there were German agents living here 234 00:15:12,530 --> 00:15:15,850 Speaker 1: and operating here in New York City, Here's an excerpt 235 00:15:15,890 --> 00:15:20,730 Speaker 1: tom from a German notebook that outlined the code phrases 236 00:15:21,210 --> 00:15:24,530 Speaker 1: that operatives would use when they were talking on the 237 00:15:24,570 --> 00:15:28,850 Speaker 1: telephone in New York City. Okay, okay, okay, so this 238 00:15:28,930 --> 00:15:33,130 Speaker 1: is from the code. It's been translated. I'm not very 239 00:15:33,130 --> 00:15:34,970 Speaker 1: good at German. That would be kind of funny to 240 00:15:35,210 --> 00:15:37,970 Speaker 1: have me read the German and then translated. But now 241 00:15:38,570 --> 00:15:42,890 Speaker 1: quote a street number in Manhattan named over the telephone 242 00:15:43,210 --> 00:15:46,690 Speaker 1: means that the meeting will take place five blocks further 243 00:15:46,850 --> 00:15:52,650 Speaker 1: uptown than the street mentioned. Pennsylvania Railroad Station means Grand 244 00:15:52,730 --> 00:15:57,650 Speaker 1: Central Depot hotel, and Sonia means the cafe at the 245 00:15:57,690 --> 00:16:02,850 Speaker 1: hotel Manhattan Basement. Hotel Belmont means at the bar in 246 00:16:02,970 --> 00:16:06,210 Speaker 1: pass in Columbus Circle, unquote. And it went on and 247 00:16:06,250 --> 00:16:09,570 Speaker 1: on and on that one place would actually mean other place, 248 00:16:09,810 --> 00:16:12,890 Speaker 1: and these would really confusing. You have to really be 249 00:16:13,010 --> 00:16:15,610 Speaker 1: up on your on your cracked codes here because it 250 00:16:15,650 --> 00:16:18,370 Speaker 1: would change every single month. We would be so bad 251 00:16:18,370 --> 00:16:20,890 Speaker 1: at this cred. We would constantly be in the wrong bar, 252 00:16:21,050 --> 00:16:23,210 Speaker 1: in the wrong hotel. I would always be showing up 253 00:16:23,210 --> 00:16:27,410 Speaker 1: the paps going like, where's my spies at No, But 254 00:16:27,490 --> 00:16:30,570 Speaker 1: so there's cafes all over the place. There's a lot 255 00:16:30,610 --> 00:16:34,490 Speaker 1: of meeting spots, okay, where a lot of diabolical behavior 256 00:16:34,970 --> 00:16:39,570 Speaker 1: was being crafted. But perhaps the center of all German 257 00:16:39,610 --> 00:16:42,930 Speaker 1: intrigues in World War One was in fact in a 258 00:16:43,010 --> 00:16:47,570 Speaker 1: townhouse in Chelsea, tom The address is one twenty three 259 00:16:47,810 --> 00:16:51,810 Speaker 1: West fifteenth Street, that's between sixth Avenue and seventh Avenue. 260 00:16:52,410 --> 00:16:57,530 Speaker 1: This was the home of renowned opera singer Baroness Martha 261 00:16:57,610 --> 00:17:02,490 Speaker 1: held Wait, the so called center of German intrigues was 262 00:17:02,530 --> 00:17:07,210 Speaker 1: in a baroness opera singer's Chelsea townhouse. Yes, her name 263 00:17:07,250 --> 00:17:10,170 Speaker 1: was Martha held Now. It was from a marriage that 264 00:17:10,250 --> 00:17:12,130 Speaker 1: we don't really know where she got the name. Perhaps 265 00:17:12,130 --> 00:17:15,330 Speaker 1: she just started to call herself the baroness. Okay. Every 266 00:17:15,370 --> 00:17:18,050 Speaker 1: description that I've read of her describes her as a 267 00:17:18,210 --> 00:17:23,410 Speaker 1: robust woman, a striking brunette. According to this author, Jules Whitcoker, 268 00:17:23,610 --> 00:17:27,850 Speaker 1: quote busty and bucksham, with shiny black hair, dark blue eyes, 269 00:17:27,970 --> 00:17:32,770 Speaker 1: a pointed chin, and a voice that could shatter China, 270 00:17:32,930 --> 00:17:37,490 Speaker 1: the nation or the plates, the plates, many plates. Probably 271 00:17:37,490 --> 00:17:40,810 Speaker 1: not the whole nation, maybe a smaller country. Well. Anyway, 272 00:17:40,850 --> 00:17:45,450 Speaker 1: her parlor was frequently filled with guests entertained of course, 273 00:17:45,490 --> 00:17:48,090 Speaker 1: by Misheld's voice. But of course it was a very 274 00:17:48,130 --> 00:17:52,170 Speaker 1: fancy house, perhaps a little too fancy for a modestly 275 00:17:52,450 --> 00:17:56,130 Speaker 1: successful opera singer. From the moment she first rented to 276 00:17:56,130 --> 00:17:59,690 Speaker 1: this town house, neighbors begin suspecting that perhaps she was 277 00:18:00,170 --> 00:18:04,090 Speaker 1: a madam, for there were many gentleman callers who snuck 278 00:18:04,130 --> 00:18:08,410 Speaker 1: in through the basement door. This kind of behavior would 279 00:18:08,410 --> 00:18:10,250 Speaker 1: have been seen for the rep in the Tenderloind and 280 00:18:10,290 --> 00:18:12,970 Speaker 1: perhaps not a surprise in this area. During this time, 281 00:18:13,490 --> 00:18:16,930 Speaker 1: the suspicious landlord declared, quote, I noticed there was a 282 00:18:16,970 --> 00:18:19,490 Speaker 1: great deal of wine and liquor about in the house. 283 00:18:19,770 --> 00:18:24,250 Speaker 1: Always had a German atmosphere. What does that mean? A 284 00:18:24,410 --> 00:18:28,290 Speaker 1: German atmosphere? I should continue. Missus Held told me on 285 00:18:28,290 --> 00:18:31,050 Speaker 1: several occasions that the sea captains on the German boats 286 00:18:31,050 --> 00:18:33,490 Speaker 1: were accustomed to coming there, and she said she would 287 00:18:33,530 --> 00:18:36,570 Speaker 1: give them little dinners at night. So this was in 288 00:18:36,570 --> 00:18:40,330 Speaker 1: fact a safe house for German intelligence officers and operatives 289 00:18:40,330 --> 00:18:44,090 Speaker 1: that were connected to the top level German ambassador von Bernsdorff, 290 00:18:44,130 --> 00:18:46,730 Speaker 1: the man that you mentioned earlier. Right, So this was 291 00:18:46,770 --> 00:18:50,450 Speaker 1: a hotbed of scheming and scandal. Miss Held actually had 292 00:18:50,650 --> 00:18:54,250 Speaker 1: young women callers around to entertain the men so it 293 00:18:54,530 --> 00:18:57,610 Speaker 1: certainly look a lot like a brothel. Now one frequent 294 00:18:57,770 --> 00:18:59,450 Speaker 1: guest and a woman who will come into play a 295 00:18:59,970 --> 00:19:02,610 Speaker 1: very important way later in the story. It's a young 296 00:19:02,690 --> 00:19:06,170 Speaker 1: lady named Mena Rice. She would of course be known 297 00:19:06,210 --> 00:19:10,410 Speaker 1: as the Eastman girl, for she was a mole in Eastman. 