Evening star., 1946-07-07

Continued From First Page)
bomb or even that one that laid
waste to Hiroshima
The photos are complete visual
record showing that the first Bikini
bomb probably was less powerful
than the NagaSki bomb. They show
not only that the Bikini cloud was
just half as high as that at Nagasaki,
but the base of that cloud, standing
like a pillar of fire and smoke on
the water, was not more than half
the diameter of the base of the
pillar at Nagasaki
The first close up shows only
Streamers of bright light, formless
and to fast for the camera eye to
catch. The second photo shows
the start of ball of fire. This fire
ball is in the exact shape of the sun
rising just half way over the hori-
zon. This atomic sun, made entirely
of blazing air, is more than a mile
wide. 1t covers the battleship
Nevada at the center of the target
but only with one edge of the ball
of fire. The main bulk of this
atomic sun was to the rear and left
of the Nevada.
The next photo is a surprise. The
fire ball has momentarilv disap-
peared. In its place are what looks
like fog banks, perhaps nearly 1000
feet high. Ships that were not COW
cred by the original fire ball have
waving plumes wreathing more
than mast high. These plumes
probably are steam vapor.
Water Turned to Steam.
An explanation of the steam and
fog banks is that the lagoon sur
face under and near the ball of
fire was converted instantly into
steam without boiling water. At
temperatures above 3.100 degrees
water does not boil but turns into
instant steam. At the center of
this fog and steam bank is rising
what looks like a July Fourth fire.
works display. The position of fire.
works is apparently astern of the
Nevada and in the direction of the
carrier Independence. which car
ried torpedoes, ammunition and
aviation gasoline.
At this point in the sequence OF
pictures, the carrier Saratoga's deck
fire has not started. That fire be-
gins in the next picture. with q
plain smoke plume from the deck.
In this Saratoga fire picture also
begin the atomic tornado. This tor
nado is the start of an upshooting
column of fire and cloud. In its
initial shape it is a high pointed
dome more than 1000 feet tall. The
edges of this dome appear dark and
like smoke but the center is in
candescent.
Tornado Shoots Upward.
The tornado is narrower than the
fire ball it replaces and does not
cover the Nevada. The top of the
tornado shoots upward, quickly
forming one mushroom and then a
smaller mushroom below the UNI
brella-like topside
( The base of this tornado remains
on the water. But airplane views
show it moving rapidly. The tor
nado moves off the face of the
target fleet in about the same direc-
ton as the northeast trade winds
This atomic column appears to lift
as it leaves the fleet just as storm
tornadoes rise from the ground.
Just about where the tornado ap-
cared above the steam and smoke
is the area where five ships sank.
That tornado base is also the
area where the Independence was
wrecked and from where she was
towed to prevent the risk of her
sinking.
Vice Admiral w. M. P. Blandy,
boss of the Crossroads operation,
said if this particular air bomb had
been close over the. battleship
Nevada he believes even that mighty
ship would have been sunk
But more important for the future
of navies is the fact that trans
ports and destroyers 1000 feet and
more distant from the bomb center
were sunk.