July 30, 1916: The Black Tom Explosion

July 30, 1916: German saboteurs set off what becomes known as the Black Tom Explosion in Jersey City, New Jersey.

"Black Tom" sounds like it might be a racially insensitive nickname. In fact, it was a munitions depot on an island on the New Jersey side of New York Bay, within sight of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Up until the breakout of World War I on August 1, 1914, munitions companies in America, which was then neutral in the war, could sell to any country. But with the outbreak of the war, Britain's Royal Navy blockaded Germany, and so only the Allied powers -- Britain and its Empire, France and its colonies, and the Russian Empire -- could buy American munitions.

So, just as they would in World War II a generation later, the German Empire sent saboteurs to America to mess with our ability to help their enemies. On July 29, 1916, about 2 million pounds of ammunition were stored at Black Tom, in freight cars and on barges, waiting to be shipped to Russia. After midnight, so it was now July 30, some small fires were found on the pier.

The pier was evacuated, and the Jersey City Fire Department was called in. At 2:08 AM, Johnson Barge No. 17 exploded, sending 50 tons of TNT up in smoke and flames. Several firemen were thrown into the air, some of them out of their boots. It registered at 5.5 on the Richter scale, making it equivalent to a serious earthquake. 

The explosion destroyed over 100 railroad cars and 13 warehouses, and left a 375-by-175-foot crater. Debris struck the Statue of Liberty's arm, and, for safety's sake, her  torch has been off-limits to human occupancy ever since. Fragments flew a mile away to Journal Square, striking the clock tower of The Jersey Journal newspaper, stopping the clock at 2:12 AM. Windows were broken all over New York City. The Brooklyn Bridge shook. The explosion was felt 90 miles away in Philadelphia.

The evacuation was mostly successful: The death toll was kept down to 4. With no FBI and no CIA at the time, and only Jersey City Police and New Jersey State Police available to investigate, finding out who actually set off the explosions proved impossible. If there was any punishment for Germany, it came after President Woodrow Wilson, who ran for re-election in 1916 on the slogan, "He kept us out of war," could do so no longer, and asked for a Declaration of War on April 2, 1917, and got it on April 6.

Landfill eventually connected the island to the Jersey City mainland, and what had been Black Tom Island is now part of Liberty State Park. A monument is now on the site.

Six months later, on January 11, 1917, another American munitions plant exploded in New Jersey, 11 miles to the northwest, in Lyndhurst. The Kingsland Explosion caused a lot of damage, but no deaths. German sabotage was suspected, but never proven.

On October 4, 1918, still another American munitions plant exploded in New Jersey, 27 miles to the south of Black Tom, in Sayreville. The Morgan Explosion killed over 100 people. Again, German sabotage was suspected, but an investigation revealed this one to be an accident.

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July 30, 1916 was a Sunday. Actor Dick Wilson was born on that day, best known for playing Mr. Whipple in commercials for Charmin toilet paper from 1965 to 1989: "Please don't squeeze the Charmin!"

In baseball, as it turned out, the entire American League played that day, and the entire National League did not:

* The New York Yankees were swept by the St. Louis Browns in a doubleheader at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The Browns won the opener, 2-1, as Ernie Koob outpitched George Mogridge. The Browns won the nightcap, 2-0, as Eddie Plank outpitched Ray Fisher. No home runs were hit in either game. This was still the Dead Ball Era.

* The Washington Senators beat the Cleveland Indians, 2-1 in 10 innings at League Park in Cleveland. Walter Johnson outpitched fellow future Hall-of-Famer Stan Coveleski.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-3 at Navin Field in Detroit. It was renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938 and Tiger Stadium in 1961. Duffy Lewis and Larry Gardner each got 3 hits for the Red Sox. Babe Ruth did not play for them. Ty Cobb did play for the Tigers, going 3-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBIs.

* The Chicago White Sox swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Athletics at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Pale Hose won the 1st game 10-1, and the 2nd game 7-0.