IRON, 



173 



Tlie Abakansk works smelt with charcoal fuel, which it procures from the 117,000 

 dessiatines of forest attached. The erector of these works founded a village in their 

 neighbourhood, which he populated with workmen from the various Ural works. Besides 

 the people regularly employed there the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages and 

 natives are attracted by the auxiliary and other labour, offered by the works. Owing to the 

 bankruptcy of the proprietor these works are now exploited by an artel or company of local 

 workmen, who not having sufficient capital or labour for carrying on the business in a proper 

 manner, only keep it going in a very snjall way. And yet the technical conditions offered by 

 the rich stores of excellent ore, the possibility of applying water power, the good quality of 

 the articles turned out, which in no way cede to those of the Ural works, and also the 

 profitable economic conditions presented by a contingent of experienced workmen and a vast 

 region for sale opened to the works by means of water communication, all this proves the 

 possibility of reviving the activity of the Abakansk works on a perfectly new footing. 



The following table gives the production of these works in pouds, during the last 6 years. 



The Nlkolaevsk iron works are situated in the government of Irkutsk on a tributary 

 of the river Oka, which falls into Angara, and at a distance of 600 versts from Irkutsk, and 

 180 versts by road from the town of Nizhneoudinsk. These works were erected by the Govern- 

 ment in 1845, and in 1864 passed entirely into the hand of Mr. Trapeznikov, a merchant. The 

 new proprietor devoted about a milliun roubles to this affair, and raised the yield of the 

 works; but being occupied in other niiilters he was obliged to sell tlieia iu 1870 to Mr. Lavren- 

 tiev, also a merchant, who in his turn after two years, sold the works, mines and plant to the 

 brothers Boutin, merchants of Nerchinsk. The works own several iron mines situated at 

 distances of 4 to 90 versts. The ore, a magnetic iron ore, gives from 4.0 to 55 per cent of 

 pig iron. 



The works have 48,840 dessiatines of forest attached to them. The motive power is 

 partly hydraulic and partly steam. The population of the works now numbers 3,500, including 

 700 to 800 workmen. The production is ini'onsiderable and does not even suffice for the near 

 neighbourino' deniaud. 



