PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT BOMB TEST

Chronicle (Levin), 24 July 1946, Page 5

PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT BOMB TEST

MILLION TONS OF WATER OVER TWO MILES HIGH Received Tuesday, 10 p.m. BlklN 1, July 23. Seimtor Snltonstall, at a Press conference aboard the Appalachiau, declared the lirst. atom boiub test convinced him that somethiug niust be done for the control of atomic energy along the lines of the Baruch plan. "As far as 1 know there is no division in the 1'iiiled States along party lines, about the matter. The safety not only of the I'nited States but also the peace qf the world depends on the proper control of this weapon and that is no matter for party lines." The Republican Senator's sentiments were echoed by the Democratic Senator Halch, chairman of the Presideut 's M valuation Committee. Dr. Karl Compton said his diseussions with Australian scientists disciosed that they were most iuterested in the tests. "They very much want to know what they can do in nuclear researeh, " he said. "They wonder if they can alford to buy a hssion pile for Australia which just now isn't rich enough to spend large sums in atomic researeh. They Jigure that Britain and Canada will team up for nuclear researeh both in military and • civilian iiehls, and that Australia and Britain will team up in the liehl of longrauge missiles aiul rockets, tlius utilising a desert section of the Australian outback. ' ' Dr. Compton described his visit to Australia and A" ew Zealand as "a royal goodwill tour in which we were welconied most cordiallv. " Colonel Stafford Warreu radiological safet\r officer (not to be confused witli Shields Warreu), disclosed tliat 011 the lirst test four of the "Crossroads" lYersoh liv! had eotpdsu'fti' Vcf r;t d'ib ac. t i' vif y . ' fhe lirst was a very scared young sailor who, on the day after the boinb, i'ell off the boat and was in the water an hour and a half. lle suiferod 110 ill elfects. The second was the pilot of a .Motlier aeroplane to a robot plane. Ife got too near tlie clouds and was alfectcd but was now okav. The. other two wer! nionitors who slayed too lotig on radioactive ships. Thev, too, were how all righl. "The second test will be a more difficult problem," said Colonel Warren, "for the explosion of a bomb under water will result in the creation of a large. munber of ehemical elemenls including the (ission products and their derivatives. Tlie water will be bomoarded by nent rons creating new radioactive elements which will give olf lu-ta and gaiiana rays. The sodium ehh.irule tsalt") in the water is particularly susceptible to neutroiis and sodium has a radioactive hall'-life of 11 hours. That means that. the radioaetivo intensity is reduced by half gVtX'i-y jf Upurs. " , ' v--'So'nie. uf ihe flssxim' jVxqAdiiyj.i-'-'M #1)0 •water httv.i 11 g ti yniater •di'sifd.*: pate' ih'oriV sfotvly, and • f^ilojiel "Warren cslimates that it won't be sai'e to go into tlie Jagoon for at least three or four days. If this estimate is borne out, tlie Press will Hy over tlie lagoou at the earliesl possible moment it is sal'e to do so.

Other scientists at the Press conferehce estimated that about a mfllion! tons of water woulcl be shot up into; the air a clistance of between two andj three miles, and a wave probably at teast 100 feet high will overwhelm j ships close to the centre of the target. j With the explosion the water will be; turned into a hammer which will hatter i the hulls of the ships. It is estimated that at least half the energy released will be transmitt&d to the water but upwards of 90 per cent. inay he attained. The day following the first test it was found that rain falling north oi the target area 70 miles away was radioactive but it had "been diluted to the expected extent and was not dangerous.