Odds ‘n Sods:

I was doing some web surfing and stumbled across this video clip on American Gun Owners. I haven’t yet seen the book on which it is based, but the video is remarkably unbiased. I think that it would be a good introduction to the American “gun culture” for SurvivalBlog readers that live in countries that restrict firearms ownership.

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A Financial Sense editorial by Eric Englund: From Prime to Sub-Prime: America’s Mortgage Meltdown Has Just Begun

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The WRSA has a high power rifle shooting clinic scheduled for October 6-7 in Brookings, Oregon. These clinics are great way to get high quality rifle shooting instruction for a fraction of what you’d pay at one of the big name shooting schools. Don’t miss out!

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RBS forwarded this: No end in sight for Idaho’s growth

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I cannot guarantee that you will not get hurt or killed whether you follow my advice or not. Just keep in mind that people who never lifted anything that could be classified as ‘heavy’ got hernias from coughing and died of a stroke when they strained on a toilet. As someone smart said, fear of doing things does not prevent you from dying, only from living.” – Pavel Tsatsouline

Notes from JWR:

We are rapidly approaching the two million unique visits milestone, and we have readers all over the planet. Thanks for making SurvivalBlog such a huge success. Please keep spreading the word. Links at your personal web page and/or in your e-mail footer would be greatly appreciated.

The bidding is now at $460 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for a scarce pre-1899 antique Finnish M39 Mosin Nagant rifle from my personal collection. This rifle was rebarreled by Valmet during WWII, and is in excellent condition. It comes with a replica bayonet, original sling, and original muzzle cap. Since the receiver for this rifle was made in 1898, it can be mailed directly to the winning bidder’s doorstep, with no FFL paperwork! The auction ends on October 15th.. Just e-mail us your bid.

Letter Re: Questions on Underground CONEXes

Hello Mr. Rawles
I’m a fairly new reader of your site and have been meandering through your archives and checking back periodically. It’s a wonderful site you have here, and I’ve found your articles to be quite interesting and informative. My personal concerns for the future are more focused on nuclear events than fiscal ones, but in either case I’m likely screwed as I am living on the east coast in close proximity to dense population centers and terrorist/military targets.

As of late however I have been considering buying a few acres in one of the rural areas a few hours away. Someplace where I could build a small cottage to go and relax every now and then. Perhaps with a few unobtrusive modifications to make it a bit more disaster resistant. But I want to do something that’s both low budget and low visibility. Especially since I hope to move away from this area in the years to come, and don’t want to spend a fortune setting up something I’ll be a thousand miles away from in times of trouble. (Or trying to sell a place with expensive hidden features I don’t want to mention publicly… I believe you just commented about that issue today.)

To that end I’ve been pondering the pros and cons of buried cargo containers, and I was wondering if you know of anyone who has done any serious engineering studies of them? I’ve read a lot of speculation about them, but very little hard data. Obviously they’re quite strong and stackable, but only along the corner posts. I haven’t ready any serious studies of what kind of lateral force they can withstand, or what kind of internal or external reinforcement might be necessary to berm or bury. I’ve heard suggestions about flipping the containers over, since the floor is designed to support a massive load. But it seems to me that if you flip it over, the load is now on the wrong side of the floor supports. A system to carry the load on the corner posts should work, just like the floor of each stacked container does. But cutting the bottom off of one container to use as the roof support of another seems wasteful and inefficient. And I’m not sure what kind force would be applied to the sides of a buried container or how much pressure corrugated steel can withstand.

Personally I was considering burying two twenty foot cargo containers side by side. At eight feet or so wide, that equals around 320 square feet of storage and living space and produces a pretty square footprint. Bury them under three feet of earth and you have a decent fallout shelter with space for a significant amount of supplies. Presuming it’s not going to collapse under the weight above it. And that it is properly ventilated. And hasn’t filled with water or condensation.

Now here is a second item I was hoping you could offer some advice on. If I do build something like this, I want it to remain a secret. I am assuming that with a bit of training, a bit of rental equipment, and a lot of elbow grease, I should be able to excavate my own pit and even drag a cargo container or two into it without killing myself. But what if the structure does require some additional support in the form of a concrete shell or load bearing roof? It would be a significant volume of concrete. Far more than one man and a few friends could possibly mix and pour. Which would mean hiring a cement truck. And a load of cement workers curious as to what the h*ll you’re building in a hole in the ground.

