Baikal lighthouses

(autotranslated, could have mistakes)

The first lighthouse on Lake Baikal was built in 1761 by order of the Siberian governor Soymonov, who on April 30, 1760 ordered Wolf, the Irkutsk vice-governor, to build a lighthouse on Lake Baikal on the Southern (Posolsky) shore, since in 1759 in this place, which served as an anchorage, many boardwalks belonging to private to shipowners.

70 timber were used for the construction of the lighthouse and 8 rubles were paid to the workers. 52 kopecks For the first time, 6 fathoms of firewood were prepared.

The lighthouse was made of logs, in the form of a cone, 3-4 fathoms high, with a bridge at the top, on which, on an earthen embankment, they burned wood. In the southern wind, when the boarders could not set sail from the northern shore, they did not burn wood in vain. The costs of maintaining and building the lighthouse were charged to the fees.

On July 2, 1763, the highest order came for the immediate construction of a lighthouse near the Prorva Strait.

In 1784, a lighthouse was built at the entrance to the Posolskaya Prorva harbor.

In 1774, the lighthouse collapsed due to rottenness. Soon after this, 4 merchant ships carrying goods were wrecked. Until the lighthouse was built, many merchants went bankrupt.

In 1781, a new state-owned lighthouse was built on the Posolsky coast. Its height was 45 feet. In clear weather it was visible 15 miles away. It was illuminated using a lantern in which lard was burned. Two Cossacks were constantly assigned to monitor the fire.

On October 12, 1798, the wind blew the mica out of the lantern and the lighthouse burned down.

In 1815, the lighthouse on the Posolsky coast was built again, and in 1830 this lighthouse required repairs. This was done by Lieutenant Ivanov, head of the Irkutsk Admiralty. The Irkutsk authorities did not allocate any amount for this, but the shipowners who lived in Irkutsk collected 455 rubles by subscription. In 1832, the lighthouse was repaired with this money.

By 1910, the following lighthouses were installed on Baikal:

• “Goloustinsky” at the mouth of the Goloustinskaya River, height above Lake Baikal 22 feet.

• “Big Bell Tower” on the rock of the same name between Peschanaya and Babushkina bays, the height of the fire is 376 feet.

• “Kharauz” - on the right bank of the mouth of the Selenga River channel, called Kharauz.

• “Mare’s Head” - on the cape of the same name in the Olkhon Gate Strait, the height of the fire is 45 feet.

• “Turkinsky” - on Mount Turkinsky, the height of the fire is 1018 feet.

• “Goryachinsky” - on Cape Goryachinsky, fire height 63 feet.

• “Ushkany” - on the large Ushkany island, the height of the fire is 770 feet.

• “Kotelnikovsky” - on Cape Kotelnikovsky, fire height 525 feet.

• “Dushkachansky” - at the mouth of the Kichera River on its right bank, the height of the fire is 60 feet.

• “Dagarsky” - on Dagarsky Island at the mouth of the Angara River, fire height 62 ft.

The lighthouse on Ushkany Island was visited by a mail steamer on its way from the mouth of Barguzin to Krugolik with a significant deviation from the direct course to the west. The approach to the Ushkany Islands was dangerous; great experience and precision were required to maneuver between ridges of underwater rocks, which was especially difficult in fog and on dark nights. There were no inhabitants on the island except the lighthouse keeper. There was no fishing on the island, only the caretaker himself fished for his own needs, so cargo and fishing boats did not go there.

The Kotelnikovsky lighthouse on the western shore of Lake Baikal was located in a deserted area where there were no industries. The steamer approached this lighthouse from Sosnovka (on the Eastern Bank), then went to Goremyka and the mouth of the V. Angara. This route was inconvenient. The bay near the lighthouse was not protected from the winds.

Dagarsky lighthouse at the mouth of the Upper Angara River. Fishing here was moved to the mouth of the Kichera River, where another Dushkachansky lighthouse is located. The distance between Chichevki and Dagars is 18 versts. From Dagar the Dushkachansky lighthouse was clearly visible. Communication between them was possible in boats along Lake Baikal in calm weather, and in stormy weather along the so-called “sor”, a branch connecting the Angara and Kichera not far from their mouths.

