Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - I. To the Gate of Siberia
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has been proofread at least once.
(diff)
(history)
Denna sida har korrekturlästs minst en gång.
(skillnad)
(historik)
commenced in small numbers to cross the Asiatic border.
During the period between 1870 and 1886, according to
official reports, 286,504 emigrants went to Siberia. The great
famine in Russia in the beginning of the nineties increased
the emigration enormously. Thus in 1892 about 200,000
peasants left their homes for Siberia. The annual number
of emigrants during subsequent years has varied between
100,000 and 200,000. In 1897 205,000 passed
Tschelàbinsk only; during 1898 and 1899 these numbers have
been still further increased. Naturally, such a great
outflow of working men from Russia frightened the large
landowners, who urged the government to stop the exodus.
Measures for this purpose having failed, the authorities
have for the future limited themselves to endeavouring to
restrain and control this great eastern migration of the
mujik. Thus no peasant is permitted to pass Tschelàbinsk
without proving his permission to emigrate, but, as a matter
of fact, the law is evaded by many who cross the border
in other places.
At the time of our passing through Tschelàbinsk there
were over 3000 emigrants waiting for their turn to move
eastward to the promised land. The long platform and
the grounds about the station were teeming with living
bundles of rags—men, women and children, emaciated by
hunger, matted with dirt, and one and all with that
apathetic and hopeless expression which I so well knew from
my stay in the famine-stricken provinces of Russia in 1892.
While waiting for the departure of the train, I went up
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
