The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1888-07-06

From George Remnants article in the
CcNt9vy, We quote the following:
"Thcsc transport wagons, or 'uboxcs,'
form = characteristic feature of almost
every landscape on tho great Siberian
road from the Ural Mountains tn
Tiumen. They are small four-whcclcd,
onc-hOrse vehicles. rude aud heavy in
construction. piled high with Siberian
products, and covered with course
mating securely held in place by large
wooden pins. Every horse is fastened
by q long halter to the proceeding
wagon. so that u train of fifty ora hum
dred obozcs forms n unbrokcn cara
van from n quarter of a mile to half a
mile in length. We passed 5SS of these
loaded wagons in less than two hours.
and l counted 1445 in tho course Of our
first days journey. No further evil
dence vas needed of the fact that
Siberia is not q land of d~Asolation.
Commercial products at the rate Of
1900 tons n day do not come from q
barren arctic waste.
"As 1t gradually grew dark towards
midnight, these caravans began to stop
for rest and rcfreshment by the road
side, and every mile or two We came
upon y picturesque bivouac on the edge
OF the forest, where a dozen or more
oboze drivers wcrc gathered around q
cheerful campfire 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 ever
green forest, lighted up from beneath
by the Pickering blaze and family
tinged above by the glow af the north
ern twilight, tho red and black REM
brandt outlines of the wagons, and the
group of men in long kaftans and scar
let OF blue shirts gathered about the
campfire drinking tea, formed a
strange. striking, and peculiarly Rus.
sian picture.
"Wc travelled without stop through
out the night, changing horses ut every
post station, and making about eight
miles an hour yer q fairly good road.
The sun did not set until half-past 9
and rose again about half-past 2, SO
that it was not at any time very dark.
The villages through which we passed
were sometimes of great extent, but
consisted almost invariably o fonly two
lines of log houses standing with their
gables to the road, and separated one
from another by incloscd yards with
out II sign anywhere of vegetation or
trees. One OF these Villages formed a
double row five miles long of separate
houses, all fronting on the Tsar's high
way. Around every village there was
an incloscd area of pasture land, vary
ing in extent from 500 to 500 acres.
within which were kept the inhabit-
ants cattle; and at the point where the
inclosing fence crossed the road, ON
each side of the village, there was a
gatc-kccpcr's hut. These village gate.
keepers arc almost always old and
brokcn-down men, and in Siberia they
are generally criminal cxilcs. 1t IS
their duty to see that none of the
village cattle stray out of thcinclosure,
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
pittancc Of three or four rubles a month
and live in a wrctchcd howell made of
boughs and earth, which throughout
the year is warmed, lighted, and lillesl
with smoke by an open fire on the
ground"