Evening star., 1949-06-03
Probe Of U-235loss
Pressed After Empty
Coniainer Is Found
ByJ. A. O'Leor

By J. A. o'leo7
A missing bottle which had cor
tanned some Uranium -2sS-used
in making the atomic bone-has
been found. but the Joint Con-
gressional Atomic Energy Commit
tee is continuing its investigation
OF how II was lost
Chairman McMahon revealed
that the empty bottle was discov-
cred IN q burial ground" for rs-
dlo-sctiye waste material At the
Areonne National Laboratory In
Chicago.
1t was al the laboratory that the
bottle with an ounce Of enriched
uranium VAS lost IN February. AL
but one-eighth Of the lost uranium
was reclaimed from q container
OF waste material al the Oak Ridge
atomic plant In Tennessee.
Negligence CHARGED.
Senator Mcmahon. making the
announcement late yesterday after
long closed committee session.
said the facts would seem TO In
dicate that the bottle containing
the uranium 235 was dumped by
mistake into q containey OF ''un-
enriched material" and that the
loss was temporary one due 10
carelessness and negligence.
Il am hopeful the remaining
one-eighth finally will be ac-
counted for" the Senator said.
He added that the committee
would continue its efforts TO find
out why 1T was that some one
was careless in dumping this ma
terial into other material"
He also announced that the
committee is looking into the cost
of a secret atomic installation at
Hanford, Wash, which he said
seems likely to cost three times
the original estimate of $1,000. 900.
Hearing in Recess.
Meanwhile. the committee has
recessed until Monday its public
hearings into the charges Of in
credible mismanagement" leveled
at David E. Lilienthal. commission
chairman, by Senator Hickenloop-
er, Republican. Of Iowa.
Senator McMahon revealed that
William L. Borden, a young men,
Der of the staff OF the Joint Con-
gressional Committee, made the
suggestion that led to the recovery
Of the missing bottle. The SEN
ator said that while In Chicago
two weeks ago Mr.. Borden sug-
gested to laboratory officials that
the bottle might have been buried
with other discarded radioactive
materials in ground set apart for
that purpose.
The excavating was dangerous
operation, the Senator explained,
and was performed by persons
wearing gas masks and taking
other protective steps. FBI agents
were called in to supervise the
operation.
Label Signature Identified.
Senator Mcmahon said enough
particles Of the original mixture
adhered to the bottle to make
possible analyses which proved 1t
was the lost bottle. He said also
the technician who labelled the
bottle originally identified his
handwriting.
Senator Mcmahon said there
was no inference that the chemist
who labeled the bottle had any
thing to do with the later acci-
dental misplacing Of its contents.
The chairman said that. presum-
ably, the contents of the bottle
had been dumped into a container
that was thought to contain un-
enriched material. for reprocess-
ing.
Senator Mcmahon said the
committee also discussed yester-
day the cost of construction OF
what he described as "a classified
facility" at Hanford. He said 1t
was a delicate facility. which had
never been built before. There Is
no claim Of fraud or malfeasance,
Senator Mcmahon explained, but
the committee thought the ulti-
mate costs should be looked into.