![Алгемба](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B1%D0%B0.jpg)
Algemba was a railway and oil pipeline project inaugurated by the Bolsheviks in 1919. It was reviewed in 1921.
The name was created from
Al(exandrov) G(ay), a village in the largely rural
Novouzensky Uyezd (now in
Alexandrovo-Gaysky District
Alexandrovo-Gaysky District (russian: Алекса́ндрово-Га́йский райо́н) is an administrativeCharter of Saratov Oblast and municipalLaw #78-ZSO district (raion), one of the thirty-eight in Saratov Oblast, Russia. It is locat ...
) and
Emba, a river in
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.
Following the capture of the Emba oil fields by
Mikhail Frunze
Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze (russian: Михаил Васильевич Фрунзе; ro, Mihail Frunză; 2 February 1885 – 31 October 1925) was a Bolshevik leader during and just prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Born in the modern-day ...
in December 1919, the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
had seized a significant amount of oil, but lacked any means to transport it to the centre of Russia. Thus on 24 December it was decided to extend the railway line which went as far as Alexandrov Gay a further 500 miles to reach the Emba river. The task was not easy as it involved traversing empty saline
steppe which did not have any habitation or even drinking water for the workforce. Despite his protests, this task was assigned to Frunze. He conscripted about 45,000 local people in
Saratov and
Samara, who were engaged in constructing a raised bank along which the railway was proposed to run. Despite problems with an outbreak of
typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...
amongst the workforce, it was decided in March 1920 to construct a pipeline alongside the railway. However as they had no suitable pipe material to construct the pipeline, little progress was made. The Bolshevik decision makers had little experience in pipelines, so when they made the suggestion that wooden pipes be used, experts informed them that not only was there no suitable forest to provide the timber, but also wooden pipes would not be able to take the necessary pressure. Even in April 1920, following the Bolshevik conquest of
Baku and
Grozny
Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia.
The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a po ...
, the Bolsheviks still insisted on building the project
With hundreds of people dying every day, Lenin wanted to know who was responsible for the "sabotage", but the reality was that poor food inadequate shelter and disease were the source of the problems. However a billion rubles in cash had been allocated to the project and there is no record of what became of this money. In 2001 A. A. Igolkin suggested that in the winter of 1919-20
Yury Lomonosov was responsible for
embezzling
Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...
gold intended for the Algemba railway project.
By late 1920 hundreds were dying every day and in early 1921 there was a
cholera outbreak.
On 19 April 1921 the
Council of Labour and Defence The Council of Labor and Defense (Russian: Совет труда и обороны (СТО) Sovet Truda i Oborony, Latin acronym: STO), first established as the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense in November 1918, was an agency responsible fo ...
set up a commission to review the project.
Leonid Ramzin, a professor at the
Bauman Moscow State Technical University
The Bauman Moscow State Technical University, BMSTU (russian: link=no, Московский государственный технический университет им. Н. Э. Баумана (МГТУ им. Н. Э. Баумана)), some ...
was part of this commission.
At a subsequent meeting held on 29 April 1921 it was decided to suspend construction of the pipeline for logistical reasons. The railway line had been assigned for an accelerated pace of construction, but on 6 May 1921 this was reverted to ordinary pace.
It is estimated 35,000 people lost their lives on this project.
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References
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Railway lines in Russia