Government Releases Details Of
World’s First Hydrogen Explosion
In Which Island Was Wiped Out
By ELTON C. FAY «
WASHINGTON, UP>—The gov
ernment disclosed Thursday de
tails of the world’s first hydrogen
explosion—a searing and crush
ing fury that wiped out an island
in the twinkling of an eye and
spawned a gigantic fireball big
enough to engulf the heart of
New York City.
The official motion picture film
of the thermonuclear test in Nov
ember, 1952, conducted by the
Atomic Energy Commission and
Defense Department at Eniwetok
Atoll, was made public—in some
what censored form—by the Fed
eral Civil Defense Administration.
That agency said it “firmly be
lieves it is necessary fcrr the Am
erican public to know the facts
about the destructiveness of nu
clear weapons.” And it quoted
from the speech of President Eis
enhower before the United Na
tions Assembly last December
which said “clearly, if the peoples
of the world are to conduct an
intelligent search for peace, they
must be armed with the signifi
cant facts of today’s existence.”
News accounts and pictures of
the H-bomb film originally were
scheduled for use April 7 but a
general release was made yester
day because some accounts had
broken into print ahead of time.
Awesome as it was, the 1952
test has been described by Eisen
hower as only a first step in this
nation’s hydrogen weapons pro
gram.
There have been two announced
thermonuclear blasts in the Pac
ific proving ground since then,
and both have been semi-official
ly described as much more power
ful. One was set off March 2, the
other last Friday.
Here are some of the things the
motion picture of the 1952 test
and the official narration accom
panying vit disclosed:
1. The test device exploded in a
“cab,” a small workshop jammed
with recording and detonating
gadgets, on the islet of Egulab, at
the northern rim of Eniwetok
Atoll.
2. The island, about a half mile
long and quarter mile wide and
i>
protruding from the barrier reef
of the atoll, vanished. In the place
where it stood there was a crater
175 feet deep, a mile in diameter.
Deep, blue water of the Pacific
rolled where the island had stood.
Into the yawning submarine cra
ter, on the shelf of the reef where
it drops off into 400 fathoms of
ocean, was a great hole equal to
the height of a 17-story building,
capable of containing 14 buildings
the size of the Pentagon at Wash
ington.
3. Created was the largest fire
ball of the more than 40 atomic
explosions set off until that time
—314 miles in diameter. The heat
at the core of that churning, bril
liant man-made star presumably
shot to a momentary temperature
like the body of 'the sun.
The official estimate was that
the hrea of “complete annihila
tion’’ extended outward in a
three-mile radius; that severe to
moderate damage reached out to
seven miles; light damage as far
as 10.
French Top Military Head
Removed From Posts
After Attacks On EDC
PARIS, UP)—France’s govern
ment fire'd Marshal Alphonse Juin
Thursday from the nation’s two
top military strategy posts. It
appeared likely he also would lose
his NATO job as commander of
land, sea and air forces in Central
Europe.
The cabinet ordered the out
spoken, 65-year-old marshal re
moved from his French military
posts—adviser to the government
on defense strategy and vice pres
ident of the National Superior
Council for Armed Forces—after
he ignored Premier Joseph Lan
iers summons to' explain his pub
lic criticism last weekend of the
proposed European Defense Com
munity (EDC).
The firing touched off a furor
! in France comparable to that in
America following then President
Truman’s dismissal of Gen. Doug
las MacArthur. Opponents in Par
liament of EDC led the critics of
the French government action.
■■■ *7
PAN AMERICAN PRESENTS .
A N E W SCHEDULE
FOR THE NOME SERVICE
EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 1954
_ i
Flight 901 — DC-6B
Lv. Seattle TUESDAY & FRIDAY 7:30 a.m.
Ar. Fairbanks TUESDAY & FRIDAY 11:30 a.m. j
Flight 911 — DC-4
Lv. Fairbanks TUESDAY & FRIDAY 12 Noon
Ar. Nome TUESDAY & FRIDAY 2:00 p.m.
Flight 912 — DC-4
Lv. Nome TUESDAY & FRIDAY 5:00 p.m.
Ar. Fairbanks TUESDAY & FRIDAY 9:00 p.m.
Lv. Fairbanks TUESDAY & FRIDAY 10:00 p.m.
Ar. Seattle WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY 8:00a.m.
All Times Above Are Local Standard For The City Indicated
Please note that this new schedule was designed to extend
to the Nome people the advantage of DC-6B Super Six service
between Seattle and Fairbanks. It is unfortunate that under
the present circumstances it is not possible to provide this
same service south-bound.
ONLY THE SCHEDULE HAS BEEN CHANGED
The Quality of the Service and the Fares Remain Unaltered
NOTICE OF ELECTION
Notice is hereby given that the
annual Municipal and School
Board election of the City of
Nome and Nome School District
will be held on APRIL 6, 1954, at
City Hall, Nome, Alaska, for the
purpose of electing the following
officers, viz:
Mayor; two members of the
Common Council for a term of
one year; three members of the
Common Council for a term of
two years; a City Clerk; City
Treasurer; one member of the
School Board; and five members
of the Nome Light & Power Util
ity Board for one, two, three, four
and five years, respectively. And
I hereby certify that the follow
ing named candidates have been
regularly nominated in accord
ance with Territorial Law, to wit:
FOR MAYOR: Steffen Ander
sen.
FOR COUNCILMEN for one
year term: Fred M. Bookman, Rita
Harper, RobL K. Herman, Chas.
M. Reader, Thomas Tungwenuk,
James M. Walsh.
FOR COUNCILMEN for two
year term: Ernie Gustafson, Keith
Hedreen, Bob Lewis, Rose Silver
man.
FOR CITY CLERK: Albert
"Vic" Hansen, Carrie M. McClain.
FOR CITY TREASURER: Byr
on G. Reed.
FOR MEMBER OF SCHOOL
BOARD: William J. Barber.
FOR NOME LIGHT & POWER
UTILITY BOARD: Pearse M.
Walsh for one-year term; Clinton
Gray, Nels Swanbe*g, Jr., for
two-year term; Dewey Goodrich,
three-year term; William T. Hal
ey, four-year term; Lester Bron
son, Thomas N. Martin, five-year
term.
SUBMITTING FOR RATIFI
CATION: Ordinance No. 363, en
titled, "An ordinance of the City
of Nome, Alaska, vacating Third
Avenue between West B Street
and Division Street and giving
unto said street a Block and Lot
designation."
Polls will open at 8:00 o'clock
A.M. and close at 6:00 o'clock
P.M.
Carrie M. McLain
City Clerk
Publ. Apr. 2, 5, 1954.
g&K*
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