Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-28
OUR RUSSIAN RIVAL.
The Great Eastorn Rival of the United
States.

The Great Eastern Rival of the United
states.
Philadelphia Record.
Though strangers TO each other, the
people OF the United States and the Rus
SLAMS have always had the most friendly
relatlons--a fact that Is not due certainly
to community of interest and sentiment
or to similarity Of political institutions or
social customs. The best reason for this
friend liness Is that nothing has arisen to
excite commercial jealousy and inter-
national hatred between the two people
Before the development OF the oil wells
on the Caspian sea, American petroleum
had no competitor for the WORLDS trade.
While the superior quality of this couu-
try's oil Is admitted, the formidable COM
petition with which 1t is menaced by the
Russian can no longer be blinked. Under
the circumstances certain decline In the
demand for the oil of this country was
anticipated, but 1t Is remarkable how lit
tie the fears on this point have thus far
been realized. In spite of Russian COM
petition the American export OF
petroleum is still maintained, The
explanation is In the fact that the
superior quality OF American oil for
illuminating purposes prevents 1t from
being supplanted by an inferior rival,
anu in the further fact that the rapid in :
crease OF consumption by reason OF
cheapuess has been for the gain OF the
American az well as the Russian product
But the Russian Is working indeiatigably
to devel p mis- wealth o: o !, and he means
to persist, In the hope of capturing some
of the great markets OF Europe which are
now the best customers for American
oil. In this labor he will be likely to
have the friendly aid of both Germany
and Austria when the present war-cloud
shall have been dissipated.
There IS nothing in the history of the
most famous American "gushers" that
compares with the oil wells on the Cas-
plan sea. Last October the greatest OF
these wells epnuted out at the rate of
2 100000 gallons in forty-eight hours. Its
greatest predecessor Is said to have
spouted 50,0O0,000 gallons in 1888 in the
space OF lis days SO tremendous was
the outpour OF the last Caspian gusher
that II made It's wealthy owner bank
rnpt by destroying all the surrounding
property. The refuge left by this oil
deluge covered the region IN the neigh,
borhoOd OF Baku to the extent Of two or
NhaNN AhAANNs ouSH hit Lut accounts
which the Russian newspapers give Of
this wonderful Oil region. There Is, in
fact, no question OF development. The
oil d yelops Itself, aud the only problem
is how to store the immense quantity and
get TO market.
Since the capacity Of the railroad to
transport the oil expedtiously and
safely is limited, apipe-line is 20 be laid
from Baku to Baioum, on the Black sea,
a distance Of GOO miles. The uudertak.
ing may not be completed for a year or
two, but It shows that the Russians are
beginning TO understand the value OF This
great source OF wealth. Tank steamers
transport not only crude but refined oil
up the Danube and the Volga,
as well "a through the Mediter-
raneau to Italy, Germany and England.
In 1879 one tank steamer Piled on the
Caspian ses, and now there are hundred
OF them. One hundred independent oil
refining arms are established in Baku,
which would be great place for the
Standard Oh company to get In It's
work. But these are facts OF the highest