1954-02-19 — Page 7

THE CHINA^ MAIL, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1954.

100

al Page 7:

What Makes An Atom Bomb

M

The first

¦ a revealing series of articles

GORDON DEAN

Chairman, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, 1950-1953

Chnete, the Congo, the Colorada plateau, and

Aflça; and in the "process of getting it we might have to dig up a substantial chunk of

Florida real now *MUND

QUET

ostate. Ad it in

gotting smail

quantities of

urantum from phosphate rook ng a by-product

of fertiliser production.

WD

final, emergency. process the urahlum

AN has just begun to look for uranium: Only a few years ago. it was an unimportant metal used almost exclusively as a ceramic colouring agent. No one cared much about

One of the richest uranium contains a few thousand tons found, to make available drill- it. Today it is the essential radium deposits was discovered, not tons of uranium but tons of ing tools and mining and cone could feed material for the great of Joachimsthal, în Bohemia, ore, for the one in such pockets contrating endoment.- It multit atomic energy plants of The Joachimsthat area has a contains only about thred to ten be prepared to lend money which occurs as a very minor America ond other colourful past. It also has an potuis of uranium to each ton and furnish other Inducements extent in the vast deposits countries. It is the base of active present and future, fer, of ore.

in order to get from the bowels of the so-called "Chattanooga West This seems hard way to of

fast the males in Tennessee, earth-very "of

Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and find urandum, and the atomic energy pyramid ta today

fortunately precious metal that may spell Alabama, but, the cost the Rulen under the control" and-It is hard to find.

between a slave In both Saxony, which is to there is another. This involves the differenc

bo very great, and a free world. day

baring a part of Russiau... · Gor-.

down from the Tiesa many, and Bohemia, which is with diamond drills.

Is the Commission garnering than that of working today a part of Russian Czecho- way one cant take samplings of all the uranium are that is phosphate deposits.

to the Western slovakia, there is an extremely the ore bodies that slant back available.

The region. It is into the mesas from the walls. World? ANSWER Y "no." located in Erzgebirge range, deposits, and the risks involved one part in each 250,000 parts which separates the two

extreme irregularity of the Someone has calculated coun in exploring region has

Long before we are backed drilling impossible twelfth century.

Chan Three hundred years later

Jarge companies and gold, a hundred times as plenti po of atomic weapons will be

Ful

and almost aa siiver,

as great enough to

any Joachimsthal government agencies.

plentiful as load or zic

reasonable would-be aggressor

Jnows or This is pitchblande, in heavy

It is also decep- veins

It is almost as though some wise Providence, dis trustful of man's wisdom, had hidden it. For example uranium from the famed

rich mineral

Tho

been

סוויד

even

would greater

the

.

that

No Chances

for low-grade of the earth's crust is urandum. On this Angle uranium is a for other

Shinkolobwe Mine in the since the latter part of ores, however, make extensive thousand times as plentiful na into such a corner our

LED

Belgian Congo must travel hundred miles before it the reaches a seaport, and must the

the mines then make a much longer tumed бcenn journey before it mineral, pit reaches the United States. It blue-black was hidden-at least, not uranium Uranium had

into demand because discovered-until 1916.

ng a

little-known

containing

соте

ΕΠ

ite use

Hard Way

1948,

therefore,

In

one

couraging;

With the discover with the assistance of the U.S. mument), most

at

govern-

сты

who

deter

suspecs

facts. But we cannot " that a w

have,

stock-

the assume

would-be everessor wi

be reasonable. Therefore,

of it is scheparod with the necessary

knowledge to

costly

year. Providence kept the secret dome of the most prow dollars per foot. Since the cost great to bo seriously consider it at 'all. hve

OMGONNE, TEAR ARKAN

of this deposit until 1930,

Boiling Up

Such uranium

"Why don't you make way for someone who can make a bigger impression on the political scene?"

