CHAPTER XVII
Solution: Nuclear
San Luz was in a state of complete chaos. The majority of the islandpeople dropped everything as the word of treasure spread, and the slopesof El Viejo were covered with treasure hunters using everything fromshovels to pointed sticks in an effort to find _los diamantes_. Only abare handful even knew that the diamonds occurred only in a smallvolcanic pipe on the western slope.
If the hunt continued, Rick thought, the slopes would be denuded ofvegetation.
There was intermittent fighting around the volcanic pipe, the policereported. Guevara's peons had succeeded in holding the diamond pipe, butwere surrounded by soldiers. Now and then Guevara attempted to clear theentire area, but with the entire army struggling to dig diamonds hewasn't having much success. The police officer who investigated alsoreported that an American was with Guevara. That would be Connel, ofcourse.
The scientists had moved at once to start shooting again, with thepolice pushing back the diamond seekers until the dynamite could be setoff in safety. The crazed hunters assumed that the explosions were alsomeans of seeking the diamonds, and rushed to the craters before thesmoke had cleared.
No one really cared. The data was being collected, and it showed thatthe situation was growing extremely serious.
"Ten days maximum," Zircon said. "Maybe less. The magma has aboutreached that rock dike, and once it melts through, there goes themountain."
"We must get the people off," Governor Montoya insisted. "That is thefirst thing. I shall call at once for help from the Americans. They haveforces at the Canal Zone and also in the West Indies. They will sendhelp."
"Yes," Hartson Brant agreed. "But first, we have a proposal. We willneed the troops, but we may also need other help."
Governor Montoya looked at him keenly. "This proposal is perhaps asolution for El Viejo?"
"Perhaps. Let me outline the situation." The scientist pointed out themagma on Dr. Williams' sketch. "This is where the magma is now. Above itis a very thick layer of rock in which we can find no major weakness. Itmay hold the magma for a while. At least it probably will melt slowly."
He pointed to a little line running from the western slope of themountain down to the rock dike. "This was where we wanted to dig achannel. Now it is too late to go all the way to the rock. The heatwould be too great. But if we could drive a hole through, with greatsuddenness, the magma would be released and the eruption would be awayfrom the island and into the sea."
"How would you do this?" the governor asked.
"By getting help from the U. S. government, from Army Engineers andSeabees, who are U. S. Navy engineers. We would drive the tunnel as fardown as time permitted. Of course we would keep track of the magmaconstantly. Then, as time ran out, we would place a charge in thehole--a shaped charge, as it is called--which would drive the hole mostof the way to the magma. It would also crack the rock dike. The magmawould seek the weakest spots, of course. It is under enormous pressure.And we would have the result we want."
"But what kind of explosive would be enough for such an undertaking?"Montoya demanded. "Not enough dynamite could be packed into the tunnelto do the work."
"We weren't thinking of dynamite," Hartson Brant said quietly. "We werethinking of a nuclear explosion."
Rick gasped. He had no warning of this. The scientists had evidentlyarrived at the conclusion while he was flying around over the diamondseekers.
Montoya gasped, too. "But that would kill everyone on the island!"
"Not at all," Zircon boomed. "It would kill no one. Of course we wouldclear the area with troops."
"But the radioactivity," the governor protested. "I have read it isdeadly!"
"Only if it can reach people," Hartson Brant explained. "This shot wouldbe far underground. There would be no fall-out, as it is called, at all.Of course the earth around the explosion would be greatly radioactive.Some of the activity would be trapped in the magma. But where would itcome to rest? On the bottom of the sea. There might be some danger tobottom fish in the vicinity, but I think the water would get so hot fromthe lava that fish would avoid it, anyway. And eventually theradioactivity would decay of itself to low levels. Sir, I see no otherway."
The governor raised his hands in a gesture of resignation. "I knownothing of these matters, and it is your business to know. I accept yourassurances without reservation. Now, what do we do?"
The scientists had not only conceived the solution, but had a detailedplan of action. Within a half hour, the loud-speaker had been removedfrom the plane, and Rick was flying Governor Montoya, Hartson Brant, andEsteben Balgos to Trinidad.
Arrangements had been made by phone while they were en route. A car,sent by the President of the West Indies Federation, picked them up atthe airport and whisked them to the Federation's headquarters.
The President listened to the story with intense interest, thensummoned the American ambassador and the representatives of Venezuelaand Colombia.
After a detailed discussion by Hartson Brant of the properties andlimitations of nuclear explosions, the conference agreed. Immediateaction was called for. The Venezuelan and Colombian representativeshurried off to notify their governments, while the President of theFederation put in a conference call to the United States, to theChairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, the Secretary of Defense, theSecretary of State, and the President's Special Assistant for Scienceand Technology, who happened to be an old friend of Hartson Brant's.
A personal phone call from a head of state was withoutprecedent--especially a conference call. The U. S. officials werelocated within an hour, and the call put through. On the West Indies endwere the Federation's President, the U. S. ambassador, Governor Montoya,and Hartson Brant, speaking from four different rooms. Rick hung overhis father's chair, listening.
The Federation's President introduced himself and described the problembriefly. Then he introduced the governor. Montoya said briefly,"Gentlemen, we must have help or the island of San Luz will perish. Iask help on behalf of my 32,000 people."
The Federation's President then introduced Hartson Brant. Rick gatheredthat the U. S. President's Special Assistant and the Chairman of theAtomic Energy Commission both greeted him warmly as an old friend.
The scientist outlined the problem and its solution. He continued,"According to our estimates, we will need ten kilotons in order to havea margin of safety. It will take as many Seabees or engineers asnecessary to drive a tunnel. The tunnel dimensions will depend on whatmachinery you can get to us. I leave that to your experts. We will alsoneed about five thousand sea-based troops to handle the islandpopulation. We may have to carry them bodily to safety. Now, can it bedone?"
There was silence as the scientist listened. Rick stood on one foot,then the other, waiting. He could hear the mumble of voices through theearphone but could make no sense out of it.
Presently Hartson Brant said, "Yes. I believe the runway at San Luzcould handle a C-124." There was silence again. Finally, the scientistsaid, "I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow, then." He hung up andturned to Rick with a grin.
"Our President will put pressure on the local Venezuelan and Colombianambassadors here for an immediate decision from their governments, andour own Secretary of State will instruct our ambassadors in Venezuelaand Colombia to camp on the doorsteps until they get agreement. He willalso notify the United Nations, and invite observers from the SecurityCouncil. The AEC will fly in a 10-KT nuclear charge and a group ofexperts. The Secretary of Defense promised that a battalion of Seabeeswith full equipment would arrive in San Luz within twenty-four hours.The Military Air Transport Service will airlift in enough troops tohandle the crowd. Any questions?"
Rick grinned back. "It sounds as though everyone's in the act but theBritish."
"Oh, they're in it, too. The Federation's President will represent theirpolitical interests, but we'll also have a British cruiser standingoffshore for help as needed. And I forgot an important addition. OurPresident's Assistant for
Science and Technology is notifying the propercommittees of the National Academy of Sciences. We'll have a planeloadof geophysicists down here in a few days to get all the scientific datapossible out of this event. So we're well covered."
"I guess we can relax now," Rick said with relief. "The job is out ofour hands."
"Not quite," Hartson Brant corrected. "They all agreed that theSpindrift Foundation should be placed in over-all charge. So we've gotour work cut out for us!"