The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-12-30
A Mighty Petroleum Fountain.

Mr.. Charles Marvin, writing to the
Pail Mail Gazette, says:
The Russian newspapers just received
contain telegram from Baku an
nouncing the greatest outburst of oil
ever known. 1t runs thus: "Baku,
Russia. Tagieff's wells foun-
ia II has commenced playing at the rate
of $4,000 poods of petroleum an hour.
Its height is 224 feet. In spite of its
being five versts from the town, the
petroleum sand is pouring upon the
buildings and streets" 1t is astonish-
ing that the st. Petersburg correspond
ents of the London papers should not
have telegraphed this remarkable phe-
nomenon. and l can only account for
their remissncss on the grounds that
they have either been too preoccupied
with Bulgarian matters or have grown
so accustomed to fresh oil fountains at
Baku lately as to be blunted to the
| significance of the present one. Yet
| Iagietf's 'gushcr" beats out and out
| every previous record in the oil regions
of the two homispheres. The champion
petroleum fountain up to now has been
| the "Dronjba," which in 1888 spOuted
to the height of 200 feet or 800 feet, at
| the rate of nearly $500 tons of oil a
! day. This single well, wrote from
the spot i'll that year. ''s spouting more
oil than all the $4,000 wells in America
| yield together"
| Such an outflow was looked upon as
almost incredible, and had there not
been other Englishmen at Baku at the
time, l should have probably Jared as
badly rs Bruce and other travellers. But
the Droojba is now nowhere. Tagieff 8
well is spouting nearly 800 tons an
hour, or more than II 900 tons of oil a
dav. If it were in London, it would
top the Monument by 20 feet. and the
mansions of far of Belgravia would be
covered with lis greasy dust. During
the birth throes of Baku oil fountain,
stones are hurled terrific distance, and
a high wind will carry the fine sand
spouting up with the oil miles away.
The roar of the gas preceding the oil
flow is terrific, and the atmosphere for
time is rendered almost unbearable.
Compared with such fountains as the
Drooiba and Tagieil. the Great Geyser
of Iceland is pygmy. Luckily the gas
soon clears of. the stones cease to rattle
about the surrounding buildings, and
then the fountain becomes rs orderly as
those in Trafalgar Square, pouring up
ward sky high with a prodigious roar,
f and forming round about the l3 or IA
inch oriiicc vast shoals of sand, beyond
which the petroleum gathers in lakes
large enough sometimes TO sail yacht
in.
How long Tagieff's "spouter" swil
last, and what its ultimate yield viii
be, will depend upon circumstances
The Druojba lasted l15 days, flowing
for 43 days at the average rate of near
ly 3,400 tons Il day. 81 days at 1.60(
tons, 30 days at about 900 tons, and II
DAYS at 600 tons. The owners ther
managed to fix u cap" over the oritice
and placed the well under control
The total amount of oil spouted. at thu
verv lowest estimate, was 100000 tons
or 50, 100000 gallons; the highest esti
mate put it at 5O0,0 900 tons. At rougl
) estimate, had the oil spouted in Amer
lea, it would have realized about mil
/ lion sterling, and made its owner
millionaire, instead of which the fate o
1 the fountain ut Baku was to render it
: master Il bankrupt; for the shoals O
+ sand enguliing neighboring building
led to claims of damage SURPRISING
what he got for the small quantity o
oil he was able to catch and store
while the rest, flowing beyond on t.
other peoples property, was in mos
cases annexed and not paid for.
is to be hoped that Tagielf & Co. will
not be so unucky; but in any case mos
, of it is sure TO be wasted.