London Express Service

DEEP IN THE JUNGLE

THE MAYAS PRAY

San Antonia,

From Frank Litton

perform British Honduras, dances EEP "old

in the hope

an

Deen in the jungle, in- not then will intervene to shoul Mayan symbolic em-

only vivid

lower has been

found in the United States is extracting the remaining ото

deposited for the most part

up of hot ashes and liquids

from the restless depths of the earth. Over the ages, many of the

Inaccessible

the

thei

be

11.70

Too Costly

To

is extracted econo

of

venture

enter of

mist

the

richest

Elusive Metal

Although uranium 14 of

everywhere (I the literally The mines Atomic

Energy Commission, heard it said there are several can dalce ng chances. We must

戳 the Washington be Similarly,

flourishing agent, uranium from of endium

commenced Canada's Great

the turn of the Geological Survey, Bear Lake

diamond-drilling century, last

international nt- a systematic

simply not concentrated enough upon this must travel Afteen

hundred tention was again focused programme,

on

guided by

mine it economically. expert 10

So, developing the very low-grade miles from its source-26 miles the mines, which for a

The unless we ein oscure

ores if it, becomes necessary. uranium weologists. perlod government from the Arctic Circle before

from drilling is enjoyed a

are so prepared. high-gratto de We it reached a railroad, and it can that

monopoly in r a world

actually performed either clusive

extremely by private companies and

working posits or as a by-product ofIf one is to think upon the make this journey through Icy

under contract to the costly element.

other mining operation, problem of getting uranium, ho waters but a few months of the

ment on the basis of so many the cost of extraction is far too must, for any understanding of in his mind's plichblende mines in

would the fabulous

one ed.

eye many pictures. He Erzgebirge range were to drill systematically the

prohibitive if

for example, be able to pleture are

Located

at Joachimsthal.

Shinkolobwe, deep Although the

richest one was whole vast area of the Colorado

brushland

southeastern has been probably taken out long ago, plateau, emphasis

Katanga Province in the Congo. thousands of zlave labourers placed on the mineral belt in the

Let's take an extreme exams in the earth which

miest are today fervently

picture a great open. scratching southwestern pant of the State

ple. It is well jenown that gash away là these

levels, of Colorado.

magnesium

the Presenta

world's But even diamond drilling

mically from sea water. It is uranium mine. He must know atomic a hard way to find ore. One of also known that in in to feed the Russian atomic

one cubic aro that there are people be the sandstone of the Colorado effort, Additional thousande the greatest probleme con- 190

mile of sea water there hint

such An operation, plateau. For back in geological are busy in the many mines of nected with prospecting on the are about five tons of uranium, courageous and

friendly men whether by our We could history, this uranium was prob- Saxony, where there is an ap plateau,

get this uranium, but like Edgar Sengler of the Union plentiful supply

diamond-drilling or of dough" ably brought to the surface by parently

let us consider for a moment Miniere, men who deal in volcanic action or the bolling lower-grade ore.

methods, is water. In the spring. what it would cost. water is readily avaliable, but

“blue chipp" but who have yet in the late summer and autumn is much more prevalent in sea fence

In the first place, magnesium never haggled when the de- of the Western World It becomes scarce, and hauls of water than is uranium. It has was the issue, eight to ten miles are common, been estimated that if we were rocks in which the uranium was

Is there no easier way deposited have been worn away,

And uranium?

to to build a plant the size of and much of the uranium itself Unfortunately, the United

Airborn

normal, economical magnesium radioactivity- has been dissipated.

Some of States is a have-not nation detection equipment, mounted on would get on the order of only sea-water processing plant, we however, by a mochanism when it comes to pitchblende. helicopters and light aircraft, is afty not thoroughly understood, has Only in certain isolated areas

being

seventy pounds used to develop a simple, uranium from it per year. Two He must be able to picturo In tiny, in has it been found, and fast way of covering this vast scientists

way the ancient votive Wearing

coursing their dirndl-styled been concentrated her

several off-the accessible pockets in the desert amounts have been small. But area, and the results have been calentated

years ago barges,

from the Arctic Circle, and that the white skirt

uranium does occur Fin

that to encouraging. But

oblain south even this uranium from sea water at A Bear Lake, and in so doing he org of the Great carrying the ones" Intervene to shoulder white blouse decorated sandstone.

