For 18 months prior to the ‘accident’, TMI was a “go to ” party spot among certain of my York Catholic party gang- now, not TMI itself of course- but the attraction of a very secluded spot at Goldsboro nearby Brunner Island where the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks passed close to the Susquehanna River, well in sight of the now iconic cooling towers- whose H.G. Wellsian spires were like sirens drawing my partners and I in mayhem near.

It was our secret party spot where we would float a keg in the river, park our cars and, early for those days, blare the new punk records that we had recorded on cassette and blare through the open car window.. We would be into the Sex Pistols (broken up by then), the Clash, Vibrators, Damned, Elvis Costello and some US Bands -Ramones, Dolls, Patti Smith. We also would blare a lot of Beatles ,Stones, Who, and Kinks.

Our secret cove was hidden in spite of the fact that even though we had ample sound systems, the Manchester and Northern Regional Police in Goldsboro never discovered our location.

Our last night there in early October 1978 we were swimming at the spot. That evening, my friends and I had the pleasure of initiating Dave’s new girlfriend on the thrill of jumping off the railroad trestle into the cove at our spot. As Annie swam about 20 yards out into the river with Dave they both let out screams and swam in great haste to the shore.

Wrapping towels around themselves they both quite excitedly pointed up-river toward TMI – which lay just upstream and to the northeast a bit.

Coming down the river was a very bright, luminous lime green ooze, looking like silly putty – or the innards of a lava lamp let loose.

At our “party spot”, which was somewhat protected from the normal river flow, this unwelcome flow was carried on its own stream, not unlike you see oil when poured into water.

It was at least 20 yards across, and flowed down river from upriver as far as we could now see and about 2 feet below the surface of the water – flowing in the channel between the shore and Brunner Island.

We stood shivering on the shore, fascinated and somewhat fearful at sight of this anomalous intrusion to our reveries.

Our resident scientist/engineer “Charles” ( later President of a well known local engineering corporation) said, “Either there is a meltdown upriver or that is some agricultural chemical residue BUT”…either way we beat a major hasty from Goldsboro for the last time.

 

Remember, reader, read on – what happened April 1 looms large – be patient….

I’ll get to the explosive bits in the last paragraph

 

Wednesday March 28

 

Went to York Catholic High School. the Busses were running, but some schools let out early in the northern districts.

What the hell is going on in Manchester? Goldsboro?

Did they find our party spot? Where’s Steve?

Where did Jeff, my buddy who was a Communications major and DJ at York College and all his roomies ( Appel, Greg, Dexter, Myron) Where did they go? Turned out that they split back to New York because spring break was extended and they were told to get outta Dodge.

 

My situation at the time was this:

I worked at each location of Conrad’s Delicatessen in York. I had to work, as my father had just left my Mom for some nurse at York Hospital and my mom was a complete mess – missing her sister who lived in Baldwin New York out on Long Island.

Dave was my best friend at the time. Turns out Dave’s relatives also lived out on the Island as well.

Now, my girlfriend , ‘Beth’ , had 11 siblings – 6 of them younger than us, and she was usually the designated babysitter.

So…

with my mom nutting out and planning to go back to Long Island with my younger brother and sister and meet the family of my friend Dave on the way I could not go with them  because I had to work at Conrad’s,  and I had promised to help Beth with her younger brothers and sisters while her parents looked after their own personal and professional affairs- those which usually kept them away from home most evenings.

 

Thursday March 29

 

Schools let out at noon – except Senior class. It was warm out. The nuns didn’t care that we smoked ciggies right outside the cafeteria door.

Hell- York Catholic was the State Champs that year, right? Jocks, man………

Dick Thornburgh speaks.

Mom very nervous.

Taking everyone to Long Island. Big Fight.

Have to work or Conrad’s will fire me because people won’t come to work due to the accident and they need someone to be there – that being me.

I found time to buy the new Elvis Costello album at Budget Disc-o-Tape on Market Street in York..

It is  called “Armed Forces” –  the lead track is called “Accidents Will Happen” – we thought that the irony of the title of that track was funnier than hell, given the circumstances.

 

At dinner time my girlfriend and I tried to keep up on the latest news. As we watched ABC news, we saw the reporter was reporting from Goldsboro, yes, just over the the railroad tracks at the cove that was “our gang’s spot”. Well now, where the Northern Regional police couldn’t find our super-secret party spot, damn if it wasn’t the world press that did. Yeah.

 

Friday March 30

 

Things moving faster.

School closed.

Chris called me to help open at the “New Eastern Market” just off Market St. in York.

It opened at 6:00 am.

It, although usually packed from 7:00am to 5:00pm every single Friday, this Friday it was Completely Empty.

 

Ghost-town.

All the clerks at Conrad’s , the skeleton crew that it was said goodbye to each other- not “see ya later”, but “Goodbye”.

Except Chris said I had to be at the Central Market again 3:00 am — just in case. I told him Mom left for Long Island so what the hell.

