Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Drum, Storage |
Catalog Number |
2014.fic.139 |
Description |
SK IV sanitation kit used for fallout shelters, supplies for 50 people for two weeks. Fiberboard drum inside plastic bag, contents of the drum are; 10 rolls of toilet paper, 1 can opener, 1 commode liner (polyethylene), 60 sanitary napkins, 1 hand cleaner, 1 pair of gloves (polyethylene), 1 syphon spout, 1 tie wire, 1 commode seat, 80 cups and lids, 1 commode chemical, 1 instruction sheet. Printed on the front along with the contents is "Survival Supplies Furnished by Office of Civil Defense Department of Defense SK IV Sanitation Kit". The bottom of the drum is metal. Inside the drum are the 10 rolls of toilet paper, in the center of the drum in between rolls is the Polyethylene seat, and on top of the toilet paper rolls are two cardboard boxes never opened with presumably the other sanitation supplies. On the back of drum is a addressed label from the Kansas City Association for the Blind 1844 Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri to the GSA-CDM c/o Depot 64th Troop Carrier sqdn, sldg 6 O' Hare Int'l Airport Manneim & Higgens Road, Chicago, Illinois. |
Other Name |
Toilet |
Date |
1963 |
Material |
Fiberboard, metal |
Dimensions |
H-21.75 Dia-16.375 inches |
Height (in) |
21.750 |
Subjects |
"Things that Matter" Government & Politics |
Search Terms |
Civil Defense "Things that Matter" |
Notes |
Featured in Things that Matter "Last week we discussed the La Crosse area’s proliferation of fallout shelters in 1971. Local civil defense officials designed a plan in which every citizen could reach a shelter within 30 minutes in case of nuclear threat. But after the doors were shut, then what? What would it be like to live in a church basement with several dozen people for a week or two? The La Crosse Community Shelter Plan, mailed to each resident and business in the La Crosse area in 1971, recommended people bring a bare minimum of supplies to the shelter: prescription medications, a flashlight and an extra change of clothing, for example. The shelters themselves were supposed to be stocked with those items that come in handy during an apocalypse, such as food, water, "radiological instruments" and the SK IV Sanitation Kit. The SK IV Sanitation Kit was distributed by the Department of Defense and contained one can opener, 80 cups and lids, one pair of plastic gloves, one can of waterless hand cleaner, one can of odorless chemicals, one plastic toilet liner, 10 rolls of toilet paper, 60 sanitary napkins, and one toilet seat. Once opened and emptied of its contents, the cardboard barrel became a toilet with the addition of the plastic liner and the toilet seat pictured above. These supplies were supposed to be adequate for 50 people for one to two weeks, but one wonders just how long a single cardboard toilet would have held up. Nuclear waste, indeed." This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune. Title: The SK IV Sanitation Kit Author: Caroline Morris Publish Date: May 2, 2015 |