File:Page 262 of "Through Siberia" (1883). The city on fire. The burning of Irkutsk.jpg

Identifier: throughsiberia00lans Title: Through Siberia Year: 1883 (1880s) Authors: Lansdell, Henry, 1841-1919 Subjects: Prisons Prisoners Work camps Publisher: London : S. Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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Text Appearing Before Image: the town presented a marvellousspectacle. I have already spoken of the enormouslength of the line of fire when looked at laterally; but,as the darkness deepened, I walked down to a pointon the bank from which could be seen the apex of thetrianole, in the form of which the town was built, andwhere appeared a mass of flames estimated as coveringan area of not less than half a square mile. We were supposed to sleep that night in the tarantass,but I rose continually to watch the progress of the fire,which towards morning abated, but only because it hadburnt all that came in its way. About eleven oclockthe last houses standing on the opposite bank caughtfire, and thus, in about four-and-twenty hours, three-fourths of the town were consumed.* As for myself, I had watched the fire with mingled * The numbers of the buildings destroyed were, of stone more thanloo, and of wood about 3,500, including 6 churches, 2 synagogues, and2 Lutheran and Roman chapels, besides 5 bazaars, the custom-house.

Text Appearing After Image: - <o A CITY ON FIRE. 263 feelings, for we had narrowly escaped. And then camethe recollection of the previous delays which had con-tributed to our preservation—the delay in going tothe Alexandreffsky prison, the runaway horse in thewood, and our subsequent impatient waiting on theroad. All these played an important part in savingus, for, had we arrived ten minutes earlier, our affairsmight have gone very differently. Had we reachedthe town on the previous day, we should, in all proba-bility, have been at church when the fire broke out;and then it is very doubtful whether we could havesaved our effects, such was the difficulty of gettingassistance. Moreover, the hotel was burnt within avery short time of our leaving it, so that, when lookingback upon the chain of mercies by which we had beensaved, I could not feel otherwise than deeply thankful. and the meat market. The destruction of property was estimated at^3,000,000 sterling ; and since the town contained about 33,800 inhabit-

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