The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-08-21
BY HOWARD w. BLAKESLEE
Associated Press Science Editor

BY HOWARD W. BLAKESLEE
Associated Press Science Editor
NEW YORK, Aug. 20 R An
ordinary-looking pile OF graphite
bricks gave the name pile to
the huge atomic ovens at Hanford,
WASH, which produce Plutonlum'
the new metal that explodes in
atomice bombs.
Plutonium is a chemical element
that did not exist on earth before
the war, and is not known IN the
stars. The ovens are simply huge
piles of graphite, pierced horizon
tally by narrow tunnels. Ihese
hole~ are filled with slugs OF COM
mon Uranium.
Essentially this Swiss Cheese
pile is all there is to an atomic
oven. There are control lnstru-
ments, and also reflectors for rays
produced in the oven. Great con-
crete walls and other shields SUI
round the piles.
The atomic fires have no flames
and make no smoke. They emit
intense heat and five kinds OF
atomic rays. Both heat and rays
come from the process of trans
mutation by which the tires
change common Uranium 238 into
the new metal Plutonium. Pluton-
.um replaces the rare and explo'
sive form of Uranium 235. Pluton'
ium makes better bombs, already
officially called superbombs. Plu
tonium can be separated from
Uranium more easily. Finally il
raises by 1o0-fold the worlds sup
ply of atomic power resources.
Han ord. the city OF $4,000
Washington's third largest. which
mushroomed to construct the grea
atomic reservation of about 1.0O(
square m les, practically is gone
Now there are only a compare
lively few workmen, who do little
except watch dials.
All the processes OF transmuta
, ton are done without human toucf
and men don't even get close, be
cause the rays would be danger
GUS. The processes are automatic
Three great piles were built
: Their dimensions are secret, un
f less there is tip in the oftlcla
description of the e. CLIFTON, eight
!. foot cube of the first pile, bull
in 1941 in a Columbia Unlverslt.
laboratory. not to make Plutonl
= UNI, but merely for tests. Or IL
S the six-ton, dome-shaped pile butt
under the West stand of the Stays
: football field at the University o
= Chicago, where the first atomic
: ire ever started by man wa
! made on Dec. 2, 1912. This Chicago
pile would have needed 7o,Oo'
! years to produce enough Plutonl
4 UNI for one bomb which weigh
: somewhere between four and 4Ot
pounds.
At Hanford, each pile is separ
ated by several miles. No one wa!
sure at first whether pile nigh
explode, although now they appeal
} rather safe.
Separated also from each pile
/ by several miles is a man-madt
! CANYON: A chain of watts sunk II
the ground and hielded by huge
= concrete walls. Water carries thu
hot Uranium from the piles int
! the canyon watts to cool. (Watel
also is a good shield against thu
rays)
Each slug of Uranium contains
small percentage of Plutonlum
How much is a secret; but thu
official description in prelimln
ary estimate gave the figure o
about two pounds of Plutonium t.
ton Of Uranium. The watts set
! arate this Plutonium from ths
Uranium, which is sent back t.
+ the ovens to make more Pluton
] ium.
The great size of piles and can
r yons can be guessed from the wa
ter. 1t comes from the Columbi;
= river, and so much is used tina
if returned Immediately, before
cooling, it would ra Sc the temper
allure of the great river. The cool
, ness and purity of the Columbi;
waters were one reason for locat
g ing the Plutonium project there
: Impurities in water become radio
q active from transmitted Uranium
i. Around the piles and canyon
= are 'hot rooms which are no
r hot at all. The name means tina
some of the rays may pierce tn
: hot room walls despite shielding
Too many of these rays woul
make desks radioactive, cause hi
man hair and clothing to emit ray
and even the air itself would be
gin splitting out rays. All this wa
proved in laboratory tests.
This rad oactivity is caused b
Neutrons, the particles from tn
cores of atoms which start an
keep the atomic fires burning
Neutrons destroy mans whit
blood cells. But this fact make
it easy to safeguard the workers
by taking white blood counts. Mi
lions of these cells can be los
without danger, and the count