Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23

no think, the Russians will tell you, with
shining eyes "he is the only American engineer
here vino doesn't have a university diplomat
what a mani He goes out in his high boots
and works with the Russians. He shows us how
to do the job.
That Appleton! He has sympathy! He is
just like (most priceless of compliments) Q
Russian"
THE American settlement at Nizhni is fun OF
! stories of Applston's exploits.
This year the water mains OF the war cheni-
cal plant up the Okla River were washed out in
the Spring floods The water supply was cut on
from the village. nearby, as well as the plant.
CONSTRUCTION work was washed away. Several
men were drowned attempting to build tenn
porary dam. The chemical plant sent down the
river to the Americans for help.
we want Appletoni" the Russians specified
when their emissaries reached the Americans
camp.
when Appleton arrived he found the river
banks covered with helpless, hysterical crowds.
They were holding meeting.
why doesn't somebody do sonething?"
yelled the american. bursting through the
crowds
The prosecutor says we can't, because there
are men down there" and they pointed to the
raging torrent of the turbulent flooded river
DO you think thsy are still alive?" demanded
Appleton.
oh no." they stammered in reply -
We'll, If you want me to fix the break you'll
have to take orders from me" said Appleton
The FIRST paove was to get the prosecutor on
tine job
New how about some shock brisadiers,-
asked Appleton.
Five hundred shock brigadiers etisse are the
best workmen, tried and true who strain every
nerve to keep their enviable places in the shock
brigades) fell to work. They built the dam:
they stemmed the flood that was tearing away
the water supply pipes. They repaired the
break.
Appleton went back every day for q week and
became the town hero.
THEY tell too how Appleton, ct the risk o. his
lie, went down under the ice or the GA
River with M. Tsarevsky chief OF plant CON-
stTuCtion, and Willie Suikanen head OF the
Finnish-American commune, and directed sase
workers dn eBtting the watsr system hid. rac-
ing agair1Bt the Spring tbaw
Installation OF the water system, which Is 10
supply the plant and city with 15,0O0,000 Eal-
Ions . day. had been delayed. The pipes hnl
to be put IN while the stream was frozen ana
in January, three months later the work was
started.
It raced al0ng at "Bolshevik tempo" fhou-
sands of sHbotnid (volunteers working ON their
rest dRyS1 being pressed into service TMe
frUzan Russian landscape nOwered 0vernight
III we fail IN the intake no water for fa,e
new Ford plant!"
Five hundred thousand rubles' worth OF ma
chinery lay on the ice, in danger OF being
pulled away II the tl1aw came unexpectedly
For weeks the crews, assisted by the Red army
worked 24-hour shifts, laid pipe against the
breakup. They won. The Ford plant viii have
water.
And that intrepid Appleton! To hear the
Russians talk, you'd think he put the intake In
single handed.
The Russian directors do not blame the
Americans for any delay in the Nizhni con-
structin plan. They admit it was partly due
to shortage Of labor and materials failure 60
use available labor and materials 100 per cent.
They admit that they are poor organizers ON
large scale and that the American engineers
have not been utilized to the fullest
Thfs last fact Is partly because of weak, ,an.
reliable interpreters, who have since been ex-
PEELED. partly because of Observation-Disclosures be-
tween the old Russian engineers and the
Americans.
iIPUREAUCRAcY is stin with us" said
~ Tsarevsky, "but we're fighting it. There
working to- push through the plan from the
bottom. Our job Is 50 per cent finished now.
We should be finished ON schedule
Bryant, although not enthusiastic over some
Of the uses Of storm" and 'shock" brigades, haB
something to say for Socialist construction.
instead of going ahead smoothly, thsse peo-
pie wait until they get into Ereciicament anG
then call IN . shock brigade" he asserts, ..ana
that always means q sacrifice. But the WORKERS.
doing CONSERVATION are not lied mp TO the -