298 00:19:10,530 --> 00:19:14,290 Speaker 1: Kodak advertisements a very lovely young woman. Oh, I hear 299 00:19:14,330 --> 00:19:16,690 Speaker 1: her career was developing. Let me give you a little 300 00:19:16,690 --> 00:19:20,810 Speaker 1: snapshot of her time in the house from a book 301 00:19:20,930 --> 00:19:24,650 Speaker 1: from nineteen thirty seven called The Enemy Within, which describes 302 00:19:24,730 --> 00:19:28,250 Speaker 1: some of Mina's testimony regarding her time in the townhouse. Quote. 303 00:19:28,850 --> 00:19:31,930 Speaker 1: The destruction of munitions and factories and other equipment which 304 00:19:32,010 --> 00:19:34,410 Speaker 1: was of service to the Allied government was a constant 305 00:19:34,490 --> 00:19:38,490 Speaker 1: topic of conversation. Sometimes English was spoken, but even when 306 00:19:38,530 --> 00:19:41,610 Speaker 1: German was used, which was generally the case, Miss Rice 307 00:19:41,770 --> 00:19:44,050 Speaker 1: miss edwards. She had been married by this particular time 308 00:19:44,090 --> 00:19:46,770 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty seven. Although she could not talk the 309 00:19:46,850 --> 00:19:50,450 Speaker 1: language fluently, understood enough German to follow what was said 310 00:19:51,010 --> 00:19:55,770 Speaker 1: at these conferences. Bombs were often carefully handed around. Men 311 00:19:55,850 --> 00:20:00,290 Speaker 1: brought them in satchels from Hoboken, and Madame Held stored 312 00:20:00,330 --> 00:20:03,010 Speaker 1: them in a cupboard in readiness to be given later 313 00:20:03,090 --> 00:20:05,490 Speaker 1: to others who carried them away. Hold on, hold on 314 00:20:05,610 --> 00:20:09,610 Speaker 1: or held on. Here they're passing around bomb. How big 315 00:20:09,610 --> 00:20:12,530 Speaker 1: are these bombs? I've seen them described in several different ways. 316 00:20:12,770 --> 00:20:15,330 Speaker 1: One of them is a cigar bomb. Another I've seen 317 00:20:15,370 --> 00:20:18,610 Speaker 1: as a pencil bomb. The pencil bombs I read about these, 318 00:20:18,650 --> 00:20:22,890 Speaker 1: so apparently they would just pass undetected because they would 319 00:20:22,890 --> 00:20:25,570 Speaker 1: be so small, and say, be boarded onto a ship, 320 00:20:25,970 --> 00:20:29,490 Speaker 1: and their slow burning fuse could sort of eat away 321 00:20:29,650 --> 00:20:33,650 Speaker 1: at the pencil bomb and cause an explosion, often when 322 00:20:33,650 --> 00:20:36,250 Speaker 1: this ship was way out at sea. So it's a 323 00:20:36,330 --> 00:20:39,850 Speaker 1: kind of extraordinary thing, right to imagine these very deadly 324 00:20:39,970 --> 00:20:45,090 Speaker 1: objects in satchels and briefcases in a townhouse here on 325 00:20:45,210 --> 00:20:48,410 Speaker 1: fifteenth Street, right, And not only bombs, it would be 326 00:20:48,450 --> 00:20:51,610 Speaker 1: blueprints that would be unfurled. It would be photographs that 327 00:20:51,650 --> 00:20:55,210 Speaker 1: would be carefully examined. Just imagine the scene of the 328 00:20:55,250 --> 00:21:00,090 Speaker 1: typical evening here in the parlor of German operatives here 329 00:21:00,090 --> 00:21:03,970 Speaker 1: describing destroying things here in the New York City area. 330 00:21:04,090 --> 00:21:08,570 Speaker 1: And then absurdly, as pictures of misheld stare down upon 331 00:21:08,650 --> 00:21:12,410 Speaker 1: these particular events, then Miss Heald would then frequently break 332 00:21:12,450 --> 00:21:15,850 Speaker 1: into operatic song here as miss Rice here is sort 333 00:21:15,890 --> 00:21:18,610 Speaker 1: of floating around the edge, kind of listening to everything 334 00:21:19,050 --> 00:21:22,810 Speaker 1: sounds sinister. Well, one evening, a few days before the 335 00:21:23,010 --> 00:21:27,290 Speaker 1: sabotage out at Black tom two chemists, according to Mana, 336 00:21:27,570 --> 00:21:30,450 Speaker 1: came into the house with explosive chemicals and they were 337 00:21:30,450 --> 00:21:33,410 Speaker 1: stored up in the cupboard, and then they began speaking 338 00:21:33,410 --> 00:21:36,610 Speaker 1: about something that was about to happen very very soon. 339 00:21:37,130 --> 00:21:40,610 Speaker 1: She got freaked out. In fact, that weekend left town, 340 00:21:40,650 --> 00:21:42,770 Speaker 1: so she's not even in town for the events that 341 00:21:42,770 --> 00:21:45,010 Speaker 1: we were about to describe here, so she took off. 342 00:21:45,050 --> 00:21:46,930 Speaker 1: Did she tell anybody on her way out of town? 343 00:21:47,690 --> 00:21:50,010 Speaker 1: She didn't. This is kind of one of the big 344 00:21:50,050 --> 00:21:53,570 Speaker 1: mysteries of this whole story. One theory is the fact 345 00:21:53,610 --> 00:21:56,650 Speaker 1: that if she announced her participation in this, or that 346 00:21:56,730 --> 00:21:59,330 Speaker 1: she went to this house, that no one would believe 347 00:21:59,370 --> 00:22:02,010 Speaker 1: her and would look at her life and the number 348 00:22:02,010 --> 00:22:03,890 Speaker 1: of times she would go there and think, oh, well, 349 00:22:03,930 --> 00:22:06,570 Speaker 1: you're a prostitute at a brothel and you're just trying 350 00:22:06,610 --> 00:22:08,450 Speaker 1: to cover this up. She didn't feel like she had 351 00:22:08,490 --> 00:22:11,170 Speaker 1: a lot of credible ability in this, and it's true, 352 00:22:11,210 --> 00:22:13,130 Speaker 1: who knows if they would have listened to her, But 353 00:22:13,170 --> 00:22:15,570 Speaker 1: I mean, we'll never know that now, and I should 354 00:22:15,610 --> 00:22:18,090 Speaker 1: mention that. Another thing that really freaked Hero out was 355 00:22:18,130 --> 00:22:22,050 Speaker 1: the conversation about watchmen out at Black Tom who had 356 00:22:22,090 --> 00:22:25,610 Speaker 1: been paid off over the past couple months, paid off 357 00:22:25,610 --> 00:22:28,170 Speaker 1: to sort of look the other way, if not exactly 358 00:22:28,250 --> 00:22:31,490 Speaker 1: assist in the sabotage that was about to occur. So 359 00:22:31,570 --> 00:22:36,770 Speaker 1: she was hearing people actually discuss details involving the phrase 360 00:22:36,810 --> 00:22:40,090 Speaker 1: Black Tom Island. Yes she did, and she didn't really 361 00:22:40,130 --> 00:22:43,010 Speaker 1: reveal all of this until her full testimony all the 362 00:22:43,010 --> 00:22:45,890 Speaker 1: way in nineteen thirty seven. So on the evening of 363 00:22:46,010 --> 00:22:50,650 Speaker 1: January twenty ninth, nineteen sixteen, a group of saboteurs headed 364 00:22:50,810 --> 00:22:53,570 Speaker 1: that evening to Blacktom Island. Again, a lot of the 365 00:22:53,650 --> 00:22:57,050 Speaker 1: details are little hazy because of course many of these 366 00:22:57,090 --> 00:23:00,210 Speaker 1: people would escape and never be caught for their crimes. 