There was another island near New York that disappeared as a result of the disaster: what happened

The history of the United States has many pages, and many of them are sad. In the bay that separates the states of New Jersey and New York, there are three famous islands: Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, where immigrants from all over the world arrived, and Governors Island with its Castle Williams fortress. But few people know that there was also a fourth island - Black Tom, which played a significant role in the history of not only this region, but the country as a whole. More about the history of the disappeared island told the publication "Voice of America".

In 1916, near New York, on Black Tom Island, one of the most destructive non-nuclear explosions in history thundered, destroying the island itself and the ammunition depots located on it. This explosion played the role of a trigger that led to huge changes in the country and contributed, in particular, to the creation of the first secret services.

Liberty State Park is one of the favorite vacation spots of New Jersey residents. Here, in the picnic area, there is a small plaque that reads: "You are at the site of one of the worst acts of terrorism in US history."

Sabotage, or rather, sabotage in the arsenal took place on the night of June 29-30, 1916. According to various sources, from 4 to 10 people died and about 50 were injured. Six piers, 13 warehouses, dozens of railway cars, like part of the island itself, have simply disappeared; a crater gaped in their place.

Due to an explosion of unprecedented force on the neighboring Ellis Island, buildings collapsed, all immigrants who were there were urgently evacuated. The Statue of Liberty was badly damaged. The windows of houses and shops in Manhattan shattered - a burst water supply flooded several blocks, the Brooklyn Bridge swayed, the shock wave from the explosion was felt even in Philadelphia.

At the beginning of World War I, the United States was neutral and supplied ammunition to countries that fought against Germany. Black Tom Island's warehouses contained more than 500 tons of ammunition, or about three-quarters of the stockpiles produced in the United States for the Allied armies on the western European front.

Secret agents of Germany planned a sabotage that was supposed to stop the shipment of goods to Europe. The action was Berlin's response to the British naval blockade. For a long time, the US government could not believe in Germany's participation in this sabotage.

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“It was a difficult time: Woodrow Wilson was keen to prevent the United States from entering World War I. At that time he was running his election campaign under the slogan: "Stay out of the war." Perhaps that is why the version about the participation of German saboteurs was not widely discussed, disseminated or covered in the media. Recognition of Germany's involvement in acts of sabotage could cause resentment among German immigrants who lived on the East Coast and played a prominent role in the life and economy of the country, ”said Timothy White, professor of history at the University of New Jersey.

Less than a year after the Black Tom Island bombing, the United States entered World War I and Congress passed the Espionage Act. The investigation dragged on for years. The version about German participation was accepted only after the "pencil bombs" of delayed action, developed in Germany for saboteurs, were found. Such a bomb can detonate a few days after its installation.

After the First World War, the local railway company, which at that time owned Black Tom Island, sued the German authorities for damages. In 1939, after decades of litigation, the International Court of Justice in The Hague found that the attack was planned by the German government. Berlin did not agree to pay reparations for a long time. The final calculation was made only in 1979. By that time, the settlement amount had grown to $ 50 million, including interest. Today, little is reminiscent of this tragic event: several old newspaper articles, a plaque in the park, a play by Martin Casell and a small stained glass window in a Polish Catholic church in Jersey City.

“I was in the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Czestochowa, which I later described in the play, and before the service began I walked past a window with a stained-glass window, which I had never paid attention to before, I saw the inscription“ for donations from parishioners in memory of the explosion of 1916 ”. I do not speak Polish, but I can understand the word “explosion” and the date 1916. One of the priests who speaks Polish helped me with the translation, but no one knew anything about this event. And then I started my investigation, ”said playwright Martin Casella, author of the play“ Black Tom Island ”.

As a result of this investigation, Martin Casella wrote the play Black Tom Island, which was staged in 2018. Critics highly appreciated the subtlety of conveying the images of heroes who had real prototypes, the depth of the personal tragedy of a little man, an immigrant who, by the will of fate, was involved in the events of that time.

What remains of the island has long been part of Liberty Park, but the ruins of the piers are still visible in the water, reminiscent of the explosion, which has long been considered one of the most destructive non-nuclear explosions in world history.