Evening star., 1946-07-25

a minute by a dark purple plume
OF gas and vapor that rose at least
another mile as the water began to
cascade down from the white spout
AS the water descended, mighty
wave was born at its base 1t grew
as something in a nightmare, form
ing frothy white circle around the
dWindling column. I think this was
the momentary 100-foot tidal wave
predicted by oceanographers.
The whole thing seemed to tower
up and rush at us and I think ]
would be justified in saying it
caused at least a moment of fear
to all who watched from the surface
at close range. But the wave
swiftly dissipated itself, taking the
form of whitecaps rolling at us
down an open channel entrance.
Waves which hit Bikini beach
according to men on the televisior
screens, were no more than 7 to
10 feet and failed to inundate the
atoll. 1t seems likely our recreation
center over there, the "wednesday
Evening Marching and Chowder So
ciety," is unchanged, although the
waves f1oated off number OF
beached landing craft.
In a matter of five minutes mist
was forming where the high wave
had been. 1t spread and started
to obscure the outer fringes of the
target fleet not blotted out by the
central explosion. The gas plume
began to drift away, and in several
minutes the mist started lifting Its
thick veil from the manless fleet
For at least an hour and a hall
the poisonous mist or haze was Wis
sible as the steady trades showed
it downwind and finally erased II
from our view. Weathermen surely
hit both bomb test dates on the
button.
Watched Death Throes.
Meanwhile, the Appalachian and
other observation ships were mov-
ing toward the lagoon, protected
by the reef from the communicating
water and by constant wind from
the poison aloft. BY 10 am, from
a range of 4 miles, We were watch
ing the Saratoga in her death
throes, and the Arkansas had gone
down in 30 fathoms behind the
atomic curtain.
Several of us had gone aboard
the Arkansas at anchor in the la
COON a fortnight ago, where we were
received by her skipper, Capt. Wade
De Weese. Oldest battleship in the
fleet, she had received only slight
damage from the air blast, though
her compartmentation was far less
sturdy than that of modern battle
ships.
On the Appalachian this morning
the shock wave, transmitted through
the water. hit the ship a few sec
onds after the. explosion. Most
below decks veterans described il
as like the sensation produced by
a fairly near miss by an air bomb.
Topside. we got almost none OF
this shock, but our eardrums took
quite a wallop about a minute after
the explosion. I was so absorbed
with the spectacle I had com
pletely forgotten this highly audible
reaction until it rolled across the
ocean. lifting me a couple of feet
out Of my favorite deck chair. II
was quite some bang. much stronger
than the sound Of distant thunder
which followed the air test.
AS pro and con discussion goes
on here as to the effectiveness OF
atomic weapons against a floating
dispersed military city of steel, some
are inclined to lose sight of Admiral
Blandy's oft-repeated theme: The
tests were calculated to produce
maximum data rather than maxi
mum damage.
We are now proceeding into the
lagoon as far as the Geiger counter
monitors will permit, to find out
among other things what weiro
looking object Is draped over q
floating drydock. Maybe its a miss
inn CIT