Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-08
BAKU OIL WORKS RUINED
Great Industry of the Caspian Pert iI
Practically Destroyed.
FIGHT BETWEEN rARTARs AND ARIEslAss
Dissatisfaction with Russian Govern
ment Not a Fenture-Many Persons
killed and Hundreds
Injured.

ST. PETERSBURG. Sept. s-4:24 a. m.-
Inter-racial warfare and incendiarism have
done their work in Baku and have oom-
pleted the ruin for a year of the great oil
industry Of that Caspian port though the
latest dispatches indicate that the military
has gained the upper hand in the town it.
self and that the steadily arriving rein
forcements promise to turn the tide in the
outlying districts and to enable the troops
to drive the Tartars from their positions
around the city and to reoccupy the subur-
ban towns There is little left unburned
in the oil fields of Balakan, Romani, Sa-
bunto and Bibiebat, from which the crude
oil supply for the Baku oil industry is
drawn. All the extracting plants, including
derricks, pumping establishments and the
oil reservoirs in which the crude oil is
stored have been destroyed. The breaking
of the reservoirs unloosened flood of
burning oil, which II was impossible to ex-
tinguish. A large portion Of the black
town" quarter, in which most Of the re-
fineries were located, was also burned. The
financial loss has not yet been established,
but It will run into the millions. It is
stated that the loss In crude oil which will
run to waste until the reservoirs can be re-
built and the refineries again started will
amount to $4,000 daily. The bloodshed
has been appalling, the troops In their
efforts to restore order had to defend the
approaches to the town of Baku and were
forced to fight a regular battle with we'll
armed natives. in which artillery was EN-
ployed. The Tartars and Armenans In
their fury turned their weapons against
each other All the well-to-do inhabitants
fed either by sea or overland to Tifis. I'm
like the recent troubles at Odessa, the dis
nr1a af pa lfttc ha fraCpd
underlying hostility to the Russian govern
ment. 1t is not revolution, but an inter-
racial war between the Armenians and the
natives based on the same causes as the
struggle in Armenia
Both factions offered a stubborn armed
| resistance to the troops The Tartars after
driving the Russian and Armenian opera
| tives from the works in the oil fields, mas
| sacred those who were unable to fee In
| time, plundered their houses and then APP
| piled the torch. The dispatches speak of
| several thousand killed or wounded in the
| fighting at Balakan, where the forces
were entrenched and more than held their
own for a time against the troops. It is
said that the green standard Of the prophet
has been raised and that the mullahs at
Baku are preaching a holy war The Mos
| lens, however have no special program to
! carry out this time, and It Is expected that
order will be restored in a few days with
| the arrival of sufficient troops. 1t is thought
that the underlying hatred existing between
| the Armenians and Tartars is the cause of
the trouble.
Thousand Killed or wounded.
| BAKU, Sept. THE situation here to-
night shows no signs of amelioration. 1t
! could hardly be worse.
The terrorstricken Inhabitants are fee
! ing from the country, knowing that the
| garrison is utterly inadequate to protect
| them, and, although the worst scenes Of
fire and massacre have not yet occurred
! in Baku itself, none dare think how far
the excesses may proceed. ~r,-. sA.,ss ..H
The principal fighting Is not In Baku
ITSELF but at Balakhan, where hundreds
have been shot by the infantry and ar
tillery and where 1000 were killed or
wounded during a desperate attack on the
military camp and provision depots. The
| troops sustained few casualties.
A large number of workmen barricaded
themselves in the Balakhan hospital. The
soldiers began the attack with rife fire
and then stormed the hospital and COM
pleted the work with the bayonet.
The entire oil and commercial quarters
| of Balakhan, Sabunto and Nomani have
been wiped out by fire. and the inhabitants
| remaining behind were massacreed and
thrown onto the flames. Bibiebat con-
tinues to burn and is threatened with the
same fate as Balakhan. The consulates,
banks and administration buildings in Baku
are guarded by troops. All of the English
residents and almost all other Inhabitants
of the better class have boarded ships and
gone to sea TO escape from danger. All
available steamers have been employed for
this purpose.
Martial law has been proclaimed in the
city. Nobody is allowed on the streets
after 8 o'clock at night, and inhabitants of
houses are held strictly responsible for
shots fired from them Artillery was en-
ployed against one house from which shots
were fired The walls were preached the
house was stormed and all the people In
side were killed. There is a general panic
in the city
A whole army OF hungry workmen driven
in from the burned suburbs has focked
into the city. There Is the greatest desti-
tuition, and measures for transporting the
workmen from the city are imperatively
necessary.
Reinforcements Of troops are arriving
daily and II is hoped the authorities soon
will have the situation better in hand.
) Panic I'm Tihis District.