Bolthole Emergency Exit
 

Does anyone else find it strange that it is filled with sand and has to be dug out in an emergency to use it?

From what I have read about them in the Diefenbunker up here in Carp Ontario, they where filled with sand and gravel as well, but had an empty pit at the bottom of the shaft. When the hatch was opened and a lever thrown, all of the sand and gravel in the shaft very rapidly (like seconds) fell into the pit and filled it. This exposed the rung ladder in the shaft wall and allowed it to be used very rapidly.

This makes more sense that having to dig it out. But really, they never took into consideration that the shaft once opened all of the sand has to go somewhere fast, which based on the plans is inside of the bolthole.

I Agree with Nuke11. I never really thought about the logistics of digging the bolt hole emergency exits. I have never played a game where the exits were needed.

My $0.02

Mike

Who let the Canadian in here?

I will have to look at the detail blueprint I have seen of the bunker but the first thing that popped into head was the sand gravel flows behind the person using the bolt hole as an additional blockade against zombies etc.

Well, never saw that one coming! But IMO, the opening of the bottom hatch would simply allow the sand to flow into the vehicle bay, the extra shovels were supposed to be used to break up any ground cover remaining over head, after the top hatch was opened.

Not having the Riverton module handy, but doesn't the bolt hole description mention a light dry sand being used?

Think of a wood burning fireplace with the doors shut and the flue shut. The chimney above is the emergency exit filled with sand and gravel, held in the chimney above by the flue.

Open the exit hatch. Where the bottom of the floor should be, is now a pit (open pit) that has been built and calculated to hold exactly the amount of sand and gravel in the exit shaft above (this doesn't need to be a straight down pit, but could also be a void to either side that the sand and gravel will fill up). Reach up release the hatch holding the sand and gravel up, it now falls down from the exit shaft above into the pit. The pit is now filled up, you can now either stand or crawl in (taking your shovel with you) without much trouble and climb your way up shaft and break thru the last few feet of earth above the exit.

No need for digging your way out in a few hours, figuring out how to open the exit hatch (since it will now also have the weight of the sand and gavel in the shaft pressing on it from the inside). No fuss no muss.

I see that, but wouldn't soil, grass, brush be piled/placed over the top of the bolt hole? Even with the planned five years, you going to run into packed earth, roots etc.. There would still be a need for some digging/cutting at least for the final foot or two. With 150 years of plant, debris and whatever else comes to rest, I can see manor excavation work just to get a hatch open.

Or a few feet of volcanic ash...... oops...... that's Final Watch.

My favorite was the team that woke up 50 years after...only to find an interstate transmission tower had collapsed, right on the vehicle exit...