Finally! The day he had been waiting for. With the hatch secured, reinforced and rebuilt, entering the underground vault was now safer than a Fantasyland ride at Disney. There was nothing preventing him from climbing on in. He felt like a little boy again, playing in the backyard. He jumped on in. But, honestly, he held some doubts and fears of a big letdown.
“I kind of thought it might have been a real cheap job like a storm drain just thrown in to the yard with the little bit of the steps of something,” he admitted, “but it turned out to be a lot cooler than that.”
Working Through a Brutal Summer
The project continued through the peak of Tucson heat. Oppressive triple-digit temps plagued the workers day in and day out. They set up a tarp to protect themselves from the harsh rays.
Another safety measure included installing a cardboard Sonotube. This secured the area they were working on to prevent collapse or damage to the surrounding area.
The Final Touches
Upon consulting with an engineer and some contractors, Mr. Sims decided to widen the entry space since it was going to be completely rebuilt and reinforced anyway. Things were really coming together. The hatch looked brand new. But before descending, he took a couple more precautions.
First, he had the crew install an electrical wire to power a light bulb inside the shelter. He also had them install a black pipe that would serve as an air tube.
The Tip of the Iceberg
This project was going to require a lot more work. The spiral staircase was totally rusted out and unusable. Fifty years of neglect had taken its toll.
The stairway would have to be completely redone. That’s okay. Mr. Sims loved his new project and looked forward to restoring it to museum-grade authenticity.
A Way in
The entrance to the bomb shelter was so dilapidated alternative measures became necessary. To get down into the space below, there was no other alternative.
Mr. Sims inserted a ladder down into the deep entrance. The workers were going to need a way in anyway to do the necessary repairs inside the shelter and to rebuild the stairway.