 

I tried driving up to Manchester to get to Goldsboro cause we had just seen it on the national news the prior night, I was curious and wanted to see all the reporters there.

I got as far as the Manchester underpass up George Street extended.

Cops blocked the road. I turned around.

In those days the AM radio played news a lot.

They said the ‘accident’ couldn’t be solved without solving this conundrum:

The initial accident caused a steam cloud to build up due to the release of too much water after the breach of the reactor.

SO:

Either you cool the reactor core down – causing an increase in the steam bubble, or you let the fucker meltdown. Choose your poison.

 

On Sunday Morning we found out.

 

HOWEVER ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE AT 6:00 Friday night the 30th

 

My mom safely ensconced on Long Island I went to help Beth babysit her siblings, as her parents didn’t feel any sense of urgency- choosing instead to attend a social event in York.

When I arrived at Beth’s house, we made dinner for her younger  siblings, albeit keeping eyes and ears on the portable TV in the kitchen – the TV was omnipresent that week -what with this “Angel of Nuclear Death” equipped to spread  radioactive annihilation right through the Sus’Q Valley.

Not a normal Friday night.

 

Not helpful NBC news. Not Helpful. At. All.

 

Jessica Savitch comes on at 6:30.

NBC Nightly News.

Sitting in for John Chancellor if I remember.

 

“The NRC and PA Emergency has announced an immediate evacuation of all people in a 25 mile radius of the Nuclear Facility at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island.”

 

Well, Beth’s parents showed up in 20 minutes, and when I drove out into Carlisle Avenue people were running – running! out of their houses with their  suitcases and screaming little kids into the cars. Oddly apocalyptic – so vague and surreal, and – THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!!!

Attempting a shortcut home, I drove back around Reservoir Hill by York Hospital, what normally would be a 5 minute drive because the traffic was backed up so bad, it took me over an hour to go the same distance. George Street and surrounding streets were flash flooded with traffic as folks were leaving York to head south on George Street to Rt. 83 toward Baltimore.

 

I got home to Dew Drop Court, cracked a beer, smoked a joint and called my boss at Conrad’s.

He said “See you at 5:00 am at Central Market, we’ll see how it goes”.

 

Saturday March 31st

 

Conrads and Central Market – ghost town.

Worked from 5:00am till load out at the Queen street Store at 4:00 pm

tired as hell

Beth on quarantine with the parents and her sibs as they were thinking about skipping out as well – to where, i don’t entirely remember – but  I think Richmond Virginia. We talked on the phone about just leaving all the crazies behind and backpacking over the upcoming Easter holiday.

 

News on the radio not good- TV not much better – confused reports –

NBC news threw a lot of panic last night.

 

Saturday Night Live was a replay of the Chieftains or something  – weird.

 

Ate dinner , smoked , called Beth went to sleep as early as possible cause I had to be at the Conrad’s  Eastern Store by 9:00 am.

 

Sunday April 1 – 

 

So remember: The conundrum of the TMI issue was “Do we cool the core, which increases the chance of a major explosion due to a critical mass of radioactive steam, or, do we let the core meltdown?” At least that is what was in the news.

However, that may have not at all been true.

I went to work at 9:00 Sunday the first at Conrad’s Deli on East Market Street – right down the street from the Donut place that usually would be the ubiquitous choice for any early coffee fiend on a Sunday Morning. But this wasn’t any normal Sunday morning, of course.

As it happened that Sunday morning, the combined “Brain Trust” responsible for solving the apocalyptic conundrum at hand could be found at the offices of York County Control, located at a local government enclave called Pleasant Acres, almost directly behind Conrad’s.

It was via the local TV news (WGAL) that my co-workers and I learned that the Pleasant Acres facility had become a locus of great interest locally and within the Commonwealth Nationally and not to mention – Internationally.

 

It was dead slow, really, a ghost-town when  a somewhat officious gentleman came in to the store – wearing a then fashionable  polyester suit and tie, with the requisite badges and picture-round-the-neck-on-string credentials. The gentleman then proceeded to pretty much buy us out of our copious supply of Tasty-Cakes and Entemann’s strudels along with numerous  pints of coffee and a couple of packs of cigarettes.

So, as we checked him out and began to assist him with his purchases to his car-  our curiousness got the best of us and we belayed the small talk to cut to the quick and asked himi what was going on at County Control:

 

“So, when will this be over?”

 

Through very tired eyes, and with a slight smile, he said: ( I will never forget)

“It was over Thursday night – we started releasing the steam bubble as a plume into the air towards the south and east into the prevailing winds. There is no longer a fear of an explosion”.

 

 

I went home.

Chris paid me overtime for all those hours.

Beth and I went backpacking the next week  Thursday (Holy Thursday) through the day after Easter, on the Appalachian Trail from Penmar to Duncannon. By ourselves.

 

Tuesday the 3rd My mother and brother and sister arrived home  from Long Island and never said a word about the events of the entire prior 5 days – like nothing ever happened…

….said ‘nothing’…just like that guy who bought donuts and coffee at Conrad’s Sunday morning.