Evening star., 1941-11-06

the "bombproof" ones, trench shell
ters in parks and what are called
"gasproofs." Gasproofs are also II
easements. In gasproof shelters thu
little windows are fitted with stee
matches which can be removed BY
day to air the shelter.
Began Before War.
Work on making the city saf'
against air raids began long before
the war. With characteristic
thoroughness and attention to de-
tails. Soviet officials studied the
problem in London and drew uI
specifications for an ambitious pro.
gram. 1t was recognized that the
entire city could not be put fal
underground but almost everything
else was provided for on paper
In the shelters I inspected thest
plans had been carried out with eX-
traordinary thoroughness. The only
fault I could find was with sleeping
accommodations There were none
except in the Easements under hos
pitfalls. If the raids are long the
people of Moscow will find 1t hard
to get enough sleep. They must
sit packed together on wooden
benches. as the Chinese sit in the
shelters in Chungking.
I spent eight hours day in such
shelters in Chungking and it was an
exhauSting experience. The reason
the Moscow Soviet has not provided
beds is probably that there is no
space for them.
I never saw MoscoW's shelters
when they were full because, al
though 1 kept getting the necessary
special permission, the Germans
would never come on the nights
when I had the right papers.
Discount Soviet Claims.
But it doesn't take very brilliant
mathematician to figure how JAM
med they must be for above these
easements rise five and six story
buildings. in which every room
houses at least one family-the
average I think is one family and
a third 1t is on such reasoning that
neutral observers discount the Mos
COW Soviet's claims that it can shell
ter 100 per cent of its population
The shallowneSS of their cellars and
lack of space in them are the nat
ural limitations within which the
authorities have to work. Given
heir problem. they have done amaz-
ingly we'll with it.
These were the complaints about
the first shelters used in London
before things were in hand:
That they had inadequate toilet
facilities or none.
That they lacked running water.
That thev were badly ventilated.
That they lacked flrst-aid facili-
ties.
That they were too often cold and
damp.
That the people had to lie or sit
on the floor.
That in many shelters nothing had
been done to reinforce the ceilings
and much could have been done
with special snoring, sandbagglng.
etc.
Found Well Ventilated.
The Moscow shelters I saw got a
clean bill of health on all these
counts. / found them Immediately
clean. we'll ventilated, universally
provided with toilet facilities and
running water, with much new re-
inforcing evident.
The most distinctive feature OF
the Moscow shelter system is the
gasproof shelter I have mentioned
above. If gas comes to London, the
British will rely on their masks. If
gas comes to Moscow-and most
Soviet officials think it will-the
Muscovites plan to rely on mass
shelter from gas. That is, individ-
uals are not equipped with masks
the administrations energies going
into building shelters in which whole
groups will be Theoretically sealed
and supplied with carefully filtered
air. These gasproof shelters differ
from the other ''bombproof" in their
heavy, cleat-closed doors. The seal
ing is accomplished by strips of rub
Der countersunk in the door where
it fits against the jamb All cracks
are stopped up and the windows,
as I have said, are covered with
steel matches.
Built in 1899.
The gas filters are about as big
as a General Electric oil-burning
furnace. They are made of cast
iron and pump sucks air into the
filter boiler and discharges the puri-
fed air through overhead ducts.
They are manufactured in factory
near Moscow and l noted on one
that it was built in 1899. The Soviet
authorities admit that there are not
enough of them to go around but
said they were getting deliveries of
new equipment daily.
The British experts I have talked
to since tell me that they consid-
cred mass protection against gas
and passed it up as not practical.
They do not think the Soviet filters
will work against all kinds of gases.
There is also, of course. the risk
that minor bomb damage will break
the hermetic sealing. But the Mos
COW Soviet is very confident.
All Facilities Concentrated.
The whole AFRAID precaution
system is as carefully thought out
as the shelter system. 1t was not so
difficult problem for Moscow to get