Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/430
of the Russian workers; somehow or other the Czechoslovaks were trusted.
After the existing plants were running comparatively smoothly, the decision was taken to establish new plants or remodel old ones for the manufacture of various products needed by the army. Thus the Šaitan factory, half destroyed by the Bolsheviks, was completely restored by Czechoslovak engineers in three months, and began to turn out boiler tubing for locomotives, an industry that was new to the Urals and quite indispensable at that very time.
The dynamite plant, at Kystym had suspended operations for lack of experts and skilled workers, lack of raw material arid antiquated equipment. Czechoslovaks supplied new machinery, materials and expert managers. Just before the army left the Urals the daily output of dynamite was 110 pouds, as against 40 pouds a year previously, when the number of workers was twice as large as under Czechoslovak management. A factory in Ekaterinburg was transformed into a gasoline refinery and furnished all the gasoline needed by the army. Another idle plant was made to produce chemicals used for the manufacture of glass, and later glass itself. The Technical Corps organized a pyrotechnical bureau for both Czechoslovak and Russian armies; its products are quite up to the mark.
Russia in 1918 was almost completely lacking all medicines and drugs. As this matter concerned closely the lives of wounded and sick soldiers, a laboratory was established that produced ether, collodium, AgNO3, CuSO4, FeSO4, Sorelli’s paste, CHC13, chloroform, etc. This chemical laboratory makes also hectographs and hectograph inks, espitelen for the lighting of railroad cars, spiritobenzol for auto parts, etc.
For the supply of many smaller articles of equipment for the army and repair of guns special Czechoslovak shops were constructed. In one month an immense building, formerly used as a barracks, was transformed into a machine shop which turns out many things for the use of the Czechoslovak and Siberian armies—telephones, accumulators, tools for engineer troops, field kitchens, boilers, scales, safes, spurs, buckles, brasswork, locks, engraved articles like regimental numbers and insignia, office desks, file cases. All machinery equipment in field bakeries, hospitals, convalescent houses and sanitary trains is manufactured in Czechoslovak shops.
The Technical Corps had also to under take the evacuation of endangered cities. The Russian Samara government felt quite helpless and beseeched the Czechoslovaks to take charge of this work, as was done also by the Ural and Siberian governments