The first uranium was 'Yound United States, where it appears

process

rate of one hundred. Long turn of usually in an ore known as Since these

per

see that are being lifted mako tropical birds broidery, she left her Ave little on the plateau at the

enough to

it an

amust which Intensive carmolite

from those barges,

trucked ing before the secret, over- brilliant macaws, rainbow-hued children for a moment to tell the century, but

When Wo

of speak

the search is still going on to dis-

more sensitive than Geiger mildlyinteresting source, we

next portages to the would need a plant capable of across grown temples of the a- turkeys, grey-spccked vultures, me:

cover all of the places where Colorado plateau we mean an

counters, are designed to pick proce

waterway, there again to be re- cient Mayus.

130,000 UD And the

been area of approximately

up gamma radiation from processing 12,000,000 tons

loaded. primitive,

"Once my people were thick the pocket deposits have little brown truck from the village of San

To have any appreciation hidden. away.

square miles located in Eastern uranium deposits and since the sea water per hour. The cost of Utah, northwestern

New

such a plant was estimated at as the sweet corn in this land,

intensity of One could hardly expect pros Mexico, northeastom

These radiations skinned Maya Indians

all of the problems of Antonio

involved and about 150 bulion dollars. the but the Spaniard came

Arizona, and

docreases to afty percent

at

search for this When we speak of Canada today are praying to their Mayan settlements, les within killed us and drove us out, and pectors to burn up much energy and Colorado west of the Rocky

It is an erosion means that about four

hundred foot, it and the Congo and Colorado as metal, he met be able gols.

#few miles of the Guatemalan the jungle overran our temples. or bankers to dig very deeply Mountains.

the planes mush

picture their pockets simply

conta

taining "rich" 10 starred land of many colours, a fly low-in the neighbourhood have perhaps not chosen a very of the Colorado plateau tapping

deposits, wo how to locate a mineral that up

prospector in the lonely reaches sharp-walled

megas, of five hundred foot. "Afterwards the British came World War II was used mainly and of

mainly deep canyons, and little water.

descriptive word. Only in a rew and we flowed back, though to as a colouring agent for porce Roads are few, steep and rocky.

Iative sense are they "rich." It away at an outcropping come

***where high on a mesa; Co day there are only ten thousand lain and stained glass -- and The uranium-bearing ore 19

scores of gondola CETE W to the of us living along the frontier. they didn't. But in 1898 some found most frequently in

loaded with ore from such gressmen urging on the

deposits to give

um the miners that the precipitous Justice My grandfather came back her thing happened that spurred the places that are most inaccess-

uranium us the Better results are obtained

bo region Ameried to run eastwards, seventy years ago to avoid the search for uranium deposits. ible the canyon walls near the

make one atomic rocky roads of the loo, into Guatemala.

labour' under those Radiura

by flying at even a lower bomb. Actually, we mine some improved so that they may bet by discoveted But the 'free

By tops of the mesos,

altitudes, but flying along the ores that are so low in

ope to 'market; miners men in

grado It is Guatemala Mme Curie in Paris. The con

here that Mayas let the jungle swallow Spanish

prospectors

canyon walls through tricky air that it requires hundreds of asserting that the procedure for would across the border. We want to nection between. uranium that stretch, and they

away with hand picks and and tap 13

currents is at best a hazardous gondola care of ore to produce saying their samples is un to death

attempt remain in real freedom under radium is that uranium always await anxiously the click of budness. More sensitive 'scin-

insisting light

Britain's rule."

contains an inanitesimal amount the Geiger counter. And when ilometers, however, are being must place the greatest possible their scientists be given a grant

the com

core of one bomb. So we fairy colleges to reopen it.

of radium-about one part in the click comes, it is here that perfected which will remove emphasia

problem of upon exploration to work on the Then she went back to swing, three million-and, with radium the first exploratory holes are

sandstone survey. back in the

of the hazards of aerial exploration for rich" deposits. ang unanum from low with a bare foot, the hammock selling at $200,000 grom, dug, which cradled her sleeping the search in all parts of the layers of the tableland. An are

Once a discovery is made, the

The Comunission's' employ whe baby.

world was frantic.

