As Mr. Sims descended the ladder, the excitement he contained was palpable. Learning of the possibility of this historical relic existing on his property was the reason he bought it, it was the final selling point. And now he was ready to see what sort of value it held. Step by step, he entered, thinking about the significance of this bit of history buried away for over a half century.
His foot stepped off the last rung and he was in! Immediately, he thought it looked beautiful. It was completely empty. There was an arched entrance to the circular shelter area. It could have been much worse. Though he was really hoping it was going to be a functioning fallout shelter stocked with water cans, radiation detectors, supply boxes and other vintage bomb shelter items, it was in great shape. This piece of history was definitely a fallout shelter, and it was definitely his.
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.
Repairing the Damage
Even though it was in great condition, structurally, the underground structure needed some TLC. The dome area of the chamber was not in good shape.
Shards of fiberglass hung from the ceiling threatening to fall. Safety hazards existed. The entire dome would have to be redone.
Breathing the Air of the Cold War Conflict
Looking around his backyard basement, his imagination was flooded with Cold War history. He was thinking about people of that era, the fears they held. He wondered who had actually been in this old cavern. He wondered if such a bomb shelter would even protect people.
Yvonne Morris at the Titan Missile Museum was a US Air Force Officer and part of the crew responsible for launching the nuclear warheads in Tucson. “We existed to prevent WWIII from ever happening,” she told KGUN9 news. When asked if she thought bomb shelters were nuke-proof, she pointed out that a fallout shelter would not survive a direct hit, and there would have to be sufficient food, water and fresh air.