, 1885-08-05
RUSSIAN %"GUsHERs.n
= VISIT TO eAKU's PHENOMENAL.
OIL SPoUTERs.
The wendars OF the russian OH Field ~
seen by a Pennsyivania Operator
sand and-On weiis-La Lack
Of Transportation.


New York suul
THE present production OF the Russian
petroleum held. as neal | can ascertain. .
said Mr. John atom. who has ust re.
turned ffOm n STA months tour in
Europe. is between 20. 600 and 30. 600
barrels per day. 1t could probably be In
creased tp 1000 barrels from the Same
wells. provided they were allowed to pro
duce all the time. Mr. atom. who is
president oil the Oil Well Supply com.
pany.-is.one OF the heaviest and best
known operators in the oil country.
" lille In Europe he determined TO take a
look nj Bnku's phenomenal oil spouiers
What he SAW convinced him hal hussia
possessed the biggest oil wells in the
world
-fussian flowing wells. : he continued.
are not allowed to gush all the time.
Their production is controlled by means
Of gate valves When the Nobel com.
pany which Is the Standard Oil company
Of Lussia. wants oil for its numerous re.
f%inerics. Il turns the valve. and a torrent
OF petroleum gushes forth. What the
field would produce If every well In II was
allowed to do its best, is "A question that |
have not yet figured out. A large cast
iron elbow Is placed over the top Of tho
well. mud in front of it is "A wooden con.
hhiNNAf Iflnul1 WV AIth nHHuits AniOhkh
which the oil nows on TO the ground, and
by means of bitches or trenches is led into
lakes and ponds. These lakes and ponds
many OF them several hundred feet
8 uare and from ten to fifteen deep. are
almost as numerous in Russia ms 80. 900
barrel storage tanks are in portions of the
oil country. As there are only u few
tanks in the field, the quantity OF oil lost
by evaporation and through settling into
the ground must be enormo
-one popularity of the Russian gusber
IA the mountain Of sand which is thrown
ont with the oil Hillocks of sand sur
round every well. One mound that 1
took pains 10 measure was 100 feet long,
ten feet high. and fifteen feet wide at the
bottom and six feet on top. and there was
enough sand lying around loose to make
another mountain of the same size. 1t
all came out Of one well. Piles Of sand
thirty feet high almost hide some of the
der.icks from sight II is no uncommon
thing to raise the floors OF the derricks
and engine houses ten or fifteen feet to
keep clear Of the sand. The wells should
BE- called sand-and-oil wells.
when / left the naku fed. in NAV.
about fifty wells were drilling 1t takes
about six months to drill a well. and the
cost is between so, 900 and $ls. 900.
" IT'D the present system of under-ream-
iug culy recently introduced. wells in the
future will not cost so much money.
j ractlcally speaking. the Russian oil field
Is barren Of oil rock. The formations.
which lag AT an angle of about 30 degrees.
and are very irregular. are three quarters
sand. the remaining tuarter being com
p sd OF llur clay. q%uicksand, asphalt.
rocks. etc. The hydraulic system of
drilling has been introduced with cJnsid-
eable success, and Is fast supsrseding the
other system. Generally wells arc com
menced with eighteen inch riveted pipe,
aud enough put in 10 shut oil surface
water and quicksand. After that as
much siXteen.inch riveted pipe is used as
is possible TO get In by drilling. under
roaming, acks. etc This is followed by
graduated courses Of pipe. until the bot
tom Is reached. Eight inch screw pipe Is
rs small as il is desirable to use on &C
count of the large quantity of sand that
is thrown out. Where six.inch pipe has
heen used the wells have been choked up
by The sand.
at has heen demonstrated that deeper
dril ing will restore the production Of
fading wells. The deeper you drill the
better the quality OF the oil Formerly
wells were only sunk to the depth If g. 0
feet. Now the average depth is 500 feet
Ii is probable hat when wells are drilled
from o. to J O00 feet a lighter and better
quality Of oil will be obtained. Wells
are pumped with a large. long sand pump.
and not with tubing. sucker rods, and
" rkng barre $. "a in America The
sand. which continually runs into the
wells. prevents an other method
The russian field is now. and will be
for some time to come. held bach through
want Of refining and transportation faciii
ties. and especially the latter Only #
the 2uJ retiueries ut ack Town. rakus
refining center are in o i%eration. These
have "A capacity Of about 70. 900 barrels a
day There are ten small pipe Ines.
which carry the oil from the field 10
the rchnerics Many Of the refneries
are owned By Pcrsians and Tartars. and
are MS crude es the oil they use. Al the
best establIsi menis from > TO o per cent
OF ben2inc IS iaken OF. o per cent. is re
fined oil or kerosene, - or > per cent is
lubricating oil, while the balance is
refuse oil. or list. The last-named oil !,
altoge her used as n fuel, and. as it is only
q cents a barrel, is used in a wasleful
manner No other fuel is known Neal
the wells crude is burned, and al other
pla es refuse oil. cope who live near
the wells ian have all the oil they can
take away for nothing Oil is used as a
fuel on railroads. steamers. in factories of
every desert tion. and in houses for heat
ing and cooking. On May 1 crude was
worth L cents a barrel at the wells J est
brands Of refined sold at Baku at 3 cents
per gallon, while the hest brands Of lubri
eating brought u cents.
Dur ng iss about J 100 barrels Of re-
fined oil were shipped out of ussia daily.
This year the amount will doubtless be
increased to 1900 or 1000 barre s.
teamcrs and railroads expect To transport
at least a quarter more oil than they did
last year. In the course of a year ,r two
a PIPE line will be laid from Raku to
Eaioum A comrany is ready 10 build
the line MS soon as the government grants
the concession The nhei company
started In with a capital Of 81 o. 100 II
now employs . O.OjO. OO0. il does nearly
one half nf tie entire business Of The field.
aud la addition owns twenty four hulk
oil steamers. 1.to0 railroad tank cars.
several miles of pipe lines. aud charters
annually eighty sailing vessels aud 100
bargcs Like our standard il dictates
the prices Of Russian oil.
New Use for Children.
Do L..~. I.V.a..