PAGE FOUR By MICHAEL SERRILL ' Collegian Editorial Editor Since the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the phrase "nuclear explo sion" has struck fear and awe in the minds of people all over the world. They have come to associate atomic bombs with instant death for ,millions and with invisible, swirling clouds of radioactive dust, contaminating food and water supplies. • It is therefore not surprising that a proposal to set off a nuclear device in central Pennsylvania has drawn an im mediate rash of protests from the state and local citizenry. The proposed underground blast, dubbed Project Ketch, is now under going preliminary study by the Colum bia Gas System and the Atomic Energy Commission, its co-sponsors. The purpose of Project Ketch is to create a huge subterranean cavity in which to store natural gas. The site now under study is located within the boun daries of the Sproul State Forest, on the Centre-Clinton County line, 26 miles northeast of State College and 12 miles southwest of Renovo, the largest town in the immediate area. 24 Kilotons The project calls for the detonation of a 24 kiloton nuclear bomb, 3,300 feet beneath the surface. This charge is equivalent to 24,000 tons of TNT, and is of slightly greater force than the bomb which devastated Hiroshima. The ex plosion would rip a 90 by 300 foot hole in the shale formations which under lie the Sproul hunting preserve. The resulting cavity would permit. the stor age of 465 million cubic feet of natural gas. • The experiment, if approved, would proceed in five phases. Phase I, expected to take 11 months, would involve, ex tensive geologic and hydrologic study of the test site and surrounding area. The actual detonation of the nu cl device would take place during ie 11. Upon_ detonation, the rock in area surrounding the shot point would be vaporized, • melted' and crushed. Within 45 seconds after the ex plosion, the cracked, , unstable roof of the cavity would collapse, forming an elongated nuclear "chimney," filled with rubble and radioactive gas. Cooling-Off. Period Phase 111 would consist of an 11- month cooling off period, during which Columbia Gas and the AEC would per iodically take samples of the air inside the cavity to determine the level of radioactivity. During Phases IV and V, pipelines would be connected ;to the cavity and it would be filled with gas. If analysis of the gas proved it free of radioactive contamination, the storage cavity would be put into permanent operation. A booklet on Project,. Ketch dis tributed by Columbia 'Gas arid the AEC explains that most of the deadly radio- Three Professors Given Awards Three University professors two in the humanities, the other in the sciences have been awarded Guggen heim Fellowships for the. ; 1968-69 academic year. Stanley Weintraub, professor of English, has received a fellowship for his studies of the effect of World War I on Bernard Shaw. The research was done in preparation for a new book by Weintraub, entitled "Journey to Heartbreak: Bernard Shaw 19144919." The Guggenheiin Fotindation has-also awarded a fellow ship to Gerald J. Brault, head of _the department of French, for a projected analytical edition of the "Song of Roland." The author of two' books and more than 45 articles dealing mostly with medieval French language and litera ture. Brault is taking a year's' leave of absence and will reside with his family in Strasbourg,' France. The third fellowship went to Philip S. Skell, professor of chemistry, for experimental research in physical organic chemistry. Skell, distinguished for his research' on short lived chemical molecules, is on leave and will spend three months as visiting professor at the Technion, Haifa; Israel and three months as guest of the Royal Institution in London. Psych Society To Hold 'Miniature Convention' The local chapter of Psi Chi, national psychology honorary, will sponsor its annual "Phi Chi Day' beginning at 9:30 a.m. May 11 in the Hetzel Union Building. rich Weiner, president of Psi Chi, called it "a miniature psychology convention that is open to all those in psychology or related fields." The mat' event will be the reporting of research projects by graduates and undergrad uates in psychology. Abstracts for the projects must