250 .SIIJHKIA, 



The lemaiuing ilistaricf:" lo Nizhnoouilinsk, whicli i.s at versts 2,584, gives a consider- 

 able aradiint ol' Wdik in suriio places; lor instaiici', at versts 2,460 and 2,462 the em bankaients 

 are 10 sagenes liigli, and nn the ascent along the valley of the river Toporka it was found 

 necessary lo cross two dcej) ravines over which wooden viaducts are designed with an open- 

 ing of 115 and 125 sagenes, and a height of 20 sagene?. 



Frtirn Xizhneoudinsk to Ukloiiisk station the line passes over a more level country and 

 conserjuently the limiting gradients are fixed at 0.fXJ9 ami the radii of the curves at 250 sa- 

 genes. Along this distance the line has to cross three large rivers, the L'da, on a bridge 

 150 sagenes long at verst 2,5>r8, the lya, on a biidge 100 sagenes long at verst 2,7W, and 

 the Oka on a bridge 125 sagenes long at verst 2,830, and intersects two large spot summit 

 levels between the above mentioned rivers, and several small ones besides. On account of the 

 more even character of the country it is not anticipated that there will be any considerable 

 earth works in this section of the line. 



From the river Oka the country is again intersected until the station of Polovina 

 is reached, situated at verst 2,9G8, and here therefore the technical conditions are those ap- 

 plicable to a mountainous section. From Polovina station to Irkutsk, except for the passages 

 across the valleys of the rivers Helaya and Maltinka, the ground is more level, and therefore 

 the line is laid out according to the conditions of a level section. Descending into the valley 

 of the Belaya for a distance of 10 versts down a continuous incline of 0.009, only broken 

 by tme level stretch of 200 sagenes, the lino crosses this river on a bridge 125 sagenes long. 

 The Irkutsk station is planned at verst 3,065 at a distance of 4 versts from the ferry across 

 the Angara, on the post high road from Moscow to Irkutsk, opposite the town of Irkutsk, 

 situated on the right bank of the Angara where the river Irkut falls into it. 



The foregoing short description of the route of the Siberian railway section from the 

 Obi to Irkutsk shows that, starting from that river near 55° north latitude, the line fol- 

 lows a north-easterly direction to the town of Mariinsk, and keeping to the 57th parallel reaches 

 the town of Kansk; at this point the line turns abruptly to the south-oast and follows this 

 direction to Irkutsk, situated on the 53th parallel. The line passes through the districts of 

 Tomsk and ]\Iariinsk in the government of Tomsk, the Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk and Kansk dis- 

 tricts in the government of Yeniseisk and the Xizhneoudinsk and Irkutsk distiicts in the 

 government of Irkutsk, and takes in the towns of Mariinsk, Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kansk, 

 Xizhneoudinsk and Irkutsk. Starting from Mariinsk the line passes close to the Great Srbe- 

 rian postal highway, along which the communication is kept up between Siberia and European 

 Ilussia: the railway in some places crosses it and in others diverges a short distance 

 from it, except in the Krasnoyarsk-Kansk section where, on account of the difficult nature 

 of the country, it was in some places necessary to plan the line at a distance of 30 versts 

 lro]u the higli road in order to reduce the amount of work re({uired to lay it. 



From Irkutsk the line leads to lake Baikal and follows the shore for a distance of 162 

 versts as far as Mysovsk station. Th6 laying of this section of the line presents considerable 

 difficulties. From verst 3,088 to verst 3,108, before crossing the river Irkut, the line passes 

 along the valley which is flooded by the high waters of this stream. Further on, at verst 

 3,112, the valley of the Irkut becomes narrow and takes the appearance of a mountain pass 



