Mr. Sims hired consultants to help him locate the exact point of entry to the mysterious shelter. The crew brought metal detectors and scoured the backyard for any signs of buried objects. When increasingly repetitive beeps detected something below the grass, Mr. Sims could hardly contain his enthusiasm.
He knew the history of Cold War-era Tucson. This city was one of America’s nuclear missile launch sites. Only 17 other locations housed nuclear war heads, and all of them were aimed at the Soviet Union. This particular nuclear war head, called Titan Two, could decimate a 900-square-mile area 25 minutes after launch. Tucson readied a total of 18 of these 100-feet-tall missiles. This is one reason that Tucson was considered a target in the 1960s. The fallout shelter was constructed out of real fears that an entire era of people lived with.
Preparing the Shovels
He could not wait for the digging to begin, but he took every precaution so as to minimize the damage to his backyard. Even so, he went out there with his shovel and made several test digs. It was over 100 degrees, but he set to the task anyway. His efforts were in vain, he did not find anything. But he did not give up hope.
As he prepared, he said, “I was really hoping it was going to be a little microcosm . . . a time capsule full of civil-defense boxes, radiation detectors and cots and stuff like that.” With such a find, he might be able to charge admission for curious museum buffs!
The Blueprints Provided a Lot of Helpful Information
After tracking down the blueprints of the property, he knew approximately where to dig, and he knew that a fallout shelter was definitely buried in his yard. City records confirmed that a “blast shelter” had been constructed by a pool company called Whitaker Pools.
Records showed that the shelter measures 12 feet in diameter and that it was circular. Things were getting very exciting. He learned that Whitaker Pools built quite a few bomb shelters in the Tucson area in the 1960s. “The Cuban Missile Crisis was a big push for them in that era,” Mr. Sims opined.
An X Marks the Spot
At each place the metal detector was triggered, the crew spray painted a white X. The only thing left to do was start digging.
Despite the triple-digit heat typical of summers in Tucson, Mr. Sims was ready to dig. With the crew helping him, they hit something solid about three feet down. It was X number two that hit the jackpot.
Taking All Precautions
Safety first. Mr. Sims had a plan, but he would need some extra help. Of all the rescue calls he and his unit at Rural/Metro answered, quite a few involved underground entrapments.
There were way too many ways climbing into a deep crevice under the ground could go sideways, from his experience.