367 00:23:00,290 --> 00:23:03,930 Speaker 1: So we're piecing together information of the events of this 368 00:23:03,970 --> 00:23:08,010 Speaker 1: particular evening. But there were two saboteurs, two Germans by 369 00:23:08,010 --> 00:23:12,250 Speaker 1: the name of lothar Aska and Kurt Janka, and they 370 00:23:12,530 --> 00:23:16,330 Speaker 1: traveled by boat. They traveled by a small rowboat and 371 00:23:16,410 --> 00:23:20,290 Speaker 1: crossed the Hudson River to Blacktom Island and had no resistance. 372 00:23:20,650 --> 00:23:23,010 Speaker 1: People later did say that they saw two men in 373 00:23:23,210 --> 00:23:26,530 Speaker 1: a rowboat, but nothing was done about it. Meanwhile, there 374 00:23:26,570 --> 00:23:31,130 Speaker 1: was a third Sabot tour named Michael Kristoff who traveled overland, 375 00:23:30,970 --> 00:23:34,090 Speaker 1: did not come via boat, and he got to the 376 00:23:34,090 --> 00:23:36,650 Speaker 1: side as well thanks to some of these bribes that 377 00:23:36,730 --> 00:23:41,650 Speaker 1: had been distributed throughout the past few weeks. Now, unfortunately, 378 00:23:41,970 --> 00:23:46,450 Speaker 1: the rail yards were filled with locomotives filled with two 379 00:23:46,530 --> 00:23:51,530 Speaker 1: to four million pounds of explosives. So this was just 380 00:23:51,570 --> 00:23:55,130 Speaker 1: a little bit before midnight. Within two or three hours, 381 00:23:55,530 --> 00:23:58,810 Speaker 1: New York City and the entire region would be shaken 382 00:23:58,970 --> 00:24:03,010 Speaker 1: to the bone. We'll get to the details of this chaotic, 383 00:24:03,290 --> 00:24:11,570 Speaker 1: frightening event after the commercial break. Cautionary Tales will return 384 00:24:11,650 --> 00:24:18,810 Speaker 1: with Danger in the Harbor in just a moment. Tim 385 00:24:18,850 --> 00:24:22,490 Speaker 1: Halford here you're listening to the Bowerie Boys on Cautionary Tales. 386 00:24:22,810 --> 00:24:27,370 Speaker 1: Back to Greg and Tom. So it's Saturday, July twenty ninth, 387 00:24:27,770 --> 00:24:31,410 Speaker 1: nineteen sixteen. It's a very warm summer's night. It was 388 00:24:32,210 --> 00:24:35,930 Speaker 1: now after midnight, so we're in the very early morning 389 00:24:36,170 --> 00:24:40,010 Speaker 1: of Sunday, July thirtieth. It's still hot and the air 390 00:24:40,610 --> 00:24:44,690 Speaker 1: is thick with mosquitoes. On Black Tom Island, there's seventy 391 00:24:44,730 --> 00:24:47,570 Speaker 1: to one hundred railroad cars that were stopped in their 392 00:24:47,610 --> 00:24:50,810 Speaker 1: tracks for the night. They were packed with more than 393 00:24:50,850 --> 00:24:54,890 Speaker 1: a thousand tons of munitions, and just off the island 394 00:24:54,930 --> 00:24:58,730 Speaker 1: on the piers, freighters and barges sat tied up, many 395 00:24:58,810 --> 00:25:01,210 Speaker 1: packed and waiting for the morning to be shipped off 396 00:25:01,250 --> 00:25:05,210 Speaker 1: to England and France. It was a huge amount of munitions, 397 00:25:05,250 --> 00:25:08,850 Speaker 1: even more than usual. And there were some guards. There 398 00:25:08,850 --> 00:25:12,930 Speaker 1: were what six or eight guards walking around the island. 399 00:25:13,050 --> 00:25:15,330 Speaker 1: There were some detectives. They were hired actually by the 400 00:25:15,370 --> 00:25:18,810 Speaker 1: British who did suspect that there might be some kind 401 00:25:18,890 --> 00:25:23,330 Speaker 1: of sabotage or foul play, but they certainly weren't enough. Well, 402 00:25:23,650 --> 00:25:26,210 Speaker 1: there was a lot to guard. They had all those warehouses, 403 00:25:26,250 --> 00:25:29,050 Speaker 1: they had the ships, they had the hundred train cars. 404 00:25:29,770 --> 00:25:33,570 Speaker 1: Some of these guards had lit so called smudgepots. These 405 00:25:33,610 --> 00:25:36,970 Speaker 1: are pots that were meant to keep the mosquitoes away 406 00:25:37,010 --> 00:25:39,250 Speaker 1: because it's just so hot and sticky and you know 407 00:25:39,330 --> 00:25:42,130 Speaker 1: how awful it gets, kind of like a citronella candle 408 00:25:42,290 --> 00:25:44,970 Speaker 1: is today if you're sitting on your patio. But smudgepot 409 00:25:45,050 --> 00:25:48,090 Speaker 1: to get the mosquitoes out of the air. Now, just 410 00:25:48,170 --> 00:25:51,490 Speaker 1: after midnight, some of the guards spotted fires on the 411 00:25:51,490 --> 00:25:54,690 Speaker 1: island and on the pier. Some of the guards tried 412 00:25:54,690 --> 00:25:56,650 Speaker 1: to put it out right away as best they could, 413 00:25:57,450 --> 00:26:01,450 Speaker 1: while others sensed the danger that they were in and 414 00:26:01,490 --> 00:26:04,530 Speaker 1: they raced to land over to Jersey City to call 415 00:26:04,610 --> 00:26:08,010 Speaker 1: upon the fire department. And firemen responded, but they were 416 00:26:08,290 --> 00:26:12,090 Speaker 1: extremely cautious and concerned. What were they supposed to do? 417 00:26:12,250 --> 00:26:15,570 Speaker 1: Everybody knew the big danger here. It was tied up 418 00:26:15,770 --> 00:26:19,610 Speaker 1: right there to the pier. There was this huge cargo 419 00:26:19,730 --> 00:26:23,290 Speaker 1: barge called the Johnson seventeen. It was packed with one 420 00:26:23,370 --> 00:26:28,010 Speaker 1: hundred thousand pounds of dynamite, just tied up to that pier, 421 00:26:28,090 --> 00:26:32,970 Speaker 1: and the fire was just drawing closer. And despite their efforts, 422 00:26:33,730 --> 00:26:37,370 Speaker 1: at two o eight in the morning, the Johnson seventeen 423 00:26:37,490 --> 00:26:42,210 Speaker 1: caught fire and it exploded, rocking the tiny island and 424 00:26:42,410 --> 00:26:46,010 Speaker 1: sending thousands of pounds of shrapnel through the air. It 425 00:26:46,090 --> 00:26:50,450 Speaker 1: was an incredibly powerful explosion. In today's terms, it would 426 00:26:50,490 --> 00:26:53,250 Speaker 1: measure a five point five on the Richter scale, like 427 00:26:53,290 --> 00:26:56,850 Speaker 1: an earthquake. It's almost hard to imagine whine it was 428 00:26:56,890 --> 00:27:01,250 Speaker 