Police Receive Bomb Threat; Adams Search Reveals Nothing

Although a subsequent search by the University police turned up nothing suspicious, Adams House residents evacuated the dormitories yesterday afternoon after an anonymous caller told the police that a bomb was planted in the House.

The unidentified caller told University police at 3:15 p.m. yesterday, "there's a bomb planted in Adams House," and then hung up, Jack W. Morse, captain of operational services for the police, said yesterday.

The police immediately informed the House superintendant of the threat, but recommended that House staff not evacuate the students because the caller did not mention a specific time or location for the bomb explosion, Jana M. Kiely, associate master of the House, said yesterday.

Kiely, however, told police, "One can't take a chance with so many people," and asked them to evacuate the building.

No Russian Roulette

The superintendent sounded the alarm and, as students came pouring out of the building, policemen put up signs warning students that the University had received a bomb threat and that "all persons entering and occupying these premises ... do so at their own risk."

The police then searched the basement, halls and dining room of the House, but did not enter student rooms, Kiely said.

"A policeman who doesn't know what a room normally looks like wouldn't recognize something out of the ordinary," she said.

The 30-minute search turned up no bomb, and students re-entered the building at 4:15.

"I think people are too lazy to plant bombs, but not too lazy to make phone calls," Laura B. Steinhardt '78, one of the evacuees, said yesterday.