Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1889-11-16
4 PETROLEUM VOLCANO.


= aibtnlate from the retnainsof marine
life, both !anfmaa and vegetable. It
sometimes finds its way to the top of
the ground and forms springs, as does
water; but it is more frequently held
down, at q great pressure, by hard.
1mpervious, rocky strata, lying above
the oil-bearing beds; and when in such
cases q hole or 'welr' is drilled down
to 1t, through the superintendent
mass, 1t gushes up with great force.
Within the last ten years the "holy
land" of the Parsees has become the
seat OF q vast petroleum trade. Baku
is now a grand kerosene oil refinery.
The industry is. not yet as fully de-
Veloped there as in our own oil region
of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania has
nearly thirty thousand oil-wel1s,
against five hundred at Baku But
the i've hundred Baku wells are dis
charging as much petroleum to-day as
the thirty thousand American wells
at Baku the oil is nearer the sur
lace OF the ground than in Pennsyl-
vania American oil-wells average
nearly fifteen hundred feet in depth.
while in Baku the average depth is
scarcely six hundred feet In Ameri-
ca, TOO, the diameter OF oil-wells is
but about five inches. while those ut
Baka are rarely drilled less than
foot in diameter
The discharge OF oil and gas from
some of the wells at Baku has been so
profuse and violent that q mere state
ment Of the facts seems too marvellous
for belief These facts, however, come
to Us we'll attested
In one case where we'll was being
drilled, the auger. or drill, at a depth
of five hundred and seventy feet, sud-
denly penetrated to the oil strata and
tremendous violence. With q, roar
that could be plainly heard at dis
lance OF G~o miles, the gas blew off
for some minutes, and was followed by
tan equally terrific Blast OF Oil
The derrick which had supported
the drill was seventy feet in height
The Jet of oil and sand blew away the
top of the derrick and rose two hun
dFed fee1 above IT. AL efforts to check
the discharge by blocking the shaft
proved useless. Log plugs, and even
huge stones, were thrown aside like
feathers. Throughout September and
October this geyser continued to dis
charge oil at the rate of nearly two
millions of gallons a day. Pools and
lakes broad and deep, enough to row
boats on, were formed on the adjacent
ON Of
troleum flowed from them down to the
sea. "'
The sand which was vomited forth
with the oil accumulated in huge
drifts, burying the neighboring der
ricks along with several shops, tanks
and other buildings. The sand and oil
drifted first to ono side then to the
other, according to the direction OF the
wind, and O. vast mound was formed,
having a saucer-shaped depression, or
crater, ut the center, whence the jet
Issued, . "..
This center orifice, or crater, con-
stantly obstructed by the sand, pre-
sented the appearance of wildly.
seething caldron, which it was dan.
gerous to approach. All the fires in
the vicinity were extinguished to pre-.
vent explosions and CONGREGATIONS.
Thus, day. after day and week alto,
week, this oil fountain continued tt
play, presenting, it is stated by those
who saw it, a truly grand and memoir
able spectacle. -.
1t is estimated that not less than five
hundred thousand tons of oil were
spouted forth during the months of it,
unrestricted flow, nearly all of which
ran to wastel In America this crude
oil would have been worth at least fv,
millions OF, dollars; yet the unfortu
nate company that drilled the well
being quite unable to control it, wa
ruined by the damages which it oc
casioned to its neighbors Uuwitting
ly q monster had been let. loose which
no one could capture or curb.
The Russian Government was a
length appealed to for assistance, ant
two imDerial enpineara visited Raku