Identifier: sidelightsonsibe00simp Title: Side-lights on Siberia; some account of the great Siberian railroad, the prisons and exile system; Year: 1898 (1890s) Authors: Simpson, James Young, 1873-1934 Subjects: Prisons -- Soviet Union Exiles -- Russia (Federation) Siberia Siberia (Russia) -- Description and travel Publisher: Edinburgh and London : W. Blackwood and Sons Contributing Library: University of California Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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Text Appearing Before Image: a large two-storeyedbrick building, also with a green zinc roof, through whichthe brick chimneys seem to have broken their way: theeaves and cornice are coloured white. The interior is a study. One can see the whole Siberianprison system of accommodation at a glance, in its evolutionfrom the old-time nari to almost the latest form of folding-up camp-bed. The wellnigh spotless condition of the woodenflooring suggests that there has been some special cleaningfor the visit of my companion, and when questioned thenatchalnik does not deny the insinuation, although he verysensibly adds that if it were commonly in a filthy state, o 210 ALEXANDROVSKY CExVTRAL. one washing, however thorough, would be entirely insuffic-ient to produce the effect that has attracted our notice.Alexandrovsky is undoubtedly a very old building, and tothis there was frequent testimony. At points on the cor-ridor walls where the whitewash had disappeared and theplaster given way, one got back again to the warm brick.

Text Appearing After Image: Inside the courtyard. Even the courtyard wall showed signs of great age in someparts, and, at the south-west corner, where it bordered onthe little stream that flows through the main valley to jointhe Angara, it had sunk with the soil, and in consequencedisplayed several wide fissures. Moreover, the wooden stair-cases inside were well worn, one of them having too closea resemblance to a yellow Venetian blind. A REFURNISHED KAMERA. 211 We first visited one of the refurnished Iximcras. Eoundthree walls of the room was disposed the new type of bed,which takes the form of large grey panels, each perhaps6^ feet by 3 in size, and numbered from 1 to 25: theyare attached by hinges at one end to the wall, againstwhich they can thus be folded up when not required. Theouter end is supported in the horizontal by a wooden stoolof moderate size which the prisoner uses in the daytime.The beds, however, when folded up, do not lie flush withthe wall, but with a wooden framework, which, as its sidespro

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