Lighthouse at the mouth of the Barguzin River. There was a significant movement of cargo and passengers; all steamships and boats often came here on their way to Angarsk. Approaching the mouth without a lighthouse was difficult, because in the very lip of the river there are shallows, the so-called “shovels”. In addition to ships, the lighthouse served fishermen engaged in fishing on a large scale.

The lighthouse in the Sosnovka area showed the way for steamships along the opposite shore when leaving Kurgulik Bay. A mail steamer called at Sosnovka on a schedule, as did boats delivering large quantities of fish and fur traders.

Steamships with cargo and passengers often called at the Goremykinskoye lighthouse on the western bank; in the village of Goremykinskoye, residents were engaged in arable farming and fishing.

Each lighthouse had residential buildings. Each lighthouse consisted of a 7-10-fathom pyramid with a lighthouse on it. The lighthouse cost from 700 to 1500 rubles.

At the lighthouse there was a wooden house plastered inside 3x4 fathoms, a bathhouse 3x3 fathoms, a stable, a barn and other buildings with a total cost of at least 2,500 rubles. Money for the construction of the lighthouse was taken from the observatory's annual loan of 11,000 rubles, intended for the maintenance of all 10 lighthouses on Lake Baikal. The Irkutsk Observatory was under the jurisdiction of the Academy of Sciences, which was not involved in improving navigation on Lake Baikal. All technical and practical issues were resolved by the Ministry of Communications; the Irkutsk Observatory was transferred temporarily to the maintenance of lighthouses, before the formation of the Communications District in Irkutsk and because the lighthouse keepers were observers of meteorological stations located at the lighthouses. The observatory also did not have specialists at its disposal to install new beacons. The construction of lighthouses was carried out by the road and construction departments.

While Drizhenko's expedition was working, communication between lighthouses and Irkutsk to supply them with kerosene, provisions, and workers for repairs was provided by the expedition's steamship. In addition, Nemchinov’s shipping company, at Drizhenko’s request, agreed to maintain communication with the lighthouses free of charge with the help of passing ships. The Irkutsk governor invited all the ships and ship owners. provide assistance to lighthouse keepers.

On May 7, 1901, the highest authority approved that the management of lighthouses should be entrusted to the director of the Irkutsk Magnetic Meteorological Observatory.

In 1902, the head of the Baikal lighthouses, the director of the Observatory, Voznesensky, set a condition for the shipping company, according to which ships of the correct voyages were obliged to call at all lighthouses, deliver lighthouse cargo, caretakers and workers to the lighthouses and back without special remuneration.

In 1899, lighthouses were opened on Baikal in the following order:

• “Goloustinsky” - at the mouth of the Goloustnaya River - June 30.

• “Big Bell Tower” - on the slope between Peschanaya and Babushka bays - July 30.

• “Kharauz” - at the mouth of the Selenga River, called Kharauz - September 14.

• “Mare’s Head” - in the Olkhon Gate, at the place of the same name - September 6.

By 1900, 10 lighthouses and two pairs of directional lights were already in operation, located between Listvenichny and the mouth of the river V. Angara.

By 1910, the importance of some lighthouses for local needs had changed. There was an urgent need to install new lighthouses in other locations. By order of Governor General Selifanov, peasant fishermen, owners of ships on Lake Baikal, and the director of the observatory were interviewed through local governors about the need to change the regulations on lighthouses for greater convenience of navigation on Lake Baikal. 12) After considering the responses received to these requests, it was decided to abolish the Kotelnikovsky lighthouse and install three new lighthouses:

• Barguzinsky (at an estimated cost of 6,971 rubles. 36 kopecks)

• Goremykinsky (cost 5,132 rubles)

• Sosnovsky (cost 5,965 rubles) Total cost - 18,070 rubles. 11 kopecks.

The place in Barguzin Bay at the mouth of the Barguzin River is one of the busiest in terms of fishing and shipping. Since early spring, significant fishing has taken place here. In addition to fishermen, cargo ships often came here, delivering goods for the city of Barguzin and the Barguzin taiga. In the fall, fishing traders returned here from Angarsk. And from Barguzin Bay, animal hunters set out in barges for the autumn hunt along the shores of Lake Baikal. Despite the relatively high volume of traffic from Ust-Barguzin, neither shipowners nor fishing industry did anything to fence the entrance to the bay. Steamboats here, due to the shallow water, were placed far from the shore; with the fast flow of the Barguzin River, accidents very often occurred at its mouth, people often even died due to the wrong course taken by the boat; with low-lying banks and poor lighting, it was difficult to find the entrance to the river, so it was important to install a lighthouse light at the mouth of the Barguzin River.