1: felt ninety miles away, as far away as Philadelphia, and 429 00:27:01,290 --> 00:27:03,570 Speaker 1: so you can imagine just right here in the Harbor 430 00:27:03,610 --> 00:27:06,930 Speaker 1: across from Black Tom Island. How it pounded the skies, 431 00:27:06,970 --> 00:27:10,450 Speaker 1: and it rattled the ground, residents in New York and 432 00:27:10,530 --> 00:27:13,490 Speaker 1: New Jersey out of their beds and into the streets, 433 00:27:13,530 --> 00:27:16,970 Speaker 1: and shattering glass everywhere. Not just some glass, but like 434 00:27:17,130 --> 00:27:20,450 Speaker 1: thousands and thousands of panes of glass all through the city. 435 00:27:21,170 --> 00:27:24,090 Speaker 1: The next day's papers, it was almost the only thing 436 00:27:24,090 --> 00:27:26,330 Speaker 1: on the front page from the New York Times the 437 00:27:26,370 --> 00:27:30,610 Speaker 1: next day, the headline barge cargoes blow up sparks from 438 00:27:30,650 --> 00:27:35,330 Speaker 1: small blaze reach explosives. Firemen trapped, city is terror stricken, 439 00:27:35,890 --> 00:27:39,050 Speaker 1: great part of population rushes to the streets, many in 440 00:27:39,210 --> 00:27:44,050 Speaker 1: night attires seeking safety. The article starts a series of explosions, 441 00:27:44,290 --> 00:27:47,570 Speaker 1: beginning with a terrifying one at two o eight this morning, 442 00:27:47,970 --> 00:27:50,450 Speaker 1: shook New York and New Jersey and spread panic and 443 00:27:50,530 --> 00:27:54,170 Speaker 1: destruction through the city and suburbs. The explosion occurred on 444 00:27:54,330 --> 00:27:58,290 Speaker 1: fourteen barges stored with high explosives at the piers of 445 00:27:58,330 --> 00:28:01,010 Speaker 1: the National Storage Company on Black Tom Island and New 446 00:28:01,050 --> 00:28:05,050 Speaker 1: York Harbor, opposite Bedlow's Island. Firemen who were fighting the 447 00:28:05,090 --> 00:28:07,850 Speaker 1: fire were hurled high into the air as the first 448 00:28:07,890 --> 00:28:12,290 Speaker 1: barge of explosives let go fireman shot Gregg fifty feet 449 00:28:12,370 --> 00:28:16,130 Speaker 1: in the air. The papers. City officials didn't know at 450 00:28:16,130 --> 00:28:18,490 Speaker 1: that point the next day how many people had died. 451 00:28:19,170 --> 00:28:22,050 Speaker 1: In fact, in this article they're estimating that thirty three 452 00:28:22,090 --> 00:28:25,530 Speaker 1: people unperished. That would later come down quite a bit 453 00:28:25,810 --> 00:28:29,490 Speaker 1: around ten it was estimated. Still today there's some ambiguity 454 00:28:29,490 --> 00:28:32,290 Speaker 1: about the number of people who perished in this however, 455 00:28:32,330 --> 00:28:35,770 Speaker 1: the article continues that there was loss of life. However, 456 00:28:35,890 --> 00:28:39,530 Speaker 1: was certain firemen, blackened by smoke and their clothing torn 457 00:28:39,570 --> 00:28:42,850 Speaker 1: to tatters, came staggering out of the smoke, But they 458 00:28:42,850 --> 00:28:45,850 Speaker 1: were two days to tell what had happened. So this 459 00:28:45,930 --> 00:28:49,410 Speaker 1: was a two oway. This first big, giant explosion that 460 00:28:49,930 --> 00:28:53,770 Speaker 1: sent shrapnel through the air and through the entire area. 461 00:28:53,850 --> 00:28:56,290 Speaker 1: But that wasn't the only explosion. There would be additional 462 00:28:56,290 --> 00:28:59,490 Speaker 1: explosions throughout the night, a second, smaller one about thirty 463 00:28:59,490 --> 00:29:03,010 Speaker 1: minutes later, and smaller ones all through the night. By 464 00:29:03,130 --> 00:29:06,130 Speaker 1: three thirty in the morning, according to the Times quote, 465 00:29:06,250 --> 00:29:09,730 Speaker 1: the entire island, Black Tom Island, appeared to be covered 466 00:29:09,730 --> 00:29:12,410 Speaker 1: in a sheet of flame. It must have almost looked 467 00:29:12,410 --> 00:29:15,170 Speaker 1: as if Jersey City was on fire. Yes, for those 468 00:29:15,170 --> 00:29:16,970 Speaker 1: who were able to get over to the water's edge 469 00:29:16,970 --> 00:29:20,090 Speaker 1: and look across and see. But millions of people in 470 00:29:20,130 --> 00:29:22,850 Speaker 1: New York woke up at the same moment. Some were 471 00:29:23,410 --> 00:29:25,530 Speaker 1: still up because it was just two o'clock in the 472 00:29:25,570 --> 00:29:27,770 Speaker 1: morning on a Saturday night. And yeah, some of them 473 00:29:27,810 --> 00:29:30,570 Speaker 1: were up at Columbus Circle, still parting, still having you know, 474 00:29:30,770 --> 00:29:34,170 Speaker 1: still having dinner, still dancing. But many more had tucked 475 00:29:34,210 --> 00:29:38,210 Speaker 1: themselves into bed at home or in hotels and got 476 00:29:38,210 --> 00:29:40,810 Speaker 1: out of bed or fell out of bed and ran 477 00:29:40,850 --> 00:29:42,890 Speaker 1: out into the street to see what in the world 478 00:29:42,890 --> 00:29:45,730 Speaker 1: had happened, you know. Wasn't like most people just immediately 479 00:29:45,730 --> 00:29:50,330 Speaker 1: suspected that munitions over on Black tom Island had exploded. 480 00:29:50,610 --> 00:29:52,890 Speaker 1: Most people thought that there was something much closer to 481 00:29:52,890 --> 00:29:54,970 Speaker 1: where they were that had exploded, perhaps even on their 482 00:29:54,970 --> 00:29:58,730 Speaker 1: own block. Many firemen who lived in Manhattan, their natural 483 00:29:58,770 --> 00:30:02,930 Speaker 1: inclination was to actually head down to the Italian Quarter, 484 00:30:03,170 --> 00:30:05,610 Speaker 1: to where Little Italy is today, because because many of 485 00:30:05,610 --> 00:30:08,890 Speaker 1: them assumed it was bombs related to the Black Hand, 486 00:30:09,330 --> 00:30:13,050 Speaker 1: to Italian blackmailers who frequently left small bombs all over 487 00:30:13,090 --> 00:30:15,490 Speaker 1: the city, So that was their first assumption. Was so 488 00:30:15,570 --> 00:30:18,050 Speaker 1: this was just a major version of that, And that 489 00:30:18,170 --> 00:30:21,770 Speaker 1: was just one hypothesis people were pulling fire alarms and 490 00:30:21,850 --> 00:30:24,610 Speaker 1: calling fire stations all over town, thinking that there had 491 00:30:24,650 --> 00:30:27,490 Speaker 1: been an explosion right in their neighborhood. They were calling 492 00:30:27,530 --> 00:30:29,890 Speaker 1: the police department. So there was a crazy amount of 493 00:30:29,930 --> 00:30:33,690 Speaker 1: police and fire activity trying to get through streets that 494 00:30:33,730 --> 00:30:37,010 Speaker 1: were clogged already with panicked residents trying to figure out 495 00:30:37,010 --> 00:30:40,330 Speaker 1: what had happened. So it was complete chaos. It was 496 00:30:40,410 --> 00:30:43,690 Speaker 1: really described as rush hour traffic, and of course, with 497 00:30:43,770 --> 00:30:47,250 Speaker 1: the police tied up in false reports of buildings being dynamited. 