be 150 words or less and submitted by May 1 in 107 Five Exotic Places To Go This Summer The Middle East in the 19th and 20th Centuries Medieval Europe France and the Enlightenment Spain and Hispanic America The Islands of the Pacific; Cultures and Peoples Plus 286 other courses just as compelling. Undergraduate. Graduate. Professional. Go a little farther academically this summer. To the University of Pennsylvania Summer Sessions. First Session: May 20-June 28 Second Session: July 1-August 9 Register Now For a Summer Sessions catalog, mail the coupon below. UNIVERSITY of PENNSYLVANIA Al Summer Sessions 'WV Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 # roil& Kett' romise of 'The Bomb' active materials would disintegrate naturally during the nine-month obser vation period following the explosion. Any radioactive gas remaining after this time would, the booklet says, he eliminated by an elaborate "flushing" operation. The amount 'of ,radiation which would remain inside: the cavity, how ever, does not concern state and local officials nearly a 5 much as the amount that could conceivably 'escape. If there is the slightest possibility, the many groups and individuals opposed to the project argue, that the blast would con taminate the water supply or damage plant and animal life, it should be aban- ~+~, lIME =ME2I MEiEiMEttM BuiTowes. The best paper will be awarded a $5O prize, with $25 going to second and third place winners. • t- Other events include a guest lecture by Richard Lundy, head of the psychology clinic. His topic will be "The Use of Hyp nosis in Psychological Re search." Refreshments will be served in the afternoon along with the screening of movies relating to psychology. Admission to the day's events will be $1.25. /NTRODUCINC tgl gift of Sovs Woilter ~I.: '.. : ,:=._- __ 7 7 ---. ' t; • H e l.. ~. • .‘.---,--- ~. -\. .•-- '',------ ,---- •.0 .c by 'osgee A beautiful pin with a birthstone for each member of the family. She will cherish it forever. For Only $12.50 J~ S 4OP 116 S. Garner St. in the Campus Shopping Center Residents Worried THE DRAWING below shows the "chimney" which a 24 kiloton under ground nuclear explosion such as Project Ketch would produce. The initial explosion would ' create a XM)s w.~.. :.`~=- The student chapter of the of Sociology at Princeton, West- American Society of Civil En- off also serves as associate di gineers and the Department of rector of the Office of Popula- Civil Engineering will sponsor lion Research at Princeton. two lectures today by German Westoff has , studied the fer- Gurfinkel, associate professor tility attitudes of college worn of civil engineering at the Uni- en. Penn State was one of the versity of Illinois. universities sampled. At 4 p.m. in 108 Sackett, Sponsor of the Thursday night Gurfinkel will discuss "Design talk is the University's com and Erection of a Prefabricated mittee for Demographic Re- Nine-Story Column fo.• a Lift search. Slab Building." At 7:30 p.m. * * * in 215 Hammond, he will speak "The Most Extraordinary on "Prefabricated Reinforced Play Written in Spanish" will Concrete Structures." be the topic of a lecture Thurs * * * • day by Sturgis E. Leavitt, Lamaze Childbirth Kenan professor emeritus at The Lamaze Educated Child- the Univesrity of North Caro birth Association, of State Col- lina. lege will present' two films at , 8 p.m. tomorrow in 209 S Hu- Applications Due man Developmen:,. Dr. Charles Rohrbeck of State College will introduce the For Study Abroad films and : answer questions. A small donation has been re- Applications for the 1969 Study quested. Abroad Programs must be The first film shows a turned in by tomorrow to 212 Lamaze-prepared childb i r t h,' Engineering C, the S t u d y and the second deals with a Abroad Office announced yes family-centered maternity care terday. program._ .. University students with at Acoffee hour will follow the least a 2.50 cumulative average program. are eligible to participate in * * * the programs. Approximately The Pill and Fertility 130 students are studying this Charles F. Westoff of Prince- term at the Universities of ton University, will present a Strasbourg, France; Salaman talk at 8 p.m. Thursday in 22 ca, Spain; Rome- Florence, Deike on "The Pill and the