I enjoyed reading your article in the July 2021 issue of The Electrical Worker, "Grounded in History: Restoring Lady Liberty." I have come to learn how some of the significant damage occurred.

On July 30, 1916, German saboteurs blew up the munitions depot on Black Tom Island in nearby Jersey City, just about half a mile from the Statue of Liberty. That act of sabotage caused significant damage to the Statue of Liberty when shrapnel pierced the right arm and caused it to bend slightly.

If you wish to see a good presentation on this event, I would suggest watching the television show, "What History Forgot," hosted by a Long Island high school teacher.

David Husing, Local 25 member
Long Island, New York

Editor's Note: The attack on New York Harbor's Black Tom Island, named for a dangerous rock that was padded with landfill to protect shipping, caused nearly 2 million pounds of small arms and artillery ammunition to go up in flames. The explosion was felt as far away as Maryland and carried out by German spies to prevent U.S. shipments of munitions to Allied powers early during World War I.