276

SAD SPECTACLE.-PINE-FOREST.-PHENOMENON.

on his journey. A few versts from the next station he saw several Cossacks standing together a short distance from his track. Fearing something had happened, he stopped his sledge, got out, and went over to them, when a sad spectacle was presented to him: it was a Cossack and his horse frozen to death, whom they were digging out of the snow. The poor fellow had left the station before the bouran commenced, and it had caught him, most probably, when about half way, which induced him to drive on, hoping to reach his home. No doubt the horse had taken him on until probably after he was dead, as the Cossack was sitting perfectly upright in his sledge, with both hands holding the reins, his head erect, and looking straight toward the head of his horse. When he ceased speaking or moving the reins, the horse must have stopped, and was soon frozen stiff in his upright position. My friend said, when looking at them a few paces distant, it was difficult to believe that they were not living, and that he expected every moment to see the Cossack shake the reins and the horse spring forward.

Next morning the wind had moderated a little, when I started for Barnaoul, and had a terrible journey, only reaching the banks of the Ob on the third day in the afternoon. At a point where the view to the eastward is uninterrupted as far as the eye can see, appears one vast forest of dark pines.

While traveling I was suddenly much amazed by a bright crimson color spreading over the pine-trees; at first the distant pines were tipped with the tint, then the tops of the nearer trees, showing against the dark purple beyond like flames of fire. This was directly opposite to the sun, around which there was no crimson, but a deep yellow: I stopped the driver that I might watch this strange appearance. The color approached nearer and rested upon the trees, growing on the banks of the Ob, which seemed a town created by magic, beautifully reflected in the water. Even my men looked with surprise at this singular effect: it was plain they had never seen such a phenomenon before.

At six o'clock we reached Shadrina, the last station before Barnaoul; and not till half past twelve o'clock next day, in consequence of not finding horses ready, and owing to the badness of the road, did I find myself at my destination.

AS GOOD AS NEW.-BARNAOUL.

277

CHAPTER XIX.

BARNAOUL.

A FRIEND advised me to take a Siberian bath without delay, and stew out the effects of wet, frost, and thumps; for many a man has come out of an Irish row at Donnybrook with fewer bruises than I had to exhibit, the rocks of the Oural and Altai having stamped their seals upon me in strong and enduring characters.

Having adopted the steaming process, I turned out next morning fresh, in good health, freed from the pain of every kick or bruise, and with the full conviction that there is nothing in the world equal to a Siberian bath after such a journey.

This, the first day of November, was terribly stormy, with a fierce bouran driving the snow about like flour. It requires no small effort to close a man's jaws when a bouran has caught him in the teeth. I speak from experience, having more than once been nearly choked with the wind and snow before I could turn my head for shelter. This is not the season to see Barnaoul to advantage, though it is to enjoy its society and hospitality; for many of the officers, whose duties take them into the mountain regions, have returned to their comfortable and truly hospitable homes.

Passing by the long winter, I will speak of Barnaoul in the spring-time-I ought to call it early summer. Here the whole labor of spring is executed in three or four days at most, so rapid is the growth of vegetation when the snow is gone. This town is built on the banks of the small river Barnaulka, where it falls into the Ob; and until within the last thirty or forty years, nearly all its buildings were of wood; even now there are but few dwellings built of brick; the streets are wide, and laid out in parallel lines, and crossed at right angles by others; the soil on which they are built is a deep bed of fine sand, which renders the place rather disagreeable in summer. There are three brick churches, and not one has any architectural merit. A large hospital, simple in its style, contains spacious and well-ventilated wards for the sick

278

RUSSIAN MINING ENGINEERS.-GOLD-WASHING.

workmen, where they receive every attention and comfort, but their wives and children are not admitted.

The silver smelting works are on a great scale: these operations are conducted in a very large building, under the care of most intelligent officers, who carry on the different processes in a thoroughly practical and scientific manner. It may be said with perfect safety that the Russian mining engineers, as a body, stand preeminent at the present day. No class of men in the empire can approach them in scientific knowledge and intelligence. Among them are many in these distant and supposed barbarous regions who could take their stand beside the first savans in Europe as geologists, mineralogists, and metallurgists.

In these works two hundred and fifty poods of silver are produced annually-about nine thousand pounds English weight. The whole produce of the silver mines in the Altai up to the year 1855 never exceeded one thousand poods, or thirty-six thousand pounds. To produce this quantity, fifty thousand poods of lead were evaporated. In 1850, twelve thousand poods of English lead were sent to Barnaoul to aid in this process. Since that period both silver and lead ore have been found in the Kirghis Steppe in large quantities. All the gold got in Siberia must be sent to Barnaoul to be smelted, excepting the portion which is obtained in the Yablonay Mountains, and that is smelted in Nertschinsk Zavod. Gold mines are worked on the Olekma and other rivers near Yakoutsk, in the Saian Mountains, and many in the government of Yenissey, where some of the richest mines of Siberia exist. The government of the Tomsk also supplies a large portion, but the crown is proprietor of most of the mines in the Altai. There are some in this region worked either by companies or private individuals, very few of whom have become rich.

