The University daily. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 18??-????, 1888-06-11
The Great Siberian Road

From George Remnants article in the
Century,we quote the following: HsThese
transport wagons, or 'obozes, form a
CHARACTERISTIC feature of almost every
landscape on the great Siberian road
from the Ural Mountains to Tiumen.,
They are small four-wheeled, one horse
vehicles, rude and heavy in construction,
piled high with Siberian products, and
covered with coarse mating securely held
in place by large wooden pins. Every
horse is fastened by long halter to the
preceding wagon, SO that a train of fifty
or a hundred obozes forms one unbroken
caravan from quarter of mile to half
mile in length. We passed 538 of these
loaded wagons in less than two hours,
and count ed 1445 in the course Of our
first days journey. Nofurther evidence
Rns needed III the fact that Siberia Is not
lind ok AssoIati0n. Commercial pro-
ducts at the rate of 1900 tons day do
not come from barren arctic waste. +.
s'As it gradually grew dark toward
midnight, these caravans began to stop
for rest and refreshment by the roadside,
and every mile or two we came upon a
picturesque bivouac on the edge of the
forest, where dozen or more oboze
drivers were gathered around cheerful
campfire in the midst of their wagons,
while their liberated but hoppled horses
grazed and jumped awkwaFdly here and
there along the road or among the trees.
The gloomy evergreen forest, lighted up
from beneath by the Pickering blaze and
family tin ged 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
campfire drinking tea, formed a strange,
striking, and peculiarly 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 lot set until half past $ and rose
again about half-past 2, so that it was
not at any time very dark The villages
through which we passed were some
times of great extent, but consisted al
most invariably of only two lines of log
houses standing with their gables to the
road, and separated one from another by
incIosed yards without 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 inclosed 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 Keepers hut.
These vi lIage gate-keepers are almost al
ways old and broken down men, and in
Siberia they are generally criminal exlies.
1t is the ir duty to see that none ofthe
village cattle stray out of the inclosure
and to open the gates for passing vehicles
at all hours of the day and night. From
the village commune they receive for
their Sc v!ces mere pittance of three OF
four rpbles month, aud live in a
wretched hovei made of boughs and
earth, which throughout the year is
warmed, lighted, and filled with smoke
by an open fire on the ground"