body is considered large if it

miner must have. a place

appropriations are cut diamond sell his ore within hauling

drillers insisting that with in- distance of his mines, and he Wherever members of the flation the price per fool of

bo able to sell it at » Commission have travelled in drilling must be increased; In price that will give him a pro foreign lands we have preached dians of the Navajo tribe meet- ft. As org bodies

council to dis arc the Atomie Hnergy the gospel that the security or ing in sober

the Western World may deprod out some arrangement whereby trust,

therefore, upon such a simple thing as this now birthright discovered encourage, private Industry

people keeping their eyes open on their reservation will erect ore-buying stations and Every American oll man look- be cold for a mess of pottage. processing plants. There are ing for "black gold". already fifteen points scattered foreign jungle is derelict in Uroughout the plateau where his duty to

his coun- ore can be delivered and sold, try

try If he hasn't At least and the Commission publishes mastered the basle informa the guaranteed prices paid for tion on the geology of ura

uranium. Yes. one, must be able to made into a one-way thorough ores delivered to any of these And the mure applies to every pkture, if even in a very vague

stations.

In recent

mountain climber, every big fashion, five commissioners in years the known game hunter, and, for that mat- Washington, D.C., Hmils

attempting of the mineral belt ofter, every butterfly catcher, to find a formula, whereby an Colorado plateau. hove If the United States is to incentive can be provided to

They hope that

their ward

humble tributes will

off the danger of a People's United Party victory in the forthcoming elections - which could away the fate of British Honduras. For the powerful PUF wants to turn British Honduras into a sister republic of adjoin- ing Guatemala.

The lithe little men → they are less than five feet tall periodically leave their homes, their Aweet corn patches, their rice flelds in charge of

women.

"T

the

Beforehand,

they tell them they are going to im- plore the aid of the old ones. These, they some. times evasively assure white missionaries, are their forefathers who once

once sacrifice.

AGITATORS

There runs only a one-way

all like

frontier.

which,

JUSTICE

The track leads west

where British coast, rules. It once

any

Modesta, wife of the former chief of San Antonio, explained to me why the anonfolk seek the ald of the "old ones",

imo

was

per

to

From Lord Ismay in Paris comes new light on the question that has the world guessing

WINSTON RETIRE? WHY, HE WON'T

EVEN LET ME DO THAT!

PARIS.

SAM WHITE'S PARIS NEWSLETTER

fare,

✡

..

HE SAID IT

Ore Bodies

to

must

Y&mmisalon

the

to

Eyes Open

"Why," says Ismay, "he won't Interrupted' by 'occasional night- a bigger slice of the American QUOTES (both from Sacha /been made in states as far re were foolish to this do trong

3

ments?

ever

a

ât

wed in

clusive

some

grizzled

Сот

behalf of

that

geologists leavine

Incentive

work

not

'someday'

crected the temples in the THAT is all this about age of the great Maya civile possiblity of Sir lisation although mis: Winston Churchill retiring? sionaries fear that the old Tell that to General. Lord Foreign Minister

Another candidate is Canada's Fath dressed them In bis Somerset Maugham, before been widened. In 1981, for possessi storle superiorlty so explore and mine, without at

Mr Lester struggling days and still dresses going to London for his 80th

example, new discovery was overwhelming that no aggressor the same time pouring tax ones" are the gods who ("Pug") Ismay, one of Pearson. But his Prime Minis- them either nominally or free Birthday, attended an all-in mode at Grants New Mexico would dare provoke a conflict, payers'

money! downy somo deinnded human Churchill's closest friends ter, Mr St Laurent, is reluctant of charge. At 42, Falth is one wrestling bout at the Palais des close to the right-of-way of If we are to be able to exter pack-rat hole in the Western

the Santa Fe Railroad and in minate any aggremor, so foolish desert. and at present Secretary- to release him.

of the few really big money- Sports,

full view of a well-travelled as to steal a war (and we must General of the North Atlan-

makers among Paris designers,

And he must understand Meanwhile Lord Ismay dreams with a business turnover of

highway

remember that such dietators as

and understandabla tic Treaty Organisation. of his farm. But his dreams are over a million pounds a year and

Other interesting finds have. Hitler, Musolini, and

proprietary feeling which pros valks

many countries even let me retire, least of all mares:

moved from the old What if a suitable sue market than any of his rivals.

Colorado becomes clear that we cannot of the world, such as India. cessor cannot be found and he

mineral balt as North Dakola. rely solely on the so-called and Brazil and Australia, Fath is a man

Quitry): Nobody is of schoolboyish The Mayas are deeply fearful himself."

