"robert arndt" wrote in message
om...
The Allies weren't completely ignorant on the dangers of fission
material. The US constructed a giant collector called the "Dumbo" to
collect plutonium debris in case the test A-bomb blew up in NM. I
think "Dumbo" still survives. If NYC was hit similar large Dumbo-type
containers would have been used to collect the debris and the
radiation levels would have been studied.

Jumbo wasn't designed for collecting debris. It was a huge 200 ton
pressure
vessel. The bomb was to be put inside prior to the test, if the silly
thing fizzled
the pressure vessel was to prevent anything from getting out.
Moving a tub that big through a population site gathering up bits and
pieces would
have caused even more contamination. Better a group of trained people with
man-portable
gear.