Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-08-07

the atomic bomb project took their
posts. These included Gen. Groves,
DR.. Vannevar Bush, head of the
Office of Scientific Research and
Development, and DR.. James B.
Conant. president Of Harvard Uni
versity.
Actual detonation was in charge
of DR.. X. T. cambridge of Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology. He
and 1t. Bush, in charge Of the Mill
tary Police detachment, were the
last men to inspect the tower with
its cosmic bomb.
At 3 o'clock In the morning the
party moved forward to the control
station. Gen. Groves and DR.. OPP
penheimer consulted with the
weatherman. The decision was made
to 60 ahead with the test despite
the lack of assurance OF favorable
weather. The time was set for
$50 am.
Made to Lie Down.
Gen. Groves rejoined DR.. Conant
and DR.. Bush and just before the
test time, they joined the many
scientists gathered at the Base
Camp. Here all present were Or
dered to lie on the ground, face
downward, heads away from the
blast direction.
Tension reached tremendous
pitch in the control room as the
deadline approached. The severa.
observation points in the area were
tied in to the control room by radio
and with 20 minutes to 60, DR.. S. K
Allison Of Chicago University tool
over the radio net and made peri.
odic time announcements.
The time signals, minus q
minutes, minus Is minutes anc
on and on increased the tension tt
the breaking point as the group ir
the control room, which included
DR.. Oppenheimer and Gen. Farrell
held their breaths, all praying with
the intensity Of the moment which
will live forever with each man who
was there.
At minus As seconds" robot
mechanism took over and from thai
point on the whole great compli.
Gated mass of intricate mechanism
was In operation without human
control. Stationed at a reserve
switch, however, was a soldier sci.
enlist ready to attempt to stop the
explosion should the order be, Is.
sued. The order never came.
At the appointed time, there was
a binding flash lighting up the
whole area brighter than the bright
est daylight. A mountain range
three miles from the observation
point stood out in bold relief. Then
came tremendous sustained roar
and heavy pressure wave which
knocked down two men outside the
control center. Immediately there
after, huge multi-colored surging
cloud boiled to an altitude of over
10000 feet. Clouds in its path dis
appeared. Soon the shifting SUBJ
stratosphere winds dispersed the
now gray mass.
The test was over. the project q
success.
The steel tower had been entirely
vaporized. Where the tower had
stood, there was q huge sloping
crater.
Dazed but relieved at the success
Of their tests, the scientists promptly
marshalled their forces to estimate
the strength Of Americas new weap-
on. To examine the nature Of the
crater, specially equipped tanks
were wheeled into the area, one OF
which carried DR.. Enrico Fermi
noted nuclear scientist. Answer to
their findings rest in the destruction
effected in Japan today In the first
military use OF the atomic bomb.
Had it not been for the desolated
area where the test was held and
for the cooperation of the press
in the area, it is certain that the
test itself would have attracted far
reaching attention. AS it was, many
people in that area are still dis
cussing the effect of the smash.
A significant aspect, recorded by
the press, was the experience OF
a blind girl near Albuquerque, many
miles from the scene, who, when the
flash of the test lighted the sky
before the explosion could be heard
exclaimed, What was that?"
Interviews of Gen. Groves and
Gen. Farrell give the following on
the-scene versions of the test. Gen
Groves said: My impressions of the
nights high points follow: After
about an hours sleep / got up a,
100 and from that time on until