Evening star., 1955-07-23

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fell on Hiroshima.
Such a hydrogen bomb has
been estimated to have explosive
force equal to about 20 million
tons of INT. Within a five-mile
radius of the point of explosion.
little practical defense would be
possible. Within q 1o-mile ra-
dius, fatalities of unprotected
persons are estimated at 80 per
cent. with another 80 per cent
lof persons In the area subject
to non-fatal injuries. not count
ling the effect Of fall-out of ra-
Idioactive dust or other particles.
MIR. ThomaSon's home is about
8 miles from the Capitol, which
could be presumed to be a tar
Iget in case of such warfare.
The Federal Civil Defense Ad-
Iministration believes evacuation
for persons within about a Is
mile radius of a probable target
lis the safest course, but that
shelters within a lesser radius
are feasible.
MIR. Thomason started to think
seriously last fall about building
the shelter. He talked to quite
Ia few people about it, and said
that these conversations helped
him shape his thinking and work
out a plan. He also studied shell
ter designs explained in Outdoor
Shelters" a pamphlet issued by
the Federal Civil Service Admin
istration.
This booklet didn't cover pro-
lection from faIl-out hazards.
But MIR. Thomason believes air.
filters he has incorporated into
his own shelter will offer some
protection here.
The ThomaSon shelter is To-
Gated adjoining the foundation
OF his house, and Is on the side
towards Washington. This side
was chosen so that any blast
could be expected to blow the
house away from the shelter
rather than on top of it.
| II the house fell on the shell
ter, he reasoned. occupants might
escape the blast but be hopelessly
ientrapped by the weight of
rubble over the escape hatch.
Entrance to the shelter Is from
the basement of the house. This
I2-by-3-foot entrance can be
closed off by a 4-inch-thick oak
door made up of two thicknesses
Iof 2-by-8-inch boards fastened
together at right angles to each
other. The door has an asbestcS
lining to offer protection against
heat in case, the house itself
should burn. 1t is hinged and,
owing to its weight, has a sup
porting roller at the bottom op-
posite from the hinge.
The shelter itself is reached
through a 2-foot tunnel leading
!; from the basement.
i An emergency escape shaft
from inside the shelter rises sew
eral feet to the earth level. This
is to be filled with sand, and COW
cred at the top to prevent mois-
ture freezing the sand solid in
, the wintertime.
I To open the shaft in event OF
emergency, boards holding the
sand in the shaft are removed
This allows the sand to flow
, down into the shelter, thus open
ing the upward passageway.
Sand is used in closing the
passageway to offer great resist.
ance to blast and radioactive
dust. The upward passageway
has dimensions of 20 by "a
inches.
Side walls of the shelter are
built of 8-inch concrete bloch
on concrete footings. Cores of the
block were filled with concrete
to strengthen the wall and tic
the block together. The floor oi
concrete has a step-down center
|aisle to give additional head.
room.
Over the shelter is a 10-inch
heavily reinforced concrete slab
land two feet Of earth fill above
that. Topping the earth fill II
five inches Of concrete, which