The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-05-17
THE GREAT SIBERIAN ROAD.

From George Remnants illustrated ar
ticle in the May Century We quote the
| following:
These transport wagons, or ObCzes,
form a characteristic feature of almost
every landscape on the great Siberian
road from the Ural Mountains to Thu
men. They are small four wheeled,
one-horse vehicles. rude and heavy in
construction, piled high with Siberian
products, and covered with coarse mat
ting securely held in place by large
wooden pins. Every horse is fastened
by long halter to the preceding wagon,
so that train of fifty or hundred
obozes forms one unbroken caravan
| from a quarter of mile to half mile
in length. We passed 53S of these load,
ed wagons in less than two hours, and
counted ,445 in the course of our first
days Journey. No further evidence
was needed of the fact that Siberia is
not a land of desolation. Commercial
products at the rate of 800 tons day
do not come from barren arctic waste.
AS it gradually grew dark toward
midnight. these caravans began to stop
for rest and refreshment by the road
side, and every mile or two we came
upon pictur, sque bivouac on the edge
of the forest, where dozen or more
oboze drivers were gathered around
cheerful camp fire in the midst OF their
wagons, while their liberated but hop
pied horses grazed and jumped awk-
wardly here and there along the road or
among the trees. The gloomy evergreen
forest. lighted up from beneath by the
| Pickering blaze and family tinged above
by the glow of the northern twilight.
the red and black Rembrandt outlines of
the wagons, and the group of men in
long kaftans and scarlet or blue shirts
gathered about the camp fire drinking
tea, formed a strange, striking and pc
culIarly Russian picture.
We Travelled without stop throughout
the night, changing horses at every post
station, and making about eight miles
an hour over a fairly good road. The
sun did not set until half past and rose
again about half-past ,, 50 that it was
not at any time very dark. The villages
through which we passed were some
times of very great extent, but consisted
almost invariably of only two lines of
log houses standing with their gables to
the road, and separated one from an
other by inclosed yards without a sign
anywhere of vegetation or trees. One
Of these villages formed double row
five miles in length of separate houses,
all fronting on the Tsar's highway.
Around every village there was an in
closed area of pasture land, varying in
extent from 200 to 500 acres, within
which were kept the inhabitants cattle;
and at the point where the inclosing
fence crossed the road, on each side of
the village, there were a gate and gate
keepers hut. These village gate-keep-
ers are almost always old and broken
down men, and in Siberia they are gen
erall, criminal exiles. 1t is their duty
to see that none Of the village cattle
stray out of the Enclosure, and to open
the gates for passing vehicles at all
hours of the day and night. From the
village commune they receive for their
services a mere pittance of three or four
rubles a month, and live in a wretched
howell made of boushs and earth, which
throughout the year is warmed, lighted
and filled with smoke by an open fire on
the ground.