So, any advice on how to have work such as that done without worrying about every concrete worker on the crew showing up on your doorstep in bad times, families in tow? Aside from avoiding outside labor in the first place? This, of course, applies to any sort of expert service you can’t possibly handle on your own.

I was also considering how to ensure proper ventilation, and how to camouflage the vents. Here is a thought that may prove useful to some of your other readers who are considering similar projects: It might be possible to hide the air intakes in plain sight. A lot of passive heating and cooling systems are becoming popular these days, and one such system is earth cooled tubes. An earth cooled tube is pretty much what the name says: A length of tube buried a few feet underground, where the temperature is fairly stable. By blowing air through the tube you can cool it in the summer and warm it in the winter. I’m not sure how cost effective it actually is, since you still need a fan to blow air through the system and it’s efficiency depends on the local climate, but it hardly matters. You can simply claim that you have such a system, and that your bunker vent pipe is the intake for it. You could even pass it off as a reason not to dig or build over your bunker, since that’s where your ‘passive cooling system’ is buried.

Or alternatively you could actually install such a system and route it through the bunker, keeping it well ventilated as you cool or heat your house. Mind you, there may be moisture and condensation issues you would have to take care of. But if you do need to make use of your bunker it might help keep the living conditions inside it a bit more bearable.

Anyway, I believe this e-mail has rambled on long enough. I’d appreciate any advice you can offer, and I wish you and your site the best of luck. Keep up the good work! – Robert in New York

JWR Replies: I’ve seen precious little hard data and lots of speculation about using CONEXes underground. One thing is certain: “as-is” they are not designed to take a substantial load anywhere but the corners. Since I’m not a structural engineer, perhaps a reader that has some “in the ground” experience can fill us in on what sort of internal or external support is required to make CONEXes safe for use underground.

Letter Re: Running Chainsaws on Ethanol & Home Alcohol Production Stills

Sir:
About your comments [on Thursday] and others in regard to kerosene use in a gasoline engine: From anything I’ve experienced, you are correct about it not being as simple as some have posted. Engines that were built for “all fuel” use – including distillate and kerosene, had very low compression ratios – usually around 5 to 1. Low compression makes a low-power, inefficient engine. The carburetors were jetted differently, a twin fuel tank setup used, a selector-valve installed for quick fuel changeover, and a closeable air-shutter on the radiator to keep the engine hot. You started the engine on gasoline, got it good and hot, then slowly switched over to kerosene. When it came time to shut the engine off, you had to switch back to gasoline first -otherwise once cool, it would not start again.

Modern automotive gasoline engines with computer controls can be anywhere from 9-to-1 to a 11-to-1 compression-ratio. Older automotive engines, if not made to run on “high test” tended to be in the 8 or 9 to 1 range. Modern heavy-duty industrial use gasoline engines – and other off-road equipment – including lawn-mowers and such, tend to run a compression ratio of 8.5 to 1 which is too high for kerosene use.

I was a John Deere tractor mechanic in the 1960s/70s and used to work on a lot of “all fuel tractors.” Deere and other companies made them up to the late 1950s. We usually converted them to higher compression ratios to run on straight gasoline. This way, they made more power and ran more efficiently. In fact, we sometimes took standard gasoline tractors – and installed “high altitude” pistons to make them even more powerful. There are still a few all-fuelers around being used – including the two I own. My 1937 Deere [Model] BO still has the original all-fuel parts including the radiator shutters. I have to get it really hot before I dare switch it over to kerosene. And, after working it – if I park it with the engine idling and still hooked on kerosene – it will cool down, start backfiring and eventually die – unless I either get it hot again – or switch over to gasoline.

Just to show the power difference, a 1956 John Deere 720 all-fuel tractor with a 360 cubic inch engine put out a max. horsepower of 42 horsepower. Same engine and tractor in the gasoline-only version put out a max. of 55 horsepower and ran 20% more efficiently. Same tractor in diesel version put out a max. horsepower of 56 and ran twice as efficiently as the all-fuel version. Seems using diesel power is a no-brainer. If you have some kerosene in reserve, stick it in a diesel. – John from Central New York

Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update

Doubling Up Before the “Crunch”
This is a unique time in survival real estate. Never before have we seen so many people actually wanting to purchase a family retreat for the coming hard times, but as last week’s update alluded to, most people are struggling to complete their purchase due to the lack of capital, usually because a current real estate asset has yet to sell.

