Ascent
to the Catwalk Level of Silo #1 - Continued
Insanity...
It
wasn't long before my curiosity started telling me to do dumb things
again and before you knew it, I was plotting to climb another
silo. Sure I'd seen one silo already, but this was a different
silo! Ok, maybe there were essentially no differences
whatsoever between silos at the same site, but I had already noticed
major differences in how each silo was scrapped and salvaged.
Why there could be something completely different to see at the top of
one of the other 2 silos!
As
soon as I thought of it, I knew I was crazy enough to do it; I was
going to climb another silo. Since silo #2 had the least amount
of water, I decided it would have to be silo #1 that I visited
next. Hell, I had done this once already, it should be easier
the 2nd time right?
And
so with almost no real planning whatsoever I set out once again to see
if I couldn't bring my life to an early conclusion through foolish and
unnecessary risks and inadequate safety measures.
The
plan was pretty much the same as for silo #3: climb the many and
varied pipes and conduits to the launcher elevator motor platform, get
some pictures and return to the personnel tunnel alive.
Should
be simple I thought, and mostly it was...
I
found the first challenge about half way up the silo wall when I found
that the flimsy ductwork which was missing in silo #3 was still
present in silo #1. After some careful analysis of what route to
take, I managed to get past this hazard alive and arrived at the top
of the counterweight rail as before. From that point I would
just need to climb up to the water pipe and grab the handy bolts that
I had used to hoist my dead weight onto the safety of the broad ledge
of the launcher elevator motor platform.
However,
when I pulled myself up onto the water pipe and stood up to locate the
bolts that provided such a convenient handhold on the climb up silo
#3, I found them completely gone! Nothing. The bolts (all
9 of them) had been cut off flush with the smooth, featureless
concrete that now shunned my advances. Only tiny jagged stubs
remained. With nothing to grab onto, I could not safely climb up
onto the ledge, or worse yet, climb back down.
Let
me point out that I was feeling all the same terror I had experienced
on my last idiotic and perilous climb-- my heart was in overdrive and
I was breathing like a marathon runner behind my asbestos-rated
respirator (the only sensible piece of safety gear I had worn on these
climbs) that fogged terribly, clouding my vision. Once again I
felt as though I could suffer some sort of attack at any minute.
Determined
to continue no matter what common sense dictated, I found this wrinkle
a bit worrisome. Maybe I should just abort this suicidal
exploration and leave well enough alone, I thought.
Not
just yet-- I looked around for another way.
About
20' away I saw a cable tray extending at a steep angle out into space
over the silo; its top edge led to the ledge. I am sure it was
once quite sturdy, but what had happened to it during the
salvage? Were its supports still sound? Would it hold a
lone moron long enough for him to climb to safety?
As
there was no purchase along the sheer edge of the ledge, my arms were
extended out in front of me rather ineffectually as I sidled about 25'
over to the cable tray. If I slipped, there was absolutely
nothing to hold onto and I would fall backwards and down over about
seven stories to the water below.
I
reached out and tried to shake the cable tray with one hand.
Solid. Whew.
Placing
some weight on the tray I tried again to test its stability. It
remained solid so I quickly stepped up onto its ladder-like frame,
eager to get to the ledge because now my entire body was suspended
over the open silo at about a 70-degree angle.
In
a few quick movements I arrived at the platform, dizzy with anxiety
and sat to rest.
These
are the pictures I captured once I had recovered a bit, shown in the
order they were taken as I circled the silo from one side of the
elevator motor platform to the other.
I
hope you'll find them
interesting though they may not be as exciting as you'd hope with all
the build up. Either way, here is what I saw:
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View
from the launcher elevator motor platform. Hydraulic lines abound,
and directly over my head is where one of the rams for the doors was
located. Long gone now of course.
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This
time the yellow cable tray was not conveniently located at the bottom of
the catwalk ledge. I had to climb up and then lower it down for
easier access.