Ismay, who loathes his exile finds himself once again the energy and infective quiety. He completely wrong. Even a step One discovery follows another, "rich" deposits. We must seek countries which are most re- of the paid pro-Guatemalan

All such discoveries will not uranium where it can be mined. Juctant to depletes there natural agitators sent to their villages, In Paris, has been pleading with victim of Sir Winston's blandish makes do at the most with only watch is right twice a day.

mado A six hours' sleep and rarely goes

ado by scintillometers economically,

resources, which may where the, wattle framed huts, Sir Winston for more than

in bed before 2 a.m. But he

carried in aeroplanes. They will

opell for them great futurs with palm-thatched roots clus- year to allow him to retire. Itis

retains the youthful good looks

in terms of cheap. ter like beehives round the ambition la to go back to his

Bleasing of a young man half his are farm. To Jamay's entreaties, Bir conical hills.

To me that. and Winston has a stock set of re

obyloum aN a week when Paris dress carofully sun-tanned- face-Lautree- before seeing the film bénsils of a degree in engineer.

he spends an hour a day

In Florida and in the North-t vems

cantintie tolp "if we are ta

gat ord there are plies: "Pug" this with

exbersive from abroad we must be pres simulated catch in his vol designers are feverishly put under sunray lamp.

posite of phosphate rock. These pared also to give up certain Important asset in his busi-

TOTTING THEM UP. ting the finishing touches to their

contain urantiam. The uranium emalion and equipment and "you can't do this to me!"....

Or (this is the latest one): spring collections one of them, ness in

翅 his blonde, beautiful

content very low, but the ecology which will ald these “Pug, if you leave NATO I will the fawnlike, hazel-eyed Jacques wife Genevieve, whom he

enormous tonnages of rock countries in the development conscript you into the Cabinet." Fall, took time off to throw a married shortly after he opened STATISTICIANS in Parle are

available/ contain important occupying themselves with

own atomic his first dressmaking estabin- Ismay hoped he would dinner party

Pro Some will be found by a quantities of uranium and of their allowed to resign next Apru Like all his parties It had a ment. She is a most valuable the steady diminution of the with a two-year term is up. touch of fantasy: This one was model and a striking advertise exiled Sultan of Moroco Comind try one of the other valuable misterials, the more of this in there will be

Atom OrThangi International entourage as he has moved from Commission's responsibilities to eluding the phosphate itsel, on the chapter on Instead he Rimself com filmed in Cinerama. Almost all ment for his clothes.

Meanwhile, D Telus ja SÒS mitted to staying

on till the end the guests, warortilled, and the She throws (light on a probe one place) of exile to another. encourage such accidental by which is useful. In the manu

the wond concerning factura

cture of fertiliser, and

leine "to", "the ore after f of the year. Since

Ismay Is women were, of course, all Fath lem: If a woman had unlimited When he left North Afflen

To this end. The Come, fanb/chemickas Over Lying

mised land z podanie V tnto", tha” There, before, the strangely- determibod 20 leave then, the customer More than that access to beautiful clothes how last year he had with him 20

kbook deposits, ku

inde (of: [the Atomie 3 Enter" y carved stone pyramids, they British Cabinet re already con- tiny where the women who, by much would she nee hold their ceremonies in the sidering til potable succosades belog on at his collections and Genaviiva, makes do

They are afraid they will again experience a hated rule, linking them

Spanish Guatemala.

with

So they set off, carrying bowe and poisoned arrows to guard them from the jaguars, and/ was like shadows along tracks to the temples.

the

secret

bo

shade of bronzed-lepf mahogany job to go to another Brijon: 10, him

The Americans would like the b would

DESIGNER'S PARTY

{}} They's (bums) the: aromatic was mandio Bir Olivan) real, ther

tapers made of lengths of rope | famerly: Amy windor in awal & Hoeuth soaked in copal, Hum. Stripped, Ington, bột hà. zužuted the pontasz

flapping - yellow), trousers Libribe.n

chiar clothes, gave "milts, coals |

2) Andddir, about £75,000%

An intellectual is a man who know something about Toulouse

"Moulin Rouge.""

not all be found by diamond drilling." Some will be found. persons who have not had the by

|ing or experience in prospecting for minerala

New Deposits

"wert

Goy which

Low Content