# Fallout Shelter Discovered Under Brooklyn Bridge **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 22, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423 "2006-03-22T13:27:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/1 "2006-03-22T13:27:11Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060321/ap\_on\_re\_us/cold\_war\_trove](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060321/ap_on_re_us/cold_war_trove) Didn’t they have lists of where these were? I’m surprised this had to be “discovered”. Our High School had one of these – the boxes of emergency crackers, drums of drinking water, other emergency supplies. Our shelter had an emergency generator, too, packed in a big box. I hope they remembere to pack fuel. The article states that in most cases (and presumably this one) the crackers went bad and the sealed containers of water weren’t so well sealed – they completelty dried out. Wasn’t there some sort of provision to keep these caches supplied? If not, this strongly suggests that even the people responsible for putting them there didn’t expect them to be used, and didn’t take them very seriously. If you’re in earest about emergency supplies, you keep tabs on them, keep them current, and don’t forget where you left them. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/2 "2006-03-22T13:51:28Z")
Great! Now, all they have to do is make sure that the Water Chips in the Vaults that are left are functioning perfectly… 😃 Maaaayybeeee, Yoou’'lll think of me, When you are all alooone… ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/3 "2006-03-22T14:06:28Z")
I was going to link to this story from the Beeb but couldn’t figure out how, they ran a realvideo clip of their TV report. Interesting in a nostalgic sense. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Train\_Song](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/4 "2006-03-22T14:19:28Z")
I was working in a crawl space under some hospital a few years ago and came across a whole bunch of metal drums like that but they were empty. They still looked really cool though and I wish I’d have been able to steal one. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/5 "2006-03-22T14:20:16Z")
I remember the one that they had in the basement of my college library. You could see the 5-gallon cans of water and crackers(with the helpful instructions that the empty can could be used as a toilet). There must be thousands of these places, seled up, growing mold all over the place. What about the big underground shelter for the members of congress? i heard its in the Virginia hills-we are probably still maintaining it. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/6 "2006-03-22T14:24:10Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I remember the one that they had in the basement of my college library. You could see the 5-gallon cans of water and crackers(with the helpful instructions that the empty can could be used as a toilet). There must be thousands of these places, seled up, growing mold all over the place. What about the big underground shelter for the members of congress? i heard its in the Virginia hills-we are probably still maintaining it. The Greenbriar resort. And you can tour the shelter now, it’s no longer the Congressional emergency shelter. Does Congress even have a shelter now? ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/7 "2006-03-22T14:41:19Z")
Heh, anybody besides me see the irony of a fallout shelter underneath the Brooklyn Bridge? I mean didn’t anybody ever see “Fail Safe?” :rolleyes: And, yes, I know it came out in 1964 so don’t get all nit-picky. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/8 "2006-03-22T15:27:25Z")
When I was stationed at Minot AFB (about four years ago), my then-commander brought me a little “Holiday Present” he said I’d get a kick out of: thirty year-old ‘Diet Supplements, Sucrose, Assorted Flavors’–thirty year old Cold War Candy\*, still in it’s _original box and wrapping_. How do I know it was thirty years old? Because the pack date was stamped “1972”. It seems he went into the ‘PRIDE’ building at Minot AFB (an old [SAGE Facility](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi_Automatic_Ground_Environment)) which was remodeled into a pretty darn sturdy office building. Anyway, he was in the basement which still had all of those Cold War supply things that nobody bothered to clean up. While in the Installation Squadron’s office (later renamed the “Civil Engineers”), he opened a desk drawer and found the box, and thought I’d get a kick out of it. What he didn’t think, is that I’d open the box in front of him and _try_ one. Damned if they weren’t still good! I tried one, and it tasted like a Charms candy. So I offered him one. Next thing you know, the whole bunch of us in the office were sampling thirty-year wares. True story. Tripler - Note: Band name! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/9 "2006-03-22T16:03:48Z")
Gee, anyone that bought the bridge would have made an even better deal than they thought. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/10 "2006-03-22T16:13:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Our High School had one of these – the boxes of emergency crackers, drums of drinking water, other emergency supplies. Our shelter had an emergency generator, too, packed in a big box. I hope they remembere to pack fuel. Mine, too. Plus a good stock of porny mags. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/11 "2006-03-22T16:17:05Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Didn’t they have lists of where these were? I’m surprised this had to be “discovered”. This is Brooklyn. You can lose _anything_ in Brooklyn. Or perhaps I should say you can “lose” anything in Brooklyn. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/12 "2006-03-22T16:18:36Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > Mine, too. Plus a good stock of porny mags. [Dr Strangelove] . . . and we’ll need a selective breeeeeeding program. Preferrably 12 fertile females for every male. . . [/Dr. S] Tripler It may be “selective”, but I sure as hell wouldn’t be picky. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/13 "2006-03-22T16:32:26Z")