Italy; Cologne, Germany; Lon- Fertility of American Women." don, England; and Delft, the Chairman of the Department Netherlands. SPECIAL No Telegraph Charges on all Mother's Day FTD Orders Placed On or Before May 4 WOODRING'S Floral Gardens 117 E. Beaver Avenue • 2,38.0566 doned immediately. The Centre County Democratic CoMmittee, in a statement published March 6, contended there is "always a chance of some radiation leakage. The possibility of radiation damage to live stock, plants and humans is too great for central Pennsylvania to accept" - The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO on April 4, in a letter to the governor, con demned Project Ketch as a "nuclear ex plosion which may open crevices for niany miles in rock formations ... cause radiation of the air and contaminate underground water channels . At least three local hunt clubs have announced their opposition to the ex- round cavity with a radius of 90 feet, Within 45 seconds the cracked roof of the cavity would collapse, form ing a chimney 300 by 90 feet. ' • 1......41.";% , '4' • ;,< • • `. t' BERM Campus Groups Plan Guest Lectures I li4o 9 o Vb-/ Val The Brothers of TRIANGLE welcome their new initiates AI Barsophy Mike Guiliano THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA Hunters Opposed' Z e I 3I IVFATVRT I 7 4 I 4 ,0n54.1,4q,* ~M 7Y _.. ` v. K ~ a. =NE MIEt% p'eriment. All fear that the experiment and the, subsequent development of the site `would destroy the area's extensive recreational and hunting facilities. The Renovo Daily Record, in an editorial dated Aug. 9, 1967, echoed the huntsmen's feelings. "We are fearful that more gas storage fields will detract from our forest preserves," the pub lisher of the Daily Record writes. "It could also put limitations on hunting, fishing and other recreational activi .ties." Ketch officials and publications in sist that the AEC and Columbia Gas are as interested in safety as the local citizens. Whether the Sproul site is suitable for the experiment will not be ascertained, the Project Ketch booklet maintains, until the completion of Phase I. The safety precautions taken according to an AEC report called Safe ty Involving Detonation of Nuclear De vices would have to conform to long established AEC standards. "A nuclear device can be detonated safely," the report states, "when it can be accom plished without injury to people, either directly or indirectly, and without un acceptable damage to the ecological sys tem and natural and man-made struc tures." Safety Precautions A subsequent report, entitled the Project Ketch Safety Concept, states, "Should the results of these studies (Phase I) indicate variations from our present understandings, it would be necessary to either redesign the entire project, choose another location, or abandon the project." Both of these reports were on July 12, 1967, .submitted to the Project Ketch Subcommittee of the governor's Advisory Committee on Atomic En ergy Development and Radiation Con trol. The five-man subcommittee was formed by the governor's Advisory Committee shortly after Project Ketch was proposed in April 1965. Nunzio J. Palladino, dean of engineering at Penn State and chairman of the subcommit tee, in a recent interview, described the first meeting between the subcommit tee, the AEC and Columbia Gas as "heated." AEC Ruffled AEC and Columbia Gas officials apparently resented• the subcommit tee's supervision of the safety opera tions. "When they realized that if we were going to get anywhere, they had to cooperate," Palladino said, they con ceded the subcommittee's role as over seer of the operation. On Aug. 3, 1967, the subcommittee issued a 19-page report listing its safety recommendations for Phase I. The re port called fat extensive and detailed study of the geology of the site to make sure that there is no possibility of radioactivity escaping to the surface and no possibility of water contamina tion. Study of the results of other re cent underground blasts at the •AEC's Collegian Notes The program, scheduled for Thursday in the Hetzel Union 8 p.m. in the Assembly Room Building ballroom. Tickets are of the Nittany Lion Inn, will available from Jeanne Schray focus on the play "La Hazanas (238-4663) and Sandra Varney del Cid' by