In Eastern Siberia the gold-washing begins the first week in May, and ends on the tenth of September, when all the workmen must be paid off and sent to their homes: some have to walk as many as two thousand versts. The rich miner sends his gold away once a year, most of which arrives in Barnaoul in the beginning of October; but those who are not rich send it twice in the year the first part in the beginning of July, and the second when the works are closed in September. When it is delivered to the authorities in Barnaoul it is considered the property of the crown,

CARAVANS.-GOVERNOR OF TOMSK.

279

and the miner has no more control over it. Here the gold is smelted and cast into bars, ready to be forwarded to the capital; but, before the miner receives his share of the value, it has been in the possession of government five months. Six caravans leave Barnaoul with the precious metals every year-four in winter by the sledge roads, and two during the summer. The first winter caravan leaves early in December, and reaches St. Petersburg before the end of January; the others follow in succession. Two officers and a small guard of soldiers are sent with each caravan, and the gold and silver are delivered by them at the Mint. Although both metals have been assayed by the proper officer in Barnaoul, and the proofs sent to the Mint, it is again assayed to prevent the possibility of a bar being changed on the transit.

The silver obtained in the Altai contains a small portion of gold, with a minute quantity of copper. These metals are not separated in Siberia; they are sent in pieces, about fourteen inches square, by one and a half inch thick, and the gold is extracted at the Mint in St. Petersburg. About thirty poods of gold is extracted from a thousand poods of silver, the whole annual produce of the Altai silver mines. The greatest quantity of gold obtained in Siberia in any one year was about seventy-five thousand Russian pounds; this was considered enormous, but California and Australia have made it appear small in comparison. There is much of the gold regions yet unexplored, both in Northern and Eastern Siberia.

Barnaoul is the centre for the administration of the mines of the Altai. The Governor of Tomsk is at the head of this department, and in order that he may be fully qualified for such an important position, he is invariably chosen from the mining engineers. Once in two years he must visit every mine and smelting work in the Altai. Part of the year he resides in Tomsk, where his duties as governor require much time and attention; three or four months he resides in Barnaoul, where he must be in May, when a board of the principal officers meet daily, and arrange plans for working the mines until the next year. All arrangements are proposed at this board, which sits during the whole month of May, but they are subject to the governor's approval.

The Natchalnik, or chief Director of the Mines, resides in Barnaoul. This officer is responsible for the proper working of the mines, and every department is under his control. Once in the

280

MINING FORCE.-EXPLORING PARTIES.

year he must visit every smelting work, iron work, gold mine, and silver mine; to accomplish this, he must travel more than six thousand versts annually, mostly in a mountainous country; sometimes in a carriage, often on horseback; also must descend the rivers on rafts, in boats, and in canoes, where he is often exposed to much risk and danger, to say nothing of the drenchings he receives from flood and rain. Every officer and man in the Altai is under him, and must obey his orders: this gives him immense power. Besides the officers, he has about sixty-four thousand people belonging to the mining districts under his charge. These are spread far and wide, both on the plains and on the mountains of Siberia, and such an assemblage requires much care to keep in proper order. Still, after visiting both Eastern and Western Siberia, and some parts of Russia, I must say that the mining population of the Altai are more wealthy, cleanly, and surrounded with more comforts than any other people in the empire. Convicts have not yet been sent to work in the mines of the Altai.

There are many very superior officers at the head of the different departments in Barnaoul; also as resident officers at the smelting works, copper works, iron works, and mines. Every summer eight or ten young officers are sent into the mountains, each with a party of from forty to sixty men, and the chief in Barnaoul assigns to him the valley or part to be examined by his company: in May they begin their operations. The region they are sent to must be thoroughly explored; they go properly provisioned, with dried black bread, sugar, tea, and wodky; their meat consists of such wild animals as they can procure, and as each party possesses good hunters, plenty of game is usually obtained.

A map is given to every officer of the valley his party are directed to search. Some of the men are employed digging holes about six feet square, which they sink to the bed of sand and gravel containing the gold; this is often found at from five to ten feet below the surface. After the upper earth and stones are removed, the sand is dug out, a sufficient quantity washed to test its value, and the officer notes down how many zolotnicks of gold could be obtained from one hundred poods of sand. Another hole is sunk fifty or sixty paces distant, and proved in the same manner; and they go on ascending the valley, digging out at such distances as may be deemed necessary to explore thoroughly the