o
o
o
O
3"
o
0
3
0
G
G
G
O -
o
o
c6
o
1
4
so-
Q
0
Q
British Physicist Explains Runaway Threat
Of Atomic Furnace During Peacetime Use
Friday, August 12. 1953
Editor'! note: A dread new word
ku entered the language of the atomic
are "runaway." It means an atomic
power plant luddenly raging out of
control, possibly blasting Itseit to oeaa
ly dost and hurling radioactive clouds
Into the air around it. Scientists faced
np to this Industrial peril of the future
at the United Nations atoms-for-peace
conference Wednesday. In the follow
ing dispatch a British physicist whose
Job Is applying atomic power for peace
explains the threat.
By DR. J. M. A. LENIHAN
Written for United Press
Geneva (U.R) What is a "run
away" arm what makes it run?
The answer is terrifyingly sim
ple. A runaway is an atomic fur
nace of peacetime trying to aci
like its parent of wartime, the
A-bomb.
The perils of the runaway are,
In some ways, at least, the perils
of the bomb.
Teams of scientists from the
United States, Britain and Russia
reported on the possibility of
runaways at the atoms-for-peace
conference Wednesday. Here are
the conclusions of the theoretical
and experimental data they pre
sented: To understand how a pile can
blow up you must remember that
a reactor is just an atomic bomb
in slow motion.
This is not a natural state be
cause the fission reaction that
keeps a furnace going is nervous
by nature. The activity of a pile
must always be rising or falling.
If it falls too low the pile shuts
down. If it rises too high the
pile blows up.
Th Possibility
The explosive reaction is re
strained in the normal way by
control rods and other safety de
vices but these, like any other
machine, can go wrong and it is
therefore possible for a pile to
go out of control.
Dr. Edward Teller, who con
tributed much to America's H
bomb development, put the need
150 Sunset Stations
Sold to Weslway Firm
Portland U.R) Westway Pe
troleum Corporation has pur
chased from the Sunset Oil Com
' pany about 150 gasoline stations
in the Pacific Northwest in a
transaction said to involve about
$1,500,000, it was reported today.
Purchase was financed by
Union Oil Company for West-
way, which is a subsidiary estab
lished under California law to
operate the Northwest group. In
cluded in the transaction were
the Golden Eagle and United
Petroleum names in Oregon and
Eagle brand name in Washing
ton. It does not affect the sta
tions operated by Sunset Oil in
California.
for guarding against this "going
wrong" in these words:
"With all the inherent safe
guards that can be put into a
reactor, there is still no fool
proof system. Any system can be
defeated by a great enough fool.
The real danger occurs when a
false sense of security causes a
relaxation of caution."
It can be predicted theoretical
ly up to a point but practical
ELECTED AS president of Girls' Nation, sponsored by Amer
ican Legion Auxiliary, Brenda Ann Russ, Trenton, Term.,,
waves to girls at Washington convention. With her is Ade
laide Titus, Ocean City, N. J., vice president (International)
Kennecott Copper
Reaches Agreement
Salt Lake City (U.R) An
agreement to end a 42-day strike
that cut off production by Utah
mines and mills that normally
furnish one-third of America's
domestic supply of vital copper
was reached early today by Ken
necott Copper Corp. and eight
unions.
Company spokesmen said min
ing and milling operations would
resume as soon as local unions
ratify the agreement. They re
ported the strike resulted in the
loss of 130,000,000 pounds of cop
per that would have been mined
since the strike began July 1.
This loss, coupled with other
recently-settled labor disputes in
western mines of two other
American companies and strikes
in copper mines in South Africa,
has contributed to a world-wide
shortage of the red metal, raised
copper prices and forced some
processors to substitute other
metals and plastics.
Dead line Sunday Classified is at
noon Saturday: 10 a.m Monday for
Monday: other days 5:30 ureviousday
Ex-Cuba President
Returns From Exile
Havana, Cuba (U.R) Former
President Carlos Prio Socarras
said on his return from self-imposed
exile Thursday night that
he is willing to meet with Presi
dent Fulgencio Batista in an at
tempt to bring peace to Cuba.
Prio said he is not interested
in politics personally but only
in finding a solution to Cuba's
political problems.
The former president arrived
from Miami, Fla., Thursday after
more than three years in exile.
He was deposed March 10, 1952,
by an army coup d'etat headed
by Batista, who later was pro
claimed president.
I experience is the best guide and '
' the only way to gain this ex
perience is to let a reactor ex
plode. This test was made by the Ar
rogonne National Laboratory. ;
A small experimental reactor
built in a remote location was
deliberately sacrificed by eject-;
ing a control rod, the job of j
which is to "cool" off the re
actor by absorbing the excess
radioactivity.
The Experiment ;
In less than one-fifth of a sec
ond the uranium fuel melted, the
surrounding water vaporized and
the whole structure blew up,
scattering fragments and radio
active debris over a 350-foot cir
cle. From this experiment and oth
er calculations another American
group including . Teller submit
ted a study suggesting what
might happen if a big reactor
blew its top.
First there would be a loud
explosion, destroying the reactor
and killing or maiming the staff
of the plant. Then a cloud of
radioactive dirt would rise into
the air and, according , to the
state of the wind, would drift
over the surrounding landscape.
Communities in its track might
have to be evacuated and water
supplies might become unusable
for days or weeks, until the
radioactivity radiated itself away
to a safe level. .
