| Show Atom Blast Time Lapse Important The fifth and largest atom blast in the recent series of experiments on the Nevada testing range some miles southwest of Salt Lake City must have been a humdinger It broke big bib plate plat glass windows in Las La Vegas 75 miles from the center of the blast and rocked th the tho city to such an extent Las fear that anything more violent will cause sea serious damage It was felt sev several ral hundred miles away in Salt Lake City and Los Angeles and the brilliant sun like flash of the explosion was seen more than miles away across the great Sierra Nevada mountain range In San Francisco and miles distant in Caldwell Ida It was of course seen and felt throughout much of Utah One of the most interesting aspects of this atomic testing is the time which elapses between the sight of the brilliant brilliant brilliant bril bril- flash of light and the feeling of the shock wave Most of us understand that light travels at the rate of miles milesa a second which for all practical purposes purposes purposes pur pur- poses is instantaneous Shock waves however travel at the speed of sound which depending on temperature and humidity is somewhere around 1100 or 1200 feet per second Thus at Las Vegas some 75 miles from the scene of the explosion the concussion concussion concussion con con- was felt about six minutes after the flash At Milford Utah nearly miles away the blast was vas reported to have been felt 12 to 14 minutes after the flash And it took a little over half an hour for the shock waves to reach Salt Lake City where some people both saw the explosion and later felt the con con- All this is of more than scientific Interest It emphasizes that in case of an atomic explosion people will have some chance to seek shelter This is of the utmost importance in keeping in injuries injuries injuries in- in juries at a minimum Most injuries in inan inan inan an attack will result from flying glass falling bricks cornices furniture etc or 0 from an individual being thrown 11 violently violently violently vio vio- by the force of the blast The way the test blasts have been felt at Las Vegas 75 miles away avay away indicates indicates indicates indi indi- cates there could be considerable damage damage damage dam dam- age 10 or 15 miles away Certainly there would be damage much closer than that But at 10 or 15 miles a person would have about a minute to find shelter shelter- in a basement or inside a stout building Even at a distance of three or four miles where damage might be quite heavy there would be perhaps 15 or 20 seconds in which a person could crawl under a table or bed or desk and cradle face and head in prot protecting arms Its It's something for all of us t to o remember I |
