Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1882-10-26
The Petroleum Wells on the Caspian
Sea.

Our correspondent at Philadelphia de-
scribed last week the important petrO-
leum wells of Pennsylvania. Those Of
B2ku on the Caspian Sea, short ac-
count of which appeared also recently
in the Times, are now the subject OF a
report from the Vice-COnsul at Batoum,
on the Black Sea. The increasing i'm
portance of these wells has led to project
being set on foot for connecting Baku
Batoum by means of pipes, thus avoid
ing the difficulties and dangers of the
railway transport of the oil. At Batoum
the petroleum will be pumped into tank
steamers, and when the arrangements
are complete and in working order the
Consul says: Every sanguine expecta-
tions are entertained as to the possibility
of successfully competing with American
petroleum imported to Europe" Mr..
Peacock gives the following description
of the Baku petroleum territory: 1.-The
total area of The Baku petroleum region,
taking its extreme points of surface oil,
gas wells, etc., is not less than l,2OO
square miless Its elevation above the
level of the Caspian Sea varies greatly.
The Caspian is eighty-siX feet below the
level of the ocean. The general aspect of
this region is that of barren desert de-
prived of water and vegetation, check
cred here and there with dried-up salt
lakes, natural outfOws and pools of oil,
gas wells, and exhausted mud volcanoes.
Even on the surface of the Caspian
natural Outhows of petroleum and gas
may be seen at certain places. The
boring operations are mostly carried out
on the Peninsula of Apsheron, where
the potential productiVeness is cOnsid-
cred to be much greater than that of
American petroleum regions. COmpar-
ing the results achieved in the two cOun-
tries on one side and the average depth
and total number of wells on the other,
it may be justly stated that the natural
petroleum riches of Baku, so far as our
knowledge goes, have no parallel in the
world. The lands are partly purchased
and partly held by lease. The former
comprises $50 desetines, or 1886 acres,
sold by the Crown to different parties by
public auction for the sum of $3.50, 307r,
or above G300,00 at the rate of eX-
change in 1872 when the sale took place.
For certain plots as much as 93, 800 per
acre has been paid. The yearly rent for
leased Crown land is only Tor per desc
tine, or about Is Cd per acre. These
lands were supposed to be worthless at
proved since, and they now form sub
Ject of wild speculation among the nu-
merous moneyless leasehOlders very
detrimental to legitimate business. A
tract of the most valuable petroleum
land with an area of 270 acres has been
granted to a certain number of high
officials as a token of imperial favor.
In 1873 the number of wells sunk by way
of drilling was seventeen. The total
number now is above 375. The average
depth of bOrings is $50 feet The deep
est well, 637 feet, with diameter from
ten inches to fourteen inches. The num-
Der of unproductive wells from natural
causes is comparatively small; but a
great many wells are abandoned for
want of means or skill to continue the
boring, or still more frequently on ac-
count of the extremely low price of
crude petroleum. Flowing wells yield
ing from 1000 to 1000 barrels (eight
pools or forty gallons to the barreD
daily and pumping wells yielding from
800 to 600 barrels daily are of common
occurrence" The total quantity pro-
duced in 1873 was 100000 barrels, and
in 1881 this rose to between 5000, 900
and 1000, 900, besides immense quanti-
ties of crude petroleum, which was
wasted at the place of production for
want of adequate means of tankage and
transportation. The export of the diff
ferent petroleum products from Baku
by sea amounted to 2,946, 900 barrels in
1881, against ], 702, 20Oin 1S79.-LOndon
Times.