Guillen de Castro. (238-8571), * * The Student Society of Archi- tectural Engineering will spon- ,Mary Kate Yntema, assistant sor a lecture on architectural professor in the Department of H. Abrams, AIA, of Sunny Vale, Calif., at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow Trip Planned in 126 Sackett. * * * For Rocky Speech Matisse George McNeil, international- , Governor Nelson A. Rocke ly known artist and professor feller will address the World's of art at Pratt Institute in New Affairs Council at 11:15 tomor- York City, will serve here as row morning in the Sheraton visiting critic in painting to- in Philadelphia. Morrow. He will speak on foreign .af The visit will include a lec- fairs, giving his first detailed ture at 7:30 p.m. in 162 Willard, announcement of his views on entitled "The Contemporary the Vietnam war. Significance of Matisse." Students for Rockefeller, a * * state-wide organization working Theodore A. Litovitz, profes- to draft the New York Gov sor of physics at Catholic Uni- ernor for the Republican Presi versity of America in Washing- dential nomination, is sponsor ton, D.C., will discuis "Light ing free transportation to Phila- Scattering from Orientational delp h i a for Rockefeller's Fluctuations' in Liquids" at the speech. Buses will leave the Physics Coloquium, 4 p.m. Greyhound terminal tomorrow Thursday in 117 Osmond. morning at 7:30 Penn State Dames will spon- the Rockefeller booth on the sor the first showing of Penn ground floor of the Hetzel Union Traffic Fashions at 8 p.m. building. DR. GEORGE ENTEEN Assistant Professor of History "The Plight of Polish and Russian Jewry" Tuesday, April 30-8:00 P.M. Hillel Foundation-224 Locust Lane Nickelodeon Nites Nickelodeon Nites U, . U, 0 2 The Mighty Quinn z c c o and c. . 0 0 -a I: Mack the Knife "Yu i are no match for k THE HUNCHBACK 0 OF 0 m 0 .t• Z ' NOTRE DAME z Z c o 0 0 a) -a 70 -a o May 10 University Union .2 0 ..tc .e . , Board u •.. z z Nickelodeon Nites Nickelodeon Nites Proposed Atomic Bomb Blast Stirs Controversy Nevada Test Site, Palladino said, con vinced the subcommittee that if tests find the Sproul area - suitable, there is virtually no chance of "dynamic vent ing," that is, surface leakage of radio activity. There have been a total of 16 under ground nuclear blasts since 1957 for the AEC's Plowshare Program, Palladino said. (The Plowshare Program is a branch of the AEC assigned to investi gate and develop peaceful uses for nuclear explosions.) Of the 16 shots only one vented, the nuclear engineer continued. And of no underground nuclear explosions (mostly military) detonated since 1945, he said, only two have shown evidence of dynamic vent ing. Physicist Protests These figures diverge sharply from those of Ernest Sternglass, professor of radiation-physics at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine, An outspoken critic of the project, -Stern glass wrote in the Jan. 17 issue of the PittsbUrgh Post-Gazette that "perhaps as many as 20 out of some 70 (under ground explosions) carried out in Nevada haire given rise to some release of radioactive materials . . . which found their way into the milk and other foods in nearby areas." Sternglass also expressed "serious concern about the radioactivity that would inevitably be mixed into the gases to be stored and subsequently piped into .. . homes . ." Sternglass further cited "mounting evidence that even small amounts of radiation represent some risk to health. If we are to be exposed to additional radiation, then we must insist that the resulting benefits outweigh by far the Inevitable added risk to our health." Many of the local residents also claim that Project Ketch would benefit only the Columbia Gas System and re ject it on that basis. Open Forum This seemed to be the prevailing opinion at an open forum held March 17 in Schwab Auditorium, at which- nine AEC scientists spent five hours defend ing the project and answering dozens of questions from University professors, students and local residents. Some of the most caustic questions and remarks were directed at Sy Orlof sky, vice president for engineering at Columbia Gas. Orlofsky contended that the crea tion of a nuclear storage cavity would benefit the people by making more fuel available