"Perhaps it is important. . . "
the Teller team reported, "to
emphasize the degree of public
hazard that might follow a re
actor accident:
"Assuming that good luck pre
vails and no one is killed, it may
nevertheless be necessary to
evacuate a large city, to aban
don a major watershed, and very
probably it would be necessary
to make the reactor site itself
a forbidden area for some years
to come."
BAD TO WORSE
Passaic, N. J. (U.R) Frank
Cimino reported Thursday to
Magistrate H. Dick Cohen that
he had gotten rid of his 1941
model automobile as his honor
had ordered because it was a
"menace" on the road. Then
Cimino told Cohen he had
bought a 1940 model to replace
it.
Carpenters Needed
At Klamath Air Base
Klamath Falls (U.R) An
urgent appeal for carpenters has
been issued by C. D. Long, busi
ness agent for the local carpen
ters union.
Long said about 100 carpenters
were needed for work on the
Klamath Falls Air Force base.
He said most of the city's 180
carpenters were employed by
resident contractors, and only 20
had found jobs at the jet base.
The remaining 80 jobs at the
base, he said, would have to be
filled by carpenters from outside
the Klamath Falls area.
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE
'Of course Key c&n stay foi lunch f ftfei
o
o
0
"0D
FREEZER
It's so easy to whip up planned meals even
for unexpected guests with a food freezer
in your home. It's easy because you plan
and prepare those meals far in advance.
Choice meat, vegetables at peak-of-season
goodness, fruits with fresh-picked flavor
have them ready for emergencies, spe
cial occasions and year 'round good eating.
And you'll enjoy the convenience of a
freezer. Fresh bread, rolls, cakes, pies, des
serts ... all keep to perfection in a freezer.
A little extra on baking day can be frozen
for next week or next month . . . and taken
out on a moment's notice. You'll be ahead
in money, time, work, and good eating with
a freezer in your home.
SEE YOUR ELECTRICAL DEALER
THE CALIFORNIA OREGON POWER COMPANY
A Western Company Owned and Operated by Western People
K7H
200 ASPIRIN, U.S.P., 5 grain . . . ..29c
Pint RUBBING ALCOHOL ....... 25c
Quart MINERAL OIL, U.S.P. heavy ... 69c
Pound EPSOM SALTS 14c
Ounce TINCTURE of IODINE ... . 25c
100 ASCORBIC ACID (Vitamin C) 100 mg 89c
"CZz! 0LA-BER0N-12 1
rrfill OLA-BERON-12 "':s 1
TZn52 r;.9-UTItA COST j
JtIT'lCV3 " YOU AM N0I StIISMiD IN U
I 3 (iVV ' ' Dili. K E f U R N IHI ItlCI SIZI
I y Uir ior run miuno of jj jo,
Bottle of FIFTY
0LA-BER0C1-12 Iff
VITAMIN CAPSULES
with the purchase of a bottle of 100
Vi
$3.88 Value!
Get BOTH (or the
price of the 100's
60 CALCIUM WAFERS
Req. 59c 2 for $1.00
SsGBGf&mzi
few! HINDS with "florctcx"
Handi-letio. Purs. DispttiMr
flM Valum
$1J0 Vafu
Only 40?(taT
rairaKri
$1.38 Six. AO t
NOW ONLY 70
t
Giant 57c size
now 28c
ith pwchasc
oHScsize
SHO-CURL
NE0C0 ODDITIES
DO YO'J KNOW THAT KELP CONTAINS
I00O TIMES AS MUCH IODINE AS
ANY LAND PLAMT KNOWN ?
00 YOU KNOW THAI ONE BOTTLE
OFNE0C0 iOOIN RATION WILL
PROVIDE YOU A 40 DAY SUPPLY
OF THE MINIMUM DAILY REQUIRE
MENT OF IODINE
125 Tablets 89e
500 Tablets $3.19
Improved
125 Tablets 99c
500 Tablets $3.49
2 QUART
Water
y Bottle
77c
FOUNTAIN
SYRINGE
77c
250 TABLETS
IRON & YEAST
Regular $1.19
3 FOR .......$1.19
98c Etiquette
SPRAY Aft
DEODORANT VW
Attention Sportsmen, Travelers, Pilots!
:C Special
SQ95
Were
$39.95
COATED LENS
GW Power Guide 6x30 Imported
Dvnn-siinuE
THE WORLD'S FINEST
PRE-IATHERED SHAVING CREAM
BIG
11 -oz. can
PACKERS
SUPPLIES
flvnR-sHipK MJl
p 'bo" cue K MM
6-12 Repellent
GLOVES
STRING .... pair 30c
Doz. $3.39
KNIT pair 36c
Doz. $3.89 g
RUBBER
Heavy Lafex 49
COTS 5c up
1.19
Ml Plastic
WUsubL tl
Wrist Band 39c up
fiMRANTEE. Yourn
refunded if you do not
find SEA & SKI better in
every way than any
other suntan product
or sunburn remedy.
o
MIDNIGHT
APRICOT BRANDY
YOUNGTIME PINK
Reg. $1 size
tay ';
:-;
GUARANTEED f ? V- ' - t
Alarm fVvi -
2 ciock. m W ;i
'$1.98 ' l"f: ;
Pocket
Watch
'1.98
ADD FEDERAL EXCISE TAX ON TAXABLE MERCHANDISE
FREE DELIVERY IN MEDFORD
I
uu
T
LULU
i
arSKiCTOgO OmSHMl PRICE CUTTER)
low
f 30
f N. CENTRAL 1
V dial 1