498 00:30:47,610 --> 00:30:50,650 Speaker 1: There was some report of looters taken advantage of the situation, 499 00:30:51,090 --> 00:30:54,250 Speaker 1: and panes of glass all over the city. Thousands of 500 00:30:54,290 --> 00:30:59,090 Speaker 1: windows shattered from the Financial District, all of JP Morgan's offices, 501 00:30:59,610 --> 00:31:04,490 Speaker 1: windows shattered to Times Square, to Riverside Drive, the windows 502 00:31:04,490 --> 00:31:07,250 Speaker 1: of the New York Public Library shattered on Fifth Avenue, 503 00:31:07,410 --> 00:31:10,210 Speaker 1: and at Times Square, guest jumped from their beds at 504 00:31:10,250 --> 00:31:13,610 Speaker 1: the Knickerbocker Hotel and they raced in their pajamas into 505 00:31:13,610 --> 00:31:16,370 Speaker 1: Times Square. And meanwhile, and you can just imagine the 506 00:31:16,450 --> 00:31:19,490 Speaker 1: chaos of this situation. At the same time, a water 507 00:31:19,610 --> 00:31:22,570 Speaker 1: main burst in sixth Avenue near forty second Street and 508 00:31:22,690 --> 00:31:25,490 Speaker 1: flooded a block in four directions. According to the Times, 509 00:31:25,490 --> 00:31:27,290 Speaker 1: it must have seen that the world was ending at 510 00:31:27,330 --> 00:31:31,090 Speaker 1: forty second and sixth Avenue from the Times, quote from 511 00:31:31,090 --> 00:31:34,530 Speaker 1: the large hotels, women rushed out scantily clad, and men 512 00:31:34,610 --> 00:31:37,650 Speaker 1: who wore pajamas covered with overcoats. And it wasn't just 513 00:31:37,730 --> 00:31:40,890 Speaker 1: in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It rattled two different elevated trains 514 00:31:41,250 --> 00:31:45,810 Speaker 1: crossing the Brooklyn Bridge into the Borough Scary. You can 515 00:31:45,850 --> 00:31:47,410 Speaker 1: imagine what it would have been like to be on 516 00:31:47,450 --> 00:31:49,770 Speaker 1: board one of those, and it shattered those train windows 517 00:31:49,810 --> 00:31:53,090 Speaker 1: as well. It shaped and it rattled, and it actually 518 00:31:53,170 --> 00:31:57,130 Speaker 1: swayed the Brooklyn, the Manhattan and the Williamsburg bridges, causing 519 00:31:57,210 --> 00:32:00,330 Speaker 1: panic among the people who were crossing in automobiles and 520 00:32:00,770 --> 00:32:03,730 Speaker 1: crossing by foot. A building on Myrtle Avenue in Washington 521 00:32:03,810 --> 00:32:07,250 Speaker 1: Street had been quote knocked down by the explosion. There 522 00:32:07,290 --> 00:32:09,730 Speaker 1: was a lot of shaking around the Borough Hall neighborhood, 523 00:32:09,890 --> 00:32:12,690 Speaker 1: including the offices of the Brooklyn Eagle, where the staff 524 00:32:12,770 --> 00:32:15,330 Speaker 1: was busy getting out the next day's paper, and they 525 00:32:15,370 --> 00:32:18,410 Speaker 1: all of a sudden all of their windows shattered. And meanwhile, 526 00:32:18,410 --> 00:32:20,290 Speaker 1: in New Jersey, a two and a half month old 527 00:32:20,370 --> 00:32:23,770 Speaker 1: child in Jersey City was tragically thrown from his crib 528 00:32:23,810 --> 00:32:27,810 Speaker 1: and died from the shock. In Jersey City, practically every 529 00:32:27,850 --> 00:32:31,810 Speaker 1: windows shattered, and to make matters only worse, basically every 530 00:32:31,810 --> 00:32:34,650 Speaker 1: telephone line between New York and New Jersey was down. 531 00:32:34,850 --> 00:32:38,290 Speaker 1: The connection had been blown up. You're describing all of 532 00:32:38,290 --> 00:32:41,770 Speaker 1: these panes of glass breaking, like thousands and thousands and 533 00:32:41,850 --> 00:32:44,930 Speaker 1: thousands of windows here. I actually, I just can't believe 534 00:32:44,930 --> 00:32:47,570 Speaker 1: that there are actually no deaths attributed to all of 535 00:32:47,610 --> 00:32:49,890 Speaker 1: this broken glass. I mean, there were some, certainly hundreds 536 00:32:49,930 --> 00:32:52,650 Speaker 1: of injuries, but because it was so early in the 537 00:32:52,690 --> 00:32:54,970 Speaker 1: morning that there weren't actually a lot of people on 538 00:32:55,050 --> 00:32:58,370 Speaker 1: the streets for the initial blasts or for the glass 539 00:32:58,410 --> 00:33:01,650 Speaker 1: coming down onto the sidewalks and streets. But then also 540 00:33:01,730 --> 00:33:04,250 Speaker 1: all of the people, you know, hundreds of thousands of 541 00:33:04,250 --> 00:33:06,490 Speaker 1: people who raced out into streets and tried to figure 542 00:33:06,530 --> 00:33:09,490 Speaker 1: out what was going on, and thousands of people who 543 00:33:09,530 --> 00:33:12,250 Speaker 1: tried to make their way over to the water's edge 544 00:33:12,290 --> 00:33:16,250 Speaker 1: to see what was happening, to gaze upon the spectacle 545 00:33:16,290 --> 00:33:18,970 Speaker 1: of the fire as it was burning. You can imagine 546 00:33:18,970 --> 00:33:21,330 Speaker 1: how dangerous it was to have these thousands of people 547 00:33:21,330 --> 00:33:24,810 Speaker 1: stomping upon all of this broken glass. She told us 548 00:33:24,810 --> 00:33:27,650 Speaker 1: about Jersey City and Manhattan and Brooklyn. But what about 549 00:33:27,690 --> 00:33:31,050 Speaker 1: the two islands that are actually closest here to Black Tom, 550 00:33:31,090 --> 00:33:36,450 Speaker 1: which was Bedlow's Island, of course, Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Well, 551 00:33:36,490 --> 00:33:39,890 Speaker 1: on Ellis Island about six hundred to seven hundred immigrants, 552 00:33:40,370 --> 00:33:43,090 Speaker 1: many of them who were patients at the hospital facility 553 00:33:43,130 --> 00:33:47,050 Speaker 1: on the island, had to be transferred to Manhattan. And meanwhile, 554 00:33:47,130 --> 00:33:51,130 Speaker 1: over on Bedlow's Island, shrapnel actually struck the back of 555 00:33:51,170 --> 00:33:54,250 Speaker 1: the Statue of Liberty, doing great damage one hundred thousand 556 00:33:54,290 --> 00:33:57,490 Speaker 1: dollars in damage to her torch and to her robe. 557 00:33:57,930 --> 00:34:01,050 Speaker 1: Imagine Greg, these bullets and these bombs that had been 558 00:34:01,090 --> 00:34:06,250 Speaker 1: meant for a war in Europe actually attacking instead the 559 00:34:06,370 --> 00:34:09,450 Speaker 1: very symbol of liberty here in the United States. That 560 00:34:09,570 --> 00:34:13,210 Speaker 1: is some unfortunate symbolism here. When it was all done, 561 00:34:13,330 --> 00:34:18,050 Speaker 1: Black Tom Island was almost entirely destroyed, It's pure and 562 00:34:18,130 --> 00:34:22,530 Speaker 1: its docks nearly completely demolished. And we both saw conflicting 563 00:34:22,610 --> 00:34:26,690 Speaker 1: numbers of people killed in the explosions. I saw his few, seven, 564 00:34:27,130 --> 00:34:30,090 Speaker 1: I saw ten. Also, it's difficult to say because so 565 00:34:30,170 --> 00:34:34,050 Speaker 1: many people suffered from injuries and from falls that were 566 00:34:34,130 --> 00:34:37,490 Speaker 1: related to this incident. But we're not directly attributed to it. 567 00:34:37,810 --> 00:34:41,130 Speaker 1: One of those victims was the captain of the Johnson seventeen, 568 00:34:41,410 --> 00:34:44,490 Speaker 1: whose body washed up onto the shore of Jersey City 569 00:34:44,530 --> 00:34:48,890 Speaker 1: just a few days later. The explosions resulted in over 570 00:34:49,290 --> 00:34:53,450 Speaker 1: twenty million dollars in damages in at nineteen sixteen dollars, 571 00:34:53,530 --> 00:34:57,250 Speaker 1: which is about five hundred million dollars worth of damage today. 572 00:34:57,690 --> 00:34:59,770 Speaker 1: And you want to know the really sad thing about this, 573 00:34:59,810 --> 00:35:03,210 Speaker 1: the sad statement of the day is even this explosion, 574 00:35:03,290 --> 00:35:07,730 Speaker 1: this massive explosion, the biggest explosion that any most people 575 00:35:07,770 --> 00:35:10,650 Speaker 1: had ever seen ever experience. Well, many just presumed it 576 00:35:10,690 --> 00:35:13,570 Speaker 1: was an accident. There have been many people warning about 577 00:35:13,610 --> 00:35:16,530 Speaker 1: all these extra storage of explosives that were on this 578 00:35:16,610 --> 00:35:18,690 Speaker 1: island and how it needed to get off of this island. 579 00:35:18,690 --> 00:35:22,290 Speaker 1: It needed to be distributed a little bit better. In fact, afterwards, 580 00:35:22,290 --> 00:35:24,730 Speaker 1: some of the first arrests were actually officials at the 581 00:35:24,810 --> 00:35:28,010 Speaker 1: plant here and Black Tom's who were later charged with 582 00:35:28,130 --> 00:35:32,290 Speaker 1: quote criminal and gross negligence. These were the guards, These 583 00:35:32,290 --> 00:35:34,930 Speaker 1: were the owners of some of the warehouses and the 584 00:35:34,970 --> 00:35:38,650 Speaker 1: plants here. Now do you remember Michael Christophe He was 585 00:35:38,850 --> 00:35:42,210 Speaker 1: one of the three saboteurs who traveled along lands who 586 00:35:42,250 --> 00:35:45,850 Speaker 1: got him because of the bribery of the guards. Well, 587 00:35:45,890 --> 00:35:50,930 Speaker 1: he was actually arrested in Bayonne, New Jersey. He was 588 00:35:51,050 --> 00:35:55,330 Speaker 1: questioned and then let go because he was presumed to 589 00:35:55,410 --> 00:36:00,050 Speaker 1: be a little deranged actually, and the weirdest detail about him, 590 00:36:00,050 --> 00:36:01,690 Speaker 1: and we'll get to him a little bit more later, 591 00:36:02,010 --> 00:36:04,970 Speaker 1: but the weirdest details. And after this in nineteen seventeen, 592 00:36:05,010 --> 00:36:08,450 Speaker 1: he then enlists in the US Army. Believe it or not, Tom. 593 00:36:08,730 --> 00:36:13,290 Speaker 1: Just a few months later, on January eleventh, nineteen seventeen, 594 00:36:13,970 --> 00:36:18,210 Speaker 1: it is believed that saboteurs struck at another Munisians factory 595 00:36:18,290 --> 00:36:23,290 Speaker 1: just eight miles away in Kingsland, New Jersey. Today that's Lyndhurst, 596 00:36:23,450 --> 00:36:26,730 Speaker 1: New Jersey if you're familiar with that town. This was 597 00:36:26,810 --> 00:36:30,130 Speaker 1: equally forceful in nature, similar to Black Tom's. The damage 598 00:36:30,170 --> 00:36:34,090 Speaker 1: was about seventeen million dollars here. Fortunately, this was not 599 00:36:34,210 --> 00:36:39,370 Speaker 1: as tragic an explosion thanks to one brave switchboard operator 600 00:36:39,450 --> 00:36:43,450 Speaker 1: named Tesse McNamara who stayed at her post as the 601 00:36:43,490 --> 00:36:47,370 Speaker 1: explosion was happening here at Kingsland and transmitted a message 602 00:36:47,610 --> 00:36:50,370 Speaker 1: to all of the buildings on the site and so 603 00:36:50,530 --> 00:36:54,810 Speaker 1: because of her, no one died in the Kingsland explosion. 604 00:36:55,170 --> 00:36:59,970 Speaker 1: And so she became a hero afterwards, Again, speculation of 605 00:37:00,010 --> 00:37:02,690 Speaker 1: the Kingsland explosion, it was also believed to have just 606 00:37:02,770 --> 00:37:05,330 Speaker 1: been an accident. You know, I don't know what's a 607 00:37:05,450 --> 00:37:08,930 Speaker 1: freaky coincidence. Yes, well, I mean things apparently exploded all 608 00:37:09,250 --> 00:37:11,530 Speaker 1: time back then because of all of these all of 609 00:37:11,570 --> 00:37:14,410 Speaker 1: these factories. And I also think there was just something 610 00:37:14,450 --> 00:37:16,570 Speaker 1: about a lot of Americans just didn't want to be 611 00:37:16,610 --> 00:37:19,530 Speaker 1: pulled into this war until like they absolutely had too. 612 00:37:19,530 --> 00:37:22,210 Speaker 1: So I think a lot of this was trying to 613 00:37:22,290 --> 00:37:24,530 Speaker 1: prove they were an accident because they didn't want to 614 00:37:24,570 --> 00:37:28,930 Speaker 1: believe that they were sabotage. Well, America would enter World 615 00:37:28,930 --> 00:37:31,530 Speaker 1: War One less than a year after the Big Black 616 00:37:31,570 --> 00:37:37,290 Speaker 1: Tom explosion, and shortly after Germany, perhaps knowing that US 617 00:37:37,450 --> 00:37:40,250 Speaker 1: entry into the war was inevitable at this time, had 618 00:37:40,250 --> 00:37:46,250 Speaker 1: announced unrestricted submarine warfare. Had it promptly sunk another US ship. 619 00:37:46,530 --> 00:37:50,770 Speaker 1: We forgot to even mention Tom the Lusitania that had 620 00:37:50,850 --> 