Evening star., 1947-03-09
Hopkins Laboratory
5 Years Old; Peace
Fails 10 Slow Pace
By A. A. HoehIinn

|
which has become the genesis of
the nation's foremost implements
of ulUra-modern warfare, tonor-
row will celebrate its fifth birthday
by working in tempo undiminished
| by peace.
Second In Importance, perhaps,
only to the atom bomb project at
Oak Ridge, Tenn, the Applied
Physics Laboratory Of John Hopkins
University Is bending its full
energies under contract with the
Navy to perfect known methods Of
mass destruction and invent new
ones.
From inside its factory like walls
came the famed proximity fuse,
the ram-jet supersonic engine for
guided missiles, the sensitive tor
pedo, and number of advanced
Ielectronic techniques for gunnery. !
/ Today its scientists are exploring
Ithe mysteries OF the upper; atmoss
fphere in co-ordination with tns
Army's w. rocket experiments at
White Sands, N. Mex. Most Of their
tother current projects are classified
as top secret.
"Task Force" Technique.
Exponent OF what its researchers
refer to as the "task force" tech
nique, the 1aboratory's scope extends
to other laboratories and factories
throughout the Nation, including
the research facilities of the Uni
versities Of Michigan, Texas, Vir-
ginia, Wisconsin and Princeton, and
the New Mexico School of Mines.
Almost anomalous in a nation at
peace, this laboratory has never dis
carded its mantle of war. With Sc
curity regulations relaxed not an
iota since the spy-conscious war
days, armed guards watch every en-
trance and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation together with the
Office of Naval Intelligence keeps
employees as well as visitors under
scrutiny.
Work q Way Of Life.
The science laboratory, for some
700 workers, has become q way of
life. A notice currently on the bNi-
letin board is entirely in tune with
the tenor Of the place:
"Lost-one piece Of lucite, 5 inches
long, finder please return to -"
Knit not by organizations but by
their mutual interests, many Of
them voluntarily assemble after
hours for special lectures on nuclear
physics, electronics, advanced chem
fstry, higher mathematics, and kin
dred subjects.
Some 200 Of the workers are ham
radio operators and spend their eve
nings filling the frequencies with
their own peculiar chatter.
Yet there are notable exceptions
among the staff who come entirely
out of their test tube atmosphere in
the evenings-or on days off.
Varied Interests of Workers.
For example, DR.. L. r. Hafstad
director Of research and an
eminent authority on nuclear dis
integration and electronics, is a
skier OF no mean ability. A few
weeks ago he took time out to
indulge his fayorite sport in the
mountains of Canada.
DR.. James Van Allen whose name,
among scientists at least, has be-
come synonymous with the upper
atmosphere study program, is q
yachtsman In his spare time.
DR.. Walter Good, an electronics
expert, has a model plane collection
at home which he is constantly
building up.
DR.. Ralph E. Gibson, director of
the Bumblebee, or ram-jet project.
is organist of the st. Columba's s
Church in Washington.
Others picked at random include
Frank Loomis, a private flying
enthusiast and plane owner; j. VIM
cent Smith, bird fancier and breeder.
particularly Of canaries; Miss Louise
Stahr, sculptress; Sylvan Harris
wood carver; Dr.. G. r. Tatum. saxo-
phonist, and n. NJ. Haylor, collector
of antiques.
Employees Comparatively Young.
Any number Of the workers-whc
are almost all under 40 years OF
age are ardent bowlers and have
organized teams among themselves
About twice q year the laboratory
holds a dance, not in an old rented
lcyclotron or wind tunnel but In one
OF the city's better hotels.
| In . small newspaper put out by
the employees now called simply
The News, but originally "Apl-
Jhu-S win find, in addition
to somewhat technical articles and
Iroutine chitchat, evidences OF the
part the laboratory plays In the
Lives Of its men and women.
/ Although the majority Of the en-
lployes are women, none are engi-
Ineers or physicists. IN addition tt
- - - a