These times call for more purposeful thought and planning in order to come up with a solution. One idea is to bring two or more like minded families together in order to increase their buying power and their odds of survival when the retreat is activated. Although the monetary side of such a deal is delicate, it can usually be worked out with simple terms and conditions put down on paper, it is the personality issues that become exponentially diverse and could pose a major problem that may lead the parties to regret such a partnership.

One solution for someone who cannot immediately move and has a trusted friend or family member who is like minded is to purchase a retreat and move that person onto the property as a caretaker. This person(s) would have their ‘rent’ reduced such for such activities as ground maintenance/improvement, receipt/inventory and storage of supplies shipped to the retreat (off site delivery is recommended), building of additional structures and emplacements and a myriad of other daily activities to keep the retreat in tip top shape. A spin-off of this would be two or three families purchasing a larger retreat and move the caretaker (who may or may not be one of the buyers) onto the property for services rendered.

In today’s world of reckless abandon it is an idea that some will consider absurd, but it is a solution that with careful thought and planning can be a life saver in the future. There are many parcels that are out of reach for the average buyer, but with several families in concert together they can purchase more acreage, many with multiple dwellings or a single main house that will someday become the retreat’s ‘lodge’ once everyone builds their own home on the land.

For example, there are several parcels for sale northwestern Montana in great locations that have good acreage and are already set up for two families, having multiple dwellings with plentiful water, sun exposure and defensible terrain but run above $750,000. That is out of reach for the average buyer, but perfect for two or more families willing to ‘double up’ for the hard times.

So, logistically this solution is fairly easy to coordinate and pull off. Now, to tackle the issue of ‘who’ do you choose to double up with and how. Most preparedness minded people are low key and may not have friends that share similar views so they will be stuck trying to find someone in the dark. Well, the best advice is to find another person or family that shares similar views on critical issues, especially moral and ethical values. As to where you would meet them, who knows, maybe you have overlooked some folks at your local fellowship or home school group, give it some careful thought and put it to prayer, God will lead you. – T.S.

Odds ‘n Sods:

From The Independent: Only £4.4m left to protect UK’s bank deposits

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There is an interesting topic posted over at The Mental Militia Forums (formerly called The Claire Files), about the tremendous gains in the price of Rhodium in the past five years. Obviously, somebody made a lot of money. (FYI, it wasn’t me. I was very conservatively invested in silver and gold.)

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Pets being slaughtered in meat-starved Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is now truly in crisis. 80% unemployment. An average life expectancy of just 37 years. The inflation rate is continuing to increase–some analysts predicts a 100,000 percent annual rate by the end of 2007.

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Courtesy of RBS, from U.S.News & World Report: Bozeman, Montana Locals Worried About Wealthy Newcomers

Note from JWR:

I recently had the opportunity to do some on-site consulting with a client that owns an elaborate retreat in Eastern Oregon. I really like the region, since it is wonderfully remote. The upper elevations have copious timber and wild game, and fairly plentiful water.

Half of the fun of my Oregon trips is poking around county history museums and graveyards. I’m distantly related to David Lawson Shirk, one of eastern Oregon’s early cattlemen. (See the book “The Cattle Drives of David Shirk.”) Shirk was involved in a much-publicized range war with cattle baron Pete French (of the famous “P” Ranch), in the Steens Mountain country–in the southeastern corner of the state. The whole affray started with a quarrel over the affections of a young lady, Miss Frances Crow. (She was my great-great aunt.) David Shirk won the lady’s heart, secured his stock watering rights, and a few years later he won a gunfight with one of Pete French’s hired men. (Later, Pete French died in an unrelated gunfight.) One could conclude that for serious social interactions–involving ladies and lead–that there are no second place winners.

Letter Re: Running Chainsaws on Ethanol & Home Alcohol Production Stills

Hello,
[As a follow-up to the letter about running gasoline engines on alcohol:] In case you don’t know it, most gasoline engines will also run on kerosene. No jet changes, all you have to do it adjust timing. Many small engines like generators and such made by Kohler and Briggs and Stratton have an adjustable timing ring. Many have markings for [setting] use to for gasoline or kerosene. It works well. Now to tell you the truth, I never tried it in a car engine. Though generally what works in small engines should work in a car, and yes, you still need the spark plug to ignite it.. I’m not sure what the power loss is, though something safer then alcohol. and fewer permanent modifications..You can store a lot of kerosene [more] safely then gasoline and alcohol. – ka3ffy

