The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-12

THE DAILY DELIVERY OF THE GOLD.
hottlc-rcpresenting the result of the
forenoon's labor done by one miners
conveyed, under supervision of thc cos
sacks. to the Office. Here the gold is
carefully weighed and locked up in an
iron chest, which is also locked and
sealed up as soon as n certain number
OF bottles have been deposited in it.
Each miner is credited with his share of
the output-gencrally 10 to Is per cent.
of its valuc-and may Immediately
draw it, if he SD prefers, in ore goods
sold by the company.
The life of these miners is a hard
one. Fifteen hours of hard toll each
working daylight in the morning
seven in the afternoon. The barracks
where they are quartcrcd are miserable
The rain filters through the leaking
roof and there is constantly mud sick
ness from exposure and excessive moist
urc. Excellent as tho hospital is. the
barracks are devoid of every comfort and
afford insufficient shelter against thu
climate. The death rate among those
miners is, therefore. an appalling one
Some seasons it reaches the figure OF 20
per cent. With that it must be
taken into consideration that the
miners arc ali vigorous, robust
men iii the prime of life The food
furnished thcm by the company is
hardly iii To eat. At noon ''shtchee'-
Il soup of indcfinablc contcnts-with
soggy. hnif-ballcd rye-bread, and for
mornings and evenings even less de-
lcctnhlc nourishmcnt. There are,
however, large lighthouses adjoining
the barracks, and the use of them is
free
Sympathy for these miners is. how
ever, in most cases simply wasted
They recruit themselves almost entire
~ of criminals that have served their
terms in tlic criminal colonies of
| Tobolsll AMI elsewhere, and who are
10th 10 return TO civilization They
prefer the high earnings. which they
can obtain ut this mining employment
to their former orderly life as peas
ants, artisans, etc. way off in Russia.
The average earnings of Il miner in
Wosncsensky are II To 20 roubles $50 TO
sl2) per day. Since the sale of liquor is
forbidden in these mining towns and
there arc no places OF amusement, no
thcatcrS. concert halls. saloons etc. n
miner who does not willfully dissiratc
his money may accumulate quite large
sum by the end of the summer season,
September 10 of each year
But though prohibited, liquor is.
nevertheless. obtainuble and is sold at
fabulous prices. For bottle of raw
| alcohol ten to fifteen roublcs is paid.
| for vodka of inferior quality, five to
eight roub,cs. There were years, in
decd, when as high as thirty to forty
roubles was paid for bottle of alcohol
--much more appreciated than vodka.
because of its greater intrinsic powers
OF INVESTIGATION. Some Of these miners.
too. are such spcndthr;fts that they
waste their earnings in butter. sugar.
| tea, clothes, etc. only to obtain i'm
mediate returns for their labor. Hard
ly one of them cares about the future
| They live little better than cattle while
they labor, and they waste their earn
ings like fools when they are paid off
in the fall, and die like dogs from cold,
hunger or disease during the winter.
But before they do they enjoy brief
spell of what is to them paradise.
With from 1000 to 5000 rcublcs in their
| pockets, the result of hard, unrcmit-
ting toll from April II to September TO-,
they sally forth from the mining camp.
And then tney inauguratc season Of
riotous, crazy, dcbauch sach as even
the widest OF our frontier towns never
saw. There arr in that part of Siberia
q score or more of small towns which
flourish. grow and fatten on nothing
but the systematic despoiling of these
miners. Among them are two settle
mcnts situated where the rapid WITHIN
empties into the Lena, and they
bear, quecrly enough, the names of
London and Paris.
The hapless miner nearly always falls
o ready victim to the seductions spread
out to him there on his return from the
mine. All previous experience does not
teach him better. Loose women, rcck-
less gambling, an ocean of liquor and
wine, senselcss extravaganza of every
kind, soon make ducks and brakes OF
his little pile. When the last copcclS is
gone, he is unccremoniouslv, rudcly
kicked out. Many of these miners, too,
who are of n more saving turn and 10
not join in tho round of dissipation, are
siroply robbed during their sleep, or
else murdered for their money On :hc
banks of tho Lena, every late fail, na-
mcrous corpscs arc washed ashore. vic
Tins Of the nnholy greed of these VAN.
pircs. But justice is blind indeed in
Russia, and doubly blind in Siberia, and
no punishment ever follows these
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