Evening star., 1946-07-04
Blast Consequences
Begin 10 Show Up in
Bikini Test Animals
Blood Deterioration
Observed and Many
Moy Die in Few Doys
ByW. H. Shippen, Jr.
Stor StoT Correspondent

Stor StuH Correspondent
U. S. S. APPALACHIAN, BIZ
kini, July 4.-Evil consequences
of the double-punch bomb that
dropped near the Nevada Mon
day began to show up today not
only on target ships but in vital
blood counts OF surviving ami
mails. Blood deterioration al
ready has been observed in some
of the latter and many are ex-
pected to die in the next few
days.
While 80 per cent of $50 goats, as
many pigs and 3,100 rats were living
when rescue teams arrived, no one
can predict how many can be
brought back alive to the Naval
Medical Research Institute at Be-
thesda, according to Capt. r. Harold
Draeger, in charge of this phase of
experiment.
These animals will be taken to
Washington after being gathered in
comfortable crates and cages on the
biological survey ship Burlesson.
Col. James P. Cooney, X-ray spe-
ciallst and a safety officer for Opera
tions Crossroads, believes pigs and
goats roughly approximate human
resistance to radiation and will re-
act in much the same way during
the next few weeks.
Five Survived on One Ship.
Five of approximately 20 pigs and
goats survived on the cruiser Salt
Lake City, which took a big blast
from about half mile and lost her
stacks, masts, scout plane and parts
of superstructure. These and other
animals which do not die within the
next few weeks are expected to sur
vive the experiment. In Washington
they will be put under observation
possibly extending through several
generations.
We made inquiries of boarding
crews as to welfare of animals as
we moved toward the Nevada under
row of blackened and scorched
attack transports with radar scan-
ners and topmasts blown away anG
superstructures bent and twisted
more violently the nearer we got tc
the tanker. Some of the men tried
to pick up the Jap cruiser Sakawa
on Geiger radioactivity counter
when passing over the spot where
she went down a few hours previ-
ously, but the SakaWa was not put
ting out any radiation.
The most petted and pampered
animal in this fleet is pig No. 311
sole survivor of the SakaWa, which
we saw go down Tuesday.
Pig Heads for Shore.
Sailors said that Pig 311 was do
| ing the Australian crawl and head
ing for the beach to join a liberty
party at the Bikini Boystown head
quarters on Wednesday night. They
are sparing no effort to bring him
TO Washington alive. If the fatal
infection of radioactivity overtakes
him, he'll arrive picked in alcohol
Other distinguished survivors were
rats in a cage on the signal hal
lizards of a sunken transport. The
cage was fitted with a life preseryer
the scientists told us. Today the
rats were slightly seasick but other
wise o. K. For the most part
however, the rats took worse beat
ing than the pigs and goats whose
resistance roughly approximates
that of humans.
Newcomers among the animals are
three rats christened Alpha. Beta
and Gamma, born on the bridge OF
the Pennsylvania about the time
the bomb was dropped. Some
shaved goats showed flash burn
and other coated in protective cream
were in better shape today.
This bomb was no $4,000 -tonner
according to Col. Stafford Warren
staff Pathological safety officer, but
he said, he had to plan precaution
for a bomb much larger than tn,
Hiroshima bomb compared b,
President Truman to 10000 ton,
of INT.
This no doubt is the explanation
for the fact that some reporters or
this ship were spotted 1S miles ou
and half blinded with goggles Sc
(see sHIPPEN. Page A-4)