Russia's Sakhalin Penal Colony, 1849–1917 by Andrew A. Gentes

Author:Andrew A. Gentes [Gentes, Andrew A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780367751449
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2021-07-30T00:00:00+00:00

The largest number of exiles constructing the Trans-Siberian in any given year was 4,500.6 Hundreds of these exile laborers either originated on Sakhalin or were detoured from there to work on the mainland. In March 1891, the first group of exiles designated for the South Ussuri Line, the railroad’s easternmost section, left Odessa aboard the Peterburg. On 23 April, the steamer delivered this group totaling 577 men to Vladivostok before continuing to Sakhalin. Later, on 24 September, the Peterburg delivered another 63 prisoners to Vladivostok. That same year, 378 exiles transferred from Sakhalin to work on the railroad. In addition, a thousand penal laborers from the Nerchinsk Mining District were assigned.7

During this first work season, a daily average of 988 penal laborers and 1,149 exile-settlers worked on the South Ussuri Line.8 Corresponding figures for 1892 are 609 male penal laborers and nine male exile-settlers.9 “In spring 1892,” according to a government report, “150 of the best and healthiest laborers from Tymovsk District were assigned to work on the railroad.”10 The following year, on 26 April, the Iaroslavl delivered 150 prisoners from Odessa to Vladivostok for the railroad.11 During 1893, as many as 2,655 exiles were working on the South Ussuri Line.12 The state used virtually no exile laborers on the South Ussuri Line during 1894, for reasons explained below; but in 1895, assigned some 1,000 exile-settlers and 650 penal laborers to the North Ussuri Line (which extended for 340 versts from Grafskaia to Khabarovsk).13 How many in this latter group originated from Sakhalin is not clear. But a justice ministry official who visited Sakhalin in 1896 reported that “a significant number” of convicts had been released from its prisons to work on the railroad.14 During 1893–97, a total of 1,591 male and 226 female exile-settlers were allowed to leave Sakhalin for paying work on the mainland.15 Many, if not most, seem to have worked on the railroad.

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