Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 14 August 1945 — Page 12

- TUESDAY, AUG. 14, 1945

PAGE 12. “THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

Atomic Bomb—DBest Kept

How Smashing the Atom Releases Terrifying Force ]

: — URANIUM 235 ATOM |

OPENING a new and revolutionary phase of warfare, the world’s first atomic bomb crashed down upon Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, The greatest weapon of the war represents the fruit of the labors of scientists, who for decades have sought a method of harnessing and releasing the basic power of "the universe. : : ; These diagrams and pictures tell the story of the long struggle to pry loose one of nature's most hidden secrets, the results of the first test and the devastating

t : dd Atoms are bombarded with terrific Sd XX) power of atomic energy. force by millions of sub-atomic 00000.

4 porticles called neutrons, — 3 w (P) is dense core of positively charged _

protons. Around it, like tiny solar “system, revolve negatively charged ©: electrons, ” - Lb

J a > oe , RCS A XN J CAIRLAL *Direct hit” (takes a million sub- CX XX -X X . atomic “bullets” to score one) smashes the atom, which

- explodes. Its particles fly like shrapnel with force greater than the original atom-smashing. “bullets.” This “shrapnel” hits other atoms, smashing them. Their explosion \® - smashes others and the process goes on ot terrific speed, producing 0 tremendous explosion. *

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THE CHART above portrays what happens when an atom is smashed in such a way as to have its explosion smash adjacent atoms, producing a continuous flow of explosions, They create a cumulative blast more forceful than the most fearful explo-

sive hitherto known to man. THE ATOMIC bomb is the most terrible engine of destruction ever conceived. Most of Hiroshima, the first target, was obliterated. In the hands of an enemy, it could

do the same for any city in the United States.

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ONE OF THE giant production plants at the Clinton Engineer Works in Oak Ridge, Tenn.,where workers didn’t know they were making atomic bombs. The best kept secret of the war, the employees were puzzled because material kept coming in to the plant but they didn't see anything going out.

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TO GET A comparable explosion from TNT you would have to set off 15,000 tons or 300 carloads of 50 tons eachs

If U-235, component part of the element uranium, exploded at TNT's speed, the pressure would be one million

times as great.

THIS IS an aerial view .of Richland, the modern housing and business development for the Hanford Engineer Works, near Pasco, Wash., another one of the plants manufacturing the bomb. This is a complete community in itself, including schools and shopping centers,

Rs be ‘erushed by air pressure.

is one: of the largest sources of uranium, the raw material for U-235, § just taken over the El Dorado: Mining and Smelting Co, one of the greatest — um and uranim in the world, in ‘order to guarantee rnium, together with radium, is found in pitcie

iy a

5 mn

blendé. Above is eral that yields uranium, during a

Secret And Greatest

a , Eovermnent sup- GILBERT LABINE stumbled upon, pitchblende, the min-

Id prospecting trip in a Physisiet. hen

Weapon Of The War Where Atomic Bomb First Produced Air ‘Earthquake

P 7 77, A 24 7d

Forest rangers phoned Ji Smithsonian Observa- GNI, 2 tory on Burro Mountain, YZ thinking shock was YH 70 earthquake. Other Vi rangers in Mogollon - k / %, Belene on Rio Grande R.

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inlet away, reported IZONA MOGOLLON Son Marcial ®}

shock. 7 | A

’ | 4 BURRO % 1 Silver City At Silver City, 100 miles i ¥ away, houses shook

Albuquerque -

ANENNRNRERRN

a) Alamogordo -\ Air Base

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Sidi El Paso

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THIS MAP shows the wide area affected when the atomic bomb was first tested, on July 16, near the Alamogordo air base, New Mexico. Residents first thought it was an earthquake. The white circle represents a section 300 miles in diameter where the blast was seen and felt, .

VITAL IN THE development of the atomic bomb were atom-smashing machines like the one above. This is the giant, 20-ton atom smasher at Notre Dame university.

It generates eight million volts.

EXPLODED AMID a great fleet at sea, an atomic bomb would sink most of the ships and send a great tidal wave shoreward. The most tightly compartmented ship would

« ; . ; RL Le THE UNITED STATES won a race with Nazi Germany in development of the atomic bomb. Here is the Nazi-atom smasher. the invention of Manfred von Ardenn the Nazis were in control they said the machine was so powerfy| vi part was armored to protect laboratory technicians from deadly

‘that the