Received the following from a member on Scifistories.com:
During the '50s or early '60s, one of the mainstream science-fiction authors like James Blish or Poul Anderson penned a story about a company making super-heavy elements in a nuclear reactor. In the story, the reactor suffers a "China Syndrome" type of accident and the chief scientist, a bull-headed, disagreeable person, manages to survive by sealing himself in a radiation-proof container.
Does anyone remember the name of this novel and/or the name of the author?