IRON. 171 



Iron. 



At the present time there are only four iron works in tlie whole of Siberia. It is 

 true that, thanks to the vast river system offered by the Toura, Tobol, Irtysh, Obi and Tomi, 

 up to the town of Tomsk nearly the whole of Western Siberia is in direct water communication 

 Avith the very foot of the Urals, and can conveniently supply itself with metals from this 

 centre of the Russian mining and metallurgical industries where there are most vast and 

 rich deposits of iron ore, and numerous iron works. On the other hand, the system of 

 the Amour enables goods transported by sea from Nikolaevsk to penetrate over 3,000 versts 

 into the interior of Siberia. It is certain however that notwithstanding the cheapness of 

 transport by water, the vast distances traversed must greatly increase the price of goods 

 carried in this manner. At the same time the population of Siberia are in need of pig- 

 iron and iron as well as of articles made of these metals, not only for domestic and agri- 

 cultural purposes but also for the vast gold industry which offers a more and more urgent 

 demand for metals and metallic goods. If up to the present time the iron industry is still 

 very feebly developed in Siberia, it is not for want of ore deposits but for purely economic 

 and commercial reasons. It should be mentioned however that the deposits of iron ores near 

 the town of Yeniseisk were worked by the native Ostiaks and Toungouze previous to the 

 Russian dominion of Siberia, and afterwards by the neighbouring peasants. The manufacture 

 of iron direct from the ore, which was carried on here from ancient times, flourished to 

 such an extent that at the beginning of the present century there were as many as forty 

 smithies which yearly produced about 30,000 pouds of iron. The development of the gold 

 industry however absorbed all the local labour and put an end to this branch of industry. 



The erection of iron woiks within the Altai mining region was called forth by tlie 

 requirements of the local mining and metallurgical industries. The first iron w'orks, the 

 Tomsk, were erected in the Altai in 1771, to replace the Irbinsk works, which were fur a 

 certain period under the jurisdiction of the Altai mining management but situated ;it a ••diisiil- 

 erable distance in the government of Yeniseisk. After the erection of the Gouiievsk works in 

 the Kouznetsk region of the government oC Tomsk on the river Bachata, for smelling the 

 silver ores of the Salairsk mines, some deposits of iron ores were discovered in the near 

 neighbourhood of the works, and a small blast fuinace was erected for smelting the ute. In 

 1846 this furnace was replaced by one of greater dimensions and in 1747 the (ioiuievsk 

 iron works were erectcnl on this spot. The Tomsk woiks were closed in 1864 and the manu- 

 facture of iron was then concentrated at the Gourievsk works. The increased cost of char- 

 coal fuel, owing to the exhaustion of the neighbouring forests, induced the works, in 

 1873, to introduce coal and to replace the bloomery process for puildling. At the same time 

 the increasing demand in the region for machines and steam engines led to the erection of 

 special machine works, adjoining the (iourievsk works, and the production of this de- 

 partment is increasing every year. The ore smelted at the Gourievsk works is a luowii hem- 



