INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
961
Internal Communications. I. Rivers and Canals.
In 1896, 121,620 smaller vessels, and 239,703 rafts were unloaded at the river ports of European Russia and Poland, the value of merchandise thus transported exceeding 278,558,000 roubles, and its total weight, 24,716,000 tons. Plying on Russian rivers (exclusive of Finland and Caucasus) in 1891 were 1,824 steamers, 103,200 nominal horse-power, capable of receiving a load of 141,700 tons, and valued at 75,576,600 roubles (crews, 25,814 men). There were besides 20,125 vessels of various denominations, capable of carrying about 6,500,000 tons (cost, 38,327,000 roubles; crews, 90,356 men). An average of 72 steamers (3,395 horse-jiower) and 6,102 boats (1,880,000 tons) has been built during the years 1888-91. Of the latter, the greatest number is destroyed every year.
In 1894 the river fleet of European Russia and Poland consisted of 2,185 steamers (115,140 horse-power), thus distributed in the different basins: Volga, 1,197; Neva and lakes, 339; Dnieper, 250 ; Don, 148; Northern Dvina, 82 ; Western Dvina, 62 ; Vistula, 28 ; Dniester, 16 ; Lakes Pskov and Chudskoye, 13 ; Nyeman, 13 ; Narova, 5 ; Urals, Eastern Slope, 3.
In 1894 102 steamers navigated on the rivers of West Siberia, the- traffic attaining an aggregate of 322,000 tons, and 66 steamers plied on the rivers of East Siberia. In 1897, 94 steamers and 129 barges plied on the Amur and its tributaries.
The naphtha flotilla of the Caspian Sea numbers 57 steamers and 263 sailing vessels, which have transported above 30,000,000 cwt. of naphtha.
In 1894 Russia and Poland had 46,277 English miles of navigable rivers, and 499 miles of canals and 648 miles of canalized rivers. The traffic on the rivers of European Russia proper (exclusive of Poland, Finland, and Caucasus) was in tons : —
• —
Total
Corn
Firewood
Timber
Naphtha
1891 1892 1893 1894 1896
16,710,000 16,480,000 19,040,000 23,290,000 27,716,000
1,996,000 1,482,000 2,390,000 3,680,000
3,705,000 3,282,000 3,240,000 3,822,000
6,470,000 7,011,000 7,604,000 9,209,000
1,153,000 1,378,000 1,256,000 2,022,000
Of the whole river traffic (including rafts) of European Russia, 67 per cent, falls upon the system of the Volga and the Neva — the remainder being : 28 per cent, on the Dnieper-Nyemen and Dvina system, 3 per cent, only on the Don, 1 "4 per cent, on the Dniester, and 1 '1 on the Narova.
Siberia has 27,920 E. miles of navigable rivers (16,366 miles navigated by steamers), and Central Asia 2,745 miles.
II. Railways.
The railway-net, on September 1, 1898, was as follows -.-^Opened for traffic, 27,644 miles. Of these, under the Ministry of Ways and Commu- nication, 24,591 miles (16,453 miles worked by the State, and 8,138 mile.s by private com[ianies) ; under the Ministry of War (Transcasjiian), 1,027 miles; in Finland, 1,566 miles. In huildiwj, 7,426 miles. Of these, by the State, 1,064 miles ; by the Siberian Railway administration, 2,636 miles ; by
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