Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-24
OH EI.

Those who make money out of the Penn sylvania oil wells have cause to hear with alarm the stories which come across the water concerning the oil-producing districts of the old world. Oil has been found in Russia along the Caucasus Mountains, from the Cas- plan to the Black Sea, distance of 1,5OO miles. Along the Kuban river, a stream emptying into tine Black Sea- paying terri tory is now being developed. The principal producing field is at the eastern end of the Caucasus range, along the Caspian Sea at Baku, in the region where the ancient fire worshipers held their sacred festivals, dig ging pits along the seashore, from which vol umes of gas were emitted, ignited and be came the holy flame of the wor- shippers. Here, managed by American skill, numbers of wells have been sunk, and daily product of 2S, 900 barrels of crude petroleum is obtained. Many of the wells are flowing ones, with immense capacity. They are drilled to an average depth of 300 feet, and spout their substance to the surface through 12 inch pipes Immense quantities of sand are thrown up with the oil, and around some wells it is banked up 30 feet high and 300 feet about. Refneries of very large capacity are located at Baku, and while the same principle of refining that is used in this country is adopted there, it's application is yet deficient, and the refined oil is far below the quality of refined American oil. Owing to lack of trans portation facilities, very little Russian oil is exported, and Hon. Lewis Emery, Pennsyl- vania gentleman largely interested in the oil bueinass bo hos iusf rafurnod from vicit to the Russian oil field, thinks that at pres ent the oil trade of America has nothing to fear from the Russian field, as American oil, possessing, as it does unlimited and compar- atively cheap transportation facilities can be placed in the markets of the world at a rate with which Russia cannot now compete. But the case will be different by and by. From Poti, Black Sea port, railroad ex- tends to Tif1is, and it's extension to the oil transportation lines are about to be begun uniting Baku with other important seaports, and in time Russian oil can compete with American oil. The oil field which the wells here spoken of tap is very large one. It extends down into India, where developments have been making for some time, with more or less success.
 In the province of Galicia, in Austria there is also an oil field, which covers about 500 miles of mountain territory. While this field may be capable of great development, it is not now yielding more than GOO barrels day. The principal part of the operations is con- ducted by enterprising Americans, who have pushed into the isolated oountry-it is 400 miles north of Pesth-in the hope of devel- oping profitable field. The wells sunk by these men have been put down on scientific principles, but the natives content themselves with sinking pit, the sides of which they do not shore up. The oil that exudes from the soil they collect by letting it filter over 8 curled-up sheepskin into the receptacle they have at hand. The oil corresponds in quality to that of Pennsylvania. Rude refneries are distributed through the region as far south as Bucharest, but are taxed only to supply the region is controlled by Polish Jews, who op- pose the introduction of outside capital or modern modes of operation, but if the Amer jeans who are now working there can make it pay, all this will of course be changed.
 There are other oil producing districts in the old world, and there are indications that the owners of oil wells in Pennsylvania are not to have things all their own way much longer. Last year over $30, ,OOO, ,OOO worth of oil was shipped from this to foreign countries. The successful development of foreign oil fields would of course tend to reduce the amount exported from this country.