Another place most desirable for installing a lighthouse was the Ludar rock, at the entrance to Goremyka Bay. The lighthouse placed here was necessary to indicate the entrance to Goremykinskaya Bay. In addition, the establishment of regular entries into the bay near the village of Goremyka is necessary for the only village existing there on the western shore of Lake Baikal, living half by agriculture, which was without regular communication. Steamships stopped here only by chance, which could not but negatively affect the existence of the local population, abandoned in such a distant corner of Lake Baikal. The same applies to the freight of goods, which were handled by steamship captains at their own discretion, and not out of obligation.

A lighthouse was also needed in the area of ​​Sosnovka, where large consignments of fish and fur traders were delivered, in order to indicate the path along the eastern shore of Lake Baikal when leaving the Kurgulik Bay. 13)

The inspection of lighthouses on Lake Baikal and the preparation of a project and estimate were entrusted to the junior architect of the Construction Department Pegaz in 1911 14). The construction of lighthouses was not carried out until 1917 15). The construction of lighthouses was to be carried out at the expense of the Road and Construction Department 16).

To signal in case of special need for steamships to enter the Baikal lighthouses, white flags were hung during the day, and at night additional lights were lit in house 17).

During regular voyages, visits to lighthouses and delivery of lighthouse cargo to keepers and workers were carried out free of charge 18).

The construction and repair of lighthouses during the period of their existence on Lake Baikal, from the appearance of the first lighthouse in 1761 until the beginning of the 20th century, was carried out by administrative persons with funds allocated from fees for the transportation of goods from private shipowners, their voluntary donations and amounts allocated by the Irkutsk Treasury Chamber, and then by the Administration of Road and Construction Units. The administration, as well as private shipowners, was interested in safe navigation on the lake, since government officials and cargo were transported through Baikal.

The types of Baikal lighthouses in the period before the beginning of the 20th century underwent significant changes from the simplest structures in the form of a fire to a complex of specially designed buildings using lanterns in which oil was burned.

The first lighthouse keepers were Cossacks appointed by the administration, then peasants, and at the end of the 19th century - persons engaged in meteorological observations at weather stations at lighthouses. Therefore, from the end of the 19th century, lighthouses came under the jurisdiction of the Irkutsk Observatory from the Academy of Sciences, although all technical issues were resolved by the Ministry of Railways.

The required number of lighthouses on Baikal appeared only at the beginning of the 20th century, when a full study of the lake was carried out.

The presence of lighthouses on Lake Baikal influenced the increase in the number of ships and increased cargo transportation.

Note:

• Great Soviet Encyclopedia. M. Sov. encyclopedia. 1974. v.15.

• Losev A. Review of various historical incidents and antiquities located in the Irkutsk province and in the former countries adjacent to it. Provinces. Irkutsk 1993. P. 296. (source: Sowing A. Chronicle...)

• Stebnev A. Baikal and its shipping. Marine collection. 18 EO No. 8. p.33.

• Ibid., p.34.

• GAIO. f. 31, op. 1, d. 202, l. 61.

• GAIO, f. 31, op. 1, d. 293, l. 16.

• Ibid., p.29.

• GAIO, f. 31, op. 1, d. 202, l. 60.

• There, l. 117.

• GAIO, f. 312, op. 1, d. 303, l. 7.

• GAIO, f. 31, op. 1, d. 302, l. 60.

• GAIO, f. 31, op. 1, d. 202, l. 117.

• GAIO, f. 31, op. 1, d. 293, l. 117.

• Ibid., l.2 9.

• There, l. 39.

• There, l. 26.

• GAIO, f. 31, op. 1, d. 202, l. 81.

• GAIO, f. 31, op. 1, d. 293, l. 29.

SOURCE:

Elizarova L.I. Baikal lighthouses / L.I. Elizarova // Notes on Local Lore, vol. 1. – Irkutsk, publishing house of the magazine “Siberia”. – 1994. – P. 50-56.

Copy from the website http://edge-baikal.ru/node/92