British A-Weapon Tested in Nevada

A British nuclear weapon was set off 1,800 feet below ground at the vast Nevada Test Site on Wednesday.

The test, code-named Darwin, was triggered about 1:30 p.m. beneath Pahute Mesa 107 miles northwest of Las Vegas by British and American scientists working under a 1958 joint test treaty.

A U.S. Department of Energy spokeswoman said no protesters were apparent on the 1,350-square-mile site, but Sara Mayer of the Rocky Mountain Peace Center declared that at least five protesters were “very close” to the blast area. By evening, she said they had not turned up and “we are getting quite worried.”