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1917 Black Tom Island explosion....
1917 Black Tom Island explosion....
Item # 563274
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July 31, 1916
THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, Atlanta, Georgia, July 31, 1916
* Black Tom Island, New Jersey
* World War I munitions explosion
This 8 page newspaper has one column headlines on page 5: "$25,000,000 LOSS DUE TO EXPLOSION OF AMMUNITION" and "Munitions Destroyed Were Awaiting Shipment to Allies and Were Stored on Black Tom Island Off Jersey City".
Tells of the Black Tom Island explosion during World War I.
Other news of the day. Light browning with little margin wear, otherwise in good condition. Should be handled with care.
wikipedia notes: The Black Tom explosion of July 30, 1916 in Jersey City, New Jersey was an act of sabotage on American ammunition supplies by German agents to prevent the materials from being used by the Allies in World War I.
After midnight, a series of small fires were found on the pier. Some guards fled, fearing an explosion; others attempted to fight the fires. Eventually they called the Jersey City Fire Department.
At 2:08 a.m., the first and biggest of the explosions took place. Fragmentation from the explosion travelled long distances, some lodging in the Statue of Liberty and some in the clocktower of the Jersey Journal building in Journal Square, over a mile away, stopping the clock at 2:12 a.m. The explosion was the equivalent of an earthquake measuring between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter Scale[2] and was felt as far away as Philadelphia. Windows broke as far as 40 kilometers (25 mi) away, including thousands in lower Manhattan. Some window panes in Times Square were completely shattered. The outer wall of Jersey City's City Hall was cracked and the Brooklyn Bridge was shaken. People as far away as Maryland who were awakened by what they thought was an earthquake.
Property damage from the attack was estimated at $20 million (US$ 390 million in 2009). The damage to the Statue of Liberty was valued at $100,000 (US$ 1,952,000 in 2009) and included the skirt and the torch. The arm has been closed to visitors ever since.
Category: The 20th Century
No Longer Available
