Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-05-04
Enormous OIL Gevssrs.

Titusville, Penn, correspondence
Globe Democrat: Statistics of the oil
business in Russia have just reached
this country, and American oil men are
studying them with great deal of
anxiety. They throw a new light on
the business in Russia, and show too
plainly that the Baku districts are a
most dangerous rival of the American
fields. The output of many of the
Russian wells is prodigious and far
eclipses anything ever heard of in this
country. American oil producers have
no fears of Russian competition, but
with the new information on the IN
dustry in that country they are taking
another view Of it.
There is no better way to bring this
fact to them than by a few comparisons.
Take a well at Baku called the "Wet
Nurse" It has been yielding oil for
twelve years, and in that time has av-
eraged %, 600 gallons a day. These
figures are amazing to an American oil
producer. They mean that the we'll
has produced 140, 600, 600 gallons of oil
or 5000. 900 barrels. These figures
are startling to the people of this sec
ton when they turn to the statistics of
their own industry and find that this
one well has produced three times as
much as PithOle in a year of it's Won
derfuI business. 1t lacks less than
400, 600 barrels of producing as much
as the famous Oil Creek district pro
duced in 1869, its most prolific year.
The Washington district, among the
richest ever discovered m America. in
1887, its banner year, produced but
5000, 600 barrels. This is but 500. 600
barrels more than the output of this
one well IN Russia. The wonderful
Thorn Greek pool, in Butler county.
produced IN its best twelve months but
26o, 600 barrels more than this one
Russian gusher.
Such astounding facts as thesesbring
the danger of Russian competition home
to the people of the Pennsylvania fields.
This well does not stand alone in this
enormous production. The yearly out
put is given of a number of wells. many
OF them nearly as large as this one.
The "MirZOeff No. 5. also at Baku.
has for SIX years produced 40, 900 gal
Ions day. This Is above 1900 barrels,
and the production of COgley, Tarkin,
and Red Valley, three prolific VenangO
county pools, produced but 1, 965. 600
barrels In 1886, their best year.
The record Is given Of a we'll drilled
by the Nobel brothers, called the
"DrOOjba we'll" It cost 81, 800 to drill.
The record of the we'll is thus stated:
This well spOuted for lis days, the
yield being 400 tons day for forty
three days, 900 tons for thirty, and 600
tons for eleven days. The well was
then plugged and the supply kept
underground for further wants. The
total amount of oil spOuted by this well
according to the lowest estimate. was
%, 900 tons, or $4,000, 600 gallons; ac-
cOrding to the highest estimate, 500, 900
tons, or l25, 600, 600 gallons"
The spray from one of these geysers
was blown through the air for eight
miles.
With these figures before them, COM
ing as they do from official sources.
American oil men realize that Russian
petroleum deposits are too great for
computation. Five hundred wells have
been sunk in the Baku districts, 200 of
which, irrespective of the enormous
fountains, are now producing 500, OOO,-
600 gallons of oil every year. 1t is the
opinion of American operators now in
the field that this flow could be in
creased ten fold or a hundred fold. A
very significant fact to oil men is the in
terest which the Rothschilds have taken
IN the Russian field, controlling as they
do a large proportion of the producing
and refining business.