I work in a museum, and a couple of years ago, a guy who had worked as the local CD co-ordinator donated his manuals, some dating back to the 1950s. I had a great time reading through them: they were hilarious. Just in case any of you don’t know what to do in case the Bomb goes off, here’s a little sampling of the advice: – Take a nice hot shower to get off any radiation, and throw away the clothes you were wearing. –Keep your windows shut for at least a couple of hours. –Vaccuum and dust your house thouroughly and throw away any foodstuffs that were out on the counter. That should decontaminate your home. –Men should wait for an hour and then go outside to help fight fires. –Don’t worry if you start throwing up and losing your hair. That’s a normal reaction to shock. You’ll feel better in a day or two. – If you don’t have your own shelter, there’s instructions included on how to build one from sand bags and plywood. (Aboveground, no less!) – If you’re outside when the Dread Event occurs, duck and cover-- even a sheet of newspaper will do to keep the radiation from falling on you. (Don’t forget to throw it away once you’re done cowering!) (I can’t remember the exact radius they gave, but they said something along the lines of that if you were at least three miles from the impact zone, you don’t really need to worry about lingering radiation.) ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/14 "2006-03-22T17:19:09Z")
When they closed the shelter in Schenectady they let people come in and take what they wanted. I got four of those water can/toilets. Used them as end tables and night stands in my kids rooms. 🆒 Still have them. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/15 "2006-03-22T18:00:23Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I remember the one that they had in the basement of my college library. You could see the 5-gallon cans of water and crackers(with the helpful instructions that the empty can could be used as a toilet). There must be thousands of these places, seled up, growing mold all over the place. What about the big underground shelter for the members of congress? i heard its in the Virginia hills-we are probably still maintaining it. There is a photo of it [here.](http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/allposters/46/1800137846p.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/16 "2006-03-22T18:35:38Z")
From the linked story … > [@](#): > > “We find stuff all the time, but what’s sort of eerie about this is that this is a bridge that thousands of people go over each day,” Transportation commissioner Iris Weinshall said Monday. “They walk over it, cars go over it, and this stuff was just sitting there.” Driving over crackers … eeire! LOL. **–Don’t worry if you start throwing up and losing your hair. That’s a normal reaction to shock. You’ll feel better in a day or two.** Priceless. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/17 "2006-03-22T18:58:54Z")
Perhaps it was a reinforced shelter, and not the NSA wiretaps, that thwarted the plans of [Iyman Faris](http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/01/nsa.challenge/). With all the Central Park hype this week, maybe officals will spruce the place up and convert it into a coyote pen. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/18 "2006-03-22T21:01:03Z")
> [@Martini Enfield](#): > > Great! Now, all they have to do is make sure that the Water Chips in the Vaults that are left are functioning perfectly… 😃 > > Maaaayybeeee, Yoou’'lll think of me, When you are all alooone… You know, I spent months searching around the wastelands looking for a water chip before discovering that Vault 8 has a crate full of 'em. Never mind the water chip; make sure it has a GECK[sup]\*[/sup]. Those things are impossible to find. Stranger [sup]\*[/sup]Garden of Eden Creation Kit… ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/19 "2006-03-22T21:25:29Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > The Greenbriar resort. And you can tour the shelter now, it’s no longer the Congressional emergency shelter. Does Congress even have a shelter now? I think the one’s he was talking about was in Culpeper County, Virginia. It was built into a large hill/small mountain East of the town of Culpeper. Some Washington Post reporter mentioned it in an article and the secret was out. Last I heard it’s now being converted into a National Archives storage facility. This article talks about several of the shelters: [http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030325-shelters01.htm](http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030325-shelters01.htm) I would imagine there are a few other shelters around that haven’t been revealed to the general public yet. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423/20 "2006-03-22T21:31:40Z")
> [@sinjin](#): > > When they closed the shelter in Schenectady they let people come in and take what they wanted. I got four of those water can/toilets. Used them as end tables and night stands in my kids rooms. 🆒 Still have them. Kewl! I envy you! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-shelter-discovered-under-brooklyn-bridge/349423.md?page=2)