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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!lanl!unm-la!unmvax!nmtvax!shipman
From: shipman@nmtvax.UUCP (John Shipman)
Newsgroups: net.physics,net.sci
Subject: The bottle for the bomb
Message-ID: <934@nmtvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Feb-86 13:50:36 EST
Article-I.D.: nmtvax.934
Posted: Tue Feb 11 13:50:36 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Feb-86 05:47:48 EST
References: <572@hounx.UUCP> <1987@orca.UUCP> <498@cisden.UUCP>
Organization: Zoological Data Processing
Lines: 25
Xref: linus net.physics:3590 net.sci:263

> Yup, and some of them also wondered early on whether the thing would work
> at all; they didn't want all that expensively processed U235 spread all
> over New Mexico when the TNT starter went off and the rest fizzled, so
> they had a large (40'x10'?) steel bottle built to explode the first bomb
> in. That way they could scrape the U235 off the walls (well, someone
> could) if it didn't work. The thing weighed hundreds of tons, was built
> and shipped to the site, but never used. I think its in some museum in NM
> (maybe one built around it?)
> 
> Lyle McElhaney
> ...!hao!cisden!lmc

I don't know what happened to the rest of it, but there is a
small (about 2' x 3') chunk of this vessel on display in the
town plaza here in Socorro, New Mexico.  I hear it was broken
up with conventional explosives; the inside of this piece
is severely pitted.  No plaque identifies or describes it;
it is mounted on a small brick pedestal at the east end of
the plaza.

Can any of you Manhattan Project old-timers supply more of
the story?
-- 
John Shipman/Zoological Data Processing/Socorro, New Mexico
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