The postal technology and the peculiarities of post and goods transportation in Siberia in the 19th - at the beginningof the 20th century

The major transport artery that linked Siberia with the European part of Russia wasfor a long time the Moskovskii trakt that appeared in the 17th century. The oldest trades of the Siberians who lived along this road werecoaching, carrier's trade and the maintenance of eating-houses, inns and shops where carriages were made and repaired.A number of factors made the transportation of post and merchandise in Siberia especially complicated: the geographic specifics of differentparts of Siberia, huge distances, long non-stop spans between stations, the need to spend much time in the open air and to travel atnight as well as by day.The most widespread means of transportation by land was a carriage. In winter a sledge, a carriage without wheels, was used. In the 19thcentury there were a few kinds of sledges in Siberian households. For protection against robbers coachmen armed themselves with bludgeons.In winter travelers put on knee-high felt-boots, ear-flapped fur hats, fur, leather or knitted mittens, sheepskin coats or high-collaredcoats made of deer, roe or dog skins. The overcoat was girded.Those who lived in the European Russia were astonished to see how quickly Siberians rode. It was due to the stamina of Siberian horsesand the coachmen's skilful treatment of them. As a rule, they did not spend much time to feed horses. At stations horses were unharnessed,they drank and took a rest and ate on the road. On every cart there was a bucket of oats and snow (in wintertime) and a small haycock. Insummertime the forage was moistened. The hind horse ate forage put on a cart or a sledge in front of it. These tricks were used to make thecarts move faster.Despite the construction of the electric telegraph and the Trans-Siberian railway, the horse carriages were for a long time (in the southof West Siberia - up to the mid-20th century) the only means of communications and transport between remote settlements. Cartage prevailedover transportation by water. A high degree of dependence on climate and geographic conditions, the low numbers of post stations onthe long way and the lack of means to ameliorate roads made a negative impact on the timeliness of the delivery of correspondence and othergoods. It exacerbated the hard working conditions of coachmen, required great physical efforts, robust health, patience and endurance. At thesame time, these very conditions helped the Siberian coachmen to develop specific skills, to adjust the postal technology to severe conditions,and to develop appropriate clothing and special ways of preparing horses for long-distance travels. Despite difficulties, coachmen wereable to deliver goods and mail quickly and timely.

Keywords

Authors

References