Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1889-01-25
RUSSIA'S PETROLEnN
THE OIL FIELDS ON THE w.
COAST OF THE CASPIAN

0''oA A0s0fAp'ion OF baku-"wate,,,
the Streets with Naphtha Re.,s
The System OF Boring Wells.
markable Eruption-A Profitah,. ~
Baku, the great Oil emporium !.
west coast of the Caspian sea, about y !.
of the distance from its southern -
northern extremity. 1t is at the foot ~
abrupt eastern end of the Caucasus y
which occupies the entire isthmus aa
characterized at both extremities NV s. ana
volcanic developments. Those abont pl
are most remarkable. The CITY had ~
years ago 10000 inhabitants, and po,n
tains 10000. Though SO much of II
ern, the streets and shops of the old p
city remain, with its towers, markets b..
shops and temples, giving an excellent
of Persian architecture without the tro'
of going into the realms of the shah 10
it.
The whole place is as redolent Of the nj
| of kerosene as q town in the oil distrc,,
western Pennsylvania. They penetrate "
equal impartiality hotels, private residan'
and public parks and gardens Though /
soil of the entire region is impregnated /
| naphtha and coal oil, and the sea is of,
covered with thick coating, the wells ]
at some little distance from the CITY n
refneries only are adjacent to the port III
occupy the middle of the city area, and /
reservoirs of naphtha render by their suc
the passage Of the traveller from the steam
or the railroad station to his hotel almost
tolerable. Water is not yet abundant n
is delivered by Tartar carriers For wat
ing" the streets the residuum of napbtba
used, which, tolerably firm in cool wealth
yields easily to the tread III summer, the
sinking into it as if it were mud of q cert
consistency. 1t costs only one-eghtb N
cent a pound. The sidewalks are paved vii
a sort of bituminous concrete equally scr
bio to the suns rays. This oil resduupl
also employed for heating steamer and Ia
motive boilers. 1t is cheap and easily ira
ported, and its use is likely to extend M
the Transcaspian railroad and Caspian seo
ers into other ports of Russia where coa
dear and wood not plentiful.
The port is at the landward end of the
tic peninsula of Apcheron. where it Joins
main coast on the southern side. The cen
Of volcanic activity is to the east or nor
east of Baku on this peninsula, and but |
miles distant, and is characterized by N
craters of mud in constant state of eh
ton. This surface changes constantly
form and level, and from its creviceS is
currents of gas which the application q
lighted match may kindle into gene
confagration. This plain, seen on OJ|
| nj rl,% hn
cred with phosphorescent flames In ii
one Of these mud volcanoes burst, sending
to height of 300 feet jet of gas that I'd
fire and menaced the whole country wi
ruin. Fortunately it subsidized as suddenly
it had appeared.
A railroad eight miles in length come
Baku with the oil producing center, which
on plateau 200 feet above the level of
sea. 1t is a sort of basin two miles
diameter. surrounded by low hills of Lid
stone. At the bottom of this depressl
which is composed Of alternate strata of 81
and mari, 400 wells have been sunk, most|
which have given excellent results III
are owned by companies and private id
viduals. Being within SO small space ii
are necessarily crowded closely together, 1
the skeleton structures necessary for III
operation give at distance the appearaI
of grove or small forest. The system
boring is borrowed from America Inst
of tho shaft used by the French q bed
trepan with steel point is employed wi
Is lifted by machinery and let fall witt
rotary movement. In Pennsylvania tn
arc wells over 9, 900 feet in depth. Those
Baku have not gone so far, though some
them have exceeded half that distance.
sink one 1000 feet costs SIS, 900 and yei
time, and it has as yet yielded nothii
Singular difficulty is experienced from
gas which SO permeates the sand that the n
is often filed as fast as bored, and the saI
even forced far up into the tubing already
place. The work has gone ON for twerI
years, and as no record has been Kept shd
ing thickness of strata, wells are still sunkl
hazard without reference to locality.
At Baku tho oil does not seem to exist
level sheets. Tho wells sunk give differa
results. Some prove abundant; Others ara
once exhausted. OF four continuous wei
the first gave out at 260 feet, the second
$50, the third at 2S2 and the fourth at Y
Land purchased at $40 the sagene about
square feet, next a profitable well, produ
nothing. On tho other hand it often b
pens that, as in the case of artesian wells
America, a new well sunk by the side ol
valuable old one takes the supply and rendl
it worthless-at least without further bOrl1
The deposits seem to be in small pockets |
absing a well to be fed by two of them at \
ferent depths ut the same time. 1t has 4
proved that there are subterranean conn
nications, for it often happens that the OIL
several wells may be colored by colorlng ~
ter thrown into one of them at the surla1
Flowing wells are rare. Pumps are uSlal
necessary. When a squirt of oil is coma
the workmen are made aware of it by
noise that precedes. They at once take hisl
and not moment too soon, for the 1ofee
the stream is sometimes sufficient TO lli'
the structure and machinery at the top ny
dreds of feet into the air. The pocRe'S
supposed to contain at tho bottom stia'1
of water, at the top gas, with the crude
troleum between them. When the well sun
the oil, the gas suddenly expands, forcine
up to the opening with violence. SomeIil
there is an eruption of sand sufficient 10 " y
the works about the mouth of tho we'll =
eruption filled all the canals near by comm
ing petroleum, created great lakes, :
finally, finding no more receptacles, fofn,el
channel to the Caspian and so carried on
surplus. Some of these flowing wells ~
not only been of no advantage to thelr Y
prietors, but have ruined them by haVihs
pay for the damage caused to Their a ne'S
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