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Looking
up you at the ceiling you can see the mount point for the hydraulic ram
to the silo door. You can also see the steel plating is damaged at
this launcher by drilling, just as it was at silo #3.
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Looking
back towards the other side of the platform. I have not moved from
the spot where I first arrived on the platform yet.
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View
from the catwalk looking back at the ceiling above the elevator motor
platform
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A
terrible photo looking down into the silo. You can see the steep
slant of the cable tray I climbed to reach the ledge at the lower
right. You can also see the spot where the missing bolts used to
be along the edge.
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The
massive hardware for the spring assemblies for the launcher elevator
motor platform;
once again the bolts have been cut off by torches.
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The
clutter of hydraulic lines, connectors, pillow block and other valves,
conduit and equipment encountered in the first quadrant of the catwalk
area. The platforms around the pillow blocks were not damaged as
they had been in silo #3. Still I avoided walking on them as much
as possible.
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Just
beyond the first pillow block looking back the way I had just come from
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Same
position as the previous photo only looking toward the ceiling
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The
50-ton hydraulic lifting jack on the pillow block in the 2nd quadrant of
the catwalk area
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The
steps and platform around the 2nd pillow block and hydraulic jack
assembly
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I
encountered the same pipe and flexible connection as I did in silo #3
with the exact same damage that made it appear to have been torn
loose. As before, it simply rested on the railing.
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Looking
ahead into the third quadrant. The hydraulic lines to the 2nd ram
for the silo doors can be seen leading up the wall at the top of the
photo.
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The
damaged connector. This one had a lot more apparent water seepage
around it.
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Looking
back towards the 2nd pillow block
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Another
collection of hydraulic equipment and lines
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Looking
at the ceiling where the 2nd hydraulic ram was mounted. You can
see stalactites forming on the ceiling where water has been leaking in
for the past 4 decades.
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Just
past the hydraulic lines to the door looking back the way I'd come from
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A
view of the inside of the silo doors from the 3rd quadrant
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Flexible
connections and equipment: 3rd quadrant
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Once
again the same explosion-resistant electrical junction box with the same
explosion and fire-resistant stainless steel braid protecting it.
I found the cover to this box nearby, it weighed about 20 pounds.
I could not resist tossing it into the water below. It seemed to
take forever to hit the water; when it did it made tremendous cacophony
in the tomb-like quiet of the silo that echoed for a long time
afterwards.
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Looking
at the silo doors from between the 3rd and 4th quadrant
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looking
back at the 3rd quadrant from the 4th quadrant
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A
closer look at the 3rd quadrant ceiling showing a very heavy-duty
eye-bolt partially torn from the concrete by what I am certain was a
tremendous force of multiple tons. I am not sure what happened but
it must have been a hell of a pull to do this!
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Another
look back towards the 3rd quadrant
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Spring
assembly mounting point in the 4th quadrant
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A
closer look at the hardware that once supported the spring assemblies.
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Looking
at the ceiling over the pillow block in the 4th quadrant
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The
pillow block and hydraulic lifting jack assembly in the 4th quadrant
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The
platform around the pillow block in quadrant 4 with a nice view of
NOTHINGNESS over the railing. This is far scarier viewed first
hand. If I hadn't been such a wuss, I might have gotten some good
photos down into the silo from these platforms. Hey, my just being
there was crazy enough. These pictures will have to do.
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One
last look at quadrant 4 before departure
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Obviously
I survived the visit to silo #1 and lived to tell this rather dull
tale. I never attempted to scale silo #2 though I must confess,
I gave it some thought...
In
the next section, I want to show you a rare sight: the silo
cribwork. Long absent from nearly every silo, I can offer a view
of what this impressive structure looks like thanks to the invaluable
generosity of some missile fanatics who were lucky enough to see the
cribwork for themselves and get some pictures. I am envious to
say the least. Click below to see the cribwork...
Missile
Silos Part VI
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