Evening star., 1945-09-12
Newspapermen Visit
Atom Bomb Site, Hear
Jap Claim Debunked
Continued From First Page)


as many had visualized, but a vast
bed of CLASSY matter fused sand
which in the matter of seconds had
been formed from the terrific flame
as though baked for hours in a
massive oven.
20 Tons of Steel Evaporated.
In the center of this mass of tur-
ouoise and jade substance was what
remained of the 100-foot tower, &c
tons of steel which evaporated from
the face of the earth when the bomt
atop it exploded.
This monument to the greatest
destructive force on earth stood al
the center of an amphitheater. q
depression IS feet deep, sloping
gently outward
All that remained of the tower
were the four battered concrete
bases and stumps of the steel foot
ings, twisted and bent, but severed
about inches off the concrete as
cleanly as though run through saw
The tremendous conclusion had
blown a circle 300 feet in diameter
around the tower, almost entirely
devoid of the green substance which
extended to diameter of 2,400 feet
all about it.
The entire area of devastation
where no vegetation or creature
could survive the colossal blast, ex-
tended over 81 square miles. Be-
yond this, bushes were grotesquely
bent away from the core of de-
struction, as though by wind, on g
day when no wind blew.
Even beyond the point where
vegetation survived, houses and mer
would have been easy prey to the
tremendous blast wave that shook
this remote desert and mountain
terrain the morning of July l6, the
scientists said.
Party Wears Overshoes.
Before entering the burned-out
area, the party was equipped with
white canvas overshoes as protec-
ton against pieces of irradiated
matter slipping into the shoes.
There was absolutely no danger
Gen. Groves earlier had given as
surance, but this was insurance
against any eventuality.
Gingerly, the men padded through
the strangest Spectacle many had
seen, examining bits of the ma
terial which averaged half an inch
in thickness and was broken into
countless shapes. Some pieces were
as shiny as manufactured glass
Pocks in other particles told of the
bubbly mass that had seethed there
and pieces as round as marbles
were found.
Radiation in this substance still
exists in varying degrees of inten-
sity. Some of the amateur geolo-
gists discovered this when one OF
the scientists, carrying Geiger
counter for measuring radiation
walked up to where they stood
1T might be best to get away
from there" he said. That's the
hottest spot around here"
What he meant, the scientist said
was that 200 hours of exposure al
that spot would be fatal. The aver
age radioactivity for the whole area
would not be fatal until 500 to 60(
hours, it was said.
The men moved without further
eXhortation.
Intensity of Rays Diminish.
Intensity of gamma rays, the
killing forces of the split uranium
atom, are daily diminishing from
the area and will have disappeared
altogether in a year, it was ex-
planned.
DR.. Victor F. Weisskopf, theo-
retical physicist of Rochester Uni
versity, said even now the bomt
range might be made safe for habi-
tation simply by removing two
inches of earth from the scene OF
by turning under two feet of earth
Comparisons between the test ex-
plosion and those which f1attenec
Hiroshima and Nagasaki are moi
possible because the conditions were
not the same, Gen. Groves said.
While the test bomb was set off al
q height of only 100 feet, those ir
Japan were exploded at a greater
altitude both to increase the range
of their effectiveness and to disperst
as much as possible the gamma ray
above the city, since these rays have
a tendency to travel upward, tn,
general said.
Wrong symptoms Described.
when the Japs first started tell
ing us about sickness and deatl
from radioactivity, the symptom
did not ring true" Gen. Groves said
They sounded too much like /,
fellow who was claiming back in
jury to dodge work and described
the wrong symptoms"
"A week or 10 days ago the Japa
nese brought into Hiroshima +,
radiologist from the Imperial Uni
versity named Tsuzuki and now tn,
symptoms are described correctly.
Gen. Groves said that as soon a.
the success of the Hiroshima bombing
was made known, the War Depart
menu was SO sure Gne war was owe
a party of scientists was organized
to visit the area. Unfortunately
he said, American correspondent
reached the scene first and sen
back stories which, though attrib
uted to japanese sources, still paint
ed false picture of what he be-
lieves the conditions to be.
Emphasizing that what actual,
happened in the bombed Japanes,
cities will not be known until al
investigating party now in Japar
makes its report, Gen. Groves reae
from two reports the findings of {
group Of japanese scientists and doc
tors obtained by the War Depart
ment.
The survey taken in Hiroshima in.
dicated that at any point of tn,
bombs impact II days after the ex
plosion less than the tolerance dos,
of radiation, or the amount a per
son could be exposed to every da,