during the periods of peak demand on cold winter days. E. J. Schuster, Centre County representative , i , 9 , 9 , Baha'i Club Information is available at of Columbia Gas, explained in a recent interview that all of the natural gas distributed to the Appalachian area must be piped in from Louisiana and Texas. Most of it is stored in natural un derground-reservoirs. During periods of peak demand, Schuster said, the gas in the natural reservoirs is exhausted and Columbia is forced to ration or cut off completely the supply of gas to its in dustrial consumers. The demand for natural gas as fuel will increase 50 per cent in the next 10 years, Schuster continued, and the gas companies must find or create addi tional storage space in order to ade quately supply their market. Palladino said that the under ground storage cavity is by far the safest and most economical method of storing natural gas. The only other al ternatives, he said, are expansion of the inter-state piping system or construc tion of above ground storage tanks. Either method, he pointed out, would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The projected cost of Project Ketch, on the other hand, ranges between two and six million dollars. Project Ketch is only one of many experiments to develop the peaceful uses of nuclear energy planned by the Atomic Energy Commission. On Dec. 10, a nuclear device was detonated beneath a barren stretch of land near Farming ton, New Mexico. The blast, called Project Gasbuggy, was designed to re lease gas and oil trapped in "tight" rock formations. Preliminary tests, Gasbuggy officials report, have proved "highly en couraging." In the more distant future, nuclear explosives might help to dig canals, re locate bodies of water and build har bors. Already, 16 electrical power plants in the country are run by nuclear ener gy. Nineteen more are being built and 51 are in the planning stages. Nearly 100 submarines and surface ships are now fueled with atomic power. More than 3,000 hospitals are using 30 different radioisotopes to destroy can cer and i other malignant diseases. Experts ptedict that by the year 2000; nuclear ships will be pumping mineral wealth out of the sea. The same ships will harvest vast quantities of food from the sea to feed the hungry. Nuclear power has finally begun to fulfill its promise. Perhaps in the near future, Americans will begin to associ ate nuclear energy with progress in stead of Hiroshima. Computer Science, will discuss the question "Where Do Sci ence and Religion Meet?" at 8 p.m. Friday'in 215 HUB, Her lecture is sponsored by Penn State's Baha'i Club. 4 , * * The McFarland Award Ban quet and Lecture wil be held at 6:30 .p.m. Saturday at the , Centre Hills Country Club. C. Thomas Scott, the 1968 nominee for the David Ford McFarland Award for Achieve ment in Metallurgy, will be honored at the dinner. Scott, who is . assistant vice president in charge of steel operations, will discuss "Progress in the Iron and Steelmaking Proces ses during the Past Decade—. U.S." Excellent Summer Job Opportunities in these areas STATE COLLEGE LEWISTOWN DANVILLE BLOOMSBURG BERWICK HANOVER YORK AND GETTYSBURG Those students interested in top hourly rates, 2 days off per week and overtime are invited to talk with our employment representative in Room 214 of the Hetzel Union Building from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m, on May 2nd and , May 3rd • FOR INFORMATION CALL Fred V. Hawbecker-364.1482 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) • Hanover Canning Company • An Equal Opportunity Employer -- r .... ..., .... .... .... ... .... ... OM 1 Clip & Save Clip & Save 1 i THIS COUPON ' I 1 1 'ENTITLES YOU TO A I I 2.0% DISCOUNT I I I I ALL LEATHER I ; HANDBAGS I, II • WITH THIS COUPON ONLY-VALID NOW ITHROUGH MAY 4, 19613 ONLY I 111 / 2 ' • 1 sown & barn u 3 i 1 "A Woman's World of Fashions" I E. COLLEGE AVE., STATE COLLEGE I Clip & SaVe Clip & Save 1 L.... aints mix Ism Esims: aim um nos ma REJ ` TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1968 Bombs for Peace i i x All , , r i, , „.......,,,,....„,„. 40 -:....,,.......„..p',,,,YE., Li '855 (g.l/-' .. YOUR PENN STATE CLASS RING 216 E. College Ave.
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