The
main tunnel junction was from an engineering standpoint a very difficult
construction project to pull off. The majority of the Titan I
complex was built by excavation and backfill-- that is, earth was
removed to the desired depth and then filled back in once construction
was complete. T.J.#10 has more adjoining tunnel sections than any
other part of the complex, meaning that great care was required so that
they would all meet correctly so they could be joined together.
Once
this was accomplished, difficulties arose from settling of the different
tunnel sections over time causing separation and damage to the rubber
water stop seals at each join. Since the complexes were to be
completely buried, infiltration by water in most locations was a fact of
life and in some it was a tremendous problem. One site in
particular had grave difficulties when a failed water stop seal resulted
in flooding at a rate of 20,000 gallons per hour!*
When
backfilling around construction was begun, more settling occurred and
the enormous weight of the soil caused more problems and warped tunnel
sections out of shape. The 5 tunnels leading from T.J. #10 were a
constant source of headaches for contractors.
*
Per U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report dated Sept. 28, 1962.
Tunnel
junction #10 was constructed in a modular fashion in sections small
enough to be transported to the construction sites by flatbed
trucks. Once in place they were welded and bolted together to form
one large, complex section consisting of 5 branching tunnels and 2
bulkheads for water tanks.
The
2 raw (not processed or demineralized) water tanks join the main
junction directly across from the portal entrance. Each tank held
approximately 33,000 gallons, was 12' in diameter and 33' long.
Water from these tanks served the equipment throughout the complex and
the fire water and deluge systems in the missile silos.
Water-based fire suppression in the silos could command a draw of over
500 gallons per minute to an individual silo.
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This
appears to be a construction photo showing a view towards the Control
Center. To the left is the tunnel to the antennas and on the right
(not visible) is the tunnel to the launchers. The large fan on the
right was most likely to draw air from or force air into the launcher
tunnel.
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Looking
through the doors into the Power House which has essentially been laid
to waste like most sites. Partially visible is the black diamond
on yellow marking the doors which can be seen on the door on the
right. This site was occupied after it's closure and a large
amount of junk shown in this photo can be attributed to the last
residents.
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The
tunnel sections in this area as in most have an inner diameter of
15'6" and are constructed of 3 gauge plate steel. Steel deck
plating serves as the floor leaving considerable space below for the
routing of various services as shown in the next photo.
Over
the several years I visited this Titan site, it became a bit unnerving
to note that there were no signs of life inside. Not one living
creature did I see down there. Of course the site is rather nasty
environmentally with asbestos and lead-based paint everywhere, and the
residue of multifarious solvents, lubricants and decomposing electronic
equipment (a good source of PCBs and dioxin and a part of any complete
breakfast!). Given all this, it
is not surprising perhaps that a thriving ecology has not established
itself in the site. I suspect this is due more to the fact that
not much can live off of rust and paint chips-- the chief fauna found in
the site.
I
did however find numerous dead animals throughout the site: desiccated
rabbit corpses populated the upper area of the entry portal (there was a
crack near the added stairwell large enough for them to get in) as well
as at the bottom where some unfortunates had fallen.
Similar
ingress was available at the antenna silo doors and poor departed rats
and rabbits were noted there as well. A garter snake had found his
way all the way into the Control Center only to perish at the bottom of
one of the numerous sump wells next to another rabbit.
Coyote
feces were found on narrow beams in the entry portal-- a rather
acrobatic feat, but no coyotes were ever found (dead or alive).
Lastly, considerable numbers of rats bob like apples (all dead) in the
flooded missile silos suggesting that they fell from the doors above.
For
years, departed critters were all I saw... until last year.
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Though
difficult to see in this photo, there is the yellow-spotted black body
of a salamander next to the shoe near the center of the frame. I
was sure he must be dead, but the next time I looked the little bugger
was gone!
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I
was peering underneath the deck plating in T.J. #10 near the large raw
water conduit leading to the tank and spied the only living thing I ever
found in the site. A lone salamander.
I
don't know if it was a recent arrival, having crept in somewhere, or if
it had been born there, but I couldn't help wondering what it had been
eating if the latter was the case. Perhaps algae or insects in the
water...
From
here you can go back to the Portal, to the Power House, the Control
Center, the Antenna silos or the Launcher tunnels.
Current
Location: Main Tunnel Junction (T.J. #10)
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