The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-05

which yield 100 and more barrels
daily. The average we'll in Burma
yields about fourteen barrels. and
many less.
Since the beginning of the drilling
the production has steadily increased.
In 1880 it was only 400, 600 gallons.
Eight years later it was 10000, 900,
and in 1892 it rose to 55, zoo, 600. The
following years the output was 60
100000 more, and in 1905 the OIL
raised Appropriated 10000, 600 gal
Ions. Oil is now found on the is
lands off the coast of this county
and new fields are being discovered
in the hills Of the interior. So far
the most OF the product comes from
two parallel TavlneS. the wells being
unk along the cliffs on both sides
and in the space between. The most
Of the oil seems to lie below the mar
gins Of the raVines.
The Worlds First Oil Trust.
1t is strange to find that the first
oil trust of the world was IN in
PARKWAY Asia. The petroleum bust
ness Of Burma has always been a mo-
nopoly. 1t was in existence long be
fore our Pennsylvania oil was dis
covered. being then in the hands Of
tW enty-four families who belonged to
two villages located in the Yenang-
yang oil country, from which most
OF the petTOieuI1l SUI cOIIeS. ItItEt-
atoms ago these families had taken
possession of the oil fields. and had
SO fixed it that no one outside their
own members could dig for petroleum
or own an oil we'll. The families were
nown as Yoya, and their chiefs we're
called Twinsayo. If a family had no
descendants it could sell only to the
other members of the combined fam
lies; so that the corporation was de-
cidedly close.
The Yenangyang nae their own
rules as to the digging and sale Of
the oil. These continued in force I'M
til a little over half a century &
when King Mindon, Thibaw's grea.
predecessor introduced the monopoly
system by which the oil was sold to
him alone, the same families produc-
ing it.
Among the Miners.
I understand that many Of those
families are still taking out oil as their
forefathers did Some have been
bought out by the trust, but others
still compete, working the old way.
Their oil comes from wells when
are seldom more than $50 feet deep.
They break the rock by dropping "a
pointed lump of iron. weighing about
$50 pounds, upon it again and again,
and then carry the debris out in
buckets.
When the oil strata is reached they
wait for the we'll to fiji and then
raise the petroleum in buckets. when
are filled by men lowered in rope
sings to the bottom. There is much
gas in the wells, and the miners can
stay below but a few minutes. In or
der to make the most of their time,
they blindfold their eyes before de-
~Scending, tearing off the Dandages
when they reach the bottom, thus
! Eaariro fhair owes in fQcllS for I'M
mediate work. They use hats OF palm
leaves to protect their heads from the
stones and earth which fall upon them
from the sides of the shafts. Their
product is sold to the trust, and at
such rates that they can make tut
little more than fair wages.
The Burmese Oil Company has to
pay a royalty to the government, but
if is largely protected by the admin
istration and there is little chance for
outside competition. The best of It's
present oil fields cover only Q II
hundred square miles.
Burma's Oil Refineries.
During my stav at svriam | have
gone through the refneries. The
managers claim that they are the
largest Of the world, saying that they
surpass any owned by the
Oil Company. which does its business
in smaller Institutions widely scat
tered throughout the United states.
The works here at SYRIAN cover a
hundred acres or more. They are Sit
uated on the banks of the
about sixteen miles from It's mouth.
The river is full of salt and 1t has
built up a great sand bank just oppo-
site the landing SO that ships cannot
come close except at high tide Inc
silt is so great nat the little lake, IN
side the works, used as a water sup
n1y has to be dug out to a depth of
civ or eight feet every year. l saw
hundreds of coolies ~Vatlng TINS
now dry lake. They were taking out
dirt which looked like cement, ana
CARRYING it away in baskets on their
heads. The deposits Of the ra"ad
are so rapidly fllng the PED OF the
river that jetties similar to those we
have at the mouth Of the MISSISSIPPI
VIII probably be put in.
I uant hrnugh the works with lne