The new North-west., 1888-10-19
THE OIL FIELDS ON THE WEST
COAST OF THE CASPIAN.

western Pennsylvania. They penetrate will
equal impartiality hotels, private residence
and public parks and gardens Though thl
soil Of the entire region is impregnated witt
naphtha and coal oil, and the sea is otter
covered with a thick coating, the wells nrt
at some little distance from the city. The
refneries only are adjacent to the port. They
occupy the middle of the city area, and the
reservoirs of naphtha render by their smells
the passage Of the traveller from the steamer
or the railroad station to his hotel almost in
tolerable. Water is not yet abundant, and
is delivered by Tartar carriers. For "water.
ing" the streets the residuum of naphtha is
used, which, tolerably firm in cool weather,
yields easily to the tread in summer, the foot
sinking into it as if it were mud of certain
consistency. It costs only one-eighth of q
cent n pound. The sidewalks are paved with
a sort of bitumirous concrete equally sensi-
ble to the suns rays. This oil residuum is
also employed for heating steamer and loco
motive boilers. It is cheap and easily trans
ported, and its use is likely to extend from
the Transcaspian railroad and Caspian steam
ers into other ports of Russia where coal is
dear and wood not plentiful.
The port is ut the landward end of the lit
main coast on the southern side. The center
east Of Baku on this peninsula, and but few
miles Distant and is characterized by little
craters Of mud in constant state Of ebulli-
tion. This surface changes constantly its
form and level, and from its crevices issue
currents Of gas which tho application of q
lighted match may kindle into general
confagration. This plain, seen on a quiet
night from the Virgins Tower, seems COW
eredjwith phosphorescent flames. In 1885
one Of these mud volcanoes burst, sending up
to height of 800 feet jet Of gas that took
fire and menaced the whole country with
ruin. Fortunately it subsided as suddenly as
it had appeared.
A railroad eight miles in length connects
Baku with the oil producing center, which is
on plateau 200 feet above the level of the
sea. It is sort Of basin two miles in
diameter. surrounded by low hills of lime
stone. At the bottom of this depression,
which is composed of alternate strata of sand
and mari, 400 wells have been sunk, most of
which have given excellent results. They
arc owned by companies and private indi-
viduals Being within SO small space they
ere necessarily crowded closely together, and
the skeleton structures necessary for their
operation give at a distance the appearance
of grove or small forest. The system of
boring is borrowed from America. Instead
Of the shaft used by tho French a heavy
trepan with steel point is employed, which
is lifted by machinery and let fall with
rotary movement. In Pennsylvania there
arc wells over z, 600 feet in depth. Those of
Baku have not gone so far, though some of
them have exceeded half that distance. To
sink one 1000 feet costs $4,000 and a years
time, and it has as yet yielded nothing
Singular difficulty is experienced from the
gas which so permeates the sand that the hole
is often filed as fast as bored, and the sand
even forced far up into the tubing already in
place. The work has gone on for twenty
years, and as no record has been kept show
Ing thickness Of strata, wells are still sunk ut
hazard without reference to locality.
At Baku tho oil does not seem to exist in
level sheets. The wells sunk give different
results Some prove abundant; others are at
once exhausted OF four continuous wells,
the first gave out at 260 feet, tho second at
$50, tho third at 2S2 and the fourth at $780,
Land purchased at SO the sagene about IT'S
square feeD, next q profitable well, produces
nothing. On the other hand it often hap
pens that, as in the case of artesian wells in
America, new well sunk by the side of
valuable old one takes the supply and renders
it worthless-at least without further boring
The deposits seem to be In small pockets, en-
ebling we'll to be fed by two of them at diff
ferent depths at the same time. It has been
proved that there are subterranean commu-
rications, for it often happens that the oil Of
several wells may bo colored by coloring mat
ter thrown into ono Of them at the surface.
Flowing wells are rare. Pumps are usually
aeccssary. When q squirt of oil is coming
tic workmen are made aware of it by the
noise that precedes. They at once take fight,
ID not a moment too soon, for the forcc Of
ne stream is sometimes sufficient to throw
lhe structure and machinery at the top hun
dreds Of feet into the air. The pockets are
supposed to contain at the bottom q stratum
of water, at the top gas, with the crude Pc
troleunl between them. When the well strikes
the oil, the gas suddenly expands, forcing it
up to the opening with violence. Sometimes
there Is an eruption Of sand sufficient to bury
the works cbout tae mouth Of tho well. One
eruption filed all the canals near by contain
ing petroleum, created great lakes, and
finally. finding no more receptacles, formed
channel to tho Caspian and 50 carried OF its
surplus. Some Of these flowing wells have
rot ooly been Of no advantage to their pro-
prietors, but have ruined them by having to
pcy for the damage caused to their neigh
tors. One ct them produced 16,O0OOO
pounds day, and its product was SO care
fully preserved that the daily profit from it
was $4,000 A flowing well does not usually
last more than two months. It then becomes
pumping well and the oil is extracted as
in America.
The eruption of 1887 is the most remarka-
bic on record. The oil mixed with sand was
thrown to the height Of over 400 feet, and
@ expanded by the wind and illuminated by
the sun, resembled q golden geyser. The
buildings were buried under mountain Of
sand and earth. Streams Of oil flowed in
every direction. An army Of workmen la
bored under a tempest Of oil to check the
low. Iron rails laid across the opening were
completely worn out by the friction Of the
jet Of sand and oil, and it was only finally
stopped by showing over tho orifce an i'm
mense framework make of thick oak plauks
and railroad iron. The oil is conveyed from
the wells to the reineries at Baku by iron
pipes rs in America. These were introduced
about thirteen years ago.-San Francisco
Chronicle.
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