In the war years of 1914-1918 , the Lehigh handled war materials and explosives at its Black Tom island facility , which had been obtained along with the National Docks Railroad in 1900 . In 1916 , a horrendous explosion occurred at the facility , destroying ships and buildings , and breaking windows in Manhattan . At first the incident was considered an accident ; a long investigation eventually concluded that the explosion was an act of German sabotage , for which reparations were finally paid off in 1979
Black Tom
Black Tom explosion
Lehigh Valley Railroad