IXrtUSTEY. COMMERCE AND WAYS OF COMMUNICATION. 



145 



CHAPTEK XI. 

 Industry, Commerce and Ways of Communication. 



The mineral wealth and the mining and metallui'gical industries of Siberia; general items of 



the mining and metallurgical industries of the Urals; the mining and metallurgical industries 



of Sibei'ia; gold, silver, lead, copper, iron, tin, mercury, sulphur, coal, graphite, naphtha, 



salt, rare minerals and building materials. 



THE Great Siberian Railway enters upon the borders of Siberia after having traversed the 

 southern portion of the Urals, that metallurgical treasure house of Russia. The numer- 

 ous iron and copper works, the gold diggings and coal fields situated along the eastern side 

 of the Urals are, speaking strictly in a geographical sense, already within the limits of Asia, 

 although in an administrative sense they are included in the governments of European 

 Russia. Without touching upon the details of the mining and metallurgical industries of the 

 Urals, it is however impossible not to mention them in an article devoted to Siberia, all the 

 more as the construction of the Great Siberian Railway is of very great importance to the 

 works of the Urals as a means of extending their market. During the last five years the 

 works, mines and gold diggings of the Urals have yielded as in the following table. 



Gold 



Platinum . . . 

 Copper .... 

 Pig iron. . . . 



Iron 



Steel .... 

 Manganese ore . 



Coal 



Salt 



Sulphur pyrites. 

 Chrome iron ore. 



1887. 



1888. 



1889. 



1890. 



1891. 



649^ 



269 



163,045 



23,425,846 



13,302,405 



2,328,231 



50,000 



9,972,089 



14,113,100 



665^A 



166 



156,777 



24,039,236 



13,360,047 



2,401,104 



82,700 



12,757,123 



17,655,800 



676,582 



440.868 



641'/* 



161 



157,949 



24,725,521 



14,888,720 



2,583,283 



179,100 



16,040,023 



18,210,050 



s96,076 



253,732 



642V2 



173^/* 



173,307 



27,703,679 



14,716,722 



2,716,238 



143,500 



15,223,649 



19,224,590 



358,285 



144.667 



705 



258^'2 



174,403 



29,923,510 



15,184,924 



3,464,918 



117,596 



14,917,361 



20,408,482 



481,550 



189,047 



10 