00:37:54,570 Speaker 1: left New York City and had been another victim of 621 00:37:54,570 --> 00:37:57,530 Speaker 1: this war. But in terms of the Black Tom, did 622 00:37:57,570 --> 00:38:01,330 Speaker 1: anybody ever get arrested for this? Amazingly, trying to find 623 00:38:01,330 --> 00:38:04,570 Speaker 1: the identity of the culprits of the Black Tom disaster 624 00:38:04,890 --> 00:38:08,010 Speaker 1: would take far longer than the war would actually take 625 00:38:08,210 --> 00:38:11,570 Speaker 1: a couple more decades. Believe it or not. The end 626 00:38:11,610 --> 00:38:14,770 Speaker 1: of the war was on June twenty eighth, nineteen nineteen, 627 00:38:14,530 --> 00:38:17,890 Speaker 1: when the Germans and the Allied countries signed the Treaty 628 00:38:17,890 --> 00:38:23,410 Speaker 1: of Versailles. An investigation into the Blacktom explosion was reopened 629 00:38:23,450 --> 00:38:26,770 Speaker 1: in nineteen twenty two, and Congress formed a commission which 630 00:38:26,770 --> 00:38:30,930 Speaker 1: would allow private companies to then sue these war powers 631 00:38:31,010 --> 00:38:33,450 Speaker 1: for alleged crimes against their property. But it was kind 632 00:38:33,450 --> 00:38:36,010 Speaker 1: of an interesting concept, right, Bud. Sure, but if you 633 00:38:36,050 --> 00:38:38,890 Speaker 1: think about the Lehigh Valley Railroad, they had suffered a 634 00:38:38,930 --> 00:38:41,930 Speaker 1: tremendous damage to their shipping ports. I mean, it was 635 00:38:41,930 --> 00:38:45,690 Speaker 1: a private company that suffered because of this international crisis, 636 00:38:46,130 --> 00:38:48,210 Speaker 1: and you know, and on top of it, they literally 637 00:38:48,210 --> 00:38:51,450 Speaker 1: lost an island. The entire island was gone. So so 638 00:38:51,530 --> 00:38:55,730 Speaker 1: it was because of Lehigh that the investigation was reopened. 639 00:38:56,010 --> 00:38:59,530 Speaker 1: They brought back mister Michael Kristoff, who then became a 640 00:38:59,650 --> 00:39:03,250 Speaker 1: leading suspect. Although again it's hard to know if he 641 00:39:03,490 --> 00:39:07,490 Speaker 1: was like a crafty actor who was like pulling the 642 00:39:07,490 --> 00:39:10,050 Speaker 1: wool over these people's eyes, or if he was just 643 00:39:10,250 --> 00:39:13,570 Speaker 1: maybe kind of a dense person and not a very 644 00:39:13,610 --> 00:39:16,650 Speaker 1: intelligent person, and they couldn't believe that he would have 645 00:39:16,850 --> 00:39:21,850 Speaker 1: been part of this elaborate conspiracy. Mister Kristoff was actually 646 00:39:22,010 --> 00:39:26,210 Speaker 1: involved in this investigation even after his death in nineteen 647 00:39:26,250 --> 00:39:28,690 Speaker 1: twenty eight. They actually went as far as exhuming his 648 00:39:28,810 --> 00:39:33,170 Speaker 1: body from Estaten Island Potter's Field and even here, and 649 00:39:33,170 --> 00:39:35,850 Speaker 1: this is where it gets really mysterious and where maybe 650 00:39:35,930 --> 00:39:39,170 Speaker 1: he was not exactly what he said he was for. 651 00:39:39,290 --> 00:39:42,570 Speaker 1: When they exhumed his body, they discovered that the body 652 00:39:42,610 --> 00:39:47,010 Speaker 1: held papers that matched Kristoff's name, but the dental records 653 00:39:47,170 --> 00:39:50,610 Speaker 1: of this body did not match those of Michael Kristoff, 654 00:39:50,770 --> 00:39:54,090 Speaker 1: leading someone to believe that his death was faked, that 655 00:39:54,170 --> 00:39:57,810 Speaker 1: they had buried another person that to escape and to 656 00:39:57,930 --> 00:40:01,330 Speaker 1: lose his identity, that he took another body, said it 657 00:40:01,450 --> 00:40:04,410 Speaker 1: was him, buried it under his name with his own papers, 658 00:40:04,410 --> 00:40:08,490 Speaker 1: and then left town. Now Lehigh actually originally lost their 659 00:40:08,530 --> 00:40:12,570 Speaker 1: case with the commission, but it then was eventually reopened 660 00:40:12,570 --> 00:40:15,170 Speaker 1: and stretched well into the nineteen thirties. And it was 661 00:40:15,210 --> 00:40:18,210 Speaker 1: around this particular time that we got the testimony of 662 00:40:18,210 --> 00:40:22,690 Speaker 1: our Eastman girl who began telling her stories of the 663 00:40:22,730 --> 00:40:27,050 Speaker 1: mysterious Chelsea Townhouse of Martha held. They also retrieved the 664 00:40:27,090 --> 00:40:30,170 Speaker 1: confession of a man named Paul Hilkin, who was a 665 00:40:30,690 --> 00:40:33,810 Speaker 1: man who lived in Baltimore and who was connected with 666 00:40:33,850 --> 00:40:37,010 Speaker 1: the bribery scheme of bribing these guards. He was the 667 00:40:37,090 --> 00:40:40,530 Speaker 1: paymaster for the German agents and had in fact paid 668 00:40:40,530 --> 00:40:43,770 Speaker 1: the agents that were connected to the Black Tom explosion. 669 00:40:44,130 --> 00:40:48,050 Speaker 1: Now with his cooperation, he actually was able to prove 670 00:40:48,170 --> 00:40:50,450 Speaker 1: that he was part of this by delivering to the 671 00:40:50,490 --> 00:40:55,690 Speaker 1: investigation a magazine from nineteen seventeen that had penciled in 672 00:40:55,890 --> 00:41:00,330 Speaker 1: payments to the various men that were responsible for the explosion. 673 00:41:00,650 --> 00:41:03,810 Speaker 1: And the penciled in parts I loved this were in 674 00:41:03,810 --> 00:41:06,570 Speaker 1: invisible ink. They were in lemon juice and you could 675 00:41:06,610 --> 00:41:09,730 Speaker 1: only read them when a heat was applied. Just to 676 00:41:09,730 --> 00:41:12,370 Speaker 1: add almost a cliche of sabotage at this point in 677 00:41:12,410 --> 00:41:16,530 Speaker 1: the story. Wow, this tale just took an unexpected Encyclopedia 678 00:41:16,650 --> 00:41:20,970 Speaker 1: brown twist. Greg, Yeah, I hope it didn't sour on you. 679 00:41:22,050 --> 00:41:24,210 Speaker 1: I won't get into all the legal specifics, because this 680 00:41:24,210 --> 00:41:26,810 Speaker 1: thing drags all the way to the Supreme Court in 681 00:41:26,930 --> 00:41:30,090 Speaker 1: nineteen forty one, so reaching all the way then to 682 00:41:30,170 --> 00:41:33,810 Speaker 1: the Second World War. By the nineteen fifties. Even after 683 00:41:33,850 --> 00:41:37,050 Speaker 1: the Second World War, the German government agreed to finally 684 00:41:37,090 --> 00:41:41,290 Speaker 1: compensate the victims of the Black Tom explosion, which even 