Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1954-06-03
BOMB
Continued from Page II

Men, women, children, all his friends yesterday-down
in the street begging HIM to hep them.
He tried, but mostly it Some were dead
Others were dying Most of the rest trapped under
debris. He couldn't stand the sight
Rockviles West Montgomery Avenue was paralyzed
Scrabblng his way toward North Washington Street.
John hazy conscious that Genes model shop Darby
insurance company the automotve parts place . =.
the Dairy Bar the Telephone company the Post
Office they weren't there any Only bricks and
stone and pleading people.
The courthouse reminder of Montgomery Countys
soidness was pile of rubbe shaded with dust
Gasoline splng into the street from stumps the
street at Hckmans at the wheel his shattered
auto trying to start the motor.
Somehow the watery arrows of gasoline caught fire and
flames roared up reached the and be-
gan to backen the shopping center
There nobody to put out the fire.
1t must be an atom bomb John mused why weren't we
told?
Through the smoke and flame he could see all the bust
ness places from the Farmers bank past the triangle
all crushed into crazy heaps.
Opposite the triangle the Sentinel office freaksh
mixture of the odfashoned and the modern powdered
bricks Redeemed the sidewalks but the sign still half
working :.
Blinking parts of the sign spelled out
County
"Sent
Appropriate County Sent John thought hysteri-
cally
"A pOllCelldn yelllng JOnn get
out there's nothing do"
In the next block something colossal had put its hand
the stores and crumped them like house of cards.
Popping sounds warned John that gas was exploding
Telephone wires down and they spared eery in pud
dies of water.
The church will protect theb John thought trying
buoy his heart.
1t hadn't.
The iron fence around the church had been melted by
the heat Of the blast.
Instead of one historic spre, the church had dozens
long splnters pointing toward Heaven.
Some of the church. goers had lived Rescue workers
were pulling them out.
John showed his way through like a mailman a.
He hunted among the faces of the living but couldn't
find them In another row. of the Dead he finally found his
famyhs wife Betty and the twins, Mary and Johnny Jr
He stayed with them until it grew dusky and military
policemen made him leave.
Rosy fires rocked of control all what had been
the City of Rockville
John stopped crowd and found one of them had
battery RADIO tuned to Conelrad.
Hell bomb" the saying
What is left of Washington is under Army control.
Loong has broken out throughout the city Scavenges
being shot down to prevent more hysteria.
"A Pentagon spokesman says the bomb is believed to
have been 50-megaton bomb, what the military calls
'frecracker'
"We have larger bombs and they are being employed
now in retaliation against the enemy"
walking.
Triggerhappy men in uniforms ordering the civil
ians out of the city.
No vehicles running so John aimlessly began
wandering away. Passing the gas station he the
he had in the morning still dazedy trying to start the
car.
Rockville was lost and civil defense plans weren't work
ing.
John wondered why.
Through fields and along stretches of highway which
were passabe, he kept walking skirtng Gaithersburg
which Rockville in miniature.
He walked without thinking, barefoot, bloody ludi
crous, pul sight like thousands Of his Montgomery Coun
tanS. R2 ANA
He couldn't get drink of water because it might be
contaminated He realized that without really thinking out
The next day he didn't know what time it was
the grass green and feke again He stood in field
beside brook and it looked like brooks usually looked be-
fore the bomb came.
He drank and the water sweet and clear.
He out of the danger zone-out-and alone.