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E4 Bunker Construction Timeline
Page history
last edited
by Michael 5 years, 2 months ago
back to the Index or to the team's bunker or to the team equipment page
Cover Story
United Consolidated Corporation had determined that the cinders from the Aiken Mine are very useful for building corrosion- and infiltration-proof contaminated material storage sites. They purchased the Aiken cinder mine in mid-1983, and eventually decided to also create a toxic waste disposal site at the same area (to be filled once a major amount of cinder extraction was complete).
In the summer of 1985, among several other announcements, the UCC revealed that the Aiken Toxic Waste Repository had been refused a license.
Selection and Purchase
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months or years
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the Project looks for a site they want, and can purchase. It has to be away from strategic targets or any sizeable communities. The purchase was made in 1983 by United Consolidated Corporation, a Council of Tomorrow shell company which constructs toxic disposal systems and sites.
Survey and Prep
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2 months (January 1984 to February 1984)
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checking out the sub-surface, drilling a lot of small vertical holes; initial road work, water well drilling, laying the railway siding at Kelso (the siding and its loading/unloading rack are built by outside contractors); 30 workers on site.
this is a Morrow Project training camp (not the Aiken mine), but built to the same standards
Security and Support
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1 month (March 1984)
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the cover story firms up; installation of security measures, more trailer-home housing for up to 450 persons, workshops, road improvement, arrival and assembly of the laser TBM and the equipment to be used, etc.; 30 workers on site
Mining and Structure
cross-section of a portion of the bunker
bunker plan (not to the same scale)
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10-1/2 months (April 1984 to March 1985)
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this step involves the most "Project staff on site", as the tunnel is excavated (pretty quickly by the laser TBM), forms are built with structural steel, anchor bars and reinforcing bars, and over 20,000 cubic meters (78,000 tons) of reinforced superdense concrete are mixed and placed.
Finish and Systems
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1 month (April, 1985)
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after the concrete has set: install doors, painting, environment controls, electrical and water systems, cryoberths, stairs, security, etc. ... about 24,000 man hours, over a month or so (swap out the structural fabrication crew, and remove most of the big truck crews, concrete pumping crews, etc: about 380 people present
Warehousing
Final Closure
Notes
Probably about 800 members of the Project worked there at one time or another; some of them were traveling off to another bunker after this one.
"No, sir, I can't tell you where I've been working before here."
They're all members of the Morrow Project, and about 95% of them have at least a bachelor's degree. They are motivated workers, putting in 48 hour work-weeks; they are one of a half-dozen "major project" construction crews in the Project, and expect to be frozen in Prime Base or major regional command depots.
Note that the laser TBM is only present for a very few weeks. Other "secret Project tech": you get your Universal Antibody shots; there's a bio-comp and a couple of med units hidden in the "not the infirmary" trailer; there's a Mk 2 fusion generator acting as a backup power supply; several Med Kits are with the emergency crew and medics; and Resistweave coveralls and vests were in use. While a certain amount of bribery or bureaucratic shenanigans may have been going on with Cal-OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, in theory the construction site could look reasonably "proper" with a few hours warning.
A notable amount of the security/publicity risk from an inspection wouldn't be from super-Morrow science being revealed, but an engineer asking "why are you running round-the-clock shifts at a cinder mine?"
"The pay is unbelievable, sir."
There was probably a further backup back story about how Aiken cinders are an essential National Security item; the on-site manager had some phone numbers he could call to verify something like that. All very Clive Cussler-ish.
"Yes, sir ... Aikenite, essential to a new bomb, not a word to anyone, could change the course of history, yes sir!"
E4 Bunker Construction Timeline
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Comments (4)
Kirk said
at 10:43 pm on Feb 5, 2019
Are you sure they'd come from Cima, not from the SW? The sugar-sand on the road to Cima & the numerous trees seem a problem.
Michael said
at 2:44 am on Feb 6, 2019
Looking over Google and other maps, Kelso makes more sense than Cima I suppose.
Michael said
at 10:45 pm on Feb 5, 2019
Well, they can cut trees and pave the road, I suppose. It's not too important, but the drive to Kelso is a lot longer. I haven't done a roadability study!
Kirk said
at 8:58 am on Feb 6, 2019
The road we drove in on looked like the trucking road for access in / out of the mine. Ready-to-use if you don't mind a rough ride.
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