THE GKEAT SIBERIAN RAILWAY. 249 



the country nm from south to north, whilst the general direction of the railway is from 

 west to east, and therefore the line must intersect the whole of the spot summit levels of 

 these rivers, only excepting the valleys of some small streams which flow to the east or 

 west. These spot summit levels, composed of the branches of the Altai, Gremiachevsk, Yen- 

 iseisk and Sayansk chains, are very high and sometimes so naiTOw that there is no possibil- 

 ity of diminishing the steepness of the incline. It was therefore found necessary in the sec- 

 tions of the line from Achinsk to Nizhneoudinsk, a distance of 710 versts, and from the 

 station of Uktouisk situated at verst 2,822 to the station of Polovina, at verst 2,968, a distance 

 of 146 versts, or 856 versts altogether, to plan the line with gradients of 0.015, and curves 

 of 150 sageues radius, and to allow curves of 130 sagenes radius in some places on the ascent 

 from the Great Kemchug river from verst 1,948 to verst 1,954; and on the descent from the 

 spot summit level to the Little Ibriul and Little Kemchug rivers, from verst 1,967 to verst 

 1,982, the radius of curvature was decreased to 120 sagenes. At verst 2,100 it was again 

 increased to 130 sagenes and on the rest of the line from Xizhneoudinsk to the Uktouisk 

 station and from Polovina station to the town of Irkutsk, altogether a distance of 335 versts 

 the limiting gi'adients do not exceed 0.009 and the extreme radii of curvature 250 sagenes. A 

 country of this nature entails very considerable earth works; the height of the embank- 

 ments reaches 9 sagenes. and the numerous ravines and streams necessitate a large amount 

 of constructive works. 



The line crosses the Yenisei at verst 2,049 at a spot where the banks are steep and 

 suitable for a bridge, which will be 450 sagenes long. The station of Krasnoyarsk, close to 

 the town of that name, is situated at verst 2,047, before coming to the river. The highest 

 point of the earth works, marked 201.5 sagenes, is situated at verst 1,976. between the Little 

 Ibruil and Little Kemchug rivers, and is 112 sagenes above the level of the river Chulym 

 and 137 sagenes above the Yenisei. 



After crossing the Yenisei the line circuits the heights near the town of Krasnoyarsk 

 and begins to ascend to the spot summit level, first along the valley of the Berezovka river, 

 which falls into the Sitik, and thence along the valley of this latter stream, attaining the 

 highest point at verst 2,116. The valleys of the Berezovka and Sitik are enclosed on both 

 sides by high, steep and mostly rocky banks, and the bed of the streams is very winding and 

 in many places changes from one bank to the other, so that the line must either follow the 

 channels of the rivers, or else cross them several times; in such places it is necessary either to 

 strengthen the slopes of the road with stone or to lead off the river; besides this the ravines 

 and the streams falling into the Berezovka and Sitik necessitate numerous bridges and pipes; 

 the length of this ascent is 67 versts, and 82 bridges and pipes will be required. The ascent 

 along the valleys of these rivers is in continuous gradients seperated by horizontal spaces and 

 rises 126 sagenes above the level of the railway bridge across the Yenisei. At verst 2,266 

 the line reaches the town of Kansku, near which there is a station, and then crosses the 

 river Kan on a bridge 200 sagenes long, which is to be built on caisson foundations. The 

 highest point of the spot summit level between the Yenisei and the Kan is marked 200 sa- 

 genes, and is 127 sagenes above the level of the Yenisei bridge and 103 sagenes above the 

 level of the bridge over the Kan. 