685 00:41:41,330 --> 00:41:45,010 Speaker 1: that then took an incredibly long time to complete. This 686 00:41:45,050 --> 00:41:48,930 Speaker 1: payment of fifty million dollars. The final installment of the 687 00:41:48,970 --> 00:41:53,570 Speaker 1: payment was paid as late as nineteen seventy nine. Wow, 688 00:41:54,090 --> 00:41:58,250 Speaker 1: Well what exists today of any of this? There are 689 00:41:58,290 --> 00:42:01,610 Speaker 1: actually three places you can visit. So the first place 690 00:42:01,850 --> 00:42:04,570 Speaker 1: is the actual site of Black Tom Island. It is 691 00:42:04,570 --> 00:42:08,290 Speaker 1: in the area of today's Liberty State Park in Jersey City. 692 00:42:08,450 --> 00:42:11,810 Speaker 1: It's inside the park. It's in the park, Yeah, the 693 00:42:11,930 --> 00:42:15,050 Speaker 1: southeastern part of the park. If you go there today, 694 00:42:15,090 --> 00:42:18,370 Speaker 1: you'll find a small plaque that says, quote, you are 695 00:42:18,410 --> 00:42:20,730 Speaker 1: walking on a site which saw one of the worst 696 00:42:20,770 --> 00:42:25,130 Speaker 1: acts of terrorism in American history. Now. The second place 697 00:42:25,170 --> 00:42:27,530 Speaker 1: that you can visit you can't go inside, of course, 698 00:42:27,650 --> 00:42:32,170 Speaker 1: but one twenty three West fifteenth Street. That building is 699 00:42:32,210 --> 00:42:34,330 Speaker 1: still there, that townhouse is still there, but it is 700 00:42:34,650 --> 00:42:38,010 Speaker 1: radically redone on the front of it. It looks nothing 701 00:42:38,090 --> 00:42:40,570 Speaker 1: like it would have back then. I believe that there's 702 00:42:40,570 --> 00:42:43,210 Speaker 1: even a garage, which is an odd thing to have 703 00:42:43,290 --> 00:42:46,210 Speaker 1: on a side street. In Chelsea, but it shows no 704 00:42:46,330 --> 00:42:49,250 Speaker 1: evidence of being the layer of a German opera diva, 705 00:42:49,370 --> 00:42:51,690 Speaker 1: believe it or not. There's no marker or plaque that 706 00:42:51,730 --> 00:42:57,290 Speaker 1: alerts us to the fact that a baroness had a 707 00:42:57,410 --> 00:43:01,930 Speaker 1: parlor filled with German spies at that particular spot. And 708 00:43:01,970 --> 00:43:04,330 Speaker 1: of course, the third site on this list that you 709 00:43:04,410 --> 00:43:07,410 Speaker 1: can visit, that you can see is, of course the 710 00:43:07,490 --> 00:43:11,210 Speaker 1: Statue of Liberty, which suffered over one hundred thousand dollars 711 00:43:11,250 --> 00:43:14,610 Speaker 1: in damage because of the Black Tom explosion. But what 712 00:43:14,730 --> 00:43:19,370 Speaker 1: you cannot see is the view that many before nineteen 713 00:43:19,450 --> 00:43:22,330 Speaker 1: sixteen could have enjoyed from the Statue of Liberty, and 714 00:43:22,370 --> 00:43:25,690 Speaker 1: that is the view from the torch oh right, because 715 00:43:25,730 --> 00:43:29,570 Speaker 1: the Statue of Liberty suffered injuries to her robe right 716 00:43:29,770 --> 00:43:32,610 Speaker 1: and also to the torch in the flame. And as 717 00:43:32,650 --> 00:43:35,610 Speaker 1: we hinted at the very first part of our show here, 718 00:43:35,770 --> 00:43:40,890 Speaker 1: since nineteen sixteen, since the Black Tom explosion, regular visitors 719 00:43:40,930 --> 00:43:44,810 Speaker 1: have not been allowed to go visit the observation deck 720 00:43:45,010 --> 00:43:47,890 Speaker 1: on the torch of the Statue of Liberty, and it 721 00:43:48,010 --> 00:43:50,570 Speaker 1: has been closed this whole time. It's been closed one 722 00:43:50,650 --> 00:43:53,890 Speaker 1: hundred years, one hundred years. I mean, it's great, it's funny, 723 00:43:53,890 --> 00:43:56,970 Speaker 1: because when you see early pictures, there's clearly an observation 724 00:43:57,010 --> 00:43:58,770 Speaker 1: deck where you can kind of walk around it. It 725 00:43:58,770 --> 00:44:01,050 Speaker 1: looks a little frightening to me when you look at 726 00:44:01,050 --> 00:44:03,290 Speaker 1: those photographs because you're so high in the air. But 727 00:44:03,410 --> 00:44:07,050 Speaker 1: because of this disaster, regular visitors have not been allowed 728 00:44:07,050 --> 00:44:10,450 Speaker 1: into the torch, but the crow is open. The crown 729 00:44:10,490 --> 00:44:12,810 Speaker 1: has been closed, like for instance, because of nine to eleven, 730 00:44:13,050 --> 00:44:16,650 Speaker 1: but the crown was reopened a few years ago, but 731 00:44:16,770 --> 00:44:18,770 Speaker 1: not the torch. But not the torch, I mean, it's 732 00:44:19,090 --> 00:44:22,930 Speaker 1: it's as much smaller space, it's much harder security, and 733 00:44:23,050 --> 00:44:26,330 Speaker 1: probably not up to code, certainly not up to code. 734 00:44:27,090 --> 00:44:29,610 Speaker 1: But it is here that you can find the lasting 735 00:44:29,690 --> 00:44:33,770 Speaker 1: legacy of the Black Tom explosion. Join us on our 736 00:44:33,810 --> 00:44:39,450 Speaker 1: website Bowery Boys History dot com to see photos, illustrations, maps, 737 00:44:39,970 --> 00:44:43,850 Speaker 1: and other stories about the explosion here on Black Tom Island. 738 00:44:44,330 --> 00:44:47,330 Speaker 1: You can also join us on Twitter and join our 739 00:44:47,450 --> 00:44:51,170 Speaker 1: growing communities on Facebook and on Instagram. And of course 740 00:44:51,250 --> 00:44:54,410 Speaker 1: we send big thanks in groted toude to our patrons 741 00:44:54,410 --> 00:44:58,010 Speaker 1: and supporters who have joined us at patreon dot com. 742 00:44:58,010 --> 00:45:01,570 Speaker 1: That's pat r o n dot com slash Bowery Boys, 743 00:45:02,050 --> 00:45:04,690 Speaker 1: thank you so much for your support. It's because of 744 00:45:04,730 --> 00:45:07,370 Speaker 1: you that we've been able to produce a new show 745 00:45:07,450 --> 00:45:10,570 Speaker 1: every two weeks, So thank you very much for listening. 746 00:45:11,090 --> 00:45:12,690 Speaker 1: Have a great New York week, whether you live here 747 00:45:12,770 --> 00:45:25,850 Speaker 1: or not. See a real sound that was Danger in 748 00:45:25,890 --> 00:45:29,290 Speaker 1: the Harbor from the Bowery Boys podcast hosted by Greg 749 00:45:29,330 --> 00:45:31,970 Speaker 1: Young and Tom Meyers. If you liked it, you know 750 00:45:32,130 --> 00:45:36,250 Speaker 1: the places to find more episodes. Cautionary Tales will return 751 00:45:36,330 --> 00:45:37,890 Speaker 1: with a new story next week.