JWR Replies: From what I’ve read, only low compression gasoline engines will run on kerosene without considerable modification. Coincidentally, the following is a snippet of from the oral history of my grandfather, Ernest E. Rawles, recounting his experiences when he works as a surveyor for the New Cornelia Copper Company in and around Ajo, Arizona, early in the last century. Note that a 1916 Ford truck would have had a low compression engine:

“To get there, [to Hat Mountain] we went on Mr. Gibson’s truck. It was a delivery truck. a Ford, stripped down. It was hard to get gasoline in Arizona in 1916. He used to run it on kerosene, if you can believe that. As long as he could keep it hot, he could get it started all-right. Once he got it started, he kept it started.”

Letter Re: Information Security Considerations When Selling a House with “Special Features”

Mr. Rawles-
I truly enjoy and appreciate your site and hope to soon be able to express that with a [10 Cent Challenge] commitment.

Perhaps one solution to the marketing of property with “special features” would be a multi-layered approach to advertising and responding. First present the property with a limited description such as general location and non-specific amenities using descriptions such as “special”, “hardened”, if appropriate and perhaps a philosophy statement and pricing that would lend a sense for the property without risking over-exposure. Interested parties could pursue a phone interview or email exchange to determine actual depth of interest, still without disclosing critical specifics. Truly interested parties would then be requested to sign a non-disclosure agreement for any further detailed information or before a visit, with a remedy statement in the event of inappropriate disclosure. This would serve to filter the less-than-serious, serving both parties and help protect both the seller and prospective buyers from over-exposure. It’s not foolproof, but it could help provide some protection.

I don’t think anyone serious about such properties would mind the extra steps and anyone unwilling to sign is unlikely to be a safe prospect anyway. In fact, this could be a way to do business in this kind of real estate on a larger scale. Using such buffer instruments could be a requirement to participate in any 2nd or 3rd tier prospecting for any properties listed as retreats. This could save everyone, including the list or, some legal headaches if a buyer or seller wished to get picky about a transaction gone bad or a revealed retreat. While I must admit I haven’t the faintest idea about the SOPs of your listing process, I would have concern that this could get sticky and would hate to see you or anyone acting in good faith get hurt. Indemnification of you and those taking the risk of listing or presenting is merely prudent and, I think, not at all inappropriate.

Keep up the good work. Best Regards, – Randy G

Odds ‘n Sods:

US Dollar Trades Near Record Low Against Euro Before Durable Goods. When I checked last, the US Dollar Index was down to 78.56. Some analysts suggest 75 or perhaps even 72 as the next support level.

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Dr. Gary North asks: Has the Fed Lost Control Over Money?

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From The Boston Herald, by way of SHTF Daily: Despite Fed cuts, mortgage rates rise

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Stephen in Iraq sent us this: Subprime Panic Freezes $40 Billion of Canadian Commercial Paper

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly reasonable, but not quite. Life is not an illogicality; yet it is a trap for logicians. It looks just a little more mathematical and regular than it is; its exactitude is obvious, but its inexactitude is hidden; its wildness lies in wait." – G. K. Chesterton

Note from JWR:

I’m planning to have a table at the Great Falls, Montana Gun Show this coming weekend. (September 28-29-30, 2007). It is a very long drive for me, so I hope that it is worth the expense. (High gasoline prices have curtailed my travel schedule considerably.) I will be bringing lots of books and some full capacity magazines. For a list of most of what I’ll have with me, see: my catalog page. The show is at The Four Seasons Arena. To spot my table: Look for a blue table drape and a stack of copies of my novel “Patriots”, as well as the usual implements of liberty. I hope to see some of you there!

Letter Re: Information Security Considerations When Selling a House with “Special Features”

James
May I give an anecdote about being very careful about the hidden value/risk of shelters and other preparations when selling a property.
In Portland, Oregon a person I know purchased a property which after closing was revealed to have a medium sized manhole entry type fallout shelter in the back yard. This person was quite annoyed to have what he considered a dangerous hole and had it filled in by a cement pumper and the doors and frame broken away and sodded over, after documenting the total costs he filed a lawsuit against the seller for reducing his property value by not disclosing the shelter. The buyer was raised in a British Commonwealth country and considered survivalist preps to be an American illness. You can expect many Americans to share this opinion and they may consider you strange or paranoid. So, for some buyers, you might unfortunately see your expensive preparations become liability when selling a property. – David in Israel.