Evening star., 1953-05-25
Nation S First
A-She|I Fired
On Nevada Flat
Brilliant Flash
Seen in Las Vegas
IS Miles Awoy
BY the Associofed Press

LAS VEGAS, New, May 25.-
The Army fired the Nations first
atomic shell today from a huge
cannon dubbed Atomic Annie"
It burst with brilliant flash
over a simulated enemy target.
The shot, fired from the 280-
millimeter cannon on French
man Flat, came at $50 am.
U1:30 am. EDIT.
Within five minutes the Gus
tomary atomic cloud formed,
visible in this resort-gambling
town IS miles away. It developed
a lazy S form and appeared to
have an ice cap.
Sunlight glinted on the white
top of the cloud. It's wispy
stem led down to a purple base.
Cloud Rises Swiftly.
The cloud rose swiftly and
seemed to be travelling fast. It
did not have the true mushroom
shape so familiar in previous
nuclear tests.
An intensely trained crew of
nine men of the SD Field Artil-
lery Group, Fort Sill, Okla,
loaded the atomic gun, then re-
tired to safe distance for the
firing, by remote control from
the control point 10 miles away.
The Atomic Energy Commits
sion, confirming in its usual an
nouncement of test that it was
an atomic shell, said the dis
tance from gun to target was
between six and seven miles.
Approximately so aircraft par
ticipated in the test, including
IL B-36s from the Strategic Air
Commands Carswell Base, Fort
Worth, Tex. These were for crew
1ndoctrination purposes.
National Leaders on Hand.
National leaders witnessing
the test include Defense Secre-
tary Charles E. Wilson, Admiral
Arthur w. Radford, nominee for
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, and Gen. j. Lawton COL
Inns, Army Chief of Staff.
Thomas E. Murray, member of
the Acc, was present.
Nearly 100 Congressman, in
cluding Representative Cole, Re-
publican of New York, chair
man Of the Joint Atomic En-
ergy Committee. were assigned
positions several miles behind
the trenches where 2,525 troops
and 575 military observers were
stationed
A scheduled fight for pene-
tration Of the atomic cloud by
two Air Force QF-80 drone
planes was Cancelled because sur
face winds at nearby Indian
Springs Air Force Base would
have made unnamed takeoffs
hazardous.
There was no apparent shock
wave felt in Las Vegas.
Police Chief Sherman Lamb
OF st. George, Utah. said he saw
and felt nothing. St. George last
week got a substantial dose of
atomic radiation from a test, re-
quiring virtual closing down of
the town for three hours.
Typical Installation.
The target area today repre-
sented a typical enemy back-of-
the-lines installation. In a grove
OF so trees. which survived the
May 7 atomic blast, stood a As
ton diesel locomotive, Is boxcars,
tanks, planes, guns and several
types Of military housing, from
Notifications to tents. Various
types of Army clothing also were
subjected, as were rabbits, mice
and pigs in pens.
Atomic Annie's sister, 280-mm
gun from Fort Sill, was stationed
about 200 feet away. ready in
case of emergency.
A Defense Department spokes-
man indicated the Army had
little worry about a possible
breach burSt-explosion within
the gun chamber-that could
conceivably destroy both guns.
The gun crew, headed by Col.
Devere Armstrong of Gladwin,
Mich, was to retire to trenches
"at safe distance" after load
ing the gun.
Both guns were tested during
the last week in II rounds of fir
ing with conventional ammuni-
ton. Conventional shells for the
11-inch diameter gun weigh 800
pounds; atomic shells are be-
lieved to weigh about 1000
pounds.
The firing angle of the gun was
understood to be about Is to 20
degrees. Its maximum range, OBJ.
tanned at an angle of about As
degrees, is 20 miles.
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