The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-22
CITY OF IRKUTSK.
Temporary Terminus Of the TRANSIT
berian Not Attractive.


three gates in the space of a mile. No SOL
diers were in evidence and We were not
asked for our papers. The gatemen were
old and had the look of pensioners. As a
rule elderly men perform this service in
Siberia. At last we caught sight of church
towers by the dozen. and their size and
style told we were about over the rough
part of our Siberian journey. There are
two leading hotels in Irkutsk. the Deko
and the Russia. We had been told by
Siberians that one was as bad as the other.
That one is thoroughly bad we can testify.
We drove to the Deko, secured rooms and,
after the Siberian fashion, unloaded our
tarantas in the courtyard and left it there
A man in a dirty blouse escorted us up a
flight of dirty stairs into dirty hall. and
to a room flooded with sunshine Every
ray OF light accumulated the uncleaniness
of the apartment The floor was unswept
scattered with paper and dust; the tables
bore water, beer and food marks, and the
chairs, three of which were unusable be-
cause of broken legs, were thick with dust.
The looking-glass was hy-specked and
grimy, and the curtains. hung out of reach,
were for ornament, not use. The single
iron bed had its broken wire mattress re-
placed by two boards, these supporting a
thin, dirty, hard mattress. No pillows or
bed clothes, for which We gave our usual
thanks In one corner a wooden stool that
had never known cleansing cloth since the
day of its installation, held big, tin basin
and pitcher, both much the worse for wear.
tin slop-bucket that an American stable
would not own was side feature OF this
toilet outfit. But seven weeks of Siberia
had rubbed off our outer layer of fastidi-
business We had to accept the situation
or stay in the street. We were at the best
hotel in Irkutsk, and it was offering us its
best. But. alas. 1T could not give US what
We craved most-a hot bath.
The American woman to the rescue: Two
of the largest samovars were ordered, 10
the amaZement of the four dirty servants
about us, and two extra pitchers OF cold
water. From the time il took to get all this
it was evident there had been no such call
for water at the leading hostelry of lrkutsk
for many day Our order was finally
filled, and with our own soap towels and
brushes we managed our first samovar
bath.
Irkutsk has disappointed us. We expected
too much. We had read that il was really a
European city, wealthy, cultured and re-
fined To our view the word pretentious
sizes it up. Viewed from afar, churches,
chapels and white buildings, and the swift
and cleaning Angora, give the city an al
Turing aspect. Another Illustration of dis
tance lending enchantment. The broad, un-
paved streets are dusty in dry weather,
dusty In dense sense, and in wet a series
of mud puddles The sidewalks are wooden
and badly kept. The buildings, aside from
the log houses are built of brick plastered
and painted white. The day after painting,
one of these buildings attracts and holds
the eye. A few weeks later it is an example
why Irkutsk should be attractive. 1t has a
naturally pretty site on the banks OF a
beautiful river, and with a moderate dis
play of public spirit could be made charm
ing. Despite the fact that the broad and
deep river flows past its doors and water is
to be had for the taking, water is dear
and scarce article, and is still hauled TO the
houses in the primitive methods of bygone
days. The public baths are twenty minutes
ride from the main street. and unclean and
otherwise unsatisfactory. AS resident of
Irkutsk advises me not to try them, it is
fair TO assume that they are pretty bad.
STILL 1rkutsk has no city debt. and judging
by the proud bearing of the lrkutskian who
gave me this fact, | imagine IL will be some
years before Irkutsk becomes clean and
comfortable. Many OF the buildings are Of
brick and three stories. The log houses are
unusually large, and one gets an idea that
the sixty thousand inhabitants have come
to stay.
Irkutsk is the accepted capital of ORR
entail Siberia, and was founded in 1862.
Here the Governor of the district lives, and
here the central bureaus OF the adj
ministration. The city has over twenty
Russian churches, a Catholic and Luz
theran Church and two synagogues. In
the suburbs are two cloisters. The forty
city schools include military and technical
institutions. There many benevolent
societies, a hospital several hotels. an as
Economical observatory, a library, club, BIZ
cycle association, a theater, open in the
winter, geographical and medical society,
an ordinary measure and a literary tri-
weekly newspaper. Since the great Amur
region became officially Independent of
Irkutsk owing to the business done with
Vladivostock, Odessa and America, Irkutsk
has lost much of its official and CONNER
cial prestige AS the American phrase
runs, it has seen its best days. On account
of its tea business and as the government
depot for Siberian gold the city IS still i'm
portant in a commercial way. The customs
Atw.%r -.
Chinese silks, amount to 81, 125 900 a year.
Irkutsk is a city OF padlocks. There are
more padlocks on the shutters and doors
of an Irkutsk store than can be found in
an American city of 100000. There are as
many as three padlocks on some store
doors, and every lower story shutter bears
from one to five. The padlocks weigh from
one TO fifteen pounds. The popular style
is five pounds and two and one-half inches
thick The closing of a store is an affair
of consequence. The heavy shutters are
swung together, the pondrous iron bars are
put in place, the paddock is adjusted and
locked, and then comes the final and seri-
Gus ceremony of locking the door The
door is shut, the bars are placed. the pad
lock is fixed and locked and the verdant
stranger thinks the closing operation is
over. II is not. piece of cord is drawn
through the hasp of the paddock, and the
two ends are held against the door by
clerk or boy, while the proprietor melts
piece of sealing wax and sticks the end OF
the string TO the door. On the hot wax he
places mis- private stamp. A promenade on
an Irkutsk business street after closing
time shows the huge padlocks the two
lines of string and fat dab of red wax
as big as a silver dollar. In case sealing
wax is dispensed with the paddock is tied
| in a rag, the string being knotted in pc
| culiar way. The business man of Irkutsk
has faith in stringless paddock.
| Through the wax and rag medium the
| owner Of store knows II his locks have
been tempered with in the night.
We had seen carriage drivers in all sorts
| of costumes and In skirts OF varying
| lengths. Until we reached this city we had
| never met the limit in masculine petit
| coats. Here the skirts trail on the ground.
| But. with all this style. these knights of
| the whip are as constituencies as their
| fellow-drivers farther east. We rode sew
| eral times, always with Russian acquaint-
ances, and in all save one instance the
| driver sulked over his fare and demanded
more. The one satisfied man was Chris
| tianiZed Buriat. May his tribe increased.
Rusl<in's Popularity at Oxford.
4