. Side-lights on Siberia; some account of the great Siberian railroad, the prisons and exile system; . han brickor stone. During the height of the season a convict-barge leavesTinmen for Tomsk on an average every week. It may be aswell to describe briefly the general appearance of one ofthese slave-dhows, of which there are three, as it presenteditself to us during the tedious eight days sail from Tomskto Tinmen. Two steamship companies are under contractto tow them between these towns, and the price of a singlebarge may be set down at 15,000 rubles (£1500). In lengthit was about 250 feet, wit
. Side-lights on Siberia; some account of the great Siberian railroad, the prisons and exile system; . han brickor stone. During the height of the season a convict-barge leavesTinmen for Tomsk on an average every week. It may be aswell to describe briefly the general appearance of one ofthese slave-dhows, of which there are three, as it presenteditself to us during the tedious eight days sail from Tomskto Tinmen. Two steamship companies are under contractto tow them between these towns, and the price of a singlebarge may be set down at 15,000 rubles (£1500). In lengthit was about 250 feet, with 30 feet of beam—, the dimen- 154 ON THE MARCH. sions were similar to those of the ordinary merchant sides of the vessel were painted black above and redbelow the water-line, and were broken only by a line ofoblong port-holes. The main deck was free at either endfor a space of about 30 feet, but the rest was occupiedwith two deck-houses separated by a lengthy menagerie-likecage. Communication between bow and stern was securedby a narrow passage running on either side between bul-. Convict-bar^c on the Ob. warks and deck-houses; or one could mount the deck-housesby means of a ladder, traverse the upper deck over cage andcabin, and descend by a similar convenience at the other after day the floating prison was dragged in the wake ofour paddle-steamer, presenting to view her sombre prow,above which peeped a capstan-head, while behind loomedthe dun deck-houses. The bare expanse of upper decksurmounting them was relieved only by a few black venti-lators standing upright like great grim sentinels, a lonely LIFE ON THE RIVER. 155 mast, the galley chimneys, and a low wheel-house back ofthem all. There was commonly no sign of life aboard hersave the incessant movements of the drab-coated sentries ontheir short beats up and down the aforesaid passages. Aswe were voyaging in the opposite direction to that in whichthe vast majority of prisoners go (although no bar
Size: 2806px × 891px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectsiberia, bookyear1898
