THE GREAT TRANS-SIBERIAN JOURNEY
Among the most outstanding missionary exploits ever was this historic and gruelling
venture by one whose name stirs and challenges to this day - Frederick William Baedeker
by Roger WeilFROM SWORD & TROWEL 1999 No 4
Dr F W Baedeker was born in Germany in 1823, but not into a religious family. He obtained a
doctorate in philosophy at the University of Freiburg and also served in the army. After the tragic death of
his wife of three months he decided to leave Germany and see the world, and so in 1854 he sailed from
England to Tasmania, a journey that lasted over four months. Five years later he returned to England and
took up teaching, still irreligious, and proud of his unbelief.
In the town where he lived, during 1866, Lord Radstock held a series of meetings. An
acquaintance invited Baedeker to attend, which he did with some reluctance. It led to him attending
several meetings. Then Lord Radstock requested a personal interview with him which ended with both
men on their knees in prayer. Baedeker had become a changed man and a child of God.
This highly talented man, well educated and fluent in several languages, was soon actively
preaching Christ. Lord Radstock introduced him to some of the nobility of St Petersburg who had been
converted through his ministry, and Baedeker felt God’s call to serve Him in the land of Russia.
In 1877 Baedeker and his second wife moved to St Petersburg and stayed for three years
working mostly but not exclusively as an evangelist amongst the large German community then resident
in the city and in other parts of the Russian empire. Hearing how many tens of thousands of men and
women were in prisons and penal-settlements all over Russia, but especially in Siberia, he exclaimed,
‘Oh that the prisons might be opened to me!’
He mentioned his desire to a countess in St Petersburg who was a friend of the empress. She
thought this would never be allowed by the authorities, but discussed it with her husband. Some time
later, when shopping in St Petersburg, they happened to meet the Director of Prisons in the street. She
asked him if he would give a permit to Dr Baedeker to enable him to visit prisons, talk to the prisoners
and give them Bibles for their spiritual good.
The director, who was a religious man, was favourable and agreed that Baedeker should visit
him. When they met, the director, in helpful vein, told him about the different types of prison and penal-
settlement he should visit. He suggested that Baedeker visit eastern Siberia, especially Sakalin Penal
Island, and that boxes of Bibles and New Testaments be forwarded in advance to every place he proposed
to visit. He then gave him a permit bearing the unexpected and unique authorisation, ‘Dr Baedeker is
under special command to visit the Siberian prisons and to supply the convicts with copies of the Holy
Scriptures.’
A door of opportunity, greater than he could have imagined, had been opened by God for
Baedeker to minister to those whom society had rejected and wished to forget. So began a ministry that
was to last eighteen years, and which reached into every corner of Russia’s vast empire from Warsaw in
the west to Baku in the south and to Sakalin in the far east.
Before visiting Siberia Baedeker spent a few years doing evangelistic work and distributing
Scriptures in the prisons of European Russia. Then in 1889, he travelled as far as Tomsk to see something
of the conditions in Siberian prisons, and to make plans for a journey as far as Sakalin - all in the days
before the Siberian railway was built.
Baedeker began his gruelling, historic mission aged 67, suffering from severe curvature of the
spine and other painful handicaps. He was accompanied by the leader of Russian Evangelical Christians,
Johannes Kargel (1846-1933), as his guide and interpreter. He was fortunate to find such a wise, godly
and experienced man as his companion, and often mentioned his zeal and helpfulness in letters home.
The Russian Bible Society helped Baedeker by sending ahead of him large supplies of Scriptures to
Perm, Yekaterinburg, Tiumen, Tomsk, Irkutsk and Nikolaievsk. Supplies also went by sea from Odessa
for his work in Sakalin.
The two men set out from St Petersburg on 10th May 1890 for Moscow. On their arrival they
went directly to the large central prison where the Governor and his officials, recognising Baedeker from
his many previous visits, gave him a warm welcome.
‘We arrived to see a party of exiles, 400 men, women and children, going off on foot to
Siberia, a long and terrible march. There are about 3,000 prisoners here and every five days a
party is sent off. A kind-hearted Moscow merchant gives to each exile one rouble on their
departure, to man, woman and child.
‘There are some families with 3 or 4 children and some mothers carrying infants. It was a
sad sight to see them all, and knowing Siberia as I do, I am sure that many of these dear people will
die on the way, especially the children, and never reach their destination. Next day we saw 800 men
in chains to whom we were able to speak and present with New Testaments; they were all going to
Siberia. Kargel has been a great help to me, he is bold and speaks without hesitation.’
They took the night train to Nizhni-Novgorod arriving on 14th May in the morning. Again they
went straight to the large central prison, where they visited the prisoners, speaking to them personally and
distributing the 500 New Testaments that they had brought with them. That evening they boarded the
steamer for Perm, collecting more Scriptures at Kazah which they gave to the emigrants from Kursk on
their way to Tomsk. Their steamer then left the Volga river and proceeded up the Kama river to Perm
where they arrived on 19th May:
‘We went at once to the Governor and then to the large prison in which more than 600
prisoners are crowded together in an unmerciful manner. I do not think I have seen a prison
anywhere in which men are so crowded together. There are two more prisons here and we will try
to visit them both.’ Someone who was able to accompany Baedeker into a prison has given this account of his
method of speaking to prisoners:
‘The prisoners are briefly spoken to as sinners whom God loves, and for whom He sent His Son to die. It was very clear that Baedeker loved them all and this made the men listen very attentively. The prison officials were enthusiastic in helping Baedeker, and also helped the two prisoners who were carrying a huge basket of Scriptures from one cell to the next. In this prison there were men from many different parts of the empire, and Baedeker told them that the Gospel was truly international, for all races of men, through the blood of Christ’s Cross bringing assurance of justification and eternal life to all who came to God through Him.’ They left Perm by train, arriving in Yekaterinburg on May 21st and as was their custom they
went straight to the prison. They had also arranged to meet the English representative of the British and
Foreign Bible Society who lived in the town. He agreed to accompany them from Tomsk to Irkutsk to
help with transporting Scriptures for the next stage of their journey. They then proceeded by train to
Tiumen where the railway ended, arriving on May 27th. They were shocked to discover thousands of
emigrants and prisoners who had arrived here before them and could travel no further as the only means
of transport were river steamers trapped by the frozen river. Baedeker writes:
‘Nine or ten steamboats have been lying frozen in the river Tura but the ice is now
thawing. The boats will be greatly crowded as so many passengers are waiting. Our train brought
another 800 emigrants. You cannot imagine the scene! Women and children sleep in wooden sheds
but their men sleep outside on the ground. We had many opportunities of helping them with
money. Some of them are almost starving. I have never seen such misery as here! Prisoners, and
there were almost two thousand of them, have better living conditions in the prison we visited.
They are put on special barges and placed in cages for their journey up the river.’ Their steamer left Tiumen on 31st May arriving in Tobolsk on 2nd June. Here they visited
several prisons. Many of the 1,500 prisoners they met were waiting for transportation by barge to Tomsk
with their wives and children. Baedeker said:
‘The men listened eagerly to the Gospel and we took more time in each cell. The Word
was given and received in power. We went again this afternoon and in the evening. The prisoners
listened with great attention as did the officials. Some of the prisoners who had received Bibles or
New Testaments from us last year came and showed them. They had made cardboard cases to
protect them. May God bless them!’ After a stay of almost two weeks they left by steamer for Tomsk, travelling up the rivers Irtish
and Obi and arriving there on 18th June. They were met by Mr Davidson of the British and Foreign Bible
Society, who was to help them to transport more Scriptures to Irkutsk, and had brought two tarantass for
this purpose, one for himself and one for Baedeker and Kargel. For the next two months these primitive,
springless carts would be their homes in which they would sleep, eat and store all their belongings!
All the Bibles in large packets were stored in the bottom of the carts with mattresses and
cushions laid on top for the passengers to lie on. They visited three prisons and Baedeker was pleased to
see that prisoners, to whom he had given Scriptures the previous year, were showing signs of being
spiritually influenced by what they were reading.
On 24th June they set out for Krasnoyarsk, 700 km away. There were twenty-seven post- stations on the way where they would be able to change horses and buy eggs, black bread and hot water to supplement the food they carried with them. Because of the summer heat they rested during the day, travelling from four o’clock in the afternoon through till 11 o’clock the following day. It was far from being a comfortable journey.
‘The three Siberian horses run very fast, the drivers urging them on at a furious rate by shouting at them! The passengers have to hold on tight to stop themselves being thrown about and get themselves accustomed to being jerked and tossed as the cart goes along the rough roads. In some parts these are very bad. Crossing rivers is very difficult and because our carts are full of books and the roads are very muddy our progress is not very fast.’
Along the way they visited prisons in Mariinsk and Atchinsk talking to the prisoners and
distributing New Testaments. They arrived a week later at Krasnoyarsk. Baedeker was a friend of
Colonel Pashkov. A servant of his who was a believer had been sentenced and exiled for his faith to
Minusinsk 300 km to the south. It was decided that Kargel should visit him while Baedeker visited the
prisons in Krasnoyarsk, and Mr Davidson went on ahead to Irkutsk. Baedeker was deeply impressed by
the unspoilt beauty all around him:
‘The hand of man has not fallen upon the loveliness of nature here! The magnificent
river Yenesey, the towering mountains, the vast forests which fill the spacious valleys and cover the
hillsides are truly wonderful. There is a great profusion and variety of wild flowers and grasses,
herds of cattle and horses abound. But on the other hand there are the prisons, criminals
everywhere, thousands of them!’ When Kargel returned they left Krasnoyarsk on 9th July for Irkutsk, a journey of 850 km with
forty post-stations along the way, arriving there in eight days. Baedeker regarded the next stage of his
journey as the climax of his mission to Siberia. Beyond Lake Baikal lay many of the largest penal-
settlements where the most hardened and dangerous criminals were kept - whom no one cared for or ever
visited.
As he reviewed the previous two months of his journey he lifted up his heart in praise and
thanksgiving to God for all His mercies and protection along the way. But most of all he rejoiced in spirit
for the unique privilege that God had granted him of ministering His Word to so many thousands of
outcasts from society whose needs were so great.
Before crossing Lake Baikal they had to visit the prisons in Irkutsk where they found some
Christians who had been imprisoned for speaking against the use of icons and religious paintings. Some
distance from the city was the large penal-settlement where 2,500 prisoners were kept.
‘We arrived in Aleksandrovka at eight in the morning. Everything was arranged for
us by the officers in charge so we had open-air meetings for the prisoners and proclaimed the
Gospel to them freely and fully. In the evening 400 to 500 men returned from work, and we had
them formed into a square. Kargel and I, standing on the cart with our books, spoke to them all.
The officers also listened most attentively, several of them being deeply moved.’ Before leaving Irkutsk on 25th July they said goodbye to Mr Davidson who had to return to
Yekaterinburg. Ahead of them was a journey of 1,500 km by tarantass to the centre of the region they
needed to visit. Crossing Lake Baikal by steamer they arrived five days later in Chita, speaking of Christ
to Mongolian villagers on the way. On 2nd August they arrived in Nerchinsk. Baedeker writes:
‘We have now reached the very centre of the Siberian convict-prison system. We have a great number of books to be taken to these prisons and we may have difficulty obtaining enough horses to carry them. Some days we will have quite a caravan - one tarantass and two covered carts laden with books.’ They reached Sretensk on 5th August and the next day set out for the mountains near the
Chinese border, where the hard-labour criminals were put to work in the silver mines. During the next ten
days they travelled 600 km visiting seven penal-settlements (the names of four of them can still be found
on the map - Kadaya, Aleksandrovski Zavod, Gorni Zerentui and Nerchinski Zavod).
‘We had happy work with unlimited liberty to preach the Gospel and to talk to men
and women, some of whom were deeply moved. In none of these prisons had there ever been Bibles
or New Testaments given before. They were very thankfully received and the officers were most
kind. I am so thankful to God that we have been able to visit these places. No one has ever been
here to show an interest in the prisoners, most of whom are hardened criminals and murderers . . . ‘It is a sad sight to see the people of these districts, there is seldom a smile on any face.
They listened very attentively to our preaching; several men wept and many expressed gratitude.
Some fell on their knees and thanked God. We have at last found a corner of the world where the
Gospel has never been heard before. Including Kara there are 10,000 criminals in these places,
both men and women.’
They returned to Sretensk and on 18th August set out for Kara travelling in an easterly direction
on the River Shilka for part of the way and the remainder by cart. In this very remote and isolated region
political prisoners and revolutionaries were kept. After visiting them for four days they returned again to
Sretensk:
‘We have been to Kara and there reached the climax of the Siberian prisons. The
worst criminals are kept here, men and women who even claim to have forgotten home, name and
everything of the past. Is it possible? They are called "Know nothing" or "Have forgotten
everything". Our work in the prisons was most cheering. The poor creatures were so grateful for
the Word spoken and also many of the officers as well. They said, "If our prisoners could hear
such sermons two or three times a year it would make a great difference." Their priests practically
do nothing for them, they are left to themselves and to the power of evil.’ The boxes of Bibles that had been sent from Irkutsk were divided into two parts, most being
used here and the remainder sent on by river to Habarovsk and Nikolaievsk. They sold their tarantass and
boarded the steamer at Sretensk on 26th August for the last stage of their journey 3,000 km down the
River Amur to Sakalin. At Habarovsk they changed steamers and visited the prisons before resuming
their journey, arriving safely at Nikolaievsk on 5th September almost four months since leaving St
Petersburg. Here they collected the boxes of Bibles sent from Odessa and after a few days departed by
steamer for Sakalin, arriving early in the morning on 13th September at Aleksandrovsk. Here also and at
Port Duey they visited the prisons, preached the Gospel and distributed Scriptures, then went on to Japan.
Baedeker arrived home in England in early December. Looking back over his journey he wrote:
‘Every step of the way from Urals to Sakalin was full of serious purpose and holy
responsibility since all along the way were exiles and captives, souls who have first claim on a
Gospel promising "deliverance to the captives" (Luke 4.18). As we progressed on our journey the
interest increased and intensified but reached its climax in the mining districts of Nerchinsk and
Kara amongst the hard-labour convicts, political prisoners and exiles. I have had the great
privilege and honour of distributing 12,000 copies of the Word of God and preaching His Gospel to
more than 40,000 prisoners.’ Dr Baedeker sowed the precious seed in Siberia over one hundred years ago. How cheered he
would be to know that today there are believers and churches in every town he visited, that the work is
growing strongly and God’s kingdom is spreading right across Siberia.
The writer summarised this account from the official biography of Dr Baedeker by R S Latimer,
published in London in 1906.
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