Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/106

 packing establishments that supply 12,000 poods a month of smoked meat products, also cheese factories with a production of 3000 poods a month, and three flour mills which turn out 5,000 poods of flour a day. In Omsk we have a macaroni mill with a monthly output of 4,000 poods and an establishment for the production of lubricant oils.

At a distance of 20 to 30 miles from the railroad we have leased large farms where there are thousands of head of cattle, pigs and sheep feeding on the steppes and watched by our own cowboys. Our elderly soldiers are assigned to this work and have under them German prisoners of war. Meat on hoof is driven to the railroad and sent to the front. Now that freezing weather has set in, most of it will be slaughtered to save the loss of weight during winter. We have also sent a commission to Mongolia to buy cattle and our own camel transport trains bring supplies to us across the deserts. The men in charge are experts in their line and their assistants are men unfit for service at the front, but all have been there and know of their own experience, how necessary a properly regulated supply service is. We can say now after four months of work that our army has its most necessary wants supplied. Imported army supplies are looked after by a purchasing commission at Omsk, which has its representatives at Vladivostok.

Monthly needs of our army are approximately as follows:

Rye flour 100,500 poods, coffee 208 poods, chicory 69, sugar 11,260, tea 312, beef 45,000, pork 36,000, rice 2500, barley 6500, potatoes 22.500, macaroni 16, butter 11,500, cheese 3500, sausages 3500, smoked meat 4,000, vegetables 8125, salt 5,000, vinegar 104, soap 2,000 , tobacco 2500, onions 3700, tomatoes 12500, spices, ets.etc. [sic] 2670, a total of 280,496 poods (over 10,000,000 lbs.) or seven trains of 40 freight cars each. The cost of monthly supplies is 10,773,000 roubles.

One of the romantic incidents connected with the Czechoslovak campaign in Siberia is the story of the complete wireless outfit and its transport from Paris to Omsk. At the request of the Czechoslovak National Council in Paris the French minister of war decided to send to Siberia a complete wireless installation and a detachment of experts to operate it. This was the only way for the Czechoslovak Army to keep in touch with their leaders in Paris.

But the question was how to get the equipment to Omsk. There was no way of getting through European Russia, and at that time, in summer, is seemed very doubtful, whether the Siberian railroad east of Lake Baikal would be clear of the Bolsheviks before winter. The only remaining road to Central Siberia lead through the Arctic Sea to the mouth of the River Ob and up the Ob and the Irtish to Omsk. But no one knew whether passage through the River Ob would be allowed by the Bolsheviki, for Bolshevik bands broken up by our soldiers at the different railroad stations scattered through the Siberian forest to the north. There were rumors of 20 Bolshevik ships on the Lower Ob, and so the French ship with the wireless outfit was also equipped with guns and machine guns. The ship got safely to the mouth of the Ob, where the equipment was transferred to the river steamer “Groznyj” and after several weeks of sailing got to Omsk without an accident. The station was promptly installed and is functioning excellently, being able to receive and send between Omsk and Paris.

Patriotic Russians in Siberia have troubles with which our own tribulations during the Red Cross, W. S. S. and similar campaigns cannot even be compared. Here is the complaint of a patriotic Siberiak, as given in the Československý Denník:

As a patriotic citizen I must attend a war relief concert at least three times a week. Admission for myself, wife and daughter is 45 rubles, program 10 rubles, flowers 40 r., three teas with biscuit 12 r., wardrobe 1.50 r., a total of 108.50 rubles each concert. That makes 325.50 rubles a week or 1302 a month. And that is minimum. Thank God that it is impossible for the ladies to get new dresses, for what would I do then?

In the “Ufa Narod” a Russian soldier who enlisted in the first Czechoslovak regiment writes about life in this regiment. He is full of praise of the brotherly spirit, the kind manner of officers with men, harmony, cleanlines, order, comradeship,, [sic]entertainments etc. In short you can see from his words that he feels in this “revolutionary family” as if in heaven. It is a pity that more Russians do not enlist in Russian-Czech regiments.

The gold treasure captured by the Czechoslovaks at Kazan is valued at 6,000,000.000 roubles and is kept in Omsk, far from the scene of war operations, in especially well secured vaults. It was turned over to the Siberian Government who requested the Czechoslovak command to assume the guardianship of the treasure. The gold consists of coin, ingots and wrought gold. Together with it was captured also the great silver reserve which in weight is about equal to the gold treasure.

The Czechoslovak Army in Siberia according to latest reports consists of 12 regiments of infantry, 2 artillery brigades, 2 batteries of heavy artillery, one reserve regiments of infantry, 2 regiments of cavalrv, one battalion of special attacking troops, and the usual supply, medical and other services.