Lugansk

Lugansk (also Lugań and Luganskiy Zavōd), a town of southern Russia, in the government of Ekaterinoslav. Pop. (1900) 34,175. It has a technical railway school and a meteorological observatory, stands on the small river Lugan, 10 m. from its confluence with the northern Donets, in the Lugan mining district, 213 m. E. of the city of Ekaterinoslav, and has prospered greatly since 1890. This district, which comprises the coal-mines of Lisichansk and the anthracite mines of Gorodishche, occupies about 110,000 acres on the banks of the Donets river. Although it is mentioned in the 16th century, and coal was discovered there at the time of Peter the Great, it was not until 1795 that an Englishman, Gascoyne or Gaskoin, established its first iron-works for supplying the Black Sea fleet and the southern fortresses with guns and shot. This proved a failure, owing to the great distance from the sea; but during the Crimean War the iron-works of Lugan again produced shot, shell and gun-carriages. Since 1864 agricultural implements, steam-engines, and machinery for beetroot sugar-works, distilleries, &c., have been the chief manufactures. There is an active trade in cattle, tallow, wools, skins, linseed, wine, corn and manufactured wares.