Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 December 1948 — Page 33

f18-T-12 Scarfs ot

LOR

Section Three

Sixteen Pages

~The Indianapolis

ak Karl Lark-Horovitz, Purdue. |

Dr. Walter Miller adjusts the vacuum system

of Notre Dame's electrostatic generator,

By VICTOR PETERSON FAILURE in research at any one. of Indiana's- three largest universities would have delayed the creation of the atom bomb and lengthened the war. Now much of it can be told—the vital and basic roles played by the scientists of Indiana, Purdue and Notre Dame Universities.

is the explosive hirthdate of the Atomic Age. It was on that day that three United States military airplanes: appeared in the sky over Hiroshima, Japan. : 2 2 Ap eT Sma IN THE second plane was Dr. Bernard Waldman, Notre Dame University. He was Indiana's link with the new era born 6652 air miles from Indianapolis. Seconds later the first atomic bomb loosed-in-the fury of war disintegrated. The most powerful blast ever created by man spread over the doomed area. Shock waves leveled the strongest of structures. Searing heat generated by the nuclear reaction mysteriously created fires. Thus was born the most powerful weapon ever known. Atomic power, first used to kill, will

To the people of the world, yo 6, 1945

bring untold benefits to mankind in health,

wealth and more gracious living.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING * * *

The irony” ofthe Atomic’ Age birth. fro mentarily must have flashed threugh the mind of Dr. Waldman as’he witnessed the devastating szplosion. Dt 2 7 , DIRECTOR of the nuCkar physics laboratory at-the University -of Notre Dame, Dr.. Waldman left the school early in the war to work on the atom bomb. Involved in some of the most secret development, he’-finally was chosen to be in on the delivery.” It wasn’t chance that he was selected as one of four Civilian observers. The United States was ¢shovjdg all its blue chips into the worldwide poker ganie. This was the showdown. It was his solemn duty to report accurately the bomb’s behavior. Once the bomb had burst, it was impossible to keep the secret longer. Heré were headlines a war-weary-world hoped-for or-feared. Still locked in secrecy, however, was the wide-

Its Serious Business.

proTORE STORY BY VICTOR PETERSON .

TH lists in hand or only vague thoughts in mind, Indiona ole is

~ doing its Christmas shopping.

The sidewalks are crowded, the stores jammed. With each pur-

chase the family pocketbook loses weight.

Philosophically Americans

accept-all this because it has become traditional with the season. Most gifts, believe it or not, are serafilly selected.

“Then THEDAY.

Then come the days when you i to fig igure out + just what Aunt Minnie's gift is supposed to be. The days, when with that guilty ny ou slip back to a department store to exchange a riotous tie or fr fingers for something a-"bit- more practical.” “77 The<scenes captured here by the candid camera show: a typical cross-section. They can be found any day through Dec. 24.

.

Sa Sy

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1948

Dr. Ailan C. G. Mitchell, Indiana.

Be Se | i ; oh 2

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Dr. uit Waldman, Notre iy 3 ne : at the target of the electrostatic generator. §

This is the first of three cles” telling of the major role played by Indiana's large universities in the creation of the atomic bomb. The second article in tomorrow’s Times will relate how Indiana University, - Purdue and Notre Dame are carrying on the work of helping the development of the Atomic Age,

spread groundwork of the colossal military venture.

[4 » MANY of the top fins and physicists from Notre-Dame, Purdue and Indiana Universities lost their identity as they pooled their knowledge with others of the nation’s hest while working at government stations.

Equally good men remained behind, laboring unnoticed under the shroud of silence. Here were scientists working against time on

The unsophisticate . .

a department store display.

a EPSPS

Martha Jo Richards, 835 N. Keystone Ave., absorbs the Window Wonderland of

apuoect which rust not fail. Feverishly they batTod stambling DIGCKS Thin KITE HOE HE as Tae handled the most powerful forces unlocked from Nature by man, * = = DR. ALLAN C. G. MITCHELL, IU physics department head, organized the work on the Bioomington campus before the government called him

elsewhere for more detailed -work on the atomie.

bomb, But there in Swain Hall, on the peaceful, treeshaded campus, he perfected from 1942-44 mueh of the preliminary research of the over-all project: Each facet seemed minute and diverse in itself, but all pointed to the end product of the atom bomb. Brought into play. were the university's vast resources of the nuclear physies department. There were no headlines, just work. The same was true at Notre Dame which became, and still is, the center of radiation chemistry. Instrumental was the Institution's powerful electrostatic gener-

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HOT PE PTFE POSUERE OY Sad oR

Ediséfialé .. 34 Features «.. 37 Politics .... 35 Radio ,..., 44 * World Report 35 Movies .. 46-47

The Indiana University cyclotron fires this beam while smashing atoms.

ator, in this instance the most capable in the handg . of the allied nations. It is an atom smashing device similar to a cyclotron. ” » » te CHEMIST Dr. Milton Burton was assigned te Notre Dame where he collaborated with the phy. sicists to determine what building material could withstand the powerful penetrating rays of radio. active substances. It was vitally necessary to deters mine what would happen to the chemical cone stituencies of such material before the first builds ing for the atomie bomb project could be erected. While the Purdue cyclotron was an important part of ‘the university's research program, here, too, scientific paths crossed. Again the physicists and the chemists pooled their talents: Dr. Karl -Lark-Horovitzs, Purdue physics department head, and his staff lent their support wholeheartedly to Chemist Dr. Ear 7. McBee. ‘® =» WITH 108 persons working under him, Dp. McBee sought the answer to a cooling agent which could be used in handling the radioactive material. Without such an agent, the atomic bomb project would falter and fail, Other schools were working on the same problem, but substantially it was the agent developed on the West Lafayette campus which was adopted,

inexpensive coolant. With the one assighment completed, Dr. McBeo and his staff were called upon te solve another baffling complication. Uranium, the ore from which plutonium is extracted for the bomb, can be used over and over

again. Only a smal portion is debittaied at a time,

rw we AT OAK RIDGE, Teun. a recovery plant was in operation but was not working as effectively as desired. Imoreasing the recovering efficiency was the Purdus project, > Under Dr. MoBee's direction the only pliot plant im the nation was set up. With it the scientists discovered the proper method te recover the precious ore,

Thus India. Xieuly aud partial moth te the Db Age. TOMORROW: Ourrent Research in Indians.

hn olaim the Atomie

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The sophisticate . . . irs Fe | Tis eli Washington Bivd., recalls childhood days be

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The bored . Fred Meeker, R. R. 5, Muncie, waited |!/; hours rs SR heart: .

The undecided . . . Mrs. C. C. Shouly, West J

Frank Byrne, 1326 Bradb : ed Lafayette, thinks she is sure of pajama size for male mem- J WER rE

IB LTT IR while the missus Hr

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The pensive shopper . .

Grant St., makes careful RR IR IRIS

what her husband will get?

Mrs. ”™ IZ NER

+ goin ale 1s The tired and burdened . .

in the cup of Mrs. William [I 43 Virginia Ave